Grosmont railway station

Grosmont is a railway station on the Esk Valley Line, which runs between Middlesbrough and Whitby via Nunthorpe. The station, situated 6 miles 24 chains (10.1 km) west of Whitby, serves the village of Grosmont, in the Borough of Scarborough, North Yorkshire, England. It is owned by Network Rail and managed by Northern Trains. The station is also served by heritage services operated by the North Yorkshire Moors Railway.

Grosmont
National Rail
General information
LocationGrosmont, Scarborough
England
Coordinates54°26′11″N 0°43′31″W / 54.4364560°N 0.7253575°W / 54.4364560; -0.7253575
Grid referenceNZ828052
Managed by
Platforms4 (1 National Rail) (3 North Yorkshire Moors Railway)
Tracks4
Other information
Station codeGMT
ClassificationDfT category F2
History
Original companyWhitby and Pickering Railway
Pre-groupingNorth Eastern Railway
Post-grouping
Key dates
8 June 1835 (1835-06-08)Opened as Tunnel Inn
Before June 1847Renamed Grosmont
8 March 1965Branch line to Pickering closed to passengers
22 April 1973Branch line to Pickering reopened as part of North Yorkshire Moors Railway
Passengers
2018/19Decrease 12,390
2019/20Increase 13,912
2020/21Decrease 4,420
2021/22Increase 11,454
2022/23Decrease 11,284
Services
Preceding station Northern Following station
Egton Esk Valley Line Sleights
towards Whitby
Location
Grosmont is located in North Yorkshire
Grosmont
Grosmont
Location in North Yorkshire, England
Notes
Passenger statistics from the Office of Rail and Road

History edit

The Whitby and Pickering Railway was a horse-worked line engineered by George Stephenson, which opened between Whitby and Grosmont in 1835. At the time, the station was known as Tunnel, named after the tunnel required to pass from Grosmont towards Beckhole.[1]

In 1845, the railway was sold to George Hudson's York and North Midland Railway. Additional parliamentary powers were subsequently obtained by the Whitby and Pickering Railway to make various improvements to its alignment, as well as to permit the introduction of steam power. The line was also converted from single into a fully double track steam-powered railway. The first steam engine entered service at Whitby in July 1847.

At Grosmont a new wider tunnel and bridge were constructed, most likely to designs of John Cass Birkinshaw. A G.T. Andrews designed railway station was also built, creating Grosmont's first true railway station.

In 1854, the York and North Midland Railway was one of the three railway companies that came together to form the North Eastern Railway. In 1865, the station became a junction, following a deviation line on the route to Pickering, which was constructed in order to avoid the cable-worked incline at Beckhole. A new connection was also made from Castleton (now Castleton Moor) to Grosmont, which now operates as part of the Esk Valley Line.

Between 1900 and 1924, iron ore extraction resulted in the whole area under the station being mined, using the pillar and stall method. The North Eastern Railway purchases the ironstone under the station house and the river bridge, and made preparations to deal with subsidence elsewhere.

The North Eastern Railway built a short terrace of cottages just south of the tunnel. In later years, these were used by the North Yorkshire Moors Railway to house volunteers, but were subsequently demolished in 1989, to allow extensions to the running shed and workshops.[2]

Two North Eastern Railway camping coaches were positioned here between 1959 and 1964.[3]

The branch line between Grosmont and Malton via Pickering was closed on 8 March 1965, under the Beeching Axe.[4] It was later reopened by the North Yorkshire Moors Railway as a heritage railway on 22 April 1973, and currently operates between Grosmont and Pickering, with services also extending to Whitby.[5]

The station has appeared several times in the television series Heartbeat.

Services edit

Northern Trains edit

As of the May 2021 timetable change, the station is served by five trains per day (four on Sunday) towards Whitby. Heading towards Middlesbrough via Nunthorpe, there are six trains per day (four on Sunday). Most trains continue to Newcastle via Hartlepool. All services are operated by Northern Trains.[6]

Rolling stock used: Class 156 Super Sprinter and Class 158 Express Sprinter

North Yorkshire Moors Railway edit

The North Yorkshire Moors Railway operates heritage services between Pickering and Whitby via Grosmont. Services run daily from Easter until the end of October each year, with some additional services at other times of year.

Gallery edit

Historic structures edit

References edit

  1. ^ Vanns (2017), p. 13.
  2. ^ Vanns (2017), pp. 74–75.
  3. ^ McRae, Andrew (1998). British Railways Camping Coach Holidays: A Tour of Britain in the 1950s and 1960s. Vol. Scenes from the Past: 30 (Part Two). Foxline. p. 40. ISBN 1-870119-53-3.
  4. ^ Winn, Christopher (2010). I never knew that about Yorkshire. London: Ebury. p. 92. ISBN 978-0-09-193313-5.
  5. ^ "Remembering a lifetime spent 'chasing' steam". The Whitby Gazette. 22 April 2013. Retrieved 13 December 2017.
  6. ^ "Train times: Middlesbrough to Whitby (Esk Valley Railway)" (PDF). Northern Trains. 16 May 2021. Archived from the original (PDF) on 8 May 2021. Retrieved 8 May 2021.

Sources edit

  • Vanns, Michael A. (2017). The North Yorkshire Moors Railway. Barnsley: Pen & Sword. ISBN 9781473892088.

Further reading edit

External links edit

Preceding station   National Rail Following station
Egton   Northern Trains
Esk Valley Line
  Sleights
   Heritage railways
Goathland   North Yorkshire Moors Railway   Whitby
Disused railways
Beckhole   North Eastern Railway
Whitby and Pickering Railway
  Terminus