Wetherby Racecourse railway station was a railway station on the Harrogate to Church Fenton Line serving Wetherby Racecourse in Wetherby, West Yorkshire, England.
Wetherby | |
|---|---|
 Site of the station in 2007 | |
| General information | |
| Location | Wetherby, City of Leeds England |
| Coordinates | 53°55′48″N 1°21′29″W / 53.930°N 1.358°W |
| Grid reference | SE420482 |
| Platforms | 2 through |
| Other information | |
| Status | Disused |
| History | |
| Original company | London and North Eastern Railway |
| Post-grouping | London and North Eastern Railway British Railways (N.E. region) |
| Key dates | |
| 1924 | Opened |
| 18 May 1959[1] | Last used |
| 1962 | Demolished |
When Wetherby's original station on York Road closed in 1902, for two decades the only rail access was via Wetherby's new station on Linton Road.[2] This was some distance from the racecourse, involving a walk of just over 2 miles.
There was therefore a station built at Wetherby Racecourse in 1924, with a ticket booth of wooden construction, starter signals, a ground frame and a footbridge. It even boasted electrical lighting and its own nameboard.[3] It was located on the line going south east towards Tadcaster and Church Fenton and had two platforms; one for each running line.[4]
Race specials would stop at this 'Racecourse station', about three quarters of a mile from Linton Road towards Thorp Arch. These specials came from Leeds, Doncaster and Bradford Exchange and Sheffield.[5]
Reports vary as to when it closed; one report says it stayed open until 1963 with Racecourse Specials running to the station from Bradford Exchange on racedays,[6] whilst another publication states that it was last used on Whit Monday 18 May 1959 and was demolished in 1962.[7] The line closed in 1964.[8]
References
edit- ^ Butt, R.V.J. (1995). The Directory of Railway Stations. Yeovil: Patrick Stephens Ltd. p. 247. ISBN 1-85260-508-1. R508.
- ^ "Disused Stations:Wetherby Station (1st site)". www.disused-stations.org.uk. Retrieved 14 August 2017.
- ^ Chapman, Stephen (2011). Harrogate & Wetherby. Rudston: Bellcode. p. 97. ISBN 978-1871233-24-7.
- ^ Hoole, K. (1985). Railway stations of the North East. Newton Abbot: David & Charles. p. 137. ISBN 0-7153-8527-5.
- ^ Chapman, Stephen (2011). Harrogate & Wetherby. Rudston: Bellcode. pp. 105–112. ISBN 978-1871233-24-7.
- ^ The Archive Photograph Service-Wetherby page 71 ISBN 0-7524-0328-1
- ^ Rogers. J. (2000) The railways of Harrogate and district, Manchester: North East Railway Association
- ^ Suggitt, Gordon (2005). Lost railways of North and East Yorkshire. Newbury: Countryside Books. p. 26. ISBN 978-1-85306-918-5.
| Preceding station | Historical railways | Following station | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wetherby (York Road) Line and station closed |
LNER Harrogate to Church Fenton Line |
Thorp Arch Line closed; station closed | ||
