Whitby railway station

Whitby
General information
Location	Scarborough (borough)
Managed by	Northern Rail
Platforms	1
Other information
Station code	WTB

For the railway station in Whitby, Ontario, see Whitby GO Station.

Whitby railway station serves the town of Whitby in North Yorkshire, England. It is terminus of the Esk Valley Line 35 miles (56 km) south east of Middlesbrough railway station and is operated by Northern Rail who provide all of the station's National Rail passenger services.

Services

Four trains per day leave Whitby on weekdays and Saturdays, with five trains on summer Sundays, trains call at all stations to Middlesbrough.

As of 3 April 2007 services along the Heritage North Yorkshire Moors Railway have commenced running from Whitby to Pickering running along the Esk Valley line to Grosmont railway station where they join the NYMR's own line. The 2008 summer peak service in July and August consists of three departures daily except on Sundays. There are trains to Whitby during the whole of the NYMR's season (mid-March to the start of November), to see which days they are running on follow the link to the NYMR's timetable page below.

From Thursday 11 October 2007, the NYMR took over National Rail Ticket Sales at Whitby (as well as selling their own tickets). The phone number to contact the NYMR Whitby Office is: 01947 605872.

History

Whitby's original 'station' stood near to the end of the remaining platform, in the form of the offices, workshop and carriage shed of the Whitby and Pickering Railway, a single track horse worked line opened throughout in 1836, its Engineer was George Stephenson.

In 1845 the W&P was taken over by the York and North Midland Railway and converted into a double track, steam worked, line. The Y&NM built the present Whitby station to the design of its architect George Townsend Andrews, who also designed the locomotive shed and the goods shed (demolished to make way for a supermarket, although a German bomber made a start during WW2). Andrews station included a fine 'Euston Truss' overall roof, unfortunately this was removed by British Railways in 1953 and replaced by the present awnings.

In 1854 the Y&NM helped form the North Eastern Railway, who later added two more platforms (also replaced by the supermarket) to help deal with traffic from the other branch lines that served Whitby; The Esk Valley Line finally opened throughout to a junction at Grosmont in 1863. The coast line from Loftus opened in 1883 and from Scarborough in 1885. Block signalling replaced the time interval system in 1876 and brought Whitby an unusual three storey signal box (to make it high enough to see over the adjacent goods shed).

The NER became part of the London and North Eastern Railway at the grouping of the railways in 1923 and the LNER became part of British Railways with the nationalisation of the railways in 1948. The only changes brought to Whitby were in locomotives, rolling stock and signalling; the basic structure remained unchanged.

With the publication of the Beeching Report in 1963 change, indeed oblivion hung over Whitby station and its railways; the report recommended closure of all three lines that still served Whitby (the fourth line going north up the coast had already closed in 1958). There was strong local resistance to the closure of the three lines but in the event only one line, that up the Esk Valley to Middlesbrough was saved. It may seem strange that Whitby's 'main line', the largely double track line to Pickering, Malton with connections to York was not the one to survive but the saviour of the Esk Valley Line was the steep and narrow roads to the villages that it served, making replacement bus services impractical, especially for bringing school children to and from school in Whitby.

With the closure of all but the Esk Valley Line Whitby lost almost all of its staff and in time the pickup goods train was withdrawn; the remaining double track as far as Grosmont was singled and the signal box closed and later demolished, as was the goods shed. It was only a spirited case put by an ex-Whitby signalman that allowed retention of a basic facility for running round loco-hauled trains, so as to allow for excursions and as it turned out today's through steam services over the NYMR. Platforms 3 and 4 were entirely removed and the site sold off, to be occupied by a supermarket. Platform 2 was cut back to what remains of the trainshed and its track removed, leaving only platform 1 rail served. Apart from the roofless and truncated station, Whitby's only other surviving railway buildings are the two track engine shed, originally built by the York and North Midland Railway and extended by the NER and now in prospect of conversion into Captain Cook World and the neglected remains of one of the pair of Whitby and Pickering Railway 1835 weighbridge houses.

Image Gallery

• 
  Tile Map from Wall of Whitby Station, showing map of routes across North Yorkshire.
• 
  Class 37 at Whitby with a Pathfinder Tours Railtour on 1st June 2005.

External links

• Train times and station information for Whitby railway station from National Rail
• Train times and information from the North Yorkshire Moors Railway
• Historic England. "Details from listed building database ({{{num}}})". National Heritage List for England. Whitby Engine Sheds

Preceding station		National Rail		Following station
Ruswarp		Northern Rail Esk Valley Line		Terminus
	Heritage railways
Grosmont		North Yorkshire Moors Railway		Terminus
	Disused railways
Whitby West Cliff		Whitby Redcar and Middlesbrough Union Railway		Terminus

This station offers access to the Cleveland Way
Distance to path
Next station anticlockwise	Saltburn 19 miles
Next station clockwise	Scarborough 21 miles