Whitby Station
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Visit websiteWhitby'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 & 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 & 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 G.T.Andrews. His station included a fine 'Euston Truss' overall roof, but this was removed by in 1953 and replaced by the present awnings. The main building survives, with a fine arcaded portico, in ashlar with dentilled cornices. Its quality is attributed to George Hudson, the railway company's chairman, who was promoting Whitby as a resort.
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. These were the Esk Valley Line finally opened throughout to a junction at Grosmont in 1863 and the coast line from Loftus opened in 1883 and from Scarborough in 1885.
The Beeching Report in 1963 recommended closure of all three lines still serving Whitby (the fourth line going north up the coast had already been 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 Esk Valley Line was saved by the steep and narrow roads to the villages that it served, making replacement bus services impractical.
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the closure of all but the Esk Valley Line, Whitby lost almost all of its staff and in time the pickup goods train was withdrawn; the remaining double track as far as Grosmont was singled and the signal box closed and later demolished, as was the goods shed.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, through steam services from the heritage line, the North York Moors Railway
In central Whitby close to the harbour.
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