Melmerby railway station

Melmerby
Location
Place Melmerby
Local authority Borough of Harrogate
Coordinates 54°11′10″N 1°29′42″W / 54.186248°N 1.494878°W / 54.186248; -1.494878Coordinates: 54°11′10″N 1°29′42″W / 54.186248°N 1.494878°W / 54.186248; -1.494878
Grid reference SE330768
Operations
Number of platforms 4
History
Original company Leeds Northern Railway
Pre-grouping North Eastern Railway
Post-grouping London and North Eastern Railway
British Railways
Opened 1 June 1848 (as Wath) Original station
1 February 1852 (Melmerby) Name change
6 March 1967 Closed
National Rail – UK railway stations
UK Railways portal

Melmerby railway station was a railway station and junction in North Yorkshire, England. It had one main line going south to Ripon and Harrogate and one main line north to Northallerton with one lesser line going east to Thirsk Town and also connecting with the East Coast Main Line at Thirsk railway station. Its one other line was a branch to Masham.

History

The station was opened to traffic in June 1848 when the line to Ripon opened up southwards from Thirsk Town.[1] At the opening of the station it was known as Wath, but this was changed in February 1852 to Melmerby.[2] The station lay equidistant between the two villages from where it was named after.[3] Last to open was the branch to Masham which was formally inaugurated on the 9 June 1875.[4] The Masham Branch shared platforms with the Northallerton line and there was one large 'V' shaped island platform between the Northallerton and Thirsk lines.[2]

In 1901 the line to Northallerton was doubled and given a connection to the main line at Northallerton station (rather than access being limited to the Stockton line). This switched the importance of the Northallerton and Thirsk lines around with heavy and important traffic going on the Northallerton line and the route to Thirsk being downgraded into a secondary line, although it retained a healthier local service because of a larger population along the route.[5]

The Masham branch was the first to lose its passengers. Officially, the closure date was New Year's Day 1931, which means that traffic last ran on the last day of 1930, but freight trains still used the branch until November 1963.[6] After the passenger traffic was curtailed on the Masham Branch, the Northallerton bound platform was moved further north so that it was only accessible to trains going to Northallerton.[2]

As the line to Thirsk had been downgraded and traffic moved away, it became the earliest full casualty being closed completely in September 1959.[7]

The line, and all stations between Northallerton and Harrogate, were officially closed in March 1967 as part of the Beeching closures.[8] The line was re-opened temporarily for three days (in July and August of 1967) to northbound traffic due to an accident on the East Coast Main Line at Thirsk.[9]

A private dwelling now sits on the site of the station, whilst a haulage depot now occupies the former goods sidings south of the Melmerby to Wath road.[2]

References

  1. ↑ Burgess, Neil (2011). The lost railways of Yorkshire's North Riding. Catrine: Stenlake. p. 27. ISBN 9781840335552.
  2. 1 2 3 4 "Disused Stations: Melmerby Station". www.disused-stations.org.uk. Retrieved 19 March 2017.
  3. ↑ "SE37" (Map). Ripon. 1:25,000. Ordnance Survey. 1953. Retrieved 16 March 2017.
  4. ↑ Weaver Tomlinson, William (1914). "XIX: A change of fortune from 10 to 5 per cent". The North Eastern Railway; its rise and development. Newcastle upon Tyne: Andrew Reid & Co. p. 673.
  5. ↑ Young, Alan (2015). The lost railways of Yorkshire; the North Riding. Kettering: Silver Link. p. 43. ISBN 978-1-85794-453-2.
  6. ↑ Body, Geoffrey (1989). Railways of the Eastern Region Volume 2; Northern operating area. Wellingborough: Patrick Stephens. p. 79. ISBN 1-85260-072-1.
  7. ↑ Suggitt, Gordon (2005). Lost railways of North and East Yorkshire. Newbury: Countryside Books. p. 28. ISBN 978-1-85306-918-5.
  8. ↑ Young, Alan (2015). The lost railways of Yorkshire; the North Riding. Kettering: Silver Link. p. 44. ISBN 978-1-85794-453-2.
  9. ↑ McMullen, D (5 September 1968). "Report on the derailment and subsequent collision that occurred at Thirsk on the 31 July 1967" (PDF). Railways Archive. p. 3. Retrieved 19 March 2017.
Preceding station Historical railways Following station
Ripon   North Eastern Railway
Leeds-Northallerton Railway		   Sinderby
Ripon   North Eastern Railway
Leeds & Thirsk Railway		   Baldersby
Terminus   North Eastern Railway
Masham branch		   Tanfield
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