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Goathland (Incline Top) railway station
Encyclopedia
Goathland railway station was a short lived, early, railway station in Goathland
, North Yorkshire
, England
. The actual station was known simply as Goathland but this article is so named to distinguish it from the later Goathland railway station
and its article (qv). The station at the top of the Beckhole Incline (sometimes referred to as the Goathland incline) was opened with the opening throughout of the Whitby and Pickering Railway
on Thursday 26 May 1836. The station closed with the opening of the NER
's Deviation line (which bypassed the by then anachronistic cable worked incline) on 1 July 1865. Thus the station had a life of less than thirty years.
A new Goathland station (initially called Goathland Mill to distinguish it from the earlier station) was opened on the deviation line.
Little is known about what facilities the horse-worked W&P provided at Goathland, they did build an 'overseers cottage' at the head of the incline, that cottage survives, now known as 'Ash Tree Cottage', it is probably the only surviving inhabited W&P structure.
The incline built to the design of the W&P's Engineer George Stephenson
was self-acting with the descending traffic hauling up the ascending traffic. The descending coach or wagons was given additional weight by means of a wheeled water butt, which was filled before descending, then drained at the bottom and returned to the top with the next ascending load. The machinery for working the inclined plane was obtained from Robert Stephenson
at a cost of £135 14s 6d. The original rope for the incline manufactured by Mr. Henry Simpson was 1,500 yards long and 5.5 inches in circumference.
The W&P built a stable 'at the top of Goathland Inclined Plane', the directors accepting a tender from a Mr. Langdale of £230.
_station_site_today.jpg)
At a first glance the unattuned observer would hardly realise that there had been a railway, never mind a station on the site of Goathland's first station. However the presence of a 'Historic Rail Trail' following the original alignment gives away the one-time presence of a railway. In the adjacent image the worn track on the grass roughly follows the track alignment. In the distance can be seen the Y&NM terrace (with three distinctive chimney stacks), one (modern) house beyond that stands 'Ash Tree Cottage', the W&P's cottage at the head of the incline. The incline itself starts just out of sight, about where the path disappears.
Nearer at hand and to the right of the trackbed can be seen the remains of masonry. Those nearest the camera may be the remains of the turntable pit, whilst the further ones may have been part of the 'engine house' (the winding engine). The marked depression under the tree to the right may also be a due to the turntable pit. The small engine shed would then have stood somewhere to the right of the photographer. It is likely that the (later) winding engine house with its two chimneys, would have extended at least into the garden of the end house, if not under the house itself.
Only a thorough archaeological investigation, initially (at least) non-intrusive, can confirm what traces remain of this pioneer railway station and confirm (or not) the interpretation of the remains visible in the image.
Goathland
Goathland is a village and civil parish in the Scarborough district of North Yorkshire, England. It is in the North York Moors national park situated due north of Pickering, off the A169 to Whitby...
, North Yorkshire
North Yorkshire
North Yorkshire is a non-metropolitan or shire county located in the Yorkshire and the Humber region of England, and a ceremonial county primarily in that region but partly in North East England. Created in 1974 by the Local Government Act 1972 it covers an area of , making it the largest...
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
. The actual station was known simply as Goathland but this article is so named to distinguish it from the later Goathland railway station
Goathland railway station
Goathland railway station is a station on the North Yorkshire Moors Railway and serves the village of Goathland in North Yorkshire, England. It is famous for appearing in the television series Heartbeat and as Hogsmeade station the Hogwarts Express stop at in the Harry Potter films...
and its article (qv). The station at the top of the Beckhole Incline (sometimes referred to as the Goathland incline) was opened with the opening throughout of the Whitby and Pickering Railway
Whitby and Pickering Railway
The Whitby and Pickering Railway was built as the culmination of attempts to halt the gradual decline of the port of Whitby on the east coast of the United Kingdom...
on Thursday 26 May 1836. The station closed with the opening of the NER
North Eastern Railway (UK)
The North Eastern Railway , was an English railway company. It was incorporated in 1854, when four existing companies were combined, and was absorbed into the London and North Eastern Railway at the Grouping in 1923...
's Deviation line (which bypassed the by then anachronistic cable worked incline) on 1 July 1865. Thus the station had a life of less than thirty years.
A new Goathland station (initially called Goathland Mill to distinguish it from the earlier station) was opened on the deviation line.
Whitby and Pickering Railway (1836-45)
The incline built to the design of the W&P's Engineer George Stephenson
George Stephenson
George Stephenson was an English civil engineer and mechanical engineer who built the first public railway line in the world to use steam locomotives...
was self-acting with the descending traffic hauling up the ascending traffic. The descending coach or wagons was given additional weight by means of a wheeled water butt, which was filled before descending, then drained at the bottom and returned to the top with the next ascending load. The machinery for working the inclined plane was obtained from Robert Stephenson
Robert Stephenson
Robert Stephenson FRS was an English civil engineer. He was the only son of George Stephenson, the famed locomotive builder and railway engineer; many of the achievements popularly credited to his father were actually the joint efforts of father and son.-Early life :He was born on the 16th of...
at a cost of £135 14s 6d. The original rope for the incline manufactured by Mr. Henry Simpson was 1,500 yards long and 5.5 inches in circumference.
The W&P built a stable 'at the top of Goathland Inclined Plane', the directors accepting a tender from a Mr. Langdale of £230.
What can be seen today
Nearer at hand and to the right of the trackbed can be seen the remains of masonry. Those nearest the camera may be the remains of the turntable pit, whilst the further ones may have been part of the 'engine house' (the winding engine). The marked depression under the tree to the right may also be a due to the turntable pit. The small engine shed would then have stood somewhere to the right of the photographer. It is likely that the (later) winding engine house with its two chimneys, would have extended at least into the garden of the end house, if not under the house itself.
Only a thorough archaeological investigation, initially (at least) non-intrusive, can confirm what traces remain of this pioneer railway station and confirm (or not) the interpretation of the remains visible in the image.