Lealholm railway station
Encyclopedia
Lealholm railway station serves the village of Lealholm
along with Lealholmside, Fryup
dale and Houlsyke in North Yorkshire
, England
. It is located on the Esk Valley Line
and is operated by Northern Rail
who provide all of the station's passenger services. Heading up the line in the direction of Middlesbrough
, the nearest station is based at Danby
, however the hamlet of Houlsyke (1.75 miles (2.8 km) east of Danby) used to have a siding serving the farming community. The points were operated by a ground frame locked by the tablet
for the Danby - Glaisdale section. There has often been talk of constructing a halt further up the line to serve the North Yorkshire Moors Centre, situated between Houlsyke and Danby.
) to Grosmont (where it met the Whitby - Pickering railway) authorised under the North Yorkshire and Cleveland Railway Act of 10 July 1854.
The stretch from Castleton to Grosmont was opened on 2 October 1865, and Lealholm, sometimes referred to in early NER timetables as "Lealholme" or "Lealholm Bridge", is located on a stretch of line between Castleton and Glaisdale which has always been single track. Lealholm used to have a passing loop at the station where freight trains could pass passenger trains. The remains of the disused platform are clearly visible, now overgrown with grasses and weeds, although no evidence exists that that platform was ever used during the 20th century. There also used to be a signal box at the station, long since demolished.
Trains stop at the main station platform where the Station Master's house is based (now a private residence). Only a small internal shelter remains in the station building. Between Castleton and Grosmont, the later section of line to be built, the design of the station buildings uses a crow stepped gable at each end, favoured by the NER
company in the mid 1860s. Despite a lack of staffing, the station is well cared for, with plants tended by the village WI
.
Today, the line is generally quiet except for the school train on a morning and early evening. Like most of the surrounding villages, Lealholm has its own infant and primary school, however pupils travel to secondary schools and a college in Whitby
.
Lealholm was also home to a typical NER
goods shed and coal yard, which later became the factory base when the company Lightspeed panels were setup in 1972. They produced the Magenta kit car - A fiberglass body kit based on a Mini chassis. Today the site is a car repair garage. On Oatmeal Hill next to the station, 4 semi-detached railway cottages were built, finally being sold off privately in 1970. Railway cottages 1&2 with their stone finish were merged to form what is now "The Croft", and Railway cottages 3&4 (a later addition for lowly railway workers) with its cheaper brick built finish merged to form "Oatmill cottage". Because of the work required to make the building habitable its brick finish was covered with a distinctive white rendering which, in line with another white house along Lealholmside has often been used as a landmark by RAF
fighter jet pilots flying low along the Esk valley.
Just downline (in the direction of Whitby) from the station, a vast embankment was built to carry the railway over a valley carrying the small Park Wood Beck. The poet John Castillo
spent much of his time in this valley, and in his day it appears to have been a beautiful wooded valley. Today what remains is mainly covered with bracken and grazed by sheep. The beck now runs beneath the embankment in a large cylindrical stone lined tunnel around 8 feet in diameter, and can be walked from end to end. Inside it is pitch black, as due to the curvature of the tunnel it is not possible see from one end to the other. An opening in the wall near the upstream end carries a small brook into the beck.
Upline from Lealholm, the railway curves round the village before entering one of the deepest cuttings on the line, to pass through a giant glacial dam formed from rock pushed up the valley during the last great ice age.
A very similar range of station buildings, including a goods shed have been carefully restored at Goathland station
on the NYMR
, both stations were built about the same time and by the same contractor, Thomas Nelson.
and his Irish
Navvies who built what remains of the embankments and ditches that can still be found along the route.
The original proposals for the Picton to Grosmont Line included plans for a minor branch line leaving the railway upline at nearby Houlsyke and running 0.5 mile (0.80467 km) south to what is now Furnace Farm. this would likely have served ironstone workings, traces of which can be found throughout nearby Fryup
Dale.
Lealholm
Lealholm, sometimes known as Lealholm Bridge, is a small village in the Glaisdale civil parish of the Borough of Scarborough, in North Yorkshire, England. It is sited at a crossing point of the River Esk, in Eskdale which is within the North York Moors National Park. It is by road from the...
along with Lealholmside, Fryup
Fryup
Fryup is a hamlet in North Yorkshire in England. It is in the civil parish of Danby and is located alongside Great Fryup Beck in the Great Fryup Dale. It may be found at ....
dale and Houlsyke in 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...
. It is located on the Esk Valley Line
Esk Valley Line
The Esk Valley Line is the railway line from Middlesbrough to Whitby in North Yorkshire, England. The route follows the course of the River Esk for much of its eastern half....
and is operated by Northern Rail
Northern Rail
Northern Rail is a British train operating company that has operated local passenger services in Northern England since 2004. Northern Rail's owner, Serco-Abellio, is a consortium formed of Abellio and Serco, an international operator of public transport systems...
who provide all of the station's passenger services. Heading up the line in the direction of Middlesbrough
Middlesbrough
Middlesbrough is a large town situated on the south bank of the River Tees in north east England, that sits within the ceremonial county of North Yorkshire...
, the nearest station is based at Danby
Danby, North Yorkshire
Danby is a village and civil parish in the Scarborough district of North Yorkshire, England. According to the 2001 UK census, Danby parish had a population of 1,515. Karl Pearson spent a lot of time there....
, however the hamlet of Houlsyke (1.75 miles (2.8 km) east of Danby) used to have a siding serving the farming community. The points were operated by a ground frame locked by the tablet
Token (railway signalling)
In railway signalling, a token is a physical object which a locomotive driver is required to have or see before entering onto a particular section of single track. The token is clearly endorsed with the name of the section it belongs to...
for the Danby - Glaisdale section. There has often been talk of constructing a halt further up the line to serve the North Yorkshire Moors Centre, situated between Houlsyke and Danby.
History
Lealholm was opened as part of the final stretch of line from Picton (where the line joined what is now a loop on the East Coast Main LineEast Coast Main Line
The East Coast Main Line is a long electrified high-speed railway link between London, Peterborough, Doncaster, Wakefield, Leeds, York, Darlington, Newcastle and Edinburgh...
) to Grosmont (where it met the Whitby - Pickering railway) authorised under the North Yorkshire and Cleveland Railway Act of 10 July 1854.
The stretch from Castleton to Grosmont was opened on 2 October 1865, and Lealholm, sometimes referred to in early NER timetables as "Lealholme" or "Lealholm Bridge", is located on a stretch of line between Castleton and Glaisdale which has always been single track. Lealholm used to have a passing loop at the station where freight trains could pass passenger trains. The remains of the disused platform are clearly visible, now overgrown with grasses and weeds, although no evidence exists that that platform was ever used during the 20th century. There also used to be a signal box at the station, long since demolished.
Trains stop at the main station platform where the Station Master's house is based (now a private residence). Only a small internal shelter remains in the station building. Between Castleton and Grosmont, the later section of line to be built, the design of the station buildings uses a crow stepped gable at each end, favoured by 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...
company in the mid 1860s. Despite a lack of staffing, the station is well cared for, with plants tended by the village WI
Women's Institutes (British)
The Women’s Institute is a British, community-based organisation for women. It was formed in 1915 with two clear aims: to revitalise rural communities and to encourage women to become more involved in producing food during the First World War. Since then the organisation's aims have broadened and...
.
Today, the line is generally quiet except for the school train on a morning and early evening. Like most of the surrounding villages, Lealholm has its own infant and primary school, however pupils travel to secondary schools and a college in Whitby
Whitby
Whitby is a seaside town, port and civil parish in the Scarborough borough of North Yorkshire, England. Situated on the east coast of Yorkshire at the mouth of the River Esk, Whitby has a combined maritime, mineral and tourist heritage, and is home to the ruins of Whitby Abbey where Caedmon, the...
.
Lealholm was also home to a typical 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...
goods shed and coal yard, which later became the factory base when the company Lightspeed panels were setup in 1972. They produced the Magenta kit car - A fiberglass body kit based on a Mini chassis. Today the site is a car repair garage. On Oatmeal Hill next to the station, 4 semi-detached railway cottages were built, finally being sold off privately in 1970. Railway cottages 1&2 with their stone finish were merged to form what is now "The Croft", and Railway cottages 3&4 (a later addition for lowly railway workers) with its cheaper brick built finish merged to form "Oatmill cottage". Because of the work required to make the building habitable its brick finish was covered with a distinctive white rendering which, in line with another white house along Lealholmside has often been used as a landmark by RAF
Royal Air Force
The Royal Air Force is the aerial warfare service branch of the British Armed Forces. Formed on 1 April 1918, it is the oldest independent air force in the world...
fighter jet pilots flying low along the Esk valley.
Just downline (in the direction of Whitby) from the station, a vast embankment was built to carry the railway over a valley carrying the small Park Wood Beck. The poet John Castillo
John Castillo
John Castillo , often referred to as the "Bard of the Dales", from his first published book - "The Bard of the Dales - Poems by John Castillo" was a poet who lived for much of his life in the village of Lealholm...
spent much of his time in this valley, and in his day it appears to have been a beautiful wooded valley. Today what remains is mainly covered with bracken and grazed by sheep. The beck now runs beneath the embankment in a large cylindrical stone lined tunnel around 8 feet in diameter, and can be walked from end to end. Inside it is pitch black, as due to the curvature of the tunnel it is not possible see from one end to the other. An opening in the wall near the upstream end carries a small brook into the beck.
Upline from Lealholm, the railway curves round the village before entering one of the deepest cuttings on the line, to pass through a giant glacial dam formed from rock pushed up the valley during the last great ice age.
A very similar range of station buildings, including a goods shed have been carefully restored at Goathland 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...
on the NYMR
North Yorkshire Moors Railway
The North Yorkshire Moors Railway is a heritage railway in North Yorkshire, England. First opened in 1836 as the Whitby and Pickering Railway, the railway was planned in 1831 by George Stephenson as a means of opening up trade routes inland from the then important seaport of Whitby. The line...
, both stations were built about the same time and by the same contractor, Thomas Nelson.
Proposed branches
Downline from Lealholm at Rake Farm, the line was to have met a branch running across the moors to support the Iron ore industry hereabouts. It was never finished although the route's earthworks still exist, and has become known as Paddy Waddell's Railway in honour of the engineer John WaddellJohn Waddell
John Henry Waddell is an American sculptor, painter and educator.-Early life:Waddell was born in Des Moines, Iowa in 1921 and moved to Evansville, Indiana at the age of ten. There he began to study art at the Katherine Lord Studio, and by the age of 16 was teaching classes there...
and his Irish
Ireland
Ireland is an island to the northwest of continental Europe. It is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island on Earth...
Navvies who built what remains of the embankments and ditches that can still be found along the route.
The original proposals for the Picton to Grosmont Line included plans for a minor branch line leaving the railway upline at nearby Houlsyke and running 0.5 mile (0.80467 km) south to what is now Furnace Farm. this would likely have served ironstone workings, traces of which can be found throughout nearby Fryup
Fryup
Fryup is a hamlet in North Yorkshire in England. It is in the civil parish of Danby and is located alongside Great Fryup Beck in the Great Fryup Dale. It may be found at ....
Dale.