HISTORY OF THE YORK TO BEVERLEY LINE - Building the Line

Although the complete York-Beverley line dates from 1865, its story began nearly thirty years earlier, in the midst of the Railway Mania, with the Railway King, George Hudson and his York and North Midland Railway.

A line from Beverley to York was being considered by the Hull and Selby Railway in 1844, and on 22nd February 1845 a resolution was passed at their half-yearly shareholders meeting that the route be surveyed, plans drawn up and submitted to Parliment at the next session, however at the same time there was a disagreement between the shareholders and the directors' intention to join with the Manchester and Leeds Railway. The leaders of this revolt contacted Hudson the end result being his offer of an attractive lease (of Y&NMR lines) to the H&S which took effect on 1 July 1845.

Captain Laws of the Manchester and Leeds, was just as ambitious as Hudson, and wanted to break the monopoly which the York and North Midland Railway held on routes to Hull with its own lines, via a proposed York, Hull and East and West Yorkshire Railway, from Leeds to York, and York-Pocklington-Hull, thereby bypassing the current Leeds-Selby-Hull route.

There were many other railway companies at this time all trying to make inroads into new and other company's areas. Hudson tried with some difficulty to buy off the Manchester and Leeds but with only partial success. The two companies eventually decided to reconcile their differences and join together for mutual protection. This took effect from October 1845, with parliamentary Act in 1846, resulting in Y&NMR having to give up a half share of its 100 per cent lease and purchase on the Hull and Selby Railway, giving the Manchester and Leeds direct access to Hull, and the Y&NMR left with a commitment to build its own route from York via Beverley. The resolution authorising the directors to apply to Parliament for powers to build the line from York to Beverley, through Market Weighton and Pocklington, with branches to Selby Driffield and East Dock, Hull was passed at the 19 half-yearly General Meeting of the Y&NMR held on 16th January 1846.

London Gazette 28 November 1845 - Notice of application to Parliament for a Act to build the railway.

Around this time another company, the Hull and Barnsley, was also threatening the Y&NMR's monopoly by planning a line to Hull from the West Riding coalfield. This time, Hudson went for the kill and as a blocking move promoted his own line from Selby to Driffield, right across the path of the H&B. The H&B failed in Parliament anyway (though was successfully resurrected and built 40 years later) while only the Selby-Market Weighton section of Hudson's line got through.

After considering various options for a line between York and Hull, including a line from York to Brough on the Hull and Selby, the YNMR Board put its seal to a Parliamentary Bill for a line to Beverley via Market Weighton on 30th April 1846. This was announced at a special Meeting of the Y&NMR on 9th May 1846. Parliament worked with lightning speed in those days, especially where railways were concerned, and barely seven weeks later, on 18th June, the York and North Midland Railway (East Riding Branches) No. 1 York to Beverley and No. 2 Selby to Market Weighton Railway Acts were passed. No. 1 authorised railways from Bootham, on the York-Scarborough line, to Beverley, on the Hull-Scarborough line, and No. 2 from Selby to the York-Beverley line at Market Weighton. The Acts provided three years for compulsory purchase of land and five years for construction.

Staking out between Bootham and Market Weighton began on 12th August 1846 and the YNMR directors set 30th September, 1847 as the target date for completion. The Director's Report for the half-yearly meeting on 9th August 1847 still quoted this opening date. Contracts totaling £116,029 were awarded in November 1846 to Messrs Jackson and Bean for the main double line works. Work was started in February 1847 and progress was swift and uneventful, with only one river crossing. Burton and Son of London constructed the stations under the direction of the prolific York architect, G. T. Andrews. Andrew's designs, as found elsewhere on the NER system, had the distinctive feature of having pairs of chimneys mounted on brick saddles with daylight showing through. Mr. Birkinshaw was the Engineer. Contracts worth £81,598 were awarded for the Selby single line on 21st January, 1847.

The double line from York to Market Weighton (although only part was built double? see below 1891), and the single line from Selby to Market Weighton cost £380,000 and £156,000 respectively, and to the total of £536,000 had to be added £24000 for rolling stock. a sum of £18,000 also had to be spent because "in order to get rid of opposition in obtaining these powers, it was necessary to make agreements to purchase certain Canals, the authority for doing which was obtained in the following session. One of these Canals, the Pocklington Canal, which barely pays its working expenses, has in consequence been purchased at a cost of £18,000. Also purchased under an Act of 1847 were the Market Weighton Canal and the Leven Canal; powers were granted for the purchase of Sir Edward Vavasour's canal (also known as the Holme Canal) but this was not actually taken over.

On 15th September 1847 a number of Y&NMR directors and people connected with the building, inspected the line to Market Weighton. They included Messrs. Barstow, Richardson, Davies, Birkenshaw, Andrews and Carey. Part of the line was described - "reaches York & Malton road at near to the fourth milestone. Here the distance to York will be 4 miles 5 furlongs. Next Stockton Lane is crossed, being approached by a slight curve, the line running on the level: and at the point where it crosses the road from Hemsley to Stockton being nearly 6 miles from York the Stockton station is erected, at about 1/4 mile from that village. Here will be coal depots and villages of Holtby, Sand Hutton, Warthill etc. will more or less participate in the advantages resulting from this station. Taking a slight curve and still on the level it crosses a lane leading to Warthill".

Trains started running on the York-Market Weighton line on Monday 4th October, 1847 (officially opened on 3rd October 1847), just four days outside the deadline, and the Selby line would have followed in December but wrangling with the Rev. JD Jefferson the vicar of Bubwith, over the siting of sidings, construction of coal depots and dimensions of goods sheds on the Selby line delayed the official opening until 1st August, 1848.

One local report was of the first train which travelled the distance from York to Market Weighton in 1847, on which:­

"A numerous and respectable party of gentlemen celebrated this important event by dining at the Devonshire Arms Hotel in the latter place, having had an excursion from York. There was food, champagne, food piled high on the tables and speeches from important people."

Building work then stopped, leaving Market Weighton terminus of the branches from York and Selby for 17 years before the through route was finally completed. Reasons for the halt in work were given by the YNMR directors as being "that conditions as to the nature of certain works on the line laid down by Lord Hotham of Dalton Holme, whose estate the line was to pass through, were such that the venture would not have been worthwhile."

At the half- yearly general meeting of the Y&NMR on 20th February 1849 Hudson explained that the time of excitement had ended, they had made imprudent bargains and done things that were unwise he couldn't see how, at the time they could have done otherwise. Had the H&S linked with the M&L it would have been disastrous for the Company and the Market Weighton branch would form an important communication link with Hull that would prove ultimately remunerative, when carried through. The meeting also sanctioned the obtaining of a Bill for the "deviating" of the Market Weighton branch.

The YNMR held a Committee of Inquiry in early 1849 into the line which stated quite clearly that building the York­Market Weighton branch was pointless without the Beverley extension.

Powers to divert the extension between Market Weighton and Beverley by a different route (presumably to avoid Lord Hotham) were granted the on 13th July 1849 the day following presentation of the Committee of Inquiry's report but these were allowed to lapse.

The halt in work sparked off a campaign by local people. There was a deputation of Beverley townsfolk in August, 1850 and the following June a Mr. D. Bunton applied for a Mandamus (a writ issued by a superior court) compelling the company to build the line. After switching their plea from being of no public use to insufficient capital, the YNMR Board then realised that they were no longer under any legal obligation to build the line because the period for compulsory purchase of land had lapsed.

At a YNMR half yearly meeting on 6 September 1849 a shareholder remarked that the York-Market Weighton line was "a beautifully made line but, unfortunately, without passengers to travel on it".

On completion, the York-Market Weighton line had stations at Huntington, Stockton, Stamford Bridge, Fangfoss, Pocklington, Burnby and Shipton. Another was opened at Gate Helmsley, 1¼ miles west of Stamford Bridge, shortly before the official opening. At Londesborough Park, just west of Shipton, George Hudson had his own private station, linked to his hillside residence at Londesborough Hall by a two mile long carriageway through a magnificent avenue of trees. It is said that when he saw the smoke of an approaching train he would ride his horse between the trees to his station. This ostentation or privilege lasted for four years, as in 1850 his financial juggles became a cropper; he had to forfeit the Manor and Estates amongst other items, the house being sold to the Hon. Albert Denison Conyngham. The Conyngham coat of arms became the Londesborough crest.

The 1849 Committee commented that perhaps some of the stations on the York line were a bit too lavish, especially Pocklington and Market Weighton with their imposing exteriors and overall trainshed roofs. The opposite was the case at Burnby, however, which until December 1850 did not even have a waiting shelter on its York platform.

With the line open, local farmers, traders even the clergy began to press the railway for extra facilities like sidings at Huntington, cattle staithes at Pocklington in 1848 and in 1850 authority for a Mr. Musgrave of Foggathorpe to erect a corn warehouse between the station and engine shed at Market Weighton.

Running across the Vale of York, the line had to cross many roads and tracks resulting in no fewer than 22 level crossings in the 22½ miles between York and Market Weighton. Right from the start these crossings, which a century later were to play a major part in the line's downfall, were the source of considerable expense and danger. Many had gates which opened out on to the road and with no protection left the track open to animals and trespassers. Horses were frequently run down and killed at Market Weighton and in 1851 a John Nicholson was killed by a train after falling asleep on the Selby line with his ass and cart. The coroner criticised the level crossing arrangements and the YNMR agreed to investigate. It decided that in future gates should be kept shut across the road and opened on request, and to install a simple signal to warn of approaching trains. Consisting of a board on a swivel post which faced the railway when the line was clear, and a lamp for use after dark, it actually survived at some crossings right up to closure in 1965. The practice of leaving gates open to the road returned, though by the early 1960's cattle guards had been installed to prevent animals straying on to the track. Two notable examples where this system survived to the end were Burnby No. 1 and No. 2 crossings between Pocklington and Nunburnholme.

Although the York line was profitable, the fact that it terminated at Market Weighton stunted business growth and only two years after opening, the YNMR was forced to consider cuts. In August 1850 it was decided to close Huntington station where receipts barely covered the station master's wages and leave the station house for the platelayers. Nothing came of this, and Mr. Naylor the stationmaster, who had feared for his post, was allowed to live rent free on the premises as long as he worked the crossing gate, but plans to double the Selby line were shelved until 1889 while singling the already double track York line was considered in 1853.

The 1849 Committee also unearthed irregularities in the running of some York line stations and in November of that year ordered an inquiry into the running of Pocklington station. Within a week of the inquiry opening, Mr. J. Lee, the station master, resigned and was replaced by John Wright on a salary of one guinea a week, on security of £50. But the inquiry resulted in Mr. Wright being given a month's notice and an offer of a lower graded post at Holme, on the Selby line; the station master there, a Mr. Dooks, moving to Pocklington.

But these misdemeanours were small fry compared with the affairs of George Hudson who was himself coming under scrutiny by then, and it transpired that the York-Market Weighton line played a significant part in the downfall of the Railway King.

The Report of the Committee of Investigation in 1849 published a number of facts about the York to Market Weighton Line some of which follow:-

As at September 1849 the Y&NMR had 262 miles of track of which the Y-MW branch was only 21 ½ of them.
From the start of building the branch line in 1846 to 30 June 1849 expenditure on Capital Account amounted to £91841 14s 5d on land and £192413 13s 0d on works.
The company had 171 A(cre) 0 r(od) 12 p(erch) of land along the branch of which 29 A. 0 r. 8 p. was connected with the Company's Cottages, Side Cuttings, Spoil Banks and Ballast Pits leaving 142 A. 0 r. 8 p. rented out. They also owned 64 houses, 9 Stations with residence rent free; 27 Gate Houses rent free; 18 Company Labourers Cottages paying rent; and 10 Houses and Cottages rented by strangers. These brought in an annual rent of £431 7s 0d, being £147 8s 0d from the Houses and £283 19s 0d from Land.
On the branch they employed 12 Gatemen, Signalmen and Pointsmen for a total annual wage of £392 12s, 17 in the Coaching Department for a total annual wage of £769 0s, 1 in the Goods and Coal Department for £39 0s and an average of 22 in maintaining the permanent way at a total annual wage of £881 8s.
During the six months to 30 June 1849 Passenger trains ran 22793 miles and Goods and Minerals 6940 miles. Running costs were only given for the railway as a whole and were shown as 6.8d per mile.

John C Birkinshaw gave details about the quality and maintenance of the track. Average specifications give for the line was:- track at 65lb per yard or 204 tons per mile, sleepers are laid at an average distance of 3' 9" apart, but some could only average 3' resulting in about 3000 per mile, with chairs at 65 tons per mile, spikes at 12000 per mile and keys at 6000 per mile.
Sleepers were made principally of larch and Baltic and were not given any preservative treatments. They were expected to last an average of 10 years but would be replaced after 9 at a cost of 3s 8d each. The use of inferior quality wood prepared by Payne's or Bethell's process was being considered at the time and it was expected that while the cost would be about the same they would probably last 15 to 20 years.
The rails and chairs would be replaced between 20 to 25 years with the old rails being remanufactured with new iron added, The cost would be £3 per ton for the rails and 30s per ton for the chairs.
The cost to relay one mile of double way track would be:-
Remanufacturing 204 tons of Rails @ £3 per ton = £612
Replacing 65 tons of Chairs @ 30s per ton = £97
Replacing Keys, say 6000 @ £6 per thousand = £36
Replacing Spikes, say 12000 @ 1 1/2d each = £75
Relaying 1760 yards of double way @ 1s 6d = £132
Total = £952
Sleepers 3000 @3s 8d each = £550
Relaying etc. = £85
Total = £635
Sleepers were due to be renewed in 1856 at a total cost of £13652 and the rails in 1872 at a cost of £20468. Mr Birkinshaw recommended that annual amounts of £1481 for sleepers and £522 for rails be set aside and allowed to accumulate at 4% compound interest to provide for these renewals.
Mr Thomas Carey also gave his estimates for the replacement of the track with sleepers at a cost of £704 per mile and a total of £15136 for full replacement in 1857 and rails at £1004 per mile with a total of £ £21594 for replacement in 1872.

Being newly-formed in 1854 the North Eastern Railway soon found itself besieged with appeals and stronger demands for construction of the Beverley section. In 1856 a Hull group led by the city's Mayor pressed for the York-Brough scheme to be revived. This was quickly rejected by the NER which found support from the vicar of South Cave, the Rev. E. W. Stillingfleet. He is on record as saying: "Had we a railway I have little doubt that bad would be made much worse. The scum of Hull would make it (South Cave) a place for their Sunday revels."

In 1860 the NER decided to go ahead with the Beverley line despite the conditions laid down by Lord Hotham, attempting to buy the land by agreement rather than compulsory purchase. This was a largely successful but slow process and in 1862 a Parliamentary committee noted that one landowner had still not accepted reasonable prices. Nevertheless, on 30th June 1862, the Act of Parliament authorising construction was passed and work began in September.

However, Lord Hotham still insisted that the railway built a station, at its own expense, to serve his estate. The debate was still going on in 1864 when the NER considered a station at Goodmanham, east of Market Weighton. This was not acceptable to Lord Hotham and, despite Goodmanham being a better commercial proposition, the NER had to settle for a much more remote site at Kipling Cotes, serving nothing but a couple of farms and Lord Hotham's racecourse.

Another condition laid down by Lord Hotham was that no trains should run through his estate on Sundays. This was observed right up to the line's closure, though there were occasional diversions from the Hull-Selby route during engineering work or emergencies.

Further problems with Lord Hotham and other landowners, together with the difficult Wolds terrain meant that it took the best part of three years to build the 9½-mile section between Market Weighton and Beverley. When opened on 1st May, 1865 the line was single track but was doubled, along with the Selby line, in 1889 to accommodate the extra traffic now being handled.

The Beverley Guardian issue of 1 st May 1865 carried the following report of the opening of the further stage to Beverley:

"On Monday last the line was opened without any ceremonial, the first train leaving Hull for York via Market Weighton at 6.40 AM, and one in the opposite direction at 7.10 am. The trains, on their arrival at stations between Beverley and Market Weighton were received by the wondering inhabitants of the district with admiration, the boys doing their full share in honour of the event by heartily cheering. The holding of an important agricultural show at Market Weighton in July next will doubtless be a most memorable event in this ancient market town. It will then most likely be visited by thousands who have never before been there. All who may do so will be satisfied with the productiveness of the district.

On the occasion of the opening of the above line, Mr. T Jackson Jnr of Mottingham, Kent (son of original contractor?), the Contractor, gave a substantial dinner of roast beef and plum pudding to about 200 of his workmen, which was provided by Mr. Simpson of the Londesborough Arms Hotel, Market Weighton, in first class style and and was served up in a large building kindly lent for the occasion by T. W. Rivis Esq., The Rev. Mr. Ebsworth, the highly respected curate, occupied the chair and T. J. Jefferson Esq. the vice-chair. After the usual loyal toasts the health of the contractor T. Jackson Esq. was given by the chairman in an appropriate speech, the company rising and drinking his health in musical honours, with three times three and three cheers for his father; the healths of Mr. Thomas, the agent and Mr. Dixon, the manager and other officials under Mr. Jackson were given and the navvies gave them cheer after cheer. The chairman then gave the health of the navvies in a kind and most instructive speech, winning the respect of the company by the unassuming manner in which he discharged his duties as chairman.

After the healths of the chairman and vice chairman were given, the company broke up at about half past seven, well pleased with the kind treat.

It should be added that the navvies behaved themselves in a most respectful manner, not even a wrong word being heard amongst them".

The reporter in the Eastern Daily News puts a slightly different slant on the same event and has a sly dig at the locals:

"The only inconvenience arising from the running of the trains appeared to be that which was so sagely foreseen by the opponents of railways in the days of George Stephenson - the disturbing of the peace of mind of the occupants of the meadows and the pilferers of the corn fields. The trains during the day ran with remarkable punctuality, but attracted no extraordinary number of passengers. The passenger traffic between York, Hull and the north must either be very limited, or people cautious of availing themselves of a cheaper and readier route, in such a hurry as it was supposed they would do. It may be that a anxiety exists to see that everything is in working order, and that prudential motives may account for the fewness of travellers yesterday. It is probable, however, that the NER will suffer little by loss of traffic on the Hull and Selby line and that the development of a new traffic on the Hull, Beverley and Market Weighton will fully compensate, as well as give a dividend on the outlay for the new works. It is strange, however, that the Market Weighton people are not sanguine as to improved trade and its concomitant - accumulation of wealth.

As a body they urge that large dealers in commodities ­sellers or buyers - will seize the advantages offered by the railway to come to Beverley or Hull and so deprive the people of Market Weighton of some of the little business that has hitherto been carried on there. How little this has been is apparent from a very brief visit. Some, however, say that when such is the case, things unable to get worse, they must mend; so it will probably be with Market Weighton, in spite of the croakers.

Increased railway facilities tend to improve the social condition of a people and the opening of the new line may prove beneficial in this respect. On enquiry as to the mode of conducting the parish business it was shown that< its management was in the hands of surveyors of highways, churchwardens and others. Thinking that a town of some 2,000 inhabitants should adopt some more modern system of self-government, one of the most important financial officers of the place was appealed to, when that functionary confessed that he did not know what the 'Local Government Act' meant. His darkness may probably be dispersed when daily newspapers reach the town in larger numbers than they have hitherto done"

It was noted that the Beverley and Market Weighton coach ceased running some six weeks earlier, the proprietor wisely declining to compete with rail and await his fate, that of being 'run off the road'.

Some York line stations were renamed to avoid confusion with others on the system. Huntington, similar to Huntingdon, became Earswick; Stockton, confused with Stockton­on-Tees, was renamed Warthill; Gate Helmsley (located part way between Gate Helmsley and Upper Hemsley, about a half mile from each), became Holtby (a village 2 miles to the south); Burnby became Nunburnholme and Shipton became Londesborough. Londesborough Park station was closed with the dissolution of Hudson's estates. The renamings explain why these stations were curiously named after villages miles away from those in which they were situated.

In 1884 a new company, the grand-sounding Scarborough, Bridlington and West Riding Junction Railway promoted a line from Scarborough to Howden via Driffield and Market Weighton. Missing out Bridlington, it actually duplicated the existing line between Scarborough and Driffield and, almost, the Market Weighton-Selby line. The scheme understandably attracted little support and brought an objection from the NER. But when the SB & WRJR dropped its Market Weighton-Howden section in 1885 the NER agreed reluctantly to work the remaining portion

There were delays in construction, partly through the NER holding back on estimates, and with poor financial support the SB & WRJR dropped its powers for the Scarborough-Driffield section in 1887. This left only the Driffield to Market Weighton line which went ahead as planned to open on 1st May, 1890, being worked by the NER from the outset. It completed the final link in the East Yorkshire network and provided a valuable through holiday route from industrial West and South Yorkshire to the coast.

The Driffield Times reported the opening of the line to Market Weighton in its issue of Sat. 3rd May 1890:

"This line of railway, over which goods trains have been running for the past weeks, was opened for passenger traffic on Thursday morning. A large company assembled at Driffield to witness the arrival and departure of the first train, and punctually to time at 6.40 AM it steamed into the station, when some twenty or thirty people availed themselves of an early ride on the new line. The train was in charge of an inspector".

On 24 December 1890 the NER wrote to the Board of Trade asking for the new double track between Earswick and Pocklinton and between Market Weighton and Cherry Burton to be inspected and for the usual one months notice to be dispensed with so that the line could be opened on 5th & 6th January 1891. It would appear that while costs for building the line were quote in 1847 as being for a double track parts of it must only have been single. The work to double the line must have been done during 1890. On 30th December 1890 the Board of Trade appointed Major General Hutchinson to inspect the track and dispensed with the notice period. The Major General completed his inspection and submitted his report on 31st January 1891. Other than requiring some cast iron work on bridging to be replaced with wrought iron, and some minor points he was satisfied with the work and provided that the remedial work was done quickly the lines could stay operational. It was noted that all stations had been provided with additional platforms and waiting sheds and with interlocked signal arrangements, at Warthill this included the fitting of 11 extra working levers and 5 spare ones. On the 4th February 1891 the Board of Trade forwarded the report to the NER sanctioning the lines use subject to compliance of the replacement of the cast iron.

NER request to BoT, BoT File 1 , BoT reply to NER, Report p1, Report p2, Report p3, BoT File 2, BoT sanction letter to NER.

Of the stations along the route from York to Beverley, all between Earswick and Market Weighton were designed by the eminent railway architect George Townsend Andrews as was the original 1841 station at York until the present station, designed by Thomas Prosser and William Peachey, opened in 1877. Of the 12 intermediate stations between York and Beverley, Earswick, Warthill (Connected to Sand Hutton Light Railway), Holtby, Stamford Bridge, Fangfoss, Pocklington, Nunburnholme, Londesborough Park (Served the Londesborough Hall estate of George Hudson, Londesborough, Market Weighton (Junction with Selby to Driffield Line, Kiplingcotes, Cherry Burton, only six (Earswick, Stamford Bridge, Pocklington, Londesborough, Market Weighton and Kiplingcotes) were still operating by the time the line closed in 1965. The stations at York and Beverley remain open.

The line was closed to all traffic on 29 November 1965 and all track has been lifted.