Disused Stations: Station

[Source: Ken Mell]

Date opened:	1.11.1878
Location:	East side of High Street (Opposite the Railway Hotel)
Company on opening:	North Eastern Railway
Date closed to passengers:	2.5.1960
Date closed completely:	10.9.1964
Company on closing:	British Railways (North Eastern Region)
Present state:	The station buildings are now a private house. The up platform remains. The down platform which included a waiting room was removed by the previous occupiers some years ago. There was a level crossing here and a pedestrian subway at the station side of the road. No signs of these now. The goods yard occupied land at the opposite side of the road. This is now an abattoir and related yard. The line of the railway can be clearly seen between the abattoir buildings and the Station Hotel. The track bed adjacent to the road on the passenger station side has been used for new building.
County:	North Yorkshire
OS Grid Ref:	NZ659171
Date of visit:	December 2007

Notes: By 1860 a new railway, the Cleveland, had struck eastward from Guisborough with its aim to reach Skinningrove via Brotton and Loftus and to provide the means of moving the output of the many ironstone mines in the Cleveland area. The Saltburn extension of 1872 connected with the line from Guisborough at Brotton. The line from Saltburn was opened to goods traffic to Brotton on 1st July 1872 and from 1st April 1875 this service was extended to Loftus.

Trains from Teesside to Whitby started operation on 3rd December, 1883 with a northern terminus at Saltburn. Trains for Whitby Town reversed at Saltburn West Junction to allow them to take the extension line from Saltburn to Brotton and thence follow the coastal line to Whitby through Loftus which up to then had been a terminus.

On 1st November 1878 the NER introduced a passenger service from Guisborough to Brotton with a new station opening at Boosbeck on the same day. The services were soon consolidated resulting in a Middlesbrough - Saltburn service via Guisborough – Hutton Junction (reverse) – Brotton – Loftus (reverse) – Brotton - Saltburn West Junction (reverse) – Saltburn. With the need for frequent reversals this service was particularly suited to the NER auto trains, the LNER railcars, the BR push–pull sets and finally the BR diesel railcars.

In the summer of 1933 the northern terminus of the Whitby line was changed to Middlesbrough and trains were then routed by way of Nunthorpe, Guisborough and Boosbeck to meet the original route at Brotton. A reversal was required on this route at Guisborough where rules were relaxed and trains of up to seven coaches in length were propelled in and out of the station which was at the end of a spur. Occasional summer trains would make Brotton via Redcar and the Saltburn extension.

Closure of the railway started pre Beeching with the Brotton to Saltburn section closing to passengers on 6th September 1957, Whitby West Cliff to Loftus closing to all traffic on 3rd May 1958, Loftus to Boosbeck closing to passengers on 30th April 1960 and the section from Boosbeck to Guisborough closing to all traffic on the same day. Although Boosbeck

continued to carry freight traffic after closure to passengers it was downgraded to a public delivery siding and was unstaffed. The line from Boosbeck to Brotton was closed completely on 12th September 1964.

Sources:

Railways around Whitby (Vols. 1 and 2) – Martin Bairstow
Regional History of the Railways of Great Britain – Vol. 4 The North East by K. Hoole

Tickets from Michael Stewart

Station Name: BOOSBECK