Boulby line

Last updated

Boulby line
Cleveland Way at Hunt Cliff - geograph.org.uk - 6086043.jpg
Cleveland Way at Hunt Cliff with the railway adjacent
Overview
Other name(s)Boulby branch
Saltburn and Boulby branch
StatusOpen
Owner Network Rail, ICL
ELR SSK
Locale Redcar and Cleveland, England
Termini
Service
Type Heavy rail
Railfreight
Operator(s) DB Cargo
Freightliner
Technical
Line length12 miles 5 chains (19.4 km)
Number of tracks1
Track gauge 1,435 mm (4 ft 8+1⁄2 in) standard gauge

The Boulby line is a freight-only railway line in Redcar and Cleveland, England. The line was opened in stages between 1865 and 1882, being part of two railways that met at Brotton railway station. Passenger trains along the line ceased in 1960, and since then it has been a freight-only line dedicated to the potash and polyhalite traffic from Boulby, and steel products into Skinningrove Steelworks.

Contents

History

The line between Guisborough, Brotton, Skinningrove and Loftus (the Cleveland Railway), was opened between 1865 and 1867, looping north from Brotton and hugging the coast around the edge of Hunt Cliff. [1] [2] The 4.5-mile (7.2 km) section of line from Saltburn West Junction to Brotton over Skelton Beck on Saltburn Viaduct was approved in 1865. It opened to goods traffic in 1872, and later to passengers in 1875, although North Skelton station did not open to passengers until 1902. [3] [4] [5] [6] The purpose of the Saltburn Extension line was so that ironstone trains from the Brotton and Loftus areas could have easy access to the steel and iron plants east of Middlesbrough, as the Cleveland Railway route past Guisborough and through Nunthorpe required a reversal at Middlesbrough station. [7] These lines had been opened by either the Middlesbrough and Guisborough Railway, or the Cleveland Railway; however, between 1863 and 1865, they came under the aegis of the North Eastern Railway. [8] The looping nature of the line around Hunt Cliff was due to the presence of mining activity on the cliff top. The line could have been engineered to go under Warsett Hill direct from Brotton to the Carlin How/Skinningrove area. [9]

The opening of the Whitby, Redcar and Middlesbrough Union Railway (WR&MU) south of Loftus from 1883, saw passenger services work from Saltburn to Scarborough via Whitby West Cliff railway station. [10] Services from Saltburn had to propel (reverse out) back to Saltburn West Junction to continue south. [11] These propelling, or reversing moves, were a feature of whichever direction the passenger service trains took northwards from Loftus; they either had to reverse into Saltburn, or reverse into Guisborough whilst on their way to Middlesbrough. [12] The service from Saltburn to Loftus had started as far back as April 1875, [13] and then, along with the opening of the Scarborough and Whitby Railway, extended along the coast line towards Scarborough. [14] However, in 1932, services to and from Scarborough were diverted away from Saltburn to terminate/start at Middlesbrough instead, and the local service from Brotton to Saltburn ceased in 1951. [15]

The Whitby, Redcar and Middlesbrough Union Railway (WR&MU), which ran south of Loftus, closed in May 1958. [16] The line was said to be unprofitable by British Rail, and also the high cost of maintaining the tunnels and the iron viaducts along the line for the next five years (£57,000 estimated (equivalent to £1,462,000in 2021)). [17] The last passenger services along what would become the Boulby line were between Loftus and Middlesbrough (via Guisborough), and these ceased in May 1960, when the line became freight only. [18] Freight for Loftus continued until August 1963, and then the track was lifted northwards to Skinningrove Steelworks. [19] Between closure to passengers and 1969, the line from Skinningrove to Saltburn West remained double track and signalled as absolute block. In 1969, the line was singled, the signalling method changed to token signalling, and the line speed reduced to 30 miles per hour (48 km/h). [20]

The location of potash and polyhalite under the cliffs and coast area of Whitby, led to the resurgence of part of the old WR&MU, which now forms the southern section of the Boulby Line. In 1974, Four miles (6.4 km) of railway was re-instated between Crag Hall Junction and Boulby Mine (some 1-mile (1.6 km) north of Staithes railway station). [21] [22] The Boulby line is 12 miles 5 chains (19.4 km) in length, and has an engineer's line reference of SSK. [23]

Commodities carried on the line include steel, potash, polyhalite and rock salt. Historically, scrap metal was taken by rail from the Skinningrove works to Lackenby on Teesside, but this working ceased in 1989/1990 as the wagons were life-expired, and the investment in new wagons could not be justified. [24] Oil was also carried to Boulby Mine. [25] The line southwards from Crag Hall Junction is owned by the same company that operates Boulby Mine. [26] The numbers of trains plying the route varies with demand of its two freight concerns; as of 2018, just two trains of loaded potash were being despatched daily to Middlesbrough Goods terminal, and one steel train was inward-bound to Skinningrove steelworks from Middlesbrough. [27] In 2023, the Freightliner group signed a new contract with ICL to convey potash and polyhalite products from Boulby mine, which resulted in a pattern of between five and eight loaded trains per day. [28]

There have been proposals for the line to be reopened to passenger traffic as far south as Loftus station, even though the distance via rail is 4.5 miles (7.2 km) longer between Loftus and Saltburn than by road. [29] However, the service would not reverse into Saltburn, but carry on to Middlesbrough. In January 2024, £1 million was awarded to the East Ceveland rail feasibility study to investigate opening the line. [30] [31] The study also tried to make use of the "Restoring Your Railway" fund, with proposed stops at Saltburn West, Skelton, Brotton, Loftus, Carlin How and Easington, [32] but their bid was unsuccessful. [33]

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Saltburn-by-the-Sea</span> Town in North Yorkshire, England

Saltburn-by-the-Sea, commonly referred to as Saltburn, is a seaside town in the civil parish of Saltburn, Marske and New Marske, Redcar and Cleveland, North Yorkshire, England, around 12 miles (19 km) south-east of Hartlepool and just under 5 miles (8 km) south-east of Redcar.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Loftus, North Yorkshire</span> Town and civil parish in North Yorkshire, England

Loftus is a market town and civil parish in the Redcar and Cleveland borough of North Yorkshire, England. The town is located north of the North York Moors and sits between Whitby and Skelton-in-Cleveland.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Esk Valley line</span> Railway line between Middlesbrough and Whitby, England

The Esk Valley Line is a railway line located in the north of England, covering a total distance of approximately 35 miles (56 km), running from Middlesbrough to Whitby. The line follows the course of the River Esk for much of its eastern half.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Middlesbrough South and East Cleveland (UK Parliament constituency)</span> Parliamentary constituency in the United Kingdom

Middlesbrough South and East Cleveland is a constituency created in 1997 represented in the House of Commons of the UK Parliament since 2017 by Simon Clarke of the Conservative Party.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tees Valley line</span> Railway route, in Northern England

The Tees Valley Line is a rail route, in Northern England, following part of the original Stockton and Darlington Railway route of 1825. The line covers a distance of 38 miles (61 km), and connects Bishop Auckland to Saltburn via Darlington, Middlesbrough and 14 other stations in the Teesdale.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Saltburn railway station</span> Railway station in North Yorkshire, England

Saltburn is a railway station on the Tees Valley Line, which runs between Bishop Auckland and Saltburn via Darlington. The station, situated 12 miles 57 chains (20.5 km) east of Middlesbrough, serves the seaside town of Saltburn-by-the-Sea, North Yorkshire, England. It is owned by Network Rail and managed by Northern Trains.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Boulby</span> Village in North Yorkshire, England

Boulby is a hamlet in the Loftus parish, located within the North York Moors National Park. It is in the borough of Redcar and Cleveland, North Yorkshire, England. The hamlet is located off the A174, near Easington and 1-mile (1.6 km) west of Staithes.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Whitby, Redcar and Middlesbrough Union Railway</span> Former railway line in Yorkshire, England

The Whitby, Redcar and Middlesbrough Union Railway (WRMU), a.k.a. the Whitby–Loftus Line, was a railway line in North Yorkshire, England, built between 1871 and 1886, running from Loftus on the Yorkshire coast to the Esk at Whitby, and connecting Middlesbrough to Whitby along the coast.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Whitby West Cliff railway station</span> Former railway station in the North Riding of Yorkshire, England

Whitby West Cliff railway station was a railway station on the Whitby Redcar and Middlesbrough Union Railway. It was opened on 3 December 1883, to serve the West Cliff area of the town of Whitby, North Yorkshire, England. It was one of two stations serving Whitby; the other was Whitby Town railway station, which served the lines to Malton and Battersby.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sandsend railway station</span> Former railway station in the North Riding of Yorkshire, England

Sandsend railway station was a railway station on the Whitby, Redcar and Middlesbrough Union Railway. It was opened on 3 December 1883, and served the villages of Sandsend and Lythe. It closed on 5 May 1958. The station building is now a private residence. It was the only station between Whitby and Loftus not to possess a passing loop.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kettleness railway station</span> Former railway station in the North Riding of Yorkshire, England

Kettleness was a railway station on the Whitby, Redcar and Middlesbrough Union Railway from 1883 to 1958 serving the remote village of Kettleness. The main station building is still extant and serves as a scouting centre.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Staithes railway station</span> Former railway station in the North Riding of Yorkshire, England

Staithes railway station was a railway station on the Whitby Redcar and Middlesbrough Union Railway, serving the villages of Staithes and Dalehouse in North Yorkshire, England. It was opened on 3 December 1883.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Guisborough railway station</span> Disused railway station in North Yorkshire, England

Guisborough railway station was the terminus of the Middlesbrough and Guisborough Railway. It served the town of Guisborough in North Yorkshire, England. The station was opened to goods in November 1853, and to passenger traffic on 25 February 1854. The station was closed to passengers, along with the entire Nunthorpe–Guisborough branch, on 2 March 1964, with freight being lost in August 1964.

The Cleveland Railway was a railway line in north-east England running from Normanby Jetty on the River Tees, near Middlesbrough, via Normanby and then via Guisborough through the Eston Hills, to Loftus in East Cleveland. It carried minerals from numerous iron ore mines along its route to the River Tees for shipment to Tyneside and elsewhere. The line was jointly proposed by the West Hartlepool Harbour and Railway (WHH&R), who provided half its capital, together with various landowners. The WHH&R lay on the north bank of the Tees, to which it had a cross-river connection via a jetty at Normanby.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Loftus railway station</span> Former railway station in the North Riding of Yorkshire, England

Loftus, previously Lofthouse, was a railway station on the Whitby, Redcar and Middlesbrough Union Railway. It was opened on 1 April 1875 as the terminus of a line from Saltburn, and served the town of Loftus. When the line to Whitby was opened on 3 December 1883, it became a through station with two platforms and a goods yard consisting of three sidings. It closed to passenger traffic on 2 May 1960 and goods traffic on 12 August 1963; the tracks through the station were lifted in 1964.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Boosbeck railway station</span> Disused railway station in North Yorkshire, England

Boosbeck railway station was a railway station serving the village of Boosbeck in the ceremonial county of the North Riding of Yorkshire in England. The station was opened in 1878 and closed to passengers in 1960 with freight services being stopped in 1964.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Prospect Hill Junction</span> Former railway junction in North Yorkshire, England

Prospect Hill Junction was a railway junction in Whitby, North Yorkshire, England. The junction had access to the line into Whitby Town railway station, Whitby West Cliff railway station, and also to the Scarborough line, which went south across Larpool Viaduct. It first saw traffic in December 1883, but did not open as a junction until 1885. It was closed to passenger and freight traffic in March 1965, though the lines were not lifted until 1973.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kilton Viaduct</span> Viaduct in Yorkshire, England

Kilton Viaduct was a railway viaduct that straddled Kilton Beck, near to Loftus, in North Yorkshire, England. The viaduct was opened to traffic in 1867, however in 1911, with the viaduct suffering subsidence from the nearby ironstone mining, the whole structure was encased in waste material from the mines creating an embankment which re-opened fully to traffic in 1913. The railway closed in 1963, but then in 1974, it re-opened as part of the freight line to Boulby Mine carrying potash traffic.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Saltburn Viaduct</span> Viaduct in Redcar and Cleveland, England

Saltburn Viaduct, is a railway bridge in Redcar and Cleveland, North Yorkshire, England. The line was built as an extension of the Redcar and Saltburn Railway, and the viaduct is mostly built out of brick. The line opened to passengers in 1872, but became freight only in 1957, a purpose for which it still is in use for today as part of the Boulby line.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hunt Cliff</span> Cliff in North Yorkshire, England

Hunt Cliff is a sea cliff or promontory, located between Saltburn and Skinningrove, in Redcar and Cleveland, on the Yorkshire Coast in England. Whilst Hunt Cliff is not as high as the nearby cliffs at Boulby, the view of it from Saltburn has been described as "very striking". Historically, the cliff has had many uses, being a signal station for the Romans, a place to mine ironstone, and a radar station during the Second World War. The Cleveland Way long-distance path traverses the cliff edge.

References

  1. ↑ North, G. A. (1975). Teesside's Economic Heritage. Cleveland County Council. p. 46. OCLC   611236534.
  2. ↑ Bairstow 2008, pp. 32, 111.
  3. ↑ Body, Geoffrey (1989). Railways of the Eastern Region volume 2; Northern operating area. Wellingborough: Patrick Stephens. p. 44. ISBN   1-85260-072-1.
  4. ↑ Wilson, Chris Scott (1983). The history of Saltburn. Cleveland: Seaside Books. p. 64. ISBN   0-9508631-0-6.
  5. ↑ Hoole, Ken (1984). Forgotten railways, North-East England. Newton Abbot: David & Charles. p. 63. ISBN   0-9465-3710-0.
  6. ↑ Bairstow 2008, pp. 31–34.
  7. ↑ Hoole 1971, p. 59.
  8. ↑ Hoole 1971, p. 53.
  9. ↑ Hoole 1971, pp. 54–55.
  10. ↑ Williams 2019, p. 140.
  11. ↑ Bairstow 2008, p. 34.
  12. ↑ Holland, Julian (2011). Steaming across Britain. Basingstoke: AA Books. p. 186. ISBN   9780749570774.
  13. ↑ Bairstow 2008, p. 31.
  14. ↑ Young, Alan (2015). Lost stations of North and East Ridings. Kettering: Silver Link. p. 90. ISBN   978-1-85794-453-2.
  15. ↑ Hoole 1971, p. 62.
  16. ↑ Williams 2019, p. 149.
  17. ↑ Williams 2019, p. 70.
  18. ↑ Hoole 1971, p. 54.
  19. ↑ Chapman 2007, p. 83.
  20. ↑ Chapman 2007, p. 79.
  21. ↑ Williams 2019, p. 5.
  22. ↑ Bairstow 2008, p. 97.
  23. ↑ Kelman, Leanne (2020). Railway Track Diagrams Book 2: Eastern (5 ed.). Frome: Trackmaps. 48A. ISBN   978-1-9996271-3-3.
  24. ↑ Rhodes, Michael; Shannon, Paul (1990). The Freight Only Yearbook. Lancashire: Silver Link. p. 43. ISBN   0-947971-41-6.
  25. ↑ Chapman 2007, p. back cover.
  26. ↑ Price, Kelley (15 October 2020). "Business case for rail line is on the right track". Teesside Evening Gazette. p. 18.
  27. ↑ Shannon, Paul (4 July 2018). "Rail freight and the English seaports". Rail Magazine. No. 856. Peterborough: Bauer Media. p. 65. ISSN   0953-4563.
  28. ↑ "UK Freightliner has a fertile relationship with potash producer". RailFreight.com. 19 May 2023. Retrieved 13 February 2024.
  29. ↑ Bairstow 2008, p. 99.
  30. ↑ Corrigan, Naomi (29 January 2024). "TVCA leaders give green light to £1bn Teesside transport package". Teesside Evening Gazette. p. 6. ISSN   1367-0603.
  31. ↑ Arnold, Stuart (12 August 2022). "New plan proposes cuts to speed limits". Teesside Evening Gazette. p. 2. ISSN   1367-0603. And plans are afoot to reintroduce a passenger service along the Boulby branch line to Loftus
  32. ↑ Jones, Ben (27 March 2020). "Passenger trains for the Boulby Line?". The Railway Magazine. Vol. 166, no. 1, 429. Horncastle: Mortons Media. p. 76. ISSN   0033-8923.
  33. ↑ Metcalfe, Alex (22 June 2022). "Funding bid for railway in East Cleveland hits the buffers". Teesside Evening Gazette. p. 5. ISSN   1367-0603.

Sources

This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.