East and West Yorkshire Junction Railway

Last updated

The East and West Yorkshire Junction Railway was a railway company established in 1846 between the Leeds and Thirsk Railway at Knaresborough and the York, Newcastle and Berwick Railway near York, England. The company merged into the York and North Midland Railway in 1852.

Contents

As of 2017 the route forms part of the modern Harrogate Line, operated by Northern.

History

The 1851 Knaresborough River Nidd viaduct (2006) Knaresborough Viaduct.jpg
The 1851 Knaresborough River Nidd viaduct (2006)

The application to form "The East and West Yorkshire Junction Railway" was made in November 1845, [1] and the company was incorporated by Act of Parliament on 16 July 1846, [2] this authorising £200,000 of capital (8,000 x £25 shares [3] ) and £66,600 of debt. [4]

The line connected the Great North of England Railway (GNE) (later the York, Newcastle and Berwick Railway, YN&B) near York to the Leeds and Thirsk Railway (L&TR) at Knaresborough, with a route length of about 15 miles (24 km). [3] [4] The line branched from the GNE 1 mile 47 chains (2.55 km) from York station and passed through Poppleton, Hessay, Marston Moor, Hammerton, Cattal, Allerton and Goldsborough (originally Flaxby [5] ) to Knaresborough. [6]

The line's engineer was Thomas Grainger and the main stations (Poppleton, Marston Moor, Cattal, and Allerton) were built by Samuel Atack to Grainger's designs. [7] Construction began in 1847, works including a tunnel under part of Knaresborough and a viaduct over the River Nidd. [8] The line was double tracked with a length of 14 miles 12 chains (22.8 km). [9] On 11 March 1848 the nearly completed viaduct over the Nidd collapsed, [8] and a temporary wooden station was constructed east of Knaresborough on Hay-A-Park Lane [5] to allow the line to partially opened on 30 October 1848. [10]

Originally backed by George Hudson, the company directors made an agreement with the rival L&TR, which had begun proceedings to absorb the company. [note 1] However, after the L&TR backed out of the arrangement in the middle of 1848, the directors returned to Hudson and made arrangements for the YN&B to work the line. [13] After 1849 the line was worked with lighter engines from E. B. Wilson (Leeds) with payment on a worked miles basis, plus a percentage of revenue. [3] [14]

The York and North Midland Railway (Y&NMR) took over the line in July. [10] [15] The replacement four 56-foot (17 m) arch stone double track viaduct over the Nidd was completed at a cost of £9,803 [16] and the section over the River Nidd connecting to the L&TR was opened on 1 October 1851. [10] Knaresborough station opened the same year, [5] completing the route to Harrogate made by the 1.75 mile Leeds Northern extension from Harrogate to Knaresborough that also completed in 1851. [17] From October 1851 the line also used the L&TR Starbeck station in Harrogate. [18]

Formal application to merge the railway with the Y&NMR was made in 1851 [19] and the Act passed on 28 May 1852. [20] On 1 April 1875 a 7-mile (11 km) single track line from Boroughbridge was opened, joining the line east of the town at Knaresborough Junction. [21] [22]

See also

Notes

  1. ↑ The Leeds and Thirsk obtained an act enabling them to absorb the line, passed 1848. The L&TR board halted the merger discussions in August 1848. [11] [12]

Related Research Articles

Harrogate line

The Harrogate line is a passenger rail line through parts of North Yorkshire and the West Yorkshire area of northern England connecting Leeds to York by way of Harrogate and Knaresborough. Service on the line is operated by Northern, with a few additional workings by London North Eastern Railway starting and terminating at Harrogate. West Yorkshire Metro's bus and rail MetroCard ticket is available for journeys between Leeds and Harrogate.

Bilton, Harrogate Suburb in Harrogate, North Yorkshire, England

Bilton is a suburb of Harrogate, North Yorkshire, England, situated to the north-east of the town centre.

Pannal railway station Railway station in North Yorkshire, England

Pannal railway station serves the villages of Pannal and Spacey Houses in the southern suburbs of Harrogate, North Yorkshire, England, equidistant from both. It also serves the village of Burn Bridge, on the opposite side of Pannal. It is located on the Harrogate Line 15 miles (24 km) north of Leeds and operated by Northern who provide all passenger train services.

Starbeck railway station Railway station in North Yorkshire, England

Starbeck railway station is located in the eastern suburbs of Harrogate in North Yorkshire, England. It is located on the Harrogate Line 2.25 miles (3 km) east of Harrogate and is operated by Northern Trains who provide all passenger train services.

Knaresborough railway station Railway station in North Yorkshire, England

Knaresborough railway station is a Grade II listed station serving the town of Knaresborough in North Yorkshire, England. It is located on the Harrogate Line 16.75 miles (27 km) west of York and is operated by Northern Trains, who provide all passenger train services.

Leeds–Northallerton railway

The Leeds–Northallerton railway is a partly disused railway line between West and North Yorkshire, in northern England.

Starbeck Area of Harrogate, North Yorkshire, England

Starbeck is an area of Harrogate in North Yorkshire, England. The population of Starbeck Ward taken at the 2011 census was 6,226. It has many facilities, including Starbeck railway station, which serves the Harrogate Line. Frequent services depart to Harrogate, Leeds and York.

South Durham and Lancashire Union Railway

The South Durham & Lancashire Union Railway (SD&LUR) built a railway line linking the Stockton & Darlington Railway near Bishop Auckland with the Lancaster and Carlisle Railway at Tebay, via Barnard Castle, Stainmore Summit and Kirkby Stephen. The line opened in 1861 and became known as the Stainmore Line.

Malton and Driffield Junction Railway Disused railway in Yorkshire, England

The Malton and Driffield Junction Railway, later known as the Malton and Driffield branch was a railway line in Yorkshire that ran between the towns of Malton, North Yorkshire and Driffield in the East Riding of Yorkshire.

York and North Midland Railway

The York and North Midland Railway (Y&NMR) was an English railway company that opened in 1839 connecting York with the Leeds and Selby Railway, and in 1840 extended this line to meet the North Midland Railway at Normanton near Leeds. Its first chairman was the railway financier George Hudson, who had been called the railway king.

York–Beverley line

The York–Beverley line was a railway line between York, Market Weighton and Beverley in Yorkshire, England. The line was sanctioned in 1846 and the first part, the York to Market Weighton Line opened in 1847. Construction of the second part to Beverley was delayed for 17 years in part by the downfall of George Hudson, and a less favourable financial environment following the collapse of the 1840s railway bubble; the North Eastern Railway revived and completed the scheme in the 1860s; the Market Weighton to Beverley Line opened in 1865.

York, Newcastle and Berwick Railway Former English railway company

The York, Newcastle and Berwick Railway (YN&BR) was an English railway company formed in 1847 by the amalgamation of the York and Newcastle Railway and the Newcastle and Berwick Railway. Both companies were part of the group of business interests controlled by George Hudson, the so-called Railway King. In collaboration with the York and North Midland Railway and other lines he controlled, he planned that the YN&BR would form the major part of a continuous railway between London and Edinburgh. At this stage the London terminal was Euston Square and the route was through Normanton. This was the genesis of the East Coast Main Line, but much remained to be done before the present-day route was formed, and the London terminus was altered to King's Cross.

The Nidd Valley Railway was a 11.5-mile (18.5 km) long single track branch railway line that ran along the valley of the River Nidd in North Yorkshire, England. Built by the North Eastern Railway, it ran from Ripley Junction, on the Harrogate to Ripon Line, to Pateley Bridge via five intermediate stations, Ripley Valley, Hampsthwaite, Birstwith, Darley, and Dacre.

Leeds Northern Railway

The Leeds Northern Railway (LNR), originally the Leeds and Thirsk Railway, was an English railway company that built and opened a line from Leeds to Stockton via Harrogate and Thirsk. In 1845 the Leeds and Thirsk Railway received permission for a line from Leeds to Thirsk, part of which opened in 1848, but problems building the Bramhope Tunnel delayed trains operating into Leeds until 1849.

The York, Hull and East and West Yorkshire Junction Railway was a proposed railway line, promoted in the mid 1840s, intended to connect York to the East Riding of Yorkshire, England.

Leeds and York Railway

The Leeds and York Railway was a proposed railway line, promoted in the mid 1840s, intended to connect York and Leeds. The line lost a significant promoter, the Manchester and Leeds Railway in 1845/6 as a result of a non-competition arrangement between that company, and the York and North Midland Railway.

Thirsk and Malton line

The Thirsk and Malton line was a railway line that ran from a triangular junction on what is now the East Coast Main Line and served eight villages between Thirsk and Malton in North Yorkshire, England. The line was built after a protracted process due to inefficiencies and financial problems suffered by the then York and North Midland Railway.

Knaresborough Hay Park Lane railway station was a temporary railway station that served the town of Knaresborough, North Yorkshire, England from 1848 to 1851 on the Harrogate line.

Nidderdale Greenway

The Nidderdale Greenway is a 4-mile (6.4 km) path that runs between Harrogate and Ripley in North Yorkshire, England. It uses a former railway line that ran between Harrogate and Pateley Bridge as its course. The route connects to other cycle paths including the Way of the Roses.

Knaresborough Viaduct Railway viaduct in North Yorkshire, England

Knaresborough Viaduct is a viaduct in the North Yorkshire town of Knaresborough, England. The viaduct carries the Harrogate line over the River Nidd in the town. The viaduct was supposed to have opened in 1848, but the first construction collapsed into the river very near to completion, which necessitated a new viaduct and delayed the opening of the line through Knaresborough by three years.

References

  1. ↑ "East and West Yorkshire Junction Railway, Harrogate, Knaresborough and York". London Gazette (20531): 3877–3878. 12 November 1845., also reprinted: Issue 20537 p.5149-5150 and Issue 20542 p.6181-6182
  2. ↑ "Westminster, July 16, 1846". London Gazette (20624): 2672. 21 July 1846. An Act for making a railway from Knaresborough to or near to the city of York, to be called "the East and West Yorkshire Junction Railway."
  3. 1 2 3 Slaughter, Mihil, ed. (1850). Railway Intelligence. pp. 8–9.
  4. 1 2 Cartner, Ernest (1959). An historical geography of the Railways of the British Isles. Cassell & Company. p. 149.
  5. 1 2 3 Fawcett 2001, p. 137.
  6. ↑ Railway Magazine, v.39 (1916)
  7. ↑ Fawcett 2001, pp. 137,168.
  8. 1 2 Grainge, William (1871). The History and Topography of Harrogate, and the Forest of Knaresborough. John Russel Smith. p. 42.
  9. ↑ Laffan, R.M.; Hardness, H.D.; Simmons, J.L.A. (6 July 1848). Appendix No. 17 : East and West Yorkshire Junction Railway. Reports of the Commissioners of Railways. HMSO. pp. 44–45.
  10. 1 2 3 Hoole 1986 , p. 113
  11. "Leeds and Thirsk Railway. Harrogate and Pateley Branch, from Starbeck to Pateley Bridge, abandonment of part of Harrogate Branch, and Wharfdale Railway, and East and West Yorkshire Junction Bail way Purchase or Lease". The London Gazette (20661): 4049. 11 November 1846. also reprinted Issue 20666, p.4593 , Issue 20672, p..5179
  12. Slaughter, Mihil, ed. (1850). Railway Intelligence. p. 17. An Act passed in 1848, for purchase of the East and West Yorkshire; but the consideration of the question of purchase was postponed, under Resolution of the Leeds and Thirsk meeting, 28th August, 1848, and all negotiation are now terminated.
  13. ↑ Tomlinson 1915, pp. 468, 487–8.
  14. ↑ Railway Magazine, v.39 (1916) quote:This section was first worked by the York, Newcastle and Berwick Company, but evidently their terms were too high, as in September, 1849, the Company appealed to them to reduce the working charges, and subsequently the line was worked by Messrs. E. B. Wilson & Co., of Leeds, on behalf of the Company, as an independent concern.
  15. ↑ Tomlinson 1915, p. 510.
  16. ↑ Historic England. "RAILWAY VIADUCT OVER THE RIVER NIDD (1149911)". National Heritage List for England . Retrieved 16 November 2013.
  17. ↑ Tomlinson 1915, p. 511.
  18. ↑ Hembry, Phyllis May (1997). British Spas from 1815 to the Present: A Social History. p. 141. ISBN   0838637485.
  19. ↑ "York and North Midland, and East and West Yorkshire Junction Railways (Amalgamation of Companies, and other purposes)". London Gazette (21265): 3154. 21 November 1851. also reprinted Issue 21267 p/3267
  20. ↑ "Westminster, May 28, 1852". London Gazette (21324): 1550–1553. 1 June 1852.
  21. ↑ Hoole 1986, p. 109.
  22. ↑ Ordnance Survey. 1:2500, 1890–1

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.