Masham railway station

Masham
Masham
	Former station site, Masham
General information
Location	Mashamshire ; (Borough of Harrogate since 1974); England
Coordinates	54°13′33″N1°38′41″W / 54.22583°N 1.64472°W Coordinates: 54°13′33″N1°38′41″W / 54.22583°N 1.64472°W
Grid reference	SE232811
Other information
Status	Disused
History
Pre-grouping	North Eastern Railway
Post-grouping	London and North Eastern Railway
Key dates
9 June 1875	Station opened
1 January 1931	Station closed to passengers
11 November 1963	station closed completely

Last updated March 09, 2023

Masham railway station was the terminus of the Melmerby to Masham branch line serving the town of Masham in North Yorkshire, England. It was on the eastern side of the River Ure, so as such, was actually in Burton-on-Ure. The line operated between 1875 and 1931 for passenger traffic, but was retained for minimal freight train use until 1963.

History

Masham station opened on the same day as the line did, with services commencing on 9 June 1875.^[1] The population at the time of opening was just over 3,600, but the station retained healthy outward traffic in the form of timber and livestock.^[2]

The station was located on the left bank of the River Ure, 1-mile (1.6 km) away from Masham^[3] in the neighbouring parish of Burton-on-Ure rather than across the river in Masham itself.^[4] In 1901, a narrow gauge railway was built for the purposes of constructing reservoirs in Colsterdale, which meant that a section of railway then went north from the station crossing the river, but it bypassed the town of Masham to the north.^[5]

The station area had a single-road locomotive shed which stabled the one steam engine used on the four daily out and back workings to Ripon. After closure to passengers, the branch was normally worked by a locomotive from Starbeck Shed in Harrogate.^[6] When Starbeck shed closed in 1959, the branch was worked by an engine from York.^[7]

In October 1908, an over laden train ran through the station and across the Melmerby to Masham road (now the A6108) and into the narrow gauge exchange yard just north of the road. The wagons were badly damaged, but there were no injuries or deaths. The driver had lost control on the 1-in-61 gradient into the station's goods yard.^[8]

The station was closed to passengers in January 1931, but continued receiving deliveries of small amounts of goods traffic until 1963. The issue of the railway being open just to deliver coal to the stationmasters and fresh water to the crossing keeper's cottages was raised in Parliament by the MP for Darlington at that time.^[9]^[10]

The station buildings are now private dwellings and the goods shed has since been converted into a cafe and gallery.^[11] A blue plaque adorns the side of the good shed commemorating the Leeds Pals, who arrived by train at Masham station in September 1914 and marched up to Colsterdale to begin their training for war.^[12]

Related Research Articles

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The Masham branch was a 7+3⁄4-mile (12.5 km) long North Eastern Railway built single track branch railway line that ran between a junction on the Harrogate to Northallerton line at Melmerby to Masham, North Yorkshire, via one intermediate station, Tanfield.

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Melmerby railway station was a railway station and junction in North Yorkshire, England. It had one main line going south to Ripon and Harrogate and one main line north to Northallerton with one lesser line going east to Thirsk Town and also connecting with the East Coast Main Line at Thirsk railway station. Its one other line was a branch to Masham.

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The River Burn is a river that flows wholly within North Yorkshire, England. The river starts as several small streams on Masham Moor and drains Colsterdale flowing eastwards before emptying into the River Ure just south of Masham. Conservation work on removing a weir, and introducing fish to the river in 2016, has meant that salmon have been recorded spawning in the river for the first time in over 100 years.

Darley railway station served the village of Darley, North Yorkshire, England from 1864 to 1951 on the Nidd Valley Railway.

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The network of railways in Northallerton, North Yorkshire, England, was constructed by three companies whose lines through the town were built between 1841 and 1852. They were all amalgamated into the North Eastern Railway (NER) which in turn was subsumed into the London and North Eastern Railway in 1923 and British Rail in 1948. British Rail closed two lines, the Wensleydale line in 1954 and a section of the Leeds Northern Railway to Harrogate in 1969. The Wensleydale line was retained as a freight branch and resurrected as a heritage railway in 2003 but the line to Harrogate closed completely. Despite closures and rationalisation, the station still is at a major junction on the East Coast Main Line.

Tanfield railway station was a railway station serving the community of West Tanfield on the Masham Line in North Yorkshire, England. The station was opened with the line in June 1875 and was closed to passengers in January 1931. Full closure of the line was effected in 1963.

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The Colsterdale Light Railway (CLR) was a narrow-gauge railway line in Colsterdale, North Yorkshire, England. It was built between 1903 and 1905 to allow materials to be taken up the Colsterdale valley for reservoir building. The building of two reservoirs in the valley of the River Burn, was first approved for the councils of Harrogate and Leeds respectively in 1901. Construction on the second reservoir was halted during the First World War, although the railway was kept in use carrying men and supplies to the training camp, later a PoW camp, at Breary Banks.

References

↑ Body, Geoffrey (1989). Railways of the Eastern Region. Wellingborough: Stephens. p. 79. ISBN 1-85260-072-1.
↑ Hoole, K. (1985). Railway stations of the North East. Newton Abbot: David & Charles. p. 176. ISBN 0-7153-8527-5.
↑ Ellis, Norman (1995). North Yorkshire railway stations. Ochiltree: R. Stenlake. p. 71. ISBN 1-872074-63-4.
↑ "Genuki: MASHAM: Geographical and Historical information from the year 1890., Yorkshire (North Riding)". www.genuki.org.uk. Retrieved 6 July 2018.
↑ Burgess, Neil (2011). The lost railways of Yorkshire's North Riding. Catrine: Stenlake. p. 25. ISBN 9781840335552.
↑ Suggitt, Gordon (2005). Lost railways of North and East Yorkshire. Newbury: Countryside Books. p. 46. ISBN 978-1-85306-918-5.
↑ Chapman, Stephen (2011). Harrogate & Wetherby. Todmorden: Bellcode. p. 21. ISBN 978-1871233-24-7.
↑ Hoole 1985, p. 52.
↑ "RAILWAYS (BURTON-LEICESTER LINE) (Hansard, 12 November 1962)". api.parliament.uk. Retrieved 8 July 2018.
↑ Blakemore, Michael (2005). Railways of the Yorkshire Dales. Ilkley: Great Northern Books. p. 36. ISBN 1-905080-03-4.
↑ "Disused Stations: Masham Station". www.disused-stations.org.uk. Retrieved 6 July 2018.
↑ "Leeds Pals Memorial Blue Plaque - War Memorials Online". www.warmemorialsonline.org.uk. Retrieved 6 July 2018.

Sources

Hoole, Ken (1985). Railways in the Yorkshire Dales. Clapham, North Yorkshire: Dalesman Books. ISBN 0-85206-826-3.

Preceding station	Historical railways			Following station
Tanfield Line and station closed		North Eastern Railway Masham branch		Terminus Line and station closed

External links

Masham railway station on a navigable 1947 map

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[1] Body, Geoffrey (1989). Railways of the Eastern Region. Wellingborough: Stephens. p. 79. ISBN 1-85260-072-1.

[2] Hoole, K. (1985). Railway stations of the North East. Newton Abbot: David & Charles. p. 176. ISBN 0-7153-8527-5.

[3] Ellis, Norman (1995). North Yorkshire railway stations. Ochiltree: R. Stenlake. p. 71. ISBN 1-872074-63-4.

[4] "Genuki: MASHAM: Geographical and Historical information from the year 1890., Yorkshire (North Riding)". www.genuki.org.uk. Retrieved 6 July 2018.

[5] Burgess, Neil (2011). The lost railways of Yorkshire's North Riding. Catrine: Stenlake. p. 25. ISBN 9781840335552.

[6] Suggitt, Gordon (2005). Lost railways of North and East Yorkshire. Newbury: Countryside Books. p. 46. ISBN 978-1-85306-918-5.

[7] Chapman, Stephen (2011). Harrogate & Wetherby. Todmorden: Bellcode. p. 21. ISBN 978-1871233-24-7.

[FOOTNOTEHoole198552-8] Hoole 1985, p. 52.

[9] "RAILWAYS (BURTON-LEICESTER LINE) (Hansard, 12 November 1962)". api.parliament.uk. Retrieved 8 July 2018.

[10] Blakemore, Michael (2005). Railways of the Yorkshire Dales. Ilkley: Great Northern Books. p. 36. ISBN 1-905080-03-4.

[11] "Disused Stations: Masham Station". www.disused-stations.org.uk. Retrieved 6 July 2018.

[12] "Leeds Pals Memorial Blue Plaque - War Memorials Online". www.warmemorialsonline.org.uk. Retrieved 6 July 2018.

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