Scarborough to Whitby Home

Construction of the line began on May 4 1872 costing approximately £27,000 per mile. Included in the construction was a large 13-arch brick viaduct over the River Esk near Whitby called Larpool Viaduct

The line was opened on July 16 1885 and during its operational lifetime the Scarborough and Whitby line became notoriously impracticable and difficult to work. The junction layouts at both ends of the line (Prospect Hill in Whitby and Falsgrave in Scarborough) meant that trains had to reverse direction in order to gain access to the route. These movements, particularly in the days of steam, were time-consuming and disrupted the movement of other trains. This problem was especially acute at Scarborough, where Central station was extremely busy during the summer months

The route itself was steeply graded in both directions (1 in 39 being the steepest) and its location along the coast meant that the rails were often slippery due to rain and sea mists which made driving conditions in bad weather extremely difficult and great skill was needed

Services were dieselised at the beginning of the 1960s which did much to resolve the reversal issues at Whitby and Scarborough but even these new trains were found to struggle with the gradients and services were often disrupted when weather and sea conditions were poor

Increasing road competition and a consequent drop in passenger usage outside of the peak summer seasons ultimately led to the route being proposed for closure in the 1963 Beeching Report. A public outcry followed, but this was not enough to keep the line open and it closed to all traffic on March 8 1965

The track was subsequently lifted in 1968 and the line is now used as a bridleway for cycles, pedestrians and horses, known as the Scarborough to Whitby Rail Trail (Cinder Trail)

Scarborough to Whitby Railway (1885 - 1965)

Scarborough to Whitby Railway
(1885 - 1965)