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Scarborough to Whitby line


welsh wizard
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Just a quick question ,i was looking at a video of this line on you tube and was wondering what happened to the tunnel at Scarborough station ? has it been bulldozed out of existence? Interesting working to reverse back into the station and reverse out again! Must say that I haven't come across this line before vaguely remember reading an article about robin hoods bay in the RM in the 70s but what a superb line it must have been to travel on especially the climb from Whitby and another reversal to get up to the viaduct ! Shame it has gone . has anyone modelled it I wonder ?

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  • 3 weeks later...

If you are feeling up to the walk you can retrace the route from Prospect Hill , Whitby for 19 miles until you reach Scalby near Scarbough. If it a shame the line was lost it was so scenic. A great line to model.

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Edited by RJL
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  • 1 month later...

There are some interesting tales told in the Men of Steam series of books by Raymond Flint (father of Steve the RM editor). Castlebrough is a thinly disguised version of Scarborough, and some of the stories relate to the Whitby line.

 

Kevin

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  • 9 months later...

You can actually get past Scalby & all the way to Gallows Close. (A Sainsburys stands on part of the old yard there). The station site at Scalby & a little bit of the trackbed north of it has been built on, but there is a clear diversion which takes you back onto the route at the north end of the viaduct.

 

Yes, a very scenic route, but a swine to work, particularly in winter, with steep climbs either side of Ravenscar; 1 in 39 southbound & 1 in 41 northbound. Then you had the reversals at each end to complicate matters.

 

Mark

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  • 4 months later...
  • 3 weeks later...

OK, question time. There are photographs of EE Type 4 D352 hauling working 1Z26 southbound over the line on 19th May 1964. It's thought that this was the only time that a main line diesel locomotive travelled the whole length of the line, unless anyone knows different?

 

For anyone interested, there's a photo of the train coming off Scalby viaduct in Robin Lidster's "The Scarborough & Whitby Railway - a Centenary Volume", and I understand that the late Ken Hoole took a photo of it whilst it was climbing the 1 in 39 to Ravenscar. Further details of this working would be appreciated; sadly the wonderful 6 Bells website hasn't got this one at present.

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  • 3 weeks later...

Mark,

 

Some fascinating pictures of the line.  I was lucky enough to fly over it many times when I lived up in North Yorkshire.  I agree with others, it is a huge pity it has closed.  I'm sure today's DMUs would be more than up to the mark of working this line and it would provide an excellent transport connection for the villages on that north east coast.  However, the rickety bridge at Staithes would have required a significant upgrade methinks!!!

 

Tim

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Hi Tim. Yes, an opportunity lost, for sure. Ravenscar Tunnel, if opened out into a cutting (as, of course, is was intended to be...) would have taken away a big operating problem. OK, you'd still have reversals at both ends, but with DMU stock that's not a major issue.

 

I'm not sure that the Whitby-Boulby section, including that bridge at Staithes, could have a business case though. Too many problems with coastal erosion & infrastructure. You've still got the Esk Valley, of course, and route duplication undermines the case for that section further.

 

Mark

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The rickety bridge at Staithes was no less rickety than any of the other structures of that nature on the route.

 

http://vintagegraphics.co.uk/catalog/images/YB0003-Sandsend-Via-rtp.jpg

 

The issue was I believe poor quality steel used in the construction of the bridges so a clever NER engineer came up with the idea of pumping the steel full of concrete to stabilise the structures, not a bad idea for the time.  If you go down to the footings at Sandsend you will see that the steel stumps are indeed still full of their pumped concrete, the big problem with the route north of Whitby is that of the unstable cliffs, much of the original route has disappeared and the rebuilt route is at risk, Sandsend South tunnel portal collapsed several years ago  and the north portal is a peculiar shape.  The horizontal airshafts are something to see though and you can get down to the beach if you are brave/stupid.  I think the remaining viaduct on the open section is still standing but was converted into a large embankment many years ago although the original structure can be seen at certain times of the year, or so I'm told.

 

The problem you refer to at Staithes was not the bridge but the crosswind thereon because of the local geography, Staithes is a weird windy hole even today.  The warning bell from Staithes is on display in the NRM at the moment, and I have a copy of the local instructions from the cabin.  From what I understand there was an anemometer on/near the bridge and when the wind reached a certain speed the bell would ring and trains would have to be cautioned/run at reduced speed.  Were the wind speed to increase the bell would ring in a different manner and the bridge would have to be closed.

 

I think this is it anyway, its not easy to interpret 70 year old instructions without the gear referred to at hand!

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  • 1 month later...

OK, as mentioned in another thread, I'm trying to put together lists of workings on the S & W. I've got some notes from my initial skim through my library at home. I'm away at sea now until April, but I have brought the notes with me. Here's the first two - more to follow, & if anyone else wishes to join in, or has further information, please don't hesitate to get posting :mail:

 

Where possible I have mentioned number of carriages being hauled

 

Book - Scarborough & Whitby Railway Centenary Volume – J Robin Lidster

Front cover  B1 61319 with Inspection Saloon, northbound

Plate 10  EE Type 4 D352 southbound pass  excursion 1Z26 at Scalby, May 19th 1964 (Another photo of this working is in Backtrack Vol 22 #2, the train is approaching Ravenscar tunnel). This is reported to be the only time a main line diesel traversed the S&W - unless anyone knows different?

Plate 13  4MT 80116 heading south, shunting Scalby yard

Plate 15  G5 1887, LNER livery, southbound at Cloughton

Plate 18  Unidentified J24 on southbound goods, Cloughton

Plate 27  D49 235 piloting unidentified D49, northbound pass service

Plate 34/39  D2151 southbound on last goods, 4th August 1964

Plate 41  A8 69864 bunker first with northbound goods at Hawkser

Plate 45  A8 9858, LNER livery, southbound with a van & 4 carriages

 

 

Book - Scarborough & Whitby Railway through time – Robin Lidster

Page   7  3MT 77013 with 4 carriages southbound

Page 27  Ivatt 2MT 41254 (or 56?) + unidentified B1 with 8 carriages, southbound

Page 31  J24 65633, BR black, unfitted, LE at Scarborough. Caption indicates coast goods service

Page 32  B1 61030 southbound pass service

Page 36  A8 69885 BR black, southbound pass service

Page 37  4MT 80116 southbound goods at Scalby

Page 38  4MT 80119 derailed in Scalby yard, shunting southbound goods

Page 60  Unidentified A8 (pilot) & B1 on northbound pass (excursion?)

Page 64  D2151 cab first northbound on last goods service

Page 65  3MT 77013 southbound with bridge inspection train

Page 66  B1 61027 (or 37?) on southbound pass service

Page 67 unidentified Ivatt 2MT tank (pilot) and Black 5 on southbound pass

Page 85  B1 61032 southbound with 5 carriages

 

 

Mark

Edited by MarkC
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