Whitby and Pickering Railway

Whitby and Pickering Railway

Company type	Private company (historical)
Industry	Railway transport
Founded	1832
Fate	Purchased by York and North Midland Railway in 1845
Headquarters	Whitby , England, United Kingdom
Products	Railway transportation (passenger and freight)

The Whitby and Pickering Railway (W&P) was created as a response to the downturn experienced by the Port of Whitby on England’s eastern coastline. With traditional sectors such as whaling and shipbuilding diminishing, improving the inland transportation network was considered essential for the economic revival of both the town and its harbor.

Prior to the 1759 establishment of the turnpike road to Pickering, Whitby’s primary access routes were maritime, as overland travel was complicated by difficult moorland landscapes. Stagecoach operations commenced in 1795, followed by mail coaches running thrice weekly from 1823.

The W&P began opening in phases starting in 1836, ranking among Yorkshire’s earliest railways and initially utilizing horse-drawn carriages. In 1845, it was purchased by the York and North Midland Railway, which converted it into a steam-powered double-track railway.

Horse-drawn beginnings of the W&P

In 1795, there were initial proposals to construct a canal linking Whitby to Pickering along a corridor that would later accommodate the railway. Inspired by the success of the Stockton and Darlington Railway and backed by Whitby investors, attention shifted towards establishing rail connections from Whitby either to Stockton or Pickering. Various plans were developed, some of which are preserved at the Whitby Literary and Philosophical Society.

By 1832, George Stephenson assessed competing route options and recommended building a horse-operated railway to Pickering. This plan gained approval at a meeting held in Whitby on 14 September 1832. The Whitby and Pickering Railway Act 1833 (3 & 4 Will. 4. c. xxxv) received royal approval on 6 May 1833.

The railway company’s board consisted mainly of local entrepreneurs—bankers, lawyers, shipbuilders, and shipowners—while its shareholders included investors from London alongside predominantly regional backers.

Engineering and construction

By August 1833, the W&P directors had called for tenders to build the segment at Whitby, followed by invitations in October 1834 for bids on the central section. The contract was awarded to Hamer and Pratt, who had recently completed work on the Leeds and Selby Railway.

In September 1834, a meeting in York aimed at connecting W&P with York and beyond featured a W&P delegation accompanied by engineer George Stephenson advocating for a link to Pickering. This gathering likely represented Stephenson’s first meeting with George Hudson, setting the stage for future railway collaborations despite delays in constructing the York-Leeds route.

When it opened in 1836 as a single-track line powered by horses, the Whitby and Pickering Railway stretched . Stephenson engineered a rope-driven incline at Beckhole that climbed from the Murk Esk valley up to the moorlands near Goathland, with an average gradient of .

This incline operated on a self-acting principle: water tanks attached to trains acted as counterweights, facilitating efficient uphill and downhill movement without external energy sources.

Drawing on his experience crossing Chat Moss on the Liverpool and Manchester Railway, Stephenson utilized hurdles and fascines to cross Fen Bog near the summit.

The track employed wrought iron fish-bellied rails, each measuring long with five curved sections ('bellies'), weighing , supported by cast iron chairs anchored into local stone blocks. A portion of this original track remains preserved at Pickering railway station.

While Stephenson provided overall guidance, chief engineer Frederick Swanwick oversaw day-to-day implementation.

Materials were procured through nationwide tenders, including rails, chairs, and pins supplied by established manufacturers such as Bradley & Foster's Stourbridge Ironworks, Capponfield Ironworks, Nantyglo Ironworks, and Bedlington Ironworks. Most supplies arrived via waterways—transported on narrowboats to Gainsborough or Malton—and were then moved overland by ox-cart to Pickering.

The entire project cost approximately £105,000 (land included), averaging about £4,400 per mile. This reflected prudent financial management and construction designed to meet contemporary demands without superfluous expenditure.

Operations and traffic

Although the W&P was originally marketed for transporting coal, stone, timber, and limestone, passenger services were integral from its inception. It procured three first-class carriages from Beeston & Melling of Manchester, modeled on stagecoach designs, along with several more affordable open market coaches likely obtained locally. The premier first-class coaches bore the names Premier, Transit, and Lady Hilda.

With limited financial resources, the W&P focused on launching early passenger and freight operations, inaugurating the route between Whitby and the Tunnel Inn (present-day Grosmont) on 8 June 1835. The first-class coach Premier departed Whitby at 2 pm and returned approximately at 8 pm. Soon after, two daily round trips operated every day except Sundays.

During the July 1835 Ruswarp Fair, a special coach service ran sixteen trips between Whitby and Ruswarp, gaining popularity among passengers who appreciated the unique experience.

Upon completion of the entire line on 26 May 1836, the W&P provided scheduled passenger connections at Pickering with stagecoach services to York and onward to the growing railway network. A notable example involved a Baltic ship captain who utilized the W&P coach to travel from Whitby to Liverpool via York and Manchester, significantly shortening what had previously been a multi-day journey to just hours.

While railways often eliminated rival coach services, they also fostered feeder coach routes. An advertisement for 'The Queen' coach operating between Scarborough, Pickering, and Helmsley appeared merely two months after W&P's opening, illustrating this dynamic.

The Y&NM and introduction of steam power

Following its incorporation into the York and North Midland Railway under the Whitby and Pickering Railway Act 1845 (8 & 9 Vict. c. lvii), as part of George Hudson’s expanding empire, the W&P was reconstructed into a double-track steam railway linking with Y&NM’s York to Scarborough Line at Rillington junction. This upgrade enabled continuous journeys from Whitby to industrial hubs such as the West Riding, Hull, Manchester, Liverpool, London, and beyond. Whitby became a convenient destination for day visitors and holiday travelers alike. To boost patronage, Hudson spearheaded development at West Cliff in Whitby—building roads and hotels—until his downfall in 1849 brought these efforts to a halt.

With integration into the national rail system, these lines were heavily utilized by the Royal Mail; notably, for over 120 years the first morning train from York to Whitby functioned as the mail service.

The transition from horse-drawn to steam traction occurred incrementally: steam service commenced on the single track section between Pickering and Levisham on 1 September 1846. By mid-1847, a second track was completed and received approval from Her Majesty’s Railway Inspector Captain J. W. Coddington. Initial inspections revealed certain sections were unfinished or unsafe for steam operation; progressive enhancements led to full authorization for opening on 1 July 1847. Horse-drawn coaches remained in use until steam locomotives entirely replaced them.

Wooden sleepers used in the reconstruction were imported from Baltic regions to Whitby; documentation of multiple shipments is preserved in the National Archives.

After uncovering financial mismanagement under Hudson’s leadership, Y&NM appointed an investigative committee that sharply criticized both the acquisition and conversion costs of W&P:

The original railway had cost £135,000 but was barely covering operating expenses when negotiations took place; its market value was estimated around £30,000. The expenses for conversion to steam operation were substantial yet yielded little return. The committee condemned this imprudent purchase alongside excessive expenditure.

Summarizing financials, acquisition of the Whitby branch cost £80,000 while authorized share and loan capital for reconstruction totaled £180,000; by June 1849 estimated outlays had reached £468,000.

In 1848 operating figures showed total traffic income of £11,323 against working costs of £8,172, resulting in net earnings of £3,151.

The York and North Midland Railway became part of the North Eastern Railway in 1854. Following World War I railway grouping in 1923 incorporated it into the London and North Eastern Railway. By 1948 all major British railways were nationalized under British Railways.

Closure and revival

Following the recommendations of the Beeching Report, the railway section running from Rillington Junction to Whitby was discontinued, along with the majority of Whitby's rail connections. However, the Esk Valley Line remained operational, preserving a portion of the original W&P route between Whitby and Grosmont.

The North Yorkshire Moors Railway Preservation Society (NYMRPS) was founded in 1967 with the aim of safeguarding the track between Grosmont and Pickering. This initiative led to its reopening as a Heritage Steam Railway. The NYMRPS transitioned into a charitable organization named the North York Moors Historical Railway Trust Ltd, which successfully reinstated the line as the North Yorkshire Moors Railway (NYMR) in 1973, thereby securing the continuation of the W&P route.

On 8 February 2005, the organization was restructured into a private company supporting the NYMR and is officially registered at Companies House, with NYMR managing operations on the line.

In 2007, NYMR obtained authorization to operate steam locomotives on the Network Rail tracks from Grosmont to Whitby and Battersby. This achievement marked them as the first UK heritage railway permitted to run steam services on mainline railways, effectively restoring steam-powered travel between Whitby and Pickering.

External links

• North Yorkshire Moors Railway
• North Eastern Railway Association