How Whitby lost its scenic railway connections – Yorkshire Post Letters
JAYNE Dowle is quite correct in stating that Whitby has been ‘‘left behind’’ regarding the rail network (The Yorkshire Post, May 31).
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Hide AdIf you wanted to get by train from West Yorkshire you would have to go via Middlesbrough – a long, circuitous and costly journey. Once upon a time, Whitby was superbly served by four railway lines. The one north to Loftus and Saltburn closed in the late 1950s.
Then Dr Beeching appeared and it was proposed to close the three other connections – the line south to Scarborough, the one west to Pickering and Malton and the Middlesbrough line. In the event, the Middlesbrough line was retained or else Whitby would have no railway links.
A particular tragedy was the closure of the Whitby to Scarborough line – a beautiful, scenic route which could have become a major tourist attraction.
Thank goodness we still have the Goathland heritage line to Pickering.
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Hide AdHowever, the scenic lines, tunnels and magnificent viaducts were all discarded as of no use or merit.
The short term thinking of both British Rail and Dr Beeching virtually ‘‘murdered’’ Whitby and its rail links.
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