Description

The East & West Yorkshire Junction Railway was one of scores, if not hundreds, of lines promoted by local residents during a frenzy of speculation and investment during the mid 1840s, called the “Railway Mania”.  This brought fortunes to a few and ruin to thousands; the principal beneficiaries in the recession which followed were the larger established railway companies, which were able to snap up part completed and under- funded lines at bargain prices.

The application to form “The East and West Yorkshire Junction Railway” was made in November 1845, and the company was incorporated by Act of Parliament on 16 July 1846, this authorised £200,000 of capital (8,000 x £25 shares ) and £66,600 of  loans or debentures.

In fact efforts to build a railway through Knaresborough can be traced back to 1818. Had these come to fruition,  the resulting railway would have been contemporary with the Stockton and Darlington. (See  http://www.britishtransporttreasures.com/product/report-of-the-knaresborough-railway-committee-1819/ )

The line connected the Great North of England Railway (GNE) (later the York, Newcastle and Berwick Railway, YN&B) near York to the Leeds and Thirsk Railway (L&TR) at Knaresborough Despite the rather grandiose title the route length was only of  15 miles.  The line branched from the GNE 1 mile 47 chains from York station and terminated at an end on junction with the L& T branch from Starbeck at Knaresborough, where the viaduct, station, tunnel, mineral depot and goods station were to be constructed and owned jointly. Despite nominal independence and some early support from George Hudson, and the York & North Midland, by the time the Act of Parliament was passed, the East &West was really a creature of the Leeds & Thirsk. On 11 March 1848 the nearly completed viaduct over the Nidd collapsed,  and a temporary wooden station was constructed east of Knaresborough on Hay-A-Park Lane to allow the line to partially opened on 30 October 1848.

The company directors had never  intended to operate the railway themselves – there was no provision in the accounts for locomotives or rolling stock. An agreement had been made with  the  L&TR, which had begun proceedings to absorb the company.  However, following the collapse of the viaduct the Leeds directors took fright at the escalating costs of rebuilding,   damages and ensuing court cases and withdrew. The East & West was forced to go cap in hand to the YN&B to work a train service for them. This was not satisfactory and by the time of this report the trains were being worked under contract by the locomotive manufacturer, E.B. Wilson, of the Railway Foundry Leeds. In 1850 the contract passed to the York & North Midland who finally absorbed the East & West in 1852.

The new viaduct opened in October 1851 at a cost of £ 9, 803 together with the branch from. Starbeck. The Leeds company had their own booking office at Knaresborough, for bookings towards Starbeck and beyond (always called the “North Office” even though it was the south platform). This arrangement still persisted when I started work at Knaresborough station in 1962!

Mr. Hodgson, the Resident Engineer, blamed the fall of the viaduct on “an unfortunate   concatenation of circumstances”. Chief Engineer Thomas Grainger was pithier. His verdict was “precipitate removal of the arch centering timbers”. The East & West Directors would have liked to sack Hodgson. Unfortunately they could not because there was no money available to pay his arrears of salary.

The various court cases were finally settled in1852.

An interesting document, with a great story behind it.