Sleights railway station

Sleights is a railway station on the Esk Valley Line, which runs between Middlesbrough and Whitby via Nunthorpe. The station, situated 2 miles 78 chains (4.8 km) south-west of Whitby, serves the villages of Briggswath and Sleights, Scarborough in North Yorkshire, England. It is owned by Network Rail and managed by Northern Trains.

Sleights
National Rail
General information
LocationSleights, Scarborough
England
Coordinates54°27′40″N 0°39′46″W
Grid referenceNZ867081
Owned byNetwork Rail
Managed byNorthern Trains
Platforms1
Tracks1
Other information
Station codeSLH
ClassificationDfT category F2
History
Original companyWhitby and Pickering Railway
Pre-groupingNorth Eastern Railway
Post-grouping
Key dates
8 June 1835Opened
Passengers
2017/18Increase 4,254
2018/19Decrease 4,182
2019/20Increase 4,732
2020/21Decrease 1,038
2021/22Increase 4,696
Services
Preceding station Northern Following station
Grosmont
towards Middlesbrough via Nunthorpe
 Esk Valley Line Ruswarp
towards Whitby
Location
Sleights is located in North Yorkshire
Sleights
Sleights
Location in North Yorkshire, England
Notes
Passenger statistics from the Office of Rail and Road

History

Sleights station was on the initial 6.5-mile (10.5 km) section of the Whitby and Pickering Railway between Whitby and Grosmont.[1] Originally just a simple halt, it opened to horse-drawn traffic on 15 May 1835,[2] with a full public service operating from June 1835.[1] The station platforms and the main building, a mock-Tudor design by George Townsend Andrews, were constructed eleven years later and opened in 1846.[3]

The station used to have two platforms for up and down line working,[4] but in common with the other stations between Grosmont and Whitby, this was reduced to single track working in 1984 when the second track was lifted and Sleights signal box closed.[5] Trains now stop at the former Up line platform,[6] where the main station buildings, including the station master's house, are now a Grade II-listed private residence.[7][8] The former down platform used to have a wooden waiting shed and store; this building was recovered by the North Yorkshire Moors Railway and re-erected on the extended down platform at Grosmont.[9]

Behind the down platform was a small goods yard with a single siding. The Up line platform is currently managed and maintained by Northern Trains and Esk Valley Railway, whilst the down platform and derelict signal box are the responsibility of Network Rail.

At one end of the platform, a footpath carries passengers over the River Esk to Briggswath on a small box girder bridge, while at the other the A169 towers over the railway and river on a bridge opened on 26 January 1937.[10] The site of the modern day footpath used to be a level crossing carrying the main Whitby-Pickering road to a stone bridge over the Esk,[11] before this was washed away during floods in 1930.[12] Next to the crossing a 19th-century brick built signal box remains, now unused and boarded up.

Services

As of July 2022, the station is served by five trains per day towards Whitby. Heading towards Middlesbrough via Nunthorpe, there are four trains per day. Most trains continue to Newcastle, Hexham or Darlington. All services are operated by Northern Trains.[13]

Rolling stock used: Class 156 Super Sprinter and Class 158 Express Sprinter

Heritage trains from the North Yorkshire Moors Railway can be seen passing through Sleights Station, however they do not stop.[14]

References
  1. Bairstow 2008, p. 13.
  2. Bairstow 2008, p. 111.
  3. Ellis, Norman (1995). North Yorkshire railway stations. Ochiltree: Stenlake. p. 29. ISBN 1-872074-63-4.
  4. Chapman, Stephen (2008). York to Scarborough, Whitby & Ryedale. Todmorden: Bellcode Books. p. 89. ISBN 9781871233193.
  5. Bairstow 2008, p. 90.
  6. Body, Geoffrey (1989). Railways of the Eastern Region. Wellingborough: Patrick Stephens. p. 122. ISBN 1-85260-072-1.
  7. Historic England. "2 Coach Road (Grade II) (1316164)". National Heritage List for England. Retrieved 13 June 2019.
  8. Historic England. "Sleights Station (500526)". Research records (formerly PastScape). Retrieved 13 June 2019.
  9. Hunt, John (2004). The North Yorkshire moors railway : a further trip along the former Whitby & Pickering Railway and through to Malton / vol. 2. Kettering: Silver Link. p. 37. ISBN 1-85895-236-0.
  10. Whitworth, Alan (1998). Esk Valley Railway : a travellers' guide ; a description of the history and topography of the line between Whitby and Middlesbrough. Barnsley: Wharncliffe. p. 33. ISBN 1-871647-49-5.
  11. Hoole, Ken (1983). Railways of the North York Moors : a pictorial history. Clapham: Dalesman Books. p. 36. ISBN 0-85206-731-3.
  12. "River Esk fact file" (PDF). environmentdata.org. Environment Agency. p. 4. Retrieved 13 June 2019.
  13. "Train times: Middlesbrough to Whitby (Esk Valley Railway)" (PDF). Northern Trains. 16 May 2021. Archived from the original (PDF) on 8 May 2021. Retrieved 8 May 2021.
  14. "Sleights, North Yorkshire: travel and leisure information". www.eskvalleyrailway.co.uk. Retrieved 8 August 2021.

Sources
  • Bairstow, Martin (2008). Railways Around Whitby Volume One. Farsley: Bairstow. ISBN 978-1-871944-34-1.
Preceding station National Rail National Rail Following station
Grosmont   Northern Trains
Esk Valley Line		   Ruswarp
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.