Station Name: SEAMER
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Date opened: | 8.7.1845 |
Location: | South side of Station Road |
Company on opening: | York and North Midland Railway |
Date closed to passengers: | Still open |
Date closed completely: | Still open |
Company on closing: | Still open |
Present state: | Still open |
County: | Yorkshire |
OS Grid Ref: | TA033839 |
Date of visit: | Not visited |
Notes: The York to Scarborough line opened on 8th July 1845 although Seamer station didn't appear in Bradshaw until May 1848 but it may have opened with the line. Seamer station had an island platform with a canopy. The booking office was incorporated into the stationmaster's house adjacent to the level crossing on Station Road. In 1911, the station layout was modified with a new down slow line and platform for Forge Valley traffic to clear the main running lines for express workings. Also provided was a footbridge to gain access to the Forge Valley platform from the island platform. After the Forge Valley Line closed, the down slow platform and footbridge were removed shortly afterwards. Seamer had a unique feature of two signal boxes side by side. The signal box set back was the original York & North Midland box was set back from the track. In 1911, when the down slow line was added, this signal box was closed and a new one opened to accommodate the extra signalling and pointwork, a second box, Seamer West was opened in 1906 at Seamer Junction. half a mile south of the station. The old box remained in situ for many year after closure. By 1993 it was in a derelict state its wooden steps having been removed and it was demolished shortly after that. The goods yard was on the down side of the line to the north of the station and consisted of two sidings, a timber goods shed and other timber buildings. A second goods platform was sited on the up side of the line adjacent to the passenger platform. All the buildings survived into the late 1970's although the goods yard closed in the early 1960's. The station canopy was demolished probably in the late 1990's and replaced by two glass bus shelters.
Intermediate stations were built at Forge Valley (serving East and West Ayton), Wykeham, Sawdon, Snainton, Ebberston (Wilton until 1903) and Thornton Dale. Trains ran between Pickering and Scarborough, also calling at Seamer which had opened with former York and North Midland route to Scarborough in 1845. The line retained the earlier name of the The Forge Valley Line, it was single track throughout with a passing place at Snainton, the only station with two platforms running for 1614 miles from Seamer Junction to Mill Lane Junction south of Pickering where it joined the NER's lines from Rillington and Bishophouse Junction on the York - Darlington main line. Services were four weekday trains each way; there was never a Sunday service and few excursions except for some to and from Helmsley. In 1928 the line became the first in the area with a regular Sentinel steam railcar service for passengers introduced by the LNER in an attempt to keep costs down. Railcars were considered suitable for this line as passenger traffic was light and there were no steep gradients. The Sentinels were mechanically unreliable and struggled to cope with attachments such as horseboxes, commonly required on rural lines. All the stations except During 1935, the first diesel-electric Sentinel Railcar, the 'Tyneside Venturer', operated a circular route via Scarborough, Whitby, Goathland and back to Scarborough along the Forge Valley line. Despite their unreliability the railcars remained in use for 20 years but were gradually taken out of service on the approach to nationalisation In June 1933 the LNER introduced camping coaches at a number of scenic stations in the area, two of these eventually came to the Forge Valley line with a single carriage being provided at Forge Valley and Thornton Dale.
local objections the line was closed from 5th June 1950; the last train out of Scarborough was at 6.40 pm on Saturday 3rd June where a small crowd gathered with over 100 local people boarding the last train which was greeted by detonators at each station. The track between Seamer and Thornton Dale was lifted between 1952 and 1953. The final three miles of the line between Thornton Dale and Pickering remained open until 10th August 1964 to serve the stone quarry. All the stations were of similar construction with substantial brick buildings incorporating the stationmaster's house. All the buildings and platforms survive and that at Ebberston which was restored in 1998 with a short section of track and three new camping coaches, ex BR 1st class stock built in 1968/9. To see other stations on the Forge Valley Railway click on the station name: See alto other local lines: Malton & Driffield Junction Railway, Thirsk & Malton Railway (Malton - Pilmoor) & Gilling - Pickering |
Last updated: Friday, 26-May-2017 10:53:46 CEST |
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