History of Hull: Railways - Episode 3: The Hull and Hornsea Railway

[@eileenspamer-kw3kz]

Hull born,, your video brought a lump to my throat, how beautiful my mermeries you brought back now reside in Withernsea granny eileen

[@markrobert6028]

I cycled that line in the early nineties. You are right about there being nowt along the line-it was a warm day and by the time I had reached Hornsea I was gasping.

[@alansharp1528]

I enjoyed the video thanks, in both style and content. As a family with four children and just one wage earner, we didn't travel far for our holidays so Hornsea was always great. We spent many a time exploring the town, including the remains of the station that were still standing in the late 70's. Hornsea retains it's character; lovely.

[@poshbird600]

Another great programme. I used to live on Hathersage road. I can remember the milk train running. We used to put pennies in the line... I an addicted to your channel. Thanks again... Glen.... 😊😊😊😊

[@dianewrightham3888]

I recently discovered your channel and think is is absolutely brilliant. I like especially because you cover such a wide range of subjects such as the social aspects, political , class and you give us a real sense of what it was like back in 1864. Keep the good work up as these are so informative. I have noted how well you research everything with using maps and data and including how the places have changed or preserved.

[@hullhistorynerd]

Welcome to the channel, and I hope you enjoy the rest of the videos!

[@philiphollowday6741]

Especially liked the social historical explanations you gave about the railways impact on rural Holderness. Look forward to seeing more, well done.

[@hullhistorynerd]

It's the most important part; whilst I could do a video just full of places and dates, it doesn't really add much to just doing a Google search for the info. For me, it's always about finding the stories in the history and trying to make it relatable for people. I also find that much of history tends to be about middle class and upper class history, or at least from their perspective. I prefer to look to the experiences of my own ancestors, working class through and through!

[@mikego18753]

Thumbs up,great subject,railways and the growth of cities.I suppose the next jump was mains electric. Cheers.

[@classicmacintosh]

These videos have been consistently brilliant. Keep up the excellent work. I never knew how interesting I would find the history of Hull's railways.

[@hullhistorynerd]

Thank you, I'm just glad I'm doing the history justice!

[@johngarratt6928]

I live in Vancouver now but used to live by the railway line near Sutton I do remember that last steam trains on the line and the coal yard at Sutton station. After the tracks were ripped up we would ride old motorbikes on the track. I still have a lot of gravel in my arm and side from taking a major spill on the track and ending up in hospital You can take the boy out of Hull but you can't take the Hornsea railway out of the boy! Excellent videos, thank you

[@hullhistorynerd]

Ouch, that sounds painful. Glad you enjoyed the video though!

[@saltspringrailway3683]

We live on Saltspring Island now but traveled the Hornsea line several times just before it died. Huge affection for it. Very sad to watch it rapidly decay in the 70's. We run a railway tourist attraction, for details click the loco on the left. All the best, Philip

[@lindawilson813]

Went on hornsea station In1966 and it looked like the last train had just left great video

[@hullhistorynerd]

I do sometimes wish I'd been able to see these places in their full glory, I'm stuck to experiencing them through old photos and other people's memories!

[@88ppjj]

You've got a cracking presenting style

[@hullhistorynerd]

Thanks! I'm improving with every episode, I think, but there's still a long way to go yet!

[@maryfleischman3092]

This was excellent and brought back many memories. When I was very young my family lived at Ellerby and my mother and I used to go to Hornsea regularly by train in the summer. Also great to see what is left of Whitedale, where my grandparents lived close to the station. Thank you!

[@hullhistorynerd]

Glad you enjoyed it, and Whitedale is very much my favourite spot along the line!

[@alanrobertson9790]

Another superb video. Really deserves thousands of viewers.

[@hullhistorynerd]

Thankyou, it's very kind of you to say so!

[@chrismccartney8668]

These should be on TV for all to enjoy.

[@hullhistorynerd]

Well, I'm pretty sure the standards for TV are much higher than my little videos reach! But thankyou for your kind words all the same

[@chrismccartney8668]

Your videos are high quality

[@richolinger6187]

I used to live in Everthorpe.,the quarys we used to explore 1st.then weedly springs. Then discovered the tunnels.was amazed as a 13yr old..still am now at 44.we used to take motor bikes up n down there in the mid 80s. We also had a den in an old railway carriage just down the embankment from north cave station. It still had a stove in it which I enjoyed lighting up n cooking beans n sausages on. Lots of great memory including the small tunnels for low mill lane and the beck.lots of rope swings ect. Been great watching.subscribed also. You've filled in a lot of gaps I didn't know about H&B line and Hornsey. Rode that track many times.didnt realize sutton park was a station till recently. Thanks 4 making this its brilliant.keep it up.

[@hullhistorynerd]

Glad you're enjoying them! Hopefully once I get myself sorted after lockdown I'll be heading further afield to places like the Malton - Driffield line, and the Scarborough - Whitby one!

[@tonystack7375]

Great instructive video’s on the lines from Hull.Keep up the good work.

[@logotrikes]

Revisiting all these again HN. I watch a lot of geopolitical videos about what's going on in the US, concerned about the way things are going in the world. A few HN railway videos are a marvellous distraction, and at least temporarily, restore my flagging spirits....

[@damedavidfrith55]

A very interesting series shows how rail travel changes lives and community’s

[@hullhistorynerd]

It really did, the railways were the Victorian internet in terms of how they revolutionised communication, transport and the mobility, leisure activities and even eating habits of working people!

[@gillatthequarryhouse]

Another great video prompting lovely childhood memories! Thank you.

[@hullhistorynerd]

You're welcome! Really glad you enjoyed it :-)

[@markjaques5921]

Hi from Seattle US, my parents moved into the new housing estate Bransholme right next to Sutton, as a kid of the 70's i would play up and down the old railway line and platforms of Suttons station. great memories! great channel and looking forward to more.

[@hullhistorynerd]

I grew up not far away on Longhill in the 70s, I remember thinking of the old railway station in Sutton as some far-off mythical place!

[@davidmiller6728]

love you work Mr Nerd

[@Domina7ion]

I am very impressed by the quality of these videos. Your scripts really manage to bring the past to life

[@hullhistorynerd]

Thankyou, I'm glad you think so!

[@NJPurling]

I have seen some 8mm film of Hornsea Town station. Apparently there was a headshunt extending across Station Road for locomotives to run around the carriages. You don't think about things like that when you are used to DMU's. Whitedale & Swine are nice picnic spots.

[@alanpotts2858]

Very interesting set of programs you have made. I have lost count how many times, albeit 20 odd years ago when I lived in Sutton and drank at Old Ellerby, we said to one another how this track would be of use today. One could go to work keeping cars out of the city and of a night pop out for a beer or two at many pubs on the route and returning by train. I have lived in Bulgaria for 21 years now and parts of this sort of make me homesick, even though I was not born in Hull. Great work Sir!!

[@saltspringrailway3683]

As a little boy I traveled to Hornsea from Stepney several times. Someone earned a living photographing people as they walked towards the sea from the station. We have one or two of those photos as will a lot of Hull people. The imminent arrival of a DMU was signaled to the waiting passengers and staff by an electric bell at Hornsea. On the journey I remember the buzzer sounding twice by the guard on departing each station and repeated by the driver. I was one of the last people to pass over Hornsea bridge. A friend and I cycled over the route in around 1970. A few days later I passed by the spot in a car and was surprised to see the bridge had vanished! From the embankment you could see where wagons were tipped at the Hornsea gas works but the station building had disappeared.

[@hullhistorynerd]

These are some wonderful recollections, I really love hearing about what these railways meant to people! Thankyou for sharing!

[@jeffheineken6709]

Brilliant style, excellent work thank you 👍🏻

[@hullhistorynerd]

Glad you enjoyed it. Lots more to come over the next few months, too!

[@fredcfc638]

Good work, really enjoyed this film, you have really done your research

[@hullhistorynerd]

Thankyou, glad you enjoyed it!

[@markkirk731]

Absolutely love these videos well done I'd love to come out with you on one of your walks

[@jymmyt604]

I cycle the route several times a year and have enjoyed the route. I'm sure with the info you have communicated my trips to Hornsea on the cycle route will be a bit more indulging with the knowledge I now have. Thanks.

[@hullhistorynerd]

Awesome! That's exactly how I feel every time I learn something new about something I walk or drive past frequently!

[@ianphilpott3121]

Your videos really are great viewing, I cycle this track on regular occasions and when passing Whitedale station I always say to myself "I'd love to own this building", the current owners really have kept the old character of the station, brilliant.

[@hullhistorynerd]

Thankyou! On the few occasions I've biked the track, I've always wanted to stop at Whitedale and have my packed lunch on the platform!

[@SteveBillyHughes]

Great videos.. just found you .. loving these.. and sharing

[@hullhistorynerd]

Glad you're enjoying them! Plenty more to come, too!

[@markm49]

I live on Howdale Road and this is a frequent visit for me and my kids - we often go for walks etc down here. Everytime I visit I can’t help but feel sadness that it’s no longer a railway - such a loss to the East Coast.

[@philhardy18]

This is a cracking little series , excellent job sir!

[@hullhistorynerd]

Thankyou very much! If you're into old railways, I'll be starting a new series next year called the Lost Railways of Yorkshire which will be in the same sort of format. If you're into Hull's history, I'm currently filming a series on the city's maritime history that I will be starting to upload in January!

[@llttf]

Very proffesional video. Thankyou.

[@hullhistorynerd]

You're welcome, glad you enjoyed!

[@BMH1965]

I'm learning more about my local history from watching your videos than from five (5) years at Hessle High School in the late 1970s and early 1980s. I now hold an MSc in Anthropology but none of the credit goes to my high school.

[@hullhistorynerd]

In fairness to them, history as a subject tends to focus on the big picture rather than local history, but personally I think that's a mistake; I think by using local history to illustrate the big shifts and changes, you can get more interest from younger minds than simply talking about dry distant events and periods.

[@elpanchito421]

Fellow history of Hull nerd and map enthusiast exiled in London - thanks for providing me with a wonderfully informative and nostalgic Sunday afternoon! Subscribed and look forward to more videos. Potentially daft suggestion, but have you thought about making a video exploring the feasibility of bringing back all these old lines in the form of a light-rail/tram system? Given how bad Hull's current transport infrastructure is, I think it could really revitalise the city and surrounding region. Obviously, it would require a mammoth amount of planning and spending, but it'd be fun to imagine up!

[@hullhistorynerd]

Welcome to the channel and thankyou! Sadly I don't know enough about railway planning and costing to make any kind of guess about the viability of reopening a line; an uneducated guess from having walked the routes would be that it probably isn't very viable due to the amount of the routes that have been built over and the low volume of traffic there would be to the destinations. But that's a complete guess!

[@sameyers2670]

I agree it sadly wouldn't be viable for the reasons Hull History Nerd says. If part of the Withernsea or Hornsea branches were reopened as a heritage line it would be different though, but it would take time. I'm a volunteer at the Yorkshire Wolds Railway at Fimber and it's taken us over 10 years to get 2 fields of track, that's from a standing start which is the situation with these lines.

[@radiogeekdaniel]

I cycled this from Hull to Hornsea as a kid in the 90s.

[@hullhistorynerd]

It's a great route if you have the stamina for it, I've done it about three times in the past and always wished I'd brought a packed lunch by the time I got to Whitedale.

[@baderalbahrani9204]

Excellent 3rd Video Hull History Nerd

[@TheWorldsWorstMan]

Great video! Looking forward to walking a good section of the line at the weekend, weather permitting!

[@hullhistorynerd]

It's a lovely walk, wherever you start from. I hope the weather stays good for you!

[@julianmusik9522]

Hi, thanks guys, very interesting history of the railway networking in our area, and especially Hornsea. I notice that Hornsea Museum was shown towards the end of the video, but not mentioned. Just want to point out that the museum features the history of the Hornsea to Hull line and there is a a model layout showing how it looked around Hornsea at the time, in a dedicated building called Whitedale.

[@hullhistorynerd]

Sadly some things have to be left out of these videos in order to keep the focus on the railway history and its immediate tangents, so the museum didn't make it into the episode, but I will admit I knew nothing about the model railway layout in the museum! That would indeed have been a nice inclusion.

[@sameyers2670]

Only just found this channel. Now subscribed. Thank you. I've heard that the then Hornsea MP tried really hard to get the closure of the line overturned but was told to shut up as if Hornsea was reprieved it would cause bitterness in Withernsea.

[@hullhistorynerd]

That's interesting, I didn't know about that. Such a shame, those communities suffered hard from the loss of the railways.

[@johnabbott9526]

According to 1964 reports in the Hull Daily Mail the newly elected Labour MP for East Hull made a last minute attempt to get the Prime Minister of the day to stop the Beeching closure of that line. Harold Wilson wasn't having any.

[@cottinghamcyclinggardener6822]

The bike trail follows the Fordyke drain behind Montrose Street but the original line was on the other side slightly further north and crossed the drain after it had crossed under the Hull & Barnsley rail bridge. I think?

[@hullhistorynerd]

It does indeed! I have recently done an episode on the Foredyke Stream which covers this stretch and also mentions the industrial branch that headed off to Stoneferry.

[@cottinghamcyclinggardener6822]

@@hullhistorynerd So the remnants of railway lines I remember from 1976 were actually part of the Hull to Hornsea route. I always wondered. They were taken up in 1977.

[@Kirkee7]

Great stuff, informative microcosm in the development and effect the railways had in the industrial revolution. I remember well the Botanic gardens station on Princess ave. Are we teaching this to our children today ?

[@hullhistorynerd]

Probably not, but I think learning about the effect industrialisation had on shaping our own city is a great way to really understand just how profound a change it wrought on our way of life. Hence this channel!

[@philiphollowday6741]

Excellent histories; really enjoy watching. Can I suggest another theme, 'to spend a penny, look for royalty' a history of Hull's public toilets, some of the finest facilities in the UK, well they were.

[@hullhistorynerd]

The once award-winning public loos near Victoria Pier are scheduled to appear in a forthcoming episode on the Manchester, Sheffield and Lincolnshire Railway!

[@andybharris]

Another great video,, many thanks

[@hullhistorynerd]

I enjoy making them, good to hear that people enjoy watching them too :-)

[@Nickgowans]

Another wonderful video, keep up the good work :)

[@hullhistorynerd]

Thanks!

[@misskittysmith]

Beautiful video.

[@hullhistorynerd]

Thankyou :)

[@tonywright8294]

Excellent

[@hullhistorynerd]

Thankyou!

[@steveclem]

A most enjoyable video.

[@webrarian]

I came for the trains, but got hooked by the excellent descriptions of farming specialisation and the brain drain caused by the railways. The social impact of the growth of the railways has always seemed to be to be underestimated, as is the fact that railways were built for goods as much as - if not more than - passengers.

[@hullhistorynerd]

Absolutely! My goal with this series was to look at the railways, but put them in a wider context of industrial Britain and how they transformed our lives. I compare it to the internet of its day in one episode because of the way that it shrunk Britain and connected it in a way that had never been done. Modern Britain was indeed built on the backbone of the railways.

[@johnnyherbert7840]

Cycle down this track all the time normally get off at swine 2 go 2 me brothers pub in Coniston, I will cycle all the way 2 Hornsea 1 day..remem walking all ov it wen I was at cubs/boy scouts in about 1986 think it tuk us a few hours singing songs along the way 😃

[@hullhistorynerd]

Make sure you build up to it - I did it once without any training and my arse hurt like hell for a week afterwards!

[@johnnyherbert7840]

@@hullhistorynerd ha I bet it did,I bike everywhere around hull so quite fit, I shud b ok...how long is the track im think about 15 miles??

[@hullhistorynerd]

@@johnnyherbert7840 A bit longer, I think about 17 or 18? If you bike everywhere it'll be a doddle!

[@johnnyherbert7840]

@@hullhistorynerd ha..im off Thurs so gonna giv it ok then if weathers ok,I got on the track at Sutton so won't quite b 17 miles but still a fair old track,enjoying ur vids m8 I've wached a few now very informative, considering im born n bread in Hull there's alot I don't dint know

[@chrismccartney8668]

You mention farmers and livestock etc you may surprised to hear that some of the stations on the central line in London were really mostly used for goods and especially milk stations such as Blake Hall and Ongar were important to farmers this far out into Essex and later commuters as housing was built after ww2 then ironically they were closed...

[@hullhistorynerd]

That doesn't surprise me at all, London was the hungrier and thirstiest of all of Britain's cities, the railway helped nourish all of these growing populations!

[@bremnersghost948]

Great stuff HHN, Once this Covid BS is done with and if you can get a West Riding Visa, Please do a video on Normanton Station & Marshalling Yards, For a long time the Longest Platform & Largest Marshalling Yard in Europe

[@hullhistorynerd]

West riding is a bit far afield for me, I'm afraid! I'm focusing on old railways in East and North Yorkshire for the next railway episodes, starting with the York to Beverley line.

[@markdonnelly962]

Is the culvert in hull that mentioned walkable? I have a fascination with them lol, I’m still yet to do the Hornsea track, I’ll try do it in summer next year

[@hullhistorynerd]

Well, it's little more than a tiny pipe so I don't think you'd fit inside unless you're a gnome or some such. The route above ground however is still a footpath that goes all the way from the roundabout at the end of Dansom Lane all the way north through Bransholme.

[@markdonnelly962]

Looks like I’m going on a diet 😂😂

[@brianwillson9567]

Hull is very lucky, in that, in Paragon, it retains a PROPER station. I can’t believe that the 60s and 70s passed without any plans to demolish it and replace with something ‘better’.

[@hullhistorynerd]

You should see what they hid it behind in the 1960s. *shudders*

[@brianwillson9567]

@@hullhistorynerd yes, I have to agree about the ‘hiding’

[@johnswift1736]

Could we have a video on hull University?

[@hullhistorynerd]

That would be nice, but they're not happy for people to film on campus and they don't easily make themselves available to ask permission!

[@johnjanland4788]

Please bring back the railways to Withernsea and Hornsea. JML

[@hullhistorynerd]

I think that might be outside my rather limited powers, unfortunately!

[@angelinegrows7765]

How do we get your subscriber numbers up ? You have a great presenting style ! Oh and love the bloopers!

[@hullhistorynerd]

Tell your friends :) Thankyou for the kind words, and glad you're enjoying the videos! I'm fairly sure there's more bloopers to come in a few more videos time. I'm fairly terrible at properly delivering lines...

[@angelinegrows7765]

@@hullhistorynerd I’ve shared on Facebook , and yes, Raving about your channel to my friends 😁

[@hullhistorynerd]

@@angelinegrows7765 Awesome stuff, thankyou! Have a great Christmas!

[@sameyers2670]

Have you any plans to make any more videos? I know the events of the last few months haven't helped.

[@hullhistorynerd]

Absolutely, I'm shielding due to a health condition, so once things start looking better, I have the rest of the Docks series to do, the Lost Railways of Yorkshire to start, and more Old Yorkshire to be getting on with. Watch this space!

[@Alpha-Capri]

I noticed that you missed raf sutton is along the line in world war w1 it was a balloon base it had a stop along the line for the base just before sutton in hull. Would love to no more if you could find out more about raf sutton I was born on what was raf sutton back in the day now it bransholme Dorchester road. I've heard the primary school Dorchester primary was built on the old church of the base but don't no if it is fact or not. I've not found much on it

[@hullhistorynerd]

There was no separate halt for the base, as it was along Wawne Road where it meets Leads Road, up to about Midmere Road (not Dorchester Road); the closest point for the railway was Sutton Station, so it was that which would have doubled as the halt for the base. I didn't mention the base as it doesn't really have any importance to the story of the railway or its effects on the society around it. If I were to ever make videos about the war in Hull's history, however, it would certainly get a mention! In fact, in my research for my coming series on Hull's parks, I learned that the original gates to the site are now in East Park, so there will be a mention of RAF Sutton in that episode!

[@chrismccartney8668]

Like the hat !!

[@MrSvenovitch]

Growth...it only ensures more work for the undertakers at the end.

[@hullhistorynerd]

That's a pessimistic way to view it!

[@AtheistEve]

No, to mid-roll ads.

[@hullhistorynerd]

If only I had a bottomless pit of money to fund gear replacements and travel costs, there'd be no need for adverts. Sadly, I don't, so there is.

[@normandunford5747]

The person doing the subtitles needs tolearn to spell .Hull is spelt Hull not whole. Get it right for God's sake.

[@hullhistorynerd]

Nobody does the subtitles, it's done automatically by KZbin via speech recognition. Hence the numerous and terrible errors. I am slowly going through my videos and manually correcting the captions, but it's slow going and time consuming.