THE WHITBY - LOFTUS LINE AS IT WAS.

Live action from the Whitby-Loftus line, filmed in the winter of 1956-7. Trains at Loftus, Staithes, Hinderwell, Kettleness and Sandsend. Excerpts of journey from Upgang viaduct to Loftus.

[@mikecartlidge5355]

How lucky we are that someone with a cine camera thought to record what then would have been an every day event.........wonderful.

[@pwhitewick]

Well I never thought watching an old railway clip or two with dance music would be quite this relaxing! Thanks.

[@simonbradshaw3708]

Have you covered this line on your exploits on KZbin?

[@Shelfandtabletoplayouts00gauge]

I don’t think I’ve seen such amazing shots as these. Incredible engineering by those that built the line. Tonnes of atmosphere, felt like you were there. Thanks for sharing this 👍

[@markprice6331]

How sad that it is all gone. A wonderful clip and what an asset it could have been today. Another madness of the 1960s and 70s

[@stuartwalters1889]

Shut in 1958, I think

[@neildahlgaard-sigsworth3819]

Stuart Walters correct closed May 1958.

[@tominnis8353]

It shut before the Beeching axe.

[@davidmoody2562]

I watched this on the telly in the Sandsend station camping coach when i stayed there a week last November. Quite an experience!

[@hinderwellvillagehall1150]

This is a film made by Cam Camwell in the 1950's. He took footage of railway journeys all over the country. Not sure if his CDs are still for sale, but our local history group managed to buy a copy relating to this section of the Whitby to Loftus Line, which we show at all our Exhibitions.

[@nigelcooper878]

I can remember as a 7 year old standing at the railway gate on Browns Terrace in Hinderwell waving to the passengers in the last train as it went past on the final journey. After that going on the bus wasn't anything like as much fun.

[@philclennell]

Wonderful footage from a bygone age - thanks for sharing.

[@caroline4572]

What a journey it would have been for all sorts of reasons, thanks for sharing

[@contact3604]

Tourists would thrive even more, if they reopened these wonderful lines. It would be a wonderful sight to see. The money would roll in. Moira From England.

[@willswheels283]

Great footage, this is gold dust these days, thanks for posting the vid.👍

[@tango6nf477]

"Don't it always seem to go That you don't know what you got 'til it's gone" Big yellow taxi, Joni Mitchell

[@johnjephcote7636]

They should have just mothballed the line. It would have been a treat for tourists visiting Whitby today.

[@jt24uk]

Stunning. Thankyou. Your keeping a rare memory of an incredible line alive

[@darrylpointer7715]

Amazing footage -10/10 for posting this online! thank you

[@thejebusite]

No, it's a +1000 out of ten. Amazing footage .. thank you a 1000%. History at it's best

[@lazyhazeldaisy9596]

Lovely old steam trains of the past I also like to see the Victorian stations I bet not much is left of those, thanks for the upload.

[@duncangrant4580]

A little late to the party here, but happily, most of the old station buildings have survived and are now private dwellings. Also, you can walk or cycle all the way from Scarborough to Whitby along the 'Cinder track trail', which is along the disused railway track -- it is approx. 21miles, including crossing the fantastic brick viaduct at Whitby.

[@willhorton5991]

sad to see it gone wish i could go bck in time and save this and the S&D as well

[@BarryFlo58]

I've walked through the Grinkle tunnel into Loftus a few times while ferreting for rabbits on the banksides

[@mervinward256]

imagine what a tourist trap this line would be today

[@ericgeorge5483]

Absolutely wonderful upload. A real treat, thank you.

[@darrenbutcher6684]

My mother travelled on this 1954 1955 my mother thought what wonderful view s

[@olwynyoung6499]

Wow! I used to play with a friend named June who lived in the a Railway cottage. She was an awesome friend. Her mum a great baker. Love Loftus, Liverton Mines and the area in general.

[@saltspringrailway3683]

I was born around the time of this superb film and lived to see the sad demise of much of our wonderful railways and the end of steam. Then in 1970 discovered the NYMR and saw people valuing the old ways. Our politicians have a lot to answer for. Marples the Transport minister during Dr Beeching cuts was a road builder - strange that? Now our roads are as crowded as they have ever been with some railways which linked centres of population reduced to farm tracks and walkways.

[@raymondfunnel6856]

I visited this area years ago with my mum and dad we stayed with my Auntie Alice in Redcar

[@chrismccartney8668]

Think of the summer crowds waiting to this on Summer Sunday and be able to see the rugged coast you can't see from the road if this was preserved line...!!

[@PBazBarrett]

Wow thanks for posting.. Enjoyed that.. Them were the days... Thanks for sharing..

[@neildahlgaard-sigsworth3819]

PBazBarrett the days when the Conservative governments were messing up the economy and no one in the media noticed the mess they were making until the runs on the Pound when foreign currency traders realised the truth anout our economy. The Labour government valiantly tried to defend the Pound over 3 years until they were forced to devalue the Pound. Oh yes, the Good Old Days, lead by Old Etonians. Wouldn't happen toda.........

[@doncoffey5820]

Excellent, thank you.

[@bertfairbrother7745]

Opening with Bleagill viaduct, an absolutel five card trick👌👍🏻thanks so much. 5*

[@mjradar]

So sad the amount of railways that closed in the cuts but on the positive side the lines that reopened as Heritage lines became new home for steam locomotives like the Fairburn in this film the 2 remaining members 42073/42085 now at Lakeside railway in Lake District

[@nyrongristwood]

Thanks for posting Well done

[@robertweissman4850]

Superb. I miss so many of the railway routes that were abandoned decades ago. Post-war politicians tended to be anti-railway, and now that they tend to see the merits of rail transport, it’s very late in the day to restore much.

[@martinlanders1623]

Loved watching that

[@davidcann4329]

What lovely footage of this now sadly long gone railway. It would have been an amazing tourist attraction if it had survived, but at least we can see what it was like from your film. I've been told by a few people that at least one of the viaducts was suffering from heavy sea salt corrosion, that was one of the reasons the line closed well before the Beeching Report. I've also been to Staithes and what a viaduct that must have been.

[@grahamsouthon553]

Thank you for sharing. Loved it.

[@neiloflongbeck5705]

Passenger trains that called at Whitby Town on route to Scarborough were limited to 2 cars due to the reversals at Guisborough, Whitby and Scarborough. And the freight train at about 2:00 was fairly typical - one wagon of domestic coal.

[@alanmilburn8443]

Travelled along it once when still at junior school. Everyone had to get off at whitby west and were complaining about the long walk into town.

[@charrogate]

Shame the whole prime infrastructure track wasn't kept as a national asset for use as a 🚲 cycle track / footpath 😢

[@kennethstill5945]

If only this could be remastered electronically, what a film then !

[@neiloflongbeck5705]

The 2019 revised The Whiby-Loftus Line book by Michael Wiiliams makes grim reading for fans of this line. The value of this line peaked before the 1920s. In the 1920s United Buses ran a half hourly service from Sandsend while the railway ran 8 trains per day.

[@soundnicetome]

Thanks for posting this great piece of railway history. Its been said before I know,but why not mothball a line that was found to be non profitable? All those beautiful viaducts/bridges should have been preserved in situ,such a sad waste of man hours and effort. Back then our nation went through a very destructive period of a once great railway network. Only a very short sighted nation,could destroy a once great railway system...I guess this is what they call `progress` NOT??

[@chazsach6594]

Yes, but think of the money we saved so we could spend more on overseas wars.

[@neildahlgaard-sigsworth3819]

soundnicetome the cost of maintenance of the viaducts was the main factor in closing the line, that and the lack of revenue it earned. Even the LNER was looking at getting rid of this line in the 1930s due to it being a financial drain, however before they could do anything WW2 kicked off. There was only one coal wagon on the train at Sandsend. Thus was typical for the pick-up goods service on this line, which would travel to Whitby via the Esk Valley line and was usually containing lots of freight for Whitby and the other goods yards on that route, but after Whitby for the return run to Teesside there would be very few wagons, and sometimes none at all. But BR still had to provide a loco, its crew, and a guard for the service. As for passenger services these were also not well used, except on summer Saturdays with trains from the north and Scotland using the route to get to Scarborough, Bridlington and Filey. The biggest problem line line had was the wind off the North Sea, apart from being full of salt if it got above 28lbs/sq. ft then all traffic had to be stopped from crossing Staithes viaduct (seen in the opening footage) until the wind had dropped and the viaduct inspected. A pressure gauge in Staithes box would ring until cancelled whenever the pressure hit this mark. It would also ring when the wind fell below this mark if the signalman had cancelled the alarm.

[@ponline3170]

@@neildahlgaard-sigsworth3819 trains from Scotland did not use this as a through route at all they went via york and scarborough actually so get your facts right, and the main factor this line shut was the lack of revenue in winter not the financial costs of tunnels as you wrongly claim

[@neiloflongbeck5705]

online tunnels? Neil didn't mention tunnels but viaducts. Also some trains from Scotland used the Thirsk and Malton line to get to Scarborough and Driffield until that closed as a through route. IIRC this route and the Scarboroug and Whitby Raikway were intended to form a more direct route to Scarborough from the north-east and Scotland, but in the end it never really happened.

[@neiloflongbeck5705]

No preservation body would ever be able to afford the up keep of one of those viaducts and run trains over them. Mothballing wasn't an option either as BR would still be responsible for them.

[@crispinalanrobinson4515]

Wish it was still there

[@christopherdibble5872]

The engineers don't wave from the trains anymore, like they did back in 1954.

[@bruno.g6372]

RESPECT!!

[@alanwann9318]

It would be a great attraction now

[@Tsass0]

What type of loko was that tank engine? A really nice looking engine

[@chrisandrews9300]

We're did the Middlesbrough to Whitby direct line go? Can only go to Whitby now

[@alastairsmith2584]

The line from Loftus to Whitby West Westcliffe was a financial burden to he railway companies that owned and operated it. Its construction was a nightmare and was only completed when the NER company took over. And within a few years the line was closed whilst a new tunnel was bored to bypass a landslip. The viaducts, especially the one at Staithes, were constructed of poor materials and unsafe. It is surprising that the line lasted was long as 1958. However a section, Skinningrove to Boulby was relaid with new bridges constructed in the early 1970s to service what was the new potash mine at Boulby a mile short of Staithes. This section is now owned and operated by the company that owns the potash mine. There are 4 booked trains each day.

[@highdownmartin]

Look up sand send and kettlewell tunnels on KZbin. Amazing structures on a difficult line. And samdsend is in a poor state of repair 65 years on.

[@kateanddavelacey2267]

Open it back up and whitby to scarborough

[@lawrence18uk]

I guess when we started taking holidays outside the UK, this sort of mega-transport (I refer to massive viaducts etc) was doomed

[@stephensmith799]

Easy to Close. Very difficult to Re-open 😏. Please change the music!

[@136miles]

I had no idea this line had ever existed, would it be possible to bring it back or is it built on now

[@duncangrant4580]

Much of the alignment is still there, in fact, you can walk or cycle all the way from Scarborough to Whitby (approx. 21miles) along the 'Cinder track Trail' as the disused line is now known.

[@m18tankdestroyer43]

Wasn't coastal erosion the reason this line closed down?

[@neildahlgaard-sigsworth3819]

M18 Tank destroyer there was some coastal erosion, but the main factor was the cost of the maintenance of the viaducts. Staithes viaduct was also a limiting factor as if the wind got above a certain strength (according to the LNER's Sectional Appendix for 1947 a pressure of 28lb/ft^2) the line had to be closed to all traffic, effectively closing the line. There was a pressure gauge on the viaduct that sounded an alarm in Staithes signal box, all trains had to stopped before entering the viaduct and if coming from the direction of Teesside had to be returned to last station they passed through (which was eithe Grinkle or Loftus).

[@steveshields8647]

Absolutely brilliant I live in Saltburn by the sea North Yorkshire and retrace this long gone railway regular this footage is Priceless.

[@ricjuk9634]

Great footage/slightly inappropriate music.

[@chrismccartney8668]

Just think of crowds and tourist money which would becaround if you could take that run now. So dont let people fool you this was Nationlised Carrier who smashed this up not some profit mad private rail company.

[@lynnthompson4363]

Dangerous! No health and safety.....