Wetherby Racecourse railway station explained

Wetherby
Status:Disused
Borough:Wetherby, City of Leeds
Country:England
Coordinates:53.93°N -1.358°W
Grid Name:Grid reference
Platforms:2 through
Original:London and North Eastern Railway
Postgroup:London and North Eastern Railway
British Railways (N.E. region)
Years1:1924
Events1:Opened
Years2:18 May 1959[1]
Events2:Last used
Years3:1962
Events3:Demolished

Wetherby Racecourse railway station was a railway station on the Harrogate to Church Fenton Line serving Wetherby Racecourse in Wetherby, West Yorkshire, England.

When Wetherby's original station on York Road closed in 1902, for two decades the only rail access was via Wetherby's new station on Linton Road.[2] This was some distance from the racecourse, involving a walk of just over 2 miles.

There was therefore a station built at Wetherby Racecourse in 1924, with a ticket booth of wooden construction, starter signals, a ground frame and a footbridge. It even boasted electrical lighting and its own nameboard.[3] It was located on the line going south east towards and and had two platforms; one for each running line.[4]

Race specials would stop at this 'Racecourse station', about three quarters of a mile from Linton Road towards Thorp Arch. These specials came from Leeds, Doncaster and Bradford Exchange and Sheffield.[5]

Reports vary as to when it closed; one report says it stayed open until 1963 with Racecourse Specials running to the station from Bradford Exchange on racedays,[6] whilst another publication states that it was last used on Whit Monday 18 May 1959 and was demolished in 1962.[7] The line closed in 1964.[8]

Notes and References

  1. Book: Butt, R.V.J. . The Directory of Railway Stations . 1995 . Patrick Stephens Ltd . Yeovil . 1-85260-508-1 . R508 . 247 .
  2. Web site: Disused Stations:Wetherby Station (1st site). www.disused-stations.org.uk. 14 August 2017.
  3. Book: Chapman. Stephen. Harrogate & Wetherby. 2011. Bellcode. Rudston. 978-1871233-24-7. 97.
  4. Book: Hoole. K.. Railway stations of the North East. 1985. David & Charles. Newton Abbot. 0-7153-8527-5. 137.
  5. Book: Chapman. Stephen. Harrogate & Wetherby. 2011. Bellcode. Rudston. 978-1871233-24-7. 105 - 112.
  6. The Archive Photograph Service-Wetherby page 71
  7. Rogers. J. (2000) The railways of Harrogate and district, Manchester: North East Railway Association
  8. Book: Suggitt. Gordon. Lost railways of North and East Yorkshire. 2005. Countryside Books. Newbury. 978-1-85306-918-5. 26.