Whitby engine shed

The first shed at Whitby was built by the York & North Midland Railway (Y&NM) company in 1847 when they converted the Whitby and Pickering Railway (W&P) from horse to steam locomotive operation, (the line had been acquired by the Y&NM two years earlier).{{cite news |last1=Newton |first1=Grace |title=The North Yorkshire Moors Railway are recruiting for a tearoom manager to work at Grosmont Station |url=https://www.yorkshirepost.co.uk/news/north-yorkshire-moors-railway-are-recruiting-tearoom-manager-work-grosmont-station-1754166 |access-date=10 February 2021 |work=The Yorkshire Post |date=12 June 2019}} The site of the engine shed is where the original W&P station was located. In 1847, this was closed and a new station was opened nearer to the town.{{cite book |last1=White |first1=Andrew |title=A history of Whitby |date=1993 |publisher=Phillimore |location=Chichester, West Sussex |isbn=0-85033-842-5 |page=103}} The North Eastern Railway built a newer extension to the shed in 1868 on the same site.{{sfn|Bairstow|2008|p=14}} The engine shed was located on what was previously waterfront land where Thomas Fishburn and company made ships. All of the land which was used for the station, engine shed and goods yard, was reclaimed from the River Esk.{{cite book|last=Waters|first=Colin|title=A History of Whitby & its Place Names|year=2011|publisher=Amberley|location=Stroud|isbn=978-1-4456-0429-9|page=44}}{{cite news |last1=Herbert |first1=Ian |title=The town put on the map by Captain Cook cannot agree how to mark his discoveries |work=The Independent |date=26 January 2000 |page=10|issn=0951-9467}}

The engine shed was equipped with two internal roads, a coaling road and an external siding for wheel and bogie changing.{{sfn|Addyman|2020|p=193}} Access was only from the south end via a reversal at Bog Hall signal box.{{sfn|Chapman|2007|p=94}} Between 1876 and 1912, a {{convert|50|ft|adj=on}} turntable was located just by the shed, but a larger one was opened further south after 1912.{{sfn|Addyman|2020|p=193}} The shed had an office, workshop and forge at the northern end (at the edge of the station platforms), and a store at the southern end. Due to the west side of the shed facing a steep bank, no windows were installed on this side.{{sfn|Addyman|2020|p=194}} On 16 September 1940, Whitby was subjected to an air raid by the Luftwaffe, with the goods shed and the approach to the station being damaged. The engine shed offices were also destroyed.{{cite book |last1=Jones |first1=Robin |title=Moors Steam |date=2014 |publisher=Mortons Media |location=Horncastle |isbn=978-1-909128-49-1 |page=33}}

From 1948 until April 1959, when the depot closed, it was coded as 50G, as a sub-shed under the main depot at York (50A).{{cite news |last1=Lloyd |first1=Chris |title=Those shedplates in full |url=https://www.thenorthernecho.co.uk/news/8814383.shedplates-full/ |access-date=21 January 2021 |work=The Northern Echo |date=3 February 2011}}{{cite book |editor1-last=Cook |editor1-first=A F |title=British railways locomotives 1951 |date=2002 |publisher=Ian Allan |location=Hersham |isbn=0-7110-2874-5 |page=62}} The shed provided locomotives to work the lines radiating from Whitby north-westwards towards {{rws|Loftus|Yorkshire}}, westwards towards Stockton and {{rws|Middlesbrough}}, and southwards towards {{rws|Malton}}. Closure of the shed came about because of dieselisation in the Whitby area, especially with services towards Malton.{{sfn|Chapman|2007|p=95}} The line to Loftus via {{rws|Sandsend}} had closed in May 1958.{{sfn|Bairstow|2008|p=111}} Diesel Multiple Units that worked to and from Whitby after the closures of all lines except that from Middlesbrough via {{rws|Glaisdale}}, were based at {{rws|Darlington}} in the 1960s and 1970s.{{cite book |editor1-last=Fisher |editor1-first=Alex |title=On Shed 4; North Eastern & Eastern Region (North) |date=2018 |publisher=Kelsey Media |location=Kent |isbn=978-1-910554-85-2 |page=93}}

After closure, the site was used as a fish-packing store, then later as a chandlery.{{cite book |last1=Hoole |first1=K. |title=Railways of the North York Moors : a pictorial history |date=1983 |publisher=Dalesman Books |location=Clapham |isbn=0-85206-731-3 |page=58}} The building has also been proposed as a cafe and art gallery,{{cite news |title=Whitby's engine shed to become gallery and cafe |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-york-north-yorkshire-21956969 |access-date=21 January 2021 |work=BBC News |date=27 March 2013}}{{cite news |title=Parking plan as gallery grand design dies |url=https://infoweb.newsbank.com/apps/news/document-view?p=AWGLNB&t=&sort=_rank_%3AD&fld-base-0=alltext&maxresults=20&val-base-0=Whitby%20Engine%20Shed&docref=news/14F8937B0AD9D118 |access-date=21 January 2021 |work=infoweb.newsbank.com |date=6 August 2014|url-access=subscription}} but since 2018, it has been divided into apartments for holiday lettings.{{cite web |title=The history of the Engine Shed |url=https://www.whitbyengineshed.net/the-history-of-the-engine-shed/ |website=whitbyengineshed.net |access-date=21 January 2021 |date=12 November 2018}}

Since 1991, the building has been listed as a grade II structure,{{NHLE|desc=Whitby Engine Shed and Engine Stable Cottage|num=1239954|grade=II|access-date=21 January 2021}} and is one of four G T Andrews designed sheds still extant in North Yorkshire.{{sfn|Addyman|2020|p=21}}

One of the more unusual allocations at the shed was Edward Fletcher's 4-4-0 "Whitby Bogies" (NER Class 492). These engines were built specifically to deal with the tight curves in Newton Dale, and the gradients on the line between {{rws|Grosmont}} and {{rws|Pickering}}. The locomotives were built by Stephenson & Co. between 1864 and 1865.{{cite book |last1=Nock |first1=O. S. |title=Locomotives of the North Eastern Railway. |date=1974 |publisher=I. Allan |location=London |isbn=0711004935 |page=31}}{{cite book |last1=Hoole |first1=K. |title=An illustrated history of North Eastern Railway locomotives|date=1988 |publisher=Haynes |location=Sparkford |isbn=0860933237 |page=59}} Another specialist class was the NER Class W 4-6-0T, built in 1907, but later rebuilt with extra coal carrying capacity. The 4-6-0Ts replaced the 4-4-0 Whitby Bogies on the lines that they were built for.{{cite book |last1=Hoole |first1=K. |title=North-Eastern branch lines : past and present |date=1984 |publisher=Oxford Pub. Co |location=Poole, Dorset |isbn=0-86093-189-7|at=73}}{{cite book |last1=Casserley |first1=H. C. |title=The observer's directory of British steam locomotives |date=1980 |publisher=F. Warne |location=London |isbn=0-7232-2413-7 |pages=178–179}}

Sentinel steam railcars were also based at the shed in the 1930s,{{cite web |title=Traffic operations {{!}} Forge Valley Railway |url=https://www.forgevalleyrailway.co.uk/traffic-operations |website=www.forgevalleyrailway.co.uk |access-date=8 February 2021}} with three examples being shedded at Whitby for use on the lines in the non-tourist months when services reverted to steam-hauled trains with carriages.{{sfn|Bairstow|2008|pp=75–78}}

• Malton engine shed
• Scarborough engine sheds
• York engine sheds and locomotive works

{{reflist}}

• {{cite book |editor1-last=Addyman |editor1-first=John F |title=North Eastern Railway Engine Sheds|date=2020 |publisher=North Eastern Railway Association |isbn=978-1-911360-26-1}}
• {{cite book |last1=Bairstow |first1=Martin |title=Railways around Whitby : Scarborough - Whitby - Saltburn, Malton - Goathland - Whitby, Esk Valley, Forge Valley and Gilling lines |date=2008 |publisher=Martin Bairstow |location=Leeds |isbn=978-1-871944-34-1}}
• {{cite book|last=Chapman|first=Stephen|title=Railway Memories No. 18; Cleveland & Whitby|year=2007|publisher=Bellcode Books|location=Todmorden|isbn=9781871233186}}

• [https://www.brdatabase.info/sites.php?page=depots&subpage=main&id=600 Whitby engine shed at brdatabase.info]

{{Railways in Whitby}}

Category:Railway depots in Yorkshire

Category:North Eastern Railway (United Kingdom)

Category:Rail transport in North Yorkshire