Another Thursday trip to York railway station for the weekly Scarborough Spa Express, but a difference in the route through the station this week, with the train picking up from platform 5 rather than the platform 4 of earlier weeks. This gives a better choice of photo opportunities.
I like this viewpoint, with the locomotive caught in sunlight, but under the impressive curved station roof. This station was built to replace an earlier station which had become too small for the growth of rail services, and which was very inefficient to use, since it was a dead-end station and a lot of train reversals were needed.
The present station, designed by the North Eastern Railway architects Thomas Prosser and William Peachey, opened on 25 June 1877. It had 13 platforms and was at that time the largest in the world. As part of the new station project, the Royal Station Hotel, designed by Peachey, opened in 1878 alongside the railway station.
In 1909 new platforms were added, and in 1938 the current footbridge was built and the station resignalled.
The building was heavily bombed during the Second World War. On one occasion, on 29 April 1942, 800 passengers had to be evacuated from a King's Cross-Edinburgh train which arrived during a bombing raid.
Major repairs were undertaken in 1947. The station was designated as a Grade II* listed building in 1968. The track layout through and around the station was remodelled again in 1988 as part of the resignalling scheme that was carried out prior to the electrification of the East Coast main line shortly afterwards.
Today York railway station is a key junction with links to many parts of the country. It is also a popular destination for steam train excursions.
Thank you all for your lovely comments and favs, they are very much appreciated.
I was pleased this locomotive arrived at platform 5, since it allowed me to show something of the railway station building as well as the steam locomotive.
Thank you all for your lovely comments and favs, they are very much appreciated.
I was pleased this locomotive arrived at platform 5, since it allowed me to show something of the railway station building as well as the steam locomotive.
Ian
Thank you Nina, this is my favourite viewpoint at York railway station, so the locomotive and building are both visible.
Ian
Ian