Helmsley railway station


Helmsley railway station served the market town of Helmsley in North Yorkshire from 1871 until 1964, although the regular passenger service ceased in 1953.

History

The line from Gilling to Helmsley opened on 9 October 1871. The occasion was marked by a dinner held at the Black Swan Hotel.
The extension to Kirby Moorside opened on 1 January 1874.
From here to Pickering the line ran almost parallel to today's A170 trunk road.
There was no railway over the area between Helmsley and Thirsk via Sutton Bank. Instead, there was a route south of Helmsley that passed through a cutting at Caulkeys Bank, Nunnington, and then turned west towards Gilling, where the Thirsk and Malton Line from Pilmoor was met. To get to Thirsk, trains would have had to travel to Gilling and Pilmoor first, turning north.
The station was host to a LNER camping coach from 1935 to 1938 and possibly one for some of 1934.
The station closed on 2 February 1953 but may have been used for excursion trains afterwards until the line closed on 10 August 1964.