Commondale railway station

Commondale is a railway station on the Esk Valley Line, which runs between Middlesbrough and Whitby via Nunthorpe. The station, situated 16 miles 72 chains (27.2 km) south-east of Middlesbrough, serves the village of Commondale, Scarborough in North Yorkshire, England. It is owned by Network Rail and managed by Northern Trains.

Commondale
National Rail
General information
LocationCommondale, Scarborough
England
Coordinates54°28′52″N 0°58′30″W
Grid referenceNZ665100
Owned byNetwork Rail
Managed byNorthern Trains
Platforms1
Tracks1
Other information
Station codeCOM
ClassificationDfT category F2
History
Original companyNorth Eastern Railway
Pre-groupingNorth Eastern Railway
Post-grouping
Key dates
1882Opened as Commondale Siding
1891Renamed Commondale
Passengers
2017/18Decrease 1,888
2018/19Increase 2,344
2019/20Increase 2,444
2020/21Decrease 434
2021/22Increase 2,446
Services
Preceding station Northern Following station
Kildale
towards Middlesbrough via Nunthorpe
 Esk Valley Line Castleton Moor
towards Whitby
Location
Commondale is located in North Yorkshire
Commondale
Commondale
Location in North Yorkshire, England
Notes
Passenger statistics from the Office of Rail and Road

History

The North Yorkshire & Cleveland Railway opened an extension line from Battersby to Grosmont in stages between 1858 and 1865.[1] Even though the line through Commondale was opened in April 1861, it would be some years before the North Eastern Railway furnished the remote dale with a station.[2] As the area was populated with small hamlets mostly engaged in agriculture, no station was provided immediately, but a siding was furnished for the Cleveland Fire Brick & Pottery Company (CFBaPC).[3] The CFBaPC attracted a workforce which led to a significant rise in the population, which in turn prompted a station to be built in 1891.[4][lower-alpha 1][5] Previous to this, a signal box had been installed to control the west facing branch to the brickworks and the junction was used to board passengers with the name of Commondale Siding being used as a station name.[6] Records indicate that in 1885, six years before Commondale was given full official station status, 3,555 passenger tickers were sold totalling a revenue of £99.[2][7]

Even with the increased population, passenger numbers were low and apart from the freight siding, the station did not handle any goods during its lifetime.[8] It did have several station masters (eight between 1891 and 1954) though they resided at the other station that they had responsibility for (Castleton Moor) from 1930 onwards.[7] The station became the first in the area to become an unstaffed halt; this was effective from 16 January 1950.[9]

The single platform, on the northern side of the line, has a single brick building, in the same style as other buildings in the hamlet, as opposed to stone built buildings at most other places on the line.[2][10]

Services

As of the May 2021 timetable change, the station is served by four trains per day towards Whitby, and Middlesbrough via Nunthorpe. Most trains continue to Newcastle via Hartlepool. All services are operated by Northern Trains.[11]

Notes
  1. Some sources state 1894 and 1895.

References
  1. Bairstow 2008, p. 39.
  2. Whitworth, Alan (1998). Esk Valley Railway : a travellers' guide ; a description of the history and topography of the line between Whitby and Middlesbrough. Barnsley: Wharncliffe. p. 52. ISBN 1-871647-49-5.
  3. Maynard 2015, p. 62.
  4. Hoole, Ken (1985). Railway stations of the North East. Newton Abbot: David & Charles. p. 159. ISBN 0-7153-8527-5.
  5. Hoole, Ken (1983). Railways of the North York Moors : a pictorial history. Clapham: Dalesman Books. p. 21. ISBN 0-85206-731-3.
  6. 1891 North Eastern Railway Working Timetable at the Internet Archive
  7. Maynard 2015, p. 63.
  8. Bairstow 2008, p. 89.
  9. Bairstow 2008, p. 43.
  10. Whitworth, Alan (2011). Esk Valley railway through time. Stroud: Amberley. p. 71. ISBN 978-1-4456-0645-3.
  11. "Train times: Middlesbrough to Whitby (Esk Valley Railway)" (PDF). Northern Trains. 16 May 2021. Archived (PDF) from the original on 8 May 2021. Retrieved 8 May 2021.

Sources
  • Bairstow, Martin (2008). Railways around Whitby; volume one (4 ed.). Farsley: Bairstow. ISBN 978-1-871944-34-1.
  • Maynard, Peter (2015). North Yorkshire & Cleveland Railway. Northallerton: North Eastern Railway Association. ISBN 978-1-873513-98-9.
Preceding station National Rail National Rail Following station
Kildale   Northern Trains
Esk Valley Line		   Castleton Moor
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