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Once again, a rather grainy photograph – but one that was the end of an era – as it shows the workmen dismantling the railway. Doctor Beeching is frequently blamed for closing many railways which he didn’t; he presented a report with recommendations! The Loftus to Whitby Railway closed in May 1958, Loftus Station closed to passengers in 1960; although goods deliveries continued until 1963. The image came from another Northern Echo newspaper cutting.
Many thanks to Simon Chapman for correcting our commentary.
Lovely clear shot of Loftus Station, the bank on the left would have taken us to Liverton Mines, clearly visible on the hill. Lynn Jones enquired of the Archive if it was possible to a train from Redcar to Skinningrove in 1900; the Archive has now explained the peculiarities of the ‘Skinningrove – Carlin How’ stations.
Must have been a very still day when this train pulled into the station as the smoke is going straight up, en-route to Whitby. How I would love to be on that steam train now on the way to Whitby.
This must be one of our earliest photos of Mill Bank (correct me if I am wrong) but it is the only one I have seen of the bank with horses and carts going up it. Looking closely the road doesn’t seem to be made up, is it? Duck Hole pit that can be seen on the left and through the haze top right Mount Pleasant? The huts in the field were used to house the Australian Army in World War I.
Thanks to Kathleen Hicks for the update.
The headgear is up and so are the administration buildings, but it’s not all finished yet. Another image scanned from an official photograph, dated 1970.
Image courtesy of Alan Franks.
It’s beginning to look like the Potash now isn’t it?
Image courtesy of Alan Franks.
The last three men to leave Loftus mine, (South drift), on 27th September, 1958:
Jack W. Cooke, Arthur (Humpy) Thompson, and William Adamson.
Image courtesy of Keith Bowers.
I think this photograph was taken to play down the impact that Boulby Potash would have on the landscape. A lovely landscape none-the-less.
Image courtesy of Alan Franks.
It’s thanks to Norman Patton Jnr. for this photograph of his parents’ wedding taken outside the Wesleyan Chapel (Newton Memorial Chapel), Loftus in 1938. The bride was Elizabeth Hicks from East Loftus, her parents and two sisters are also in the photograph. The groom, from the ‘Brickyard’, Mr Norman Patton Snr. is accompanied by his parents and his brother Alan. This is the only photograph we have of a ceremony outside or inside the chapel, unless anyone out there can let us have any more.
Image courtesy of Norman Patton.
Looking from the east over Skinningrove valley, the hospital is prominent; we can see the road leading to Carlin How with the well-tended allotments on the hillside and the works standing guard over all.
Image courtesy of Beryl Morris.
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