Pannal railway station
Encyclopedia
Pannal railway station serves the villages of Pannal
and Spacey Houses in North Yorkshire
, England
, equidistant from both. It also serves the village of Burn Bridge
, on the opposite side of Pannal
. It is located on the Harrogate Line
15 miles (24.1 km) north of Leeds and operated by Northern Rail
who provide all passenger train services.
It is a busy station considering the size of the village it serves. This is due to the large number of commuters using the station, from surrounding villages, for journeying into Leeds
every weekday before 09:00.
via Starbeck commenced operation from Starbeck only as a single line until at least February 1849 (the other line was used to convey Contractors materials for building the line south of Weeton), and services throughout to Leeds
commenced on 9 July 1849.
The Leeds & Thirsk Railway changed its name to the Leeds Northern Railway in August 1851. On 31 July 1854 the Leeds Northern Railway amalgamated with the York, Newcastle & Berwick Railway and the York & North Midland Railway becoming the North Eastern Railway
.
Trains began running directly to Harrogate
on 1 August 1862 when the North Eastern Railway completed a short line (Pannal Loop) from Pannal Junction to Crimple Junction via a very tight curve to take trains over the Crimple Viaduct and into the new central Harrogate
Station, built to replace Harrogate Brunswick station. When built Pannal Junction had its own separate signalbox.
On 1 January 1923, the railways were Grouped and it became the London & North Eastern Railway.
The signalbox at Pannal Junction was closed in 1927 and the points and signals at this location were operated from the signalbox at Pannal station.
On 1 January 1948, under the Transport Act, the railways were Nationalised becoming British Railways.
The original line between Pannal Junction and Starbeck was closed on 7 October 1951 leaving the later Pannal Loop as the only line north of Pannal.
Goods traffic was withdrawn from Pannal in 1954 but the sidings remained until the closure of the signalbox and removal of the signals in 1969, when they were all lifted. The station was staffed until 15 June 1969 when it became an unstaffed halt with no facilities other than basic small shelters provided for passengers. Tickets have to be obtained from the Guard/Conductor on the train. This has continued to be the practice from that date.
In 1983, British Rail
was sectorised and the services operated by British Rail Provincial
later becoming British Rail Regional Railways
until Privatisation in 1997. Since Privatisation the services have been operated by private companies with Northern Spirit
from 1997 to 2000, Arriva Trains Northern
from 2001 to 2004 and Northern Rail
from 2004 to the present.
The cattle, often from Ireland, used to be driven up the ramp onto the road and the very short distance up Station Road to the former Auction Mart that was located in Spacey Houses on the opposite corner of the junction of Princess Royal Way (A61) and Follifoot Road. The goods yard had three lines of sidings accessed from a headshunt on the side of the down line. This included a coal depot on two of the sidings furthest away from the station and a small warehouse on the other siding nearest the station buildings.
The former station buildings have been extensively extended and converted into a public house
in the early 1980s. It was first named Platform One (despite this being located on what is actually now platform 2!) but, after another extensive renovation, is currently named The Harwood.
When first converted as Platform One a Pullman
kitchen second class parlour carriage built in 1960 as number 332, formally on the North Yorkshire Moors Railway
, was incorporated into the public house as a dining room. This carriage was renamed "Mae" (after the Mother of the first Landlord, Paul Eckart) but was removed and scrapped by Booths of Rotherham when the public house underwent the second renovation due to it containing extensive blue asbestos insulation.
The former goods yard on the down side is now the extensive station car park also doubling as the car park for the public house. The ramp from the former cattle dock on the up side can still be seen as a strip of inclined unused land between the station and the former Dunlopillo
factory (closed in 2008). This ramp was recently cleared of undergrowth in order to allow vehicular access for track maintenance.
The up track (to Leeds is currently laid with continuously welding track on concrete sleepers and the down track (to Harrogate) is currently laid with continuously welded rails with steel sleepers.
During Monday to Saturday daytimes, there is generally a half-hourly service from Pannal southbound to Leeds and a half-hourly service northbound to Knaresborough
with one train per hour onwards to York
.
Evenings and Sundays there is generally an hourly service in each direction.
Very occasionally a charter train will stop to pick up or set down but these usually run through non-stop.
factory (on the left in that image) were pruned back to the trunks. At that time, in early mornings in spring, you could watch buzzard
s trying to rob the rooks' nests in those trees. Since the trees were pruned (on the left in the snowy image) the buzzard
s have stopped coming, but in spring you can still watch jackdaw
s attempting to nest in the chimneys of the Harwood pub. Red Kites can sometimes be seen riding on the thermals above the station. During summer, House Martin
s and swifts
frequently scream over the station, and goldfinch
es graze on the weed-seeds between the station and Dunlopillo
car-park.
Pannal
Pannal is a village in the Harrogate district of North Yorkshire, England. It is situated to the immediate south of Harrogate and in many ways is a suburb of the town. The village is served by Pannal railway station on the Harrogate Line between Leeds and York.Pannal is well known for its golf...
and Spacey Houses in North Yorkshire
North Yorkshire
North Yorkshire is a non-metropolitan or shire county located in the Yorkshire and the Humber region of England, and a ceremonial county primarily in that region but partly in North East England. Created in 1974 by the Local Government Act 1972 it covers an area of , making it the largest...
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
, equidistant from both. It also serves the village of Burn Bridge
Burn Bridge
Burn Bridge is a village in the borough of Harrogate in North Yorkshire, England.Burn Bridge is set largely on the side of a hill. The small river Crimple Beck runs through the lower area...
, on the opposite side of Pannal
Pannal
Pannal is a village in the Harrogate district of North Yorkshire, England. It is situated to the immediate south of Harrogate and in many ways is a suburb of the town. The village is served by Pannal railway station on the Harrogate Line between Leeds and York.Pannal is well known for its golf...
. It is located on the Harrogate Line
Harrogate Line
The Harrogate Line is the name given to a passenger rail service through parts of North Yorkshire and the West Yorkshire Metro area of northern England connecting Leeds to York by way of Harrogate and Knaresborough. The service is operated by Northern Rail, with a few additional workings by East...
15 miles (24.1 km) north of Leeds and operated by Northern Rail
Northern Rail
Northern Rail is a British train operating company that has operated local passenger services in Northern England since 2004. Northern Rail's owner, Serco-Abellio, is a consortium formed of Abellio and Serco, an international operator of public transport systems...
who provide all passenger train services.
It is a busy station considering the size of the village it serves. This is due to the large number of commuters using the station, from surrounding villages, for journeying into Leeds
Leeds
Leeds is a city and metropolitan borough in West Yorkshire, England. In 2001 Leeds' main urban subdivision had a population of 443,247, while the entire city has a population of 798,800 , making it the 30th-most populous city in the European Union.Leeds is the cultural, financial and commercial...
every weekday before 09:00.
History
It was built by the Contractors, James Bray, who had been appointed by the Leeds & Thirsk Railway on 26 April 1846 to build the Pannal section between Weeton and Starbeck. This was opened on 13 September 1848, when the section of line between Weeton and RiponRipon
Ripon is a cathedral city, market town and successor parish in the Borough of Harrogate, North Yorkshire, England, located at the confluence of two streams of the River Ure in the form of the Laver and Skell. The city is noted for its main feature the Ripon Cathedral which is architecturally...
via Starbeck commenced operation from Starbeck only as a single line until at least February 1849 (the other line was used to convey Contractors materials for building the line south of Weeton), and services throughout to Leeds
Leeds
Leeds is a city and metropolitan borough in West Yorkshire, England. In 2001 Leeds' main urban subdivision had a population of 443,247, while the entire city has a population of 798,800 , making it the 30th-most populous city in the European Union.Leeds is the cultural, financial and commercial...
commenced on 9 July 1849.
The Leeds & Thirsk Railway changed its name to the Leeds Northern Railway in August 1851. On 31 July 1854 the Leeds Northern Railway amalgamated with the York, Newcastle & Berwick Railway and the York & North Midland Railway becoming the North Eastern Railway
North Eastern Railway (UK)
The North Eastern Railway , was an English railway company. It was incorporated in 1854, when four existing companies were combined, and was absorbed into the London and North Eastern Railway at the Grouping in 1923...
.
Trains began running directly to Harrogate
Harrogate
Harrogate is a spa town in North Yorkshire, England. The town is a tourist destination and its visitor attractions include its spa waters, RHS Harlow Carr gardens, and Betty's Tea Rooms. From the town one can explore the nearby Yorkshire Dales national park. Harrogate originated in the 17th...
on 1 August 1862 when the North Eastern Railway completed a short line (Pannal Loop) from Pannal Junction to Crimple Junction via a very tight curve to take trains over the Crimple Viaduct and into the new central Harrogate
Harrogate
Harrogate is a spa town in North Yorkshire, England. The town is a tourist destination and its visitor attractions include its spa waters, RHS Harlow Carr gardens, and Betty's Tea Rooms. From the town one can explore the nearby Yorkshire Dales national park. Harrogate originated in the 17th...
Station, built to replace Harrogate Brunswick station. When built Pannal Junction had its own separate signalbox.
On 1 January 1923, the railways were Grouped and it became the London & North Eastern Railway.
The signalbox at Pannal Junction was closed in 1927 and the points and signals at this location were operated from the signalbox at Pannal station.
On 1 January 1948, under the Transport Act, the railways were Nationalised becoming British Railways.
The original line between Pannal Junction and Starbeck was closed on 7 October 1951 leaving the later Pannal Loop as the only line north of Pannal.
Goods traffic was withdrawn from Pannal in 1954 but the sidings remained until the closure of the signalbox and removal of the signals in 1969, when they were all lifted. The station was staffed until 15 June 1969 when it became an unstaffed halt with no facilities other than basic small shelters provided for passengers. Tickets have to be obtained from the Guard/Conductor on the train. This has continued to be the practice from that date.
In 1983, British Rail
British Rail
British Railways , which from 1965 traded as British Rail, was the operator of most of the rail transport in Great Britain between 1948 and 1997. It was formed from the nationalisation of the "Big Four" British railway companies and lasted until the gradual privatisation of British Rail, in stages...
was sectorised and the services operated by British Rail Provincial
British Rail
British Railways , which from 1965 traded as British Rail, was the operator of most of the rail transport in Great Britain between 1948 and 1997. It was formed from the nationalisation of the "Big Four" British railway companies and lasted until the gradual privatisation of British Rail, in stages...
later becoming British Rail Regional Railways
British Rail
British Railways , which from 1965 traded as British Rail, was the operator of most of the rail transport in Great Britain between 1948 and 1997. It was formed from the nationalisation of the "Big Four" British railway companies and lasted until the gradual privatisation of British Rail, in stages...
until Privatisation in 1997. Since Privatisation the services have been operated by private companies with Northern Spirit
Northern Spirit
This article is about the railway company Northern Spirit. For the Australian football club of the same name, see Northern Spirit FC.Northern Spirit was a UK train operating company which ran local and regional train services in the north east of England during the late 1990s.-Operations:Created...
from 1997 to 2000, Arriva Trains Northern
Arriva Trains Northern
Arriva Trains Northern was a train operating company that operated passenger trains in Yorkshire and the North East of England. The company had previously been known as Northern Spirit before being taken over by Arriva....
from 2001 to 2004 and Northern Rail
Northern Rail
Northern Rail is a British train operating company that has operated local passenger services in Northern England since 2004. Northern Rail's owner, Serco-Abellio, is a consortium formed of Abellio and Serco, an international operator of public transport systems...
from 2004 to the present.
Former layout
The station buildings were located on the down platform (to Harrogate) and there was a timber waiting shelter, with a store, on the up platform (to Leeds). There was a signal box of standard North Eastern Railway design located at the south end of the down platform. The station had a cattle dock siding, adjacent to the up line, at the south end of the up platform, opposite the signalbox, with a ramp up to the road from this siding.The cattle, often from Ireland, used to be driven up the ramp onto the road and the very short distance up Station Road to the former Auction Mart that was located in Spacey Houses on the opposite corner of the junction of Princess Royal Way (A61) and Follifoot Road. The goods yard had three lines of sidings accessed from a headshunt on the side of the down line. This included a coal depot on two of the sidings furthest away from the station and a small warehouse on the other siding nearest the station buildings.
Current layout
There are just the two platforms, the up line (platform 1) to Leeds and the down line (platform 2) to Harrogate with bus type waiting shelters.The former station buildings have been extensively extended and converted into a public house
Public house
A public house, informally known as a pub, is a drinking establishment fundamental to the culture of Britain, Ireland, Australia and New Zealand. There are approximately 53,500 public houses in the United Kingdom. This number has been declining every year, so that nearly half of the smaller...
in the early 1980s. It was first named Platform One (despite this being located on what is actually now platform 2!) but, after another extensive renovation, is currently named The Harwood.
When first converted as Platform One a Pullman
Pullman (car or coach)
In the United States, Pullman was used to refer to railroad sleeping cars which were built and operated on most U.S. railroads by the Pullman Company from 1867 to December 31, 1968....
kitchen second class parlour carriage built in 1960 as number 332, formally on the North Yorkshire Moors Railway
North Yorkshire Moors Railway
The North Yorkshire Moors Railway is a heritage railway in North Yorkshire, England. First opened in 1836 as the Whitby and Pickering Railway, the railway was planned in 1831 by George Stephenson as a means of opening up trade routes inland from the then important seaport of Whitby. The line...
, was incorporated into the public house as a dining room. This carriage was renamed "Mae" (after the Mother of the first Landlord, Paul Eckart) but was removed and scrapped by Booths of Rotherham when the public house underwent the second renovation due to it containing extensive blue asbestos insulation.
The former goods yard on the down side is now the extensive station car park also doubling as the car park for the public house. The ramp from the former cattle dock on the up side can still be seen as a strip of inclined unused land between the station and the former Dunlopillo
Dunlop Manufacturing
Dunlop Manufacturing, Inc., known colloquially as Jim Dunlop, is a manufacturer of musical accessories based in Benicia, California. Originally founded in 1965 by Jim Dunlop, Sr., the company has grown from a small home operation to being a large manufacturer of music gear for over 40 years.- Way...
factory (closed in 2008). This ramp was recently cleared of undergrowth in order to allow vehicular access for track maintenance.
The up track (to Leeds is currently laid with continuously welding track on concrete sleepers and the down track (to Harrogate) is currently laid with continuously welded rails with steel sleepers.
Services
Knaresborough railway station
Knaresborough railway station serves the town of Knaresborough in North Yorkshire, England. It is located on the Harrogate Line west of York and is operated by Northern Rail who provide all passenger train services.-Background:...
with one train per hour onwards to York
York railway station
York railway station is a main-line railway station in the city of York, England. It lies on the East Coast Main Line north of London's King's Cross station towards Edinburgh's Waverley Station...
.
Evenings and Sundays there is generally an hourly service in each direction.
Very occasionally a charter train will stop to pick up or set down but these usually run through non-stop.
Birdwatching at the station
The summer image to the right shows the station before the big trees at the DunlopilloDunlop Rubber
Dunlop Rubber was a company based in the United Kingdom which manufactured tyres and other rubber products for most of the 20th century. It was acquired by BTR plc in 1985. Since then, ownership of the Dunlop trade-names has been fragmented.-Early history:...
factory (on the left in that image) were pruned back to the trunks. At that time, in early mornings in spring, you could watch buzzard
Common Buzzard
The Common Buzzard is a medium to large bird of prey, whose range covers most of Europe and extends into Asia. It is usually resident all year, except in the coldest parts of its range, and in the case of one subspecies.-Description:...
s trying to rob the rooks' nests in those trees. Since the trees were pruned (on the left in the snowy image) the buzzard
Common Buzzard
The Common Buzzard is a medium to large bird of prey, whose range covers most of Europe and extends into Asia. It is usually resident all year, except in the coldest parts of its range, and in the case of one subspecies.-Description:...
s have stopped coming, but in spring you can still watch jackdaw
Jackdaw
The Jackdaw , sometimes known as the Eurasian Jackdaw, European Jackdaw or Western Jackdaw, is a passerine bird in the crow family. Found across Europe, western Asia and North Africa, it is mostly sedentary, although northern and eastern populations migrate south in winter. Four subspecies are...
s attempting to nest in the chimneys of the Harwood pub. Red Kites can sometimes be seen riding on the thermals above the station. During summer, House Martin
House Martin
The Common House Martin , sometimes called the Northern House Martin or, particularly in Europe, just House Martin, is a migratory passerine bird of the swallow family which breeds in Europe, north Africa and temperate Asia; and winters in sub-Saharan Africa and tropical Asia...
s and swifts
Common Swift
The Common Swift is a small bird, superficially similar to the Barn Swallow or House Martin. It is, however, completely unrelated to those passerine species, since swifts are in the separate order Apodiformes...
frequently scream over the station, and goldfinch
European Goldfinch
The European Goldfinch or Goldfinch is a small passerine bird in the finch family.-Habitat and range:The goldfinch breeds across Europe, North Africa, and western and central Asia, in open, partially wooded lowlands. It is resident in the milder west of its range, but migrates from colder regions...
es graze on the weed-seeds between the station and Dunlopillo
Dunlop Rubber
Dunlop Rubber was a company based in the United Kingdom which manufactured tyres and other rubber products for most of the 20th century. It was acquired by BTR plc in 1985. Since then, ownership of the Dunlop trade-names has been fragmented.-Early history:...
car-park.