Bridlington platform numberings

[trainophile]

There only seems to be platforms 4, 5 and 6 at Bridlington. Anyone know what happened to 1, 2 and 3?

 

[hexagon789]

There only seems to be platforms 4, 5 and 6 at Bridlington. Anyone know what happened to 1, 2 and 3?

There was also a 7 and an 8!

1, 2 and 3 were the original platforms - to the west of the current ones. 3 was a short bay and disused from the 50s I believe.

1 and 2 were taken out of use in 1983.

7 and 8 were taken out of use at the 2000 re-signalling. 8 was briefly reinstated as a siding for stabling before becoming disused again.

 

[trainophile]

Blimey . I wonder why they needed so many. The Spa must have been popular!

 

[hexagon789]

Blimey . I wonder why they needed so many. The Spa must have been popular!

Wasn't Butlins a major source of traffic in the postwar era for one?

 

[Mcr Warrior]

Wasn't Butlins a major source of traffic in the postwar era for one?

Butlin's was up the coast at Filey wasn't it? Reckon that Bridlington would have been busy enough on its own.

 

[hexagon789]

Butlin's was up the coast at Filey wasn't it? Reckon that Bridlington would have been busy enough on its own.

Yes at Filey, but I thought a lot of the extra trains came by Bridlington or originated there. It was also as you say - busy enough in its own right.

 

[Magdalia]

In the 1950s and 1960s Bridlington was a popular seaside destination both for wakes week holidays and day excursions.

Much of the traffic was from within Yorkshire and until 1963 was mostly via the now closed Selby to Driffield line via Market Weighton.

Yes the Butlins holiday camp was at Filey, and most trains reached it via Bridlington not Scarborough.

 

[MadMac]

Butlin's was up the coast at Filey wasn't it? Reckon that Bridlington would have been busy enough on its own.

It had its own station and branch! https://www.railcar.co.uk/images/18950

 

[mike57]

There were also substantial carriage sidings to the south of the station where stock would be stabled. A goods yard and engine shed where Tesco is now. If you search online you will find plenty of photographs and the old maps at the NLS give a good idea of the layout in earlier days.

The route north was double track, singled in the 70s I think to 'save money'. As with a lot of places usage hit a low and is now increasing year on year. Because the road network in this part of East Yorkshire is pretty much devoid of any dual carriageway roads rail journey times are pretty competetive with driving, particularly in the summer months. Bridlington still attracts plenty of summer trade, and the station is well used. The resignalling and track rationalisation a couple of years ago didn't resolve the platform numbers, apparently the cost of changing would have been too high, so its a quirky oddity

 

[Stuwhu]

Has the Buffet Bar on Bridlington Station reopened, or are there any plans for it to?

 

[John Webb]

.......Yes the Butlins holiday camp was at Filey, and most trains reached it via Bridlington not Scarborough.

It had its own station and branch! https://www.railcar.co.uk/images/18950

See also http://www.disused-stations.org.uk/f/filey_holiday_camp/index.shtml for information and a number of photos before and after closure.

 

[mike57]

Has the Buffet Bar on Bridlington Station reopened, or are there any plans for it to?

It is currently closed, we keep hearing about plans, but nothing concrete yet.

 

[Harvester]

See also http://www.disused-stations.org.uk/f/filey_holiday_camp/index.shtml for information and a number of photos before and after closure.

The closure date of Filey Holiday Camp station stated in the link as 17th July 1977, appears to be incorrect? The branch was officially closed on 26th November 1977, with the last train running at the end of the summer timetable (Sept 77)!

 

[John Webb]

The closure date of Filey Holiday Camp station stated in the link as 17th July 1977, appears to be incorrect? The branch was officially closed on 26th November 1977, with the last train running at the end of the summer timetable (Sept 77)!

At the top of the the linked page it says 17.9.1977 both for 'Closed to Passengers' and 'Closed Completely', so not clear where you got July from?
(But we're getting a bit away from Bridlington, perhaps?)

 

[Harvester]

At the top of the the linked page it says 17.9.1977 both for 'Closed to Passengers' and 'Closed Completely', so not clear where you got July from?
(But we're getting a bit away from Bridlington, perhaps?)

Ah! the perils of wiki, and then misreading the linked page as 17/7/1977. Old age creeping in……..

 

[Mcr Warrior]

Ah! the perils of wiki, and then misreading the linked page as 17/7/1977. Old age creeping in……..

Not necessarily. The duff Filey Holiday Camp railway station last train service date info (= 17JUL1977) was previously wrong on Wiki for some time, but, looking af the edit history, has now been corrected to 17SEP1977.

 

[Notabene]

Bridlington had an overall roof like Filey and Beverley, but larger with an elaborate iron covered cab stand. This was extended later on. Two platforms and a bay existed until 1912. There was also an excursion station of two platforms south of the main building. Huge overcrowding led to a rebuild, with the original platforms becoming two down platforms, and two new Up platforms built on the road in front of the station building. The station front became platform 4 and a new full canopied platform became numbers 5 and 6(bay).
The excursion station was rebuilt as platforms 7 and 8. A new station in the NE style, similar to Tynemouth etc with a large concourse was completed in 1912.

The basic idea was to create space for large numbers to circulate and for Scarborough bound trains to arrive from different locations in a short space of time via Market Weighton or Hull.
Trains from Birmingham, Manchester, Leeds, Sheffield, Liverpool, London etc would serve Bridlington, Filey and Scarborough. The opening of Filey Holiday Camp in 1947 drew even more trains.
In addition, frequent excursion trains would terminate daily in the summer. On a Sunday, it would not be unusual to see 10 excursions.
The large roofs over the original platforms were replaced by concrete canopies in 1961. These were promised to last 75 years (they lasted 22!)
A three road engine shed, turntable and long carriage roads were provided.
The main goods yard was opposite the station front and accessed by an open crossing with flagman. As a boy, I remember a class 20 or 31 would cross the road each morning to shunt the yard. Already by then the engine shed had closed and the short platform 3 (used for Malton trains) abandoned.

Even in the 70s the station was busy with an elaborate timetable on weekends and daily excursion trains.
DMUs in formations of 7 to 10 cars from all over would stand in the goods yard and at platforms 2 and 4 on Sundays as loco hauled excursions used platforms 7 and 8.
In 1973 the line north of Bridlington was singled to Hunmanby and the station resignalled. In 1983 the original platforms 1 and 2 were abandoned and platform 4 became a down platform.
New, more frequent, timetabling meant the end of extra trains and the last excursions in the mid 80s. The goods yard closed in 1985(last loco out was a class 47).
Curiously, the platform numbers did not change in 1983. This was the wish of the last Area Manager and in 2021 it was, apparently, thought too costly to change the numbers for the new layout.
The present train services are the best ever to Scarborough and the 170s provide a level of quality unimaginable in the 80s.

 

[trainophile]

I'd always rather assumed that Bridlington was Scarborough's poor relation. I see now that it was anything but, and in its heyday must have been a huge operation.

 

[mike57]

I'd always rather assumed that Bridlington was Scarborough's poor relation. I see now that it was anything but, and in its heyday must have been a huge operation.

And today the summer trade for Bridlington by rail tends to come from Hull and South Yorkshire, where as Scarborough is more attractive to West Yorkshire, due to current direct rail routes.

 

[Notabene]

I'd always rather assumed that Bridlington was Scarborough's poor relation. I see now that it was anything but, and in its heyday must have been a huge operation.

Yes, the sheer scale of the operation was impressive. Scarborough was on another level, with the extensive shed, the Whitby line and huge carriage sidings beyond Gallows Close.
In the low season, things were much quieter, Scarborough had fewer trains on the York route than Bridlington on the Hull/Selby routes.