Goathland as a Contrasting Locality
The Journey from Grosmont
Grosmont village has an industrial history as it was once a centre of ironstone mining. In the woods by the National Park car park you can still find ruins and relics today.
You can walk through the original tunnel (dating from 1835) towards the engine sheds. Once upon a time, horse drawn carriages ran on rails through here.
The train leaves Grosmont station, immediately going over a level crossing and then through a tunnel. The train emerges by the engine sheds where there are lots of locomotives and pieces of equipment to be seen.
Very shortly, you will pass the hamlet of Esk Valley, just one terrace of houses built for workers at an ironstone mine which operated from 1860 to 1876. Until 1951, when the road was built, the only access was by rail!
Just before you get to Goathland, you pass close to Beck Hole, a tiny community with an equally tiny public house. Once again industry arrived in the shape of mining for iron ore. These mines opened in 1858 and were worked for several years until a landslip occurred one night, causing the tools and tubs to be buried. The mines were abandoned after that.
The section of line from Grosmont to Goathland is one of the steepest in the country, so you should be able to hear the locomotive working hard!
Learning article provided by:
North Yorkshire Moors Railway |
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