Selby Swing Bridge (1840)

The Hull and Selby Railway is a railway line between Kingston upon Hull and Selby in the United Kingdom which was authorised by an act of 1836 and opened in 1840. As built the line connected with the Leeds and Selby Railway (opened 1834) at Selby, with a Hull terminus adjacent to the Humber Dock.

A connection to Cottingham, Beverley, Driffield and Bridlington was made in 1846 with the opening of the Hull and Selby Railway (Bridlington Branch), now part of the Yorkshire Coast Line; a new 4½ mile route into Hull was opened in 1848, along with a new main station, Hull Paragon; a connection to Market Weighton from Barlby near Selby was made in 1848 (closed 1954, see Selby to Driffield Line); an urban branch line terminating in east Hull, the Victoria Dock Branch Line was opened in 1853 (closed 1968); a connection at Gilberdyke onto the Hull and Doncaster Railway passing via Goole was made in 1863; and in 1871 North Eastern Railway's York and Doncaster branch opened in 1871, with its northern half branching from the line towards York just east of Selby.

From 1845 the Hull and Selby Railway Company was jointly leased by the York and North Midland Railway, and Manchester and Leeds Railway; the lease passed to the North Eastern Railway in 1854 who then acquired the company in 1872. Ownership then passed to the London and North Eastern Railway in 1923, and to British Railways in 1948.

As of 2015 the line is in use, and is owned and maintained by Network Rail. It is an important mainline on the UK rail network, and used on rail services out of Hull by Northern, TransPennine Express, London North Eastern Railway, and Hull Trains with destinations including Leeds, Doncaster, Sheffield, Goole and London, as well as freight traffic from the Port of Hull.

History

Background

The Leeds and Hull Railroad Company was formed in 1824 in Leeds, one of a number of railway schemes that would form a set of railways from the Irish Sea (Liverpool) to the North Sea (Hull). The line was surveyed by Joseph Locke and assistant under the direction of George Stephenson; Stephenson's plan for the line was for a double track railway, worked by locomotives, with stationary engines working inclined planes on the rising ground east of Leeds.

The Leeds and Hull scheme was not adequately subscribed by shareholders, and made no significant progress until 1828, by which time the Knottingley to Goole section of the Aire and Calder Navigation canal has opened (1826). The rise of Goole as a north sea port and a rival to Hull was one factor into prompting the Hull-based shareholders of the scheme to resolve to bring forward half of the scheme – a railway line from Leeds to Selby, with the intention of taking traffic from Selby to Hull by Steam Packets. A general meeting of the Leeds and Hull shareholders formed the Leeds and Selby Railway Company in 1829. The line between Leeds and Selby was resurveyed by James Walker – in addition to minor changes to the route the stationary engines and inclined planes were replaced with a tunnel. Walker's plan was adopted in 1829, and the Leeds and Selby act was passed in 1830, and the line opened in 1834.

The Hull and Selby Railway (1834–45)

:''Also known as the Leeds and Hull Junction Railway, or Hull and Leeds Junction Railway in early communications.''
In the early 1830s the rise of Goole as a port, as well as plans for railways to Bridlington and Scarborough which posed a potential threat to Hull's port economy gave impetus to the need for a rail link westwards from Hull. John Exley, a Hull customs officer was prominent in promoting a line, after and the campaign was taken up by the local press and trade organisations; two local bankers raised the £20,000 required to sponsor a bill through parliament.

The original plan for a line from Leeds to Hull was continued with a new survey by Walker and Burgess in 1834. The engineers noted that the path from Selby to Hull was practically flat, and constructed a plan for a double track line from Selby to Hull, with minimal conflicts with existing structures outside the two towns. The estimated cost, including rolling stock was £340,000.

On 11 August 1834 the Hull and Selby Railway Company was formed, and the process of obtaining an act of parliament authorising its construction was begun in late 1834.

The proposed line passed through the land of Robert Raikes (of Welton) who opposed the plan in both the House of Commons, and the House of Lords; the Hull Corporation also raised objections, claiming the right to all development land along the Humber foreshore at Hull. Accommodation was made with both and the bill received royal assent on 21 June 1836. A petition to prevent the line operating on Sundays was rejected by the House of Commons. The act of 1836 authorised the line and allowed £400,000 to be raised from share issues and £133,333 from loans.

Description of the line

From Selby, the line connected from the Leeds and Selby Railway, and ran NNE crossing Ousegate, and the River Ouse by a bascule bridge, before turning right on a curve approximately radius to head roughly eastwards in a gradually southward course. The line then ran roughly straight for passing the villages of Cliffe to the north, the crossing the River Derwent, and passing Wressle just north of St John's Church. Eastrington and Gilberdyke were then passed to the south, and crossed the Market Weighton Canal. After passing through Brough the line then curved slightly left at skirting North Ferriby's southern edge. It then passed through Hessle Cliffe, across Hessle Haven, then passed south of Hessle, it then ran towards Kingston upon Hull on a route alongside the bank of the Humber Estuary. The line terminated at a station near Manor House street in central Hull, directly west of and adjacent to the Humber Dock, and south of Kingston Street. The total length was around .Ordnance Survey. 1855–6, 1:10560; Hull, Selby: Town plans, 1:1056, 1849–56 There were intermediate stations at , , , , , , and . Wressle railway station came into use during the 1840s and 50s.

The terrain to be covered was sufficiently level and open for the line to be built with gentle curves and few embankments, the steepest gradient being 1 in 240, and was completely level. The need for the crossings of the Ouse and Derwent to be made at a sufficient height necessitated the introduction of the steeper gradients on the line. The main civil engineering works for the line were cuttings at North Ferriby and Hessle, and the Humber side embankment on the route into Hull. Three bridges were of note: a bascule bridge over the Ouse at Selby, and cast iron bridges over the Derwent, and Market Weighton Canal.

There were water stations at Hull, Selby and Staddlethorpe. In addition to the goods and passenger facilities at the Hull terminus the company had a wharf nearby at Limekiln Creek. Hull and Selby Railway, Limekiln Creek warehouse

Construction

The company's shares were fully taken up by November 1836, allowing the directors began to make contracts for the work; Walker was directed to stake out the line, which was completed before the end of the year.

Contracts for the bascule bridge over the Ouse (Mr. Briggs, foundations; Butterley Iron works, ironwork), and for the Market Weighton bridge and embankments (Mr. Pratt, civils; Marshall and Co. of Derby, ironwork) were let by September 1837; orders for iron rails were also made. The contracts for the 7 miles of line between Dairycoates and Melton (Townsend and Hacker) and 9 miles from the bridge on the Market Weighton Canal and the River Derwent (Mr. Charles Faviell) were made at the end of 1837. Work had begun on the foundations the bridges on the Market Weighton Canal and Ouse by the beginning of 1838. By March 1838 the foundations and associated embankments were partially completed.

The company held its second general meeting on 24 February 1838 by which time most of the cases of land compensation had been settled, and John Timperley was appointed resident engineer, under the principle engineers Walker and Burgess. In May contracts for the line and embankments on the route out of Hull to Dairycoates along the Humber foreshore were given to Mr. Charles Faviell. The remaining contracts for the 6 mile section from Melton via Brough to the Market Weighton Canal bridge (Pratt and Fenton), and the 6 mile section from the River Derwent to the junction with the Leeds and Selby Line (Mr. Briggs, civils, bridge foundations; Pim and Co., of Hull, Derwent bridge ironwork) were let in mid 1838. In July the original contract for the Hull Humber embankment was cancelled due to unsatisfactory progress and relet to Townsend and Harker.

By end of 1838 work was underway or nearing completion along the entire line; with the Market Weighton Canal and Selby bridge foundations complete and under preparation for the installation of the ironwork; the Derwent bridge foundations were underway; the cuttings at Hessle and Ferriby were also under progress. Further orders for iron rails were made bringing the amount ordered up to 5,000 tons, a contract with the Leeds and Selby for the supply of stone ballast was also made. Spoil from the cutting at Hessle, up to was used both on the Humber embankment and to ballast the line, ballast was also found on the land of Captain Shaw near Brough. At Brough removal of a mound revealed Roman remains including coins, pottery and a large amount of bones of cattle, as well as seven human skeletons.

By early 1839 plans for the railway depot, workshops and related equipment were being drawn up; the company acquired tanks for kyanising sleepers were acquired, and an order placed with Bereton and Vernon of Hull for a steam engine to power machinery at the Hull workshop, including that for sawing the wood for sleepers. By July the Humber embankment near Hull was complete, and the Hull depot, station and offices were under construction; much of the civil work of the rest of the line was complete, including the Market Weighton Canal bridge, with the superstructures of the Derwent and Ouse bridges in preparation for installation. Much of the line was in the process of being ballasted, and the kyanising of sleepers for the track had begun. Of the main building works only the contracts for station houses remained to be awarded.

The Ouse bridge was required by the 1836 Act to have an opening arch of , whilst the Ouse at Selby was nearly 200 ft in width, with an underlying geology consisting of silt, quicksand and then hard clay. The bridge consisted of two main spans, one opening; plus sections on either side from land to the first pier and to the second pier, and a section across the central piers. Each span consisted of six cast iron longitudinal ribs, with one rib under the line of each rail and two outer ribs on either side under a handrail. cast iron plates covered the ribs; the track ran on timber bearers wide by deep. The opening mechanism was operated by man power using a geared drive with a hand wheel of giving a mechanical advantage of 285.

The contractor Mr. Briggs installed the river bank, sided and central pier piled foundations between autumn 1837 and June 1839. Stone piers were constructed on solid ground inland of the abutment piers, and the abutment piers connected by tie rods to them to prevent them moving with any slippage of the river banks. Castings from the Butterley works arrived in September 1838 and the opening span was closed and the lifting spans installed between 11 October 1839 and 13 February 1840. The closed span was installed and the bridge completed by the end of March 1840.

On the west bank of the Ouse at Selby the new connection with the Leeds and Selby Railway required the construction of a new railway station (see Selby railway station), the old station was retained for goods use.For the history of the stations at Selby see Selby railway station.

Both the Derwent and Market Weight Canal bridges were constructed with cast iron spans. In addition to the main bridges there were a number of other bridges, culverts, accommodation bridges, and other works including a bridge over Hessle harbour (haven).

The costs of developing the line were approximately: £106,000 for land purchase and compensation; £142,000 to contractors for the construction of the line and buildings; £42,000 on rails, chairs etc. and £35,000 on sleepers etc.; £5,000 on fencing etc.; around £4,700 was spent on rolling stock including engines; over £31,000 was expended on legal, engineering, surveying and management fees, plus general expenses relating to the promotion of the line through parliament, office costs, and employees salaries. Another £3,800 of expense was incurred on interest on loans, giving a total of just under £370,000 (as of 29 February 1840).

By May 1840 an entire length of track had been finished and on the 30th the directors of the company were able to travel from Hull to the junction at Selby. The second track was half complete and the railway buildings at Hull and Selby and on the line were approaching completion. The railway was formally opened on 1 July 1840.

Track

The track gauge was 4 foot 8½ inches, intentionally to match that of the other Liverpool-Hull lines and that of the London-Birmingham and North Midland railways. The track consisted of track constructed of both laterally and longitudinally laid sleepers of which two thirds was longitudinal track. The sleepers were kyanised.

The rails consisted of flat bottomed ('web footed') rail secured by 7" oak keys. The longitudinal track consisted of Baltic half timber bearers connected by cross sleepers. Rails 2¾" deep of 55 lb per yd rail were used on the longitudinal track embedded in saddles 12" long which were secured to the sleepers. The cross-sleepered track used rails 3¾" deep weighing 63 lb per yd, fixed in 12" by 5" chairs.

The longitudinal track (see also Ladder track) was noted to produce smooth running and low wheel wear. However the contact between rail and sleeper produced hydraulic pumping in wet conditions, which led to rolling stock becoming dirtied very quickly. The longitudinal track was also found cause issue with wheel slip in frosty weather. No longitudinally laid track remained on the line after 1860.

Rolling stock

;Locomotives
John Gray was the locomotive superintendent from 1840 to 1845. His designs such as the "Star" and "Vesta" were fitted with variable expansion valve-gear, and his engines on the railway represent some of the earliest examples of counterweighting of wheel rims on locomotives.

Contracts for an initial six locomotives from Fenton, Murray and Jackson were signed in April 1838. They were of a design similar to that already in use on the Leeds and Selby Line. In 1842 locomotive power consisted of twelve six-wheeled engines; a second set of six were ordered from Shepherd and Todd to a revised design: a broad wheelbase of and lateral spring spacing of , along with a centrally located driving crank was employed to increase safety by reducing oscillations at speed; the design was simplified to two inner frames supporting the inner bearings creating more space in the inside frame, in order to facilitate ease of maintenance; expansive working of steam was employed for fuel efficiency; the remainder of the design was influence by contemporary best practice – driving wheels, pistons of stroke by diameter, and a firebox with 94 fire tubes each long and diameter.

The original six engines had issues with sparks and cinders from the chimneys which required remedial alterations. A test was performed comparing the performances of the original, modified, and revised designs under the inspection of engineers from Fenton, Murray and Jackson; Shepherd and Todd; and the Hull and Selby: the modified and revised showed significant increases in fuel efficiency, with the revised design using less than half of both coke and water: 0.271 and 1.62 lbs respectively per ton-mile, vs 0.611 and 3.90 lbs per ton-mile for the original engines; resulting in working costs reduced by a related amount.

;Locomotive list

;Notes
# HSR = Hull and Selby Railway
# YNMR = York and North Midland Railway
# NER = North Eastern Railway

;Carriages and wagons
Other rolling stock consisted of 10 three compartment first class carriages; 20 second class; (ordered from Hustwick and Bean) and 6 third class carriages; plus there were also fifty goods wagons. Carriages were painted dark green.

Operations and management (1840–45)

The entire line was opened on 1 July 1840. A public procession in Hull was cancelled due to heavy rain; four trains left Hull for Selby, hauled by "Exley", "Andrew Marvell", "Kingston", and "Selby" built by Fenton, Murray and Jackson; the first departure was at 12:10 pm arriving in Selby at 2:15 pm. The return journeys were made from 4 pm, with a dinner held in the company's warehouse attended by Henry Broadley MP and Chairman of the company, George Hudson, and others.

The line was immediately remunerative, giving a 2.5% dividend after 9 months of operation, and continued to return dividends to shareholders until it was leased by the York and North Midland Railway. Cost of travel (1842) was 1.76d, 1.56d, and 0.978d per mile for first, second and third class passengers respectively.

By 1840 the company had introduced incentive fares for visitors to the Hull market, allowing the purchasers of specific single tickets to return free of charge by a later train; the success of this scheme led to the return train being occupied by around 400 persons. The company began issuing cardboard tickets to simplify bookings in 1841.

In late 1843 the company formed a friendly working arrangement with the Manchester and Leeds Railway (M&LR), with joint working, and a potential future merger of the two companies. Joint working under one management began on 1 January 1844, with an approximately 1:5 split on future capital costs and of receipts, with the Hull company with the minor share. The companies were not able to present a bill in time to Parliament to formalise the merger, but continued to be worked as one company, with negotiations between the two continuing during 1844.;

Two Hull and Selby shareholders disagreed with the arrangements with the Manchester company, and in 1844 began to agitate for a re-negotiation of the distribution of receipts between the two firms. Additionally shareholders with interests in the Hull Dock company were concerned about the M&LR's plans to establish or improve docks at Wakefield and Goole. Other arrangements and schemes the M&LR entered into led the H&S shareholders to consider the amalgamation to no longer be advantageous, and in March 1845 the shareholders revolted against the Board of Directors and voted against amalgamation with the M&LR.

At that time the Hull and Selby Company was promoting a branch line from Hull to Bridlington, which had potential to conflict with or complement George Hudson's proposed line south from Scarborough to Bridlington. Hudson had also taken over the intermediate line, the Leeds and Selby Railway (in 1840), and had begun to operate shipping from Selby to Hull in competition.

These developments, the concerns of the Hull shareholders, and Hudson's desire to avoid strong competition from a rival company led to informal discussion on amalgamation between the two parties. An offer to amalgamate the Hull and Selby, York and North Midland Railway (Y&NMR), together with the Wakefield, Pontefract and Goole Railway, and the Leeds and West Riding Junction Railway was made and met with favour with some shareholders. Shortly before a shareholder's meeting called to discuss the merger Hudson and the activist shareholders met unofficially and the terms of a lease of the line to Hudson's Y&NMR were communicated. In May 1845, the shareholders, having already voted against amalgamation with the M&LR, voted at a special meeting to lease the company in perpetuity to the Y&NMR; in conflict with the board who were seeking for the company to remain independent. The offer of a lease was immediately validated by the Y&NMR. The lease arrangement between the two companies included a guaranteed return equivalating to 10% of the share capital, and allowed the Y&NMR to acquire the entire company after 5 years lease at a rate of £112.10s for every £50 share.

Authorisation for the '' Hull and Selby Railway (Bridlington branch)'' was obtained from Parliament, and came into effect on 29 June 1845 on the same day as the authorisation of the Y&NMR's Scarborough branch to Bridlington. The lease of the Hull and Selby to the Y&NMR came into effect on the 1 July.

York and North Midland period (1845–1854)

In late 1845 the York and North Midland Railway (Y&NMR) reached an agreement with the Manchester and Leeds Railway (M&LR) whereby the M&LR would become joint lessors of the Hull to Selby Line – as part of the agreement the two parent companies were to also co-operate on directly traffic through each other's lines; whilst the M&LR was to withdraw its support from the proposed '' Leeds and York Railway'' and '' York, Hull and East and West Yorkshire Junction Railway''s that could have become strong competitors to the Y&NMRs existing and proposed lines; the two parties were also to abstain from entering any other hostile alliances. The terms of the agreement was ratified by the shareholders of the three companies between December 1845 and 4 May 1846.

At the time of the lease arrangement the Hull and Selby Company other branches under development; in February 1845 the shareholders had authorised surveys for a line from the Bridlington branch to York via Market Weighton and Pocklington, and had proposals for a line from Market Weighton to the main line of the Hull and Selby. After the lease came into effect the Y&NMR was approached by Beverley interests to persuade the Y&NMR to complete these lines; on 17 May 1845 the Y&NMR shareholders agreed to proceed with surveys for the line and its branch.

In July 1846 the lease and acquisition of the H&S by the Y&NMR and M&LR was approved by an act of Parliament. Under the terms of the act both companies had equal rights in the lease; the line was to be worked by the Y&NMR, with formation of a joint working committee later if the M&LR exercised that right. The lease was approved by the H&S shareholders on 20 August 1846, and by the M&LR shareholders on 9 September 1846, and by the Y&NMR shareholders on 14 September 1846.

The Hull and Bridlington Branch Line was opened in October 1846. The line ran from a junction at Dairycoates west of Hull, directly northward to Cottingham, then to Beverley,