Scarborough and Whitby Railway

The Scarborough and Whitby Railway was a British railway company whose 20.5 mile line connected the North Yorkshire coastal towns of Scarborough and Whitby, opening in 1885 and passing through villages including Robin Hood's Bay, Ravenscar and Cloughton, crossing the River Esk on the Larpool Viaduct. Steep gradients and poor junction layouts at both terminals made the route operationally difficult, and it initially operated under private ownership before the North Eastern Railway acquired it in 1898, later passing into British Railways after nationalization. Declining ridership outside the summer season led to the line closing in 1965 under the Beeching Axe, and its former corridor is now the Cinder Track, a recreational path for walkers, cyclists and horse riders.