A proposal for a railway line to Hornsea together with several other lines was part of the York, Hull and East and West Yorkshire Junction Railway, supported by the Manchester and Leeds Railway. As a consequence of this act entering into the 'territory' of the York and North Midland Railway alternative proposals were made by the Y&NMR, and put to parliament at the same time – both proposals included lines from near Beverley to Hornsea amongst their proposed routes. The Y&NMR's line was of and would link Beverley to Hornsea via a junction near Arram railway station north of Beverley. This line was to terminate at a site near Hornsea Mere. Construction of the line was passed as part of the York and North Midland Railway, East Riding Branches act, and included a branch from Selby to Market Weighton as well as the Hornsea branch. As a result of the poor financial position the Y&NMR was placed in following the downfall of George Hudson the line and several others was postponed and not constructed. Acts were submitted in 1856 and 1861 for approval by parliament of a line from a junction on the Victoria Dock Branch Line in Hull to Hornsea. The 1861 proposal was successful, and an Act of Parliament passed in 1862 allowing its construction. Promoted by Hornsea resident and Hull timber merchant, Joseph Armytage Wade the line was to both provide transportation to and from the agricultural region of Holderness, and to promote Hornsea as a seaside resort. The line was to be in length for which the act allowed the raising of £70,000 in shares and £23,000 in loans. The first sod was ceremonially cut, by Mr Wade using a silver spade and ornate wheelbarrow, on 8 October 1862. The terminus was originally to be at Hornsea Bridge, but the plans were changed and a decision was made to extend right to the seafront — the extension required a costly viaduct over the low ground at Stream Dike. The viaduct was later replaced by an embankment. The land on which the extension ran was boggy, requiring extensive piles to support the line. Consequently, the cost of construction increased from £68,000 to £122,000.
Route and operation
The line began in Hull at Wilmington railway station east of Cleveland Street just to the east of the Victoria Dock Branch Line. The line then ran generally east and north towards Hornsea. The line was officially opened on 28 March 1864, with the first train departing Wilmington railway station at 12:00 noon. From 1 June 1864 traffic travelled along the newly doubled Victoria Dock Branch Line into Paragon station. Although the expected traffic materialised the cost overruns of the construction left the company in debt, attempts to raise further funds by share issue had failed; the line merged with the North Eastern Railway on 16 July 1866, sanctioned by the "North-eastern, Hull, and Hornsea Railway Amalgamation Act" of 1866. In 1914 there were 14 trains a day between Hull and Hornsea, including a non-stop 'express' for business commuters at 8.50 am and 5.18 pm. Two trains ran on Sundays. At this time a typical goods locomotive on the line was the Class J type 0-6-0, passenger trains were also worked by 0-6-0 tender locomotives as well as ex-GCR Class 9Ns and ex-Great Northern Railway 4-4-2 locomotives during the L.N.E.R period. The service remained at a similar level of intensity until the 1950s, excluding reductions in frequency during the First and Second World Wars. By the 1950s Diesel multiple units had been introduced on the line. Closure of the line came as a direct result of the Beeching Report. The last passenger train ran on 19 October 1964. Goods traffic continued to use the line as far as Hornsea Bridge until 3 May 1965. One short section was retained in north-east Hull, part of the line east of Wilmington station as far as the level crossing at Chamberlain Road provided a head shunt for trains to Wilmington cement works, accessed via a new chord from the former Hull and Barnsley Line. The section became operational in 1968. The cement works closed 1969, and by the 1980s the section had been removed.
Stations
Line post closure
Almost the entire route today can be followed as a public footpath known as the Hornsea Rail Trail ; many of the station buildings remain in the rural areas outside Hull. The line can also still be seen on preserved tile maps on LNER stations such as on the North Yorkshire Moors Railway.
