Scarborough North Bay Railway is a miniature railway which has been in operation since 1931 and it’s sole purpose has only ever been as a tourist attraction to those visiting the North Bay area. Having survived through WW2 and the worst miniature railway accident in the country only a year after it’s opening in 1932, it survives to this day running the original Hudswell Clarke diesel hydraulic engines (Don’t let those lovely steam exteriors fool you, they are most certainly diesel powered). Trains run from Peasholm to Scalby Mills which is the northern terminus just under a mile away.
Heading along the bay, the train hugs the cliffside and you are presented with some spectacular views, especially on a clear day like today. In the central image below, you can see Scarborough Castle on the hillside in the distance. The railway has two signal boxes however both are currently in a disused state and in need of restoration if they are ever to see service again.
Although a small line which is just under a mile in length, the North Bay attraction site which the train runs through has an interesting history and if you keep your eyes open you can see evidence of long since closed attractions. One of these is the chairlift which used to run over the bay and closed in 2002. Not much remains of this now, but the support structures for the cable cars is still in place. Speaking with the volunteers there, there was talk recently of potentially reopening it however those talks seem to have ground to a halt. Judging by the condition on the supports, it would need a considerable cash injection to get back to a working condition now.
