The Malton & Driffield Junction Railway
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The Malton & Driffield Junction Railway (M&DR) had its origins in the "Railway Mania" period of the 1840s. The plan was very ambitious; the route was intended to form part of a trunk line linking the coalfields of the North East with the port of Hull. It was thought that there would be scope for the export of coal from Hull and, in passing, to bring cheap coal to the Wolds area where that fuel was relatively expensive, also there was the prospect of local agricultural business. As an integral part of the plan, a line between Malton and Thirsk, on what is now the East Coast main line (ECML), was necessary; this line had already been proposed by the Newcastle & Darlington Junction Railway (N&DJR).
Bibliography and Further Reading
Acknowledgements
Thank you to Richard Barron for the above information.