Cottingham Station platform extension

[Solario]

I wonder if anyone can help with a query that I have been asked about.

Cottingham (East Yorks) station used to have a wooden extension on the Up (Hull bound) platform; from memory it was 1 - 2 coach lengths long. It was certainly present into the 1970s but is no longer there.

I always thought that it was a bit odd that one side had an extension but not the other.

It has been suggested that it was erected to aid the loading of horses which were being shipped off to war. There were evidently an awful lot sent from Cottingham.

So my questions are -

1. When was the platform extension built?

2. Was it built to load horses or for some other reason?

3. When was it removed?

[PinzaC55]

My guess would be that it was on the Up side because there was a heavier traffic flow to Hull and this would allow semi express trains to stop there.
Fence houses station had a similar extension which was discussed as being necessary by the LNER in 1937.

[D2100]

My guess would be that it was on the Up side because there was a heavier traffic flow to Hull and this would allow semi express trains to stop there.

I would refine that slightly, and suggest that it was for the benefit of long trains from the coast, to avoid having to pull up twice to allow alighting. Not so necessary on the down side, where folk would be getting on.

I also remember it in the '70s, and probably have photos with it on.

[53C]

Weekend excursion trains and bank holiday specials in the early 1960's came Southbound via Cottingham and the line from
Ideal Standard to Dairycoats to join the main line Westbound. All that were seen, steam hauled were 8/12+ coaches long.
Many on Bank holidays were V 2 hauled, among various other classes, mostly seen early to late evenings running Southbound. All would pass through Cottingham on the way South.

[Solario]

Many thanks for the responses.

I think that the suggestion that it was built to avoid long seaside trains from having to pull up twice is very plausible. So much for horses!

53C - the weekend excursions that you mention would not normally stop at Cott, but they brought very interesting "foreign" locos which were a great change from the usual diet of B1s & B16s. I have some logs dating from the early to mid '60s that I am prepared to share if you ever need any loco details. In my experience, not too many V2s, (& the odd A3), plenty of Black 5s and other ex LMS 4-6-0s.

[53C]

Thanks for the offer, the largest number of V 2's were seen one Bank Holiday Sunday in the early 1960's for some reason the trains came down one after the other, moving from signal to signal. The local Crossing keepers on Spring Bank West and Anlaby Road crossings were kept at it for several hours. At the time our house backed onto the line mentioned earlier.
Why the whole thing happened I have no idea, just watched them come by in convoy as it were.
If you have any idea of the reason please advise. I can only think it was a problem on the normal Coast to York Route that
caused them to come via Hull.

As an after thought you mentioned some strange loco's on the specials I recall we were told by the local crossing signalman
that on one excursion due that Sunday was expected a Leicester based B 1. Plus also expected a Sheffield Director .
The B1 turned up as far as I remember, but the Director,was never seen. We might have missed it but I would have expected one of the group would have seen it.

[2750Pytchley]

Re the "exotic" locos seen at Cottingham on summer specials, as commented on by several forum members. I was brought up in Cottingham and frequented the station: one day the local spotters' "grapevine" brought the news that a B12 would be coming through the next day. It duly appeared, northbound -- a Grantham engine, 61553 if I remember correctly after the passage of 60-odd years. But it was not only the summer passenger specials that brought interesting locos to the line: I clearly recall seeing a Doncaster J6 (number forgotten) on the Hull-Beverley-Driffield pick-up freight one day around the same time.

[Solario]

a B12 would be coming through the next day. It duly appeared, northbound

I saw the B12 heading light engine towards Hull one evening, looking absolutely immaculate. The story that I heard (from Ken Hoole) was that it headed a special of water engineers from Lincoln to Driffield (and/or Bridlington) who were to inspect the new water abstraction plant at Tophill Low and it failed with a hot box. Dairycoates re-metalled the bearing and it was run in for a few days on locals between Hull & Brough. For the record, it was 61577.