Hedborough North

History:

Hedborough North is a small town on the North East coast of England, best known for its nearby harbour Hedborough Port. The town is situated several miles from the coast and was established as one of two sites that workers of the port lived in. The other being a smaller village called Yardle.

Hedborough Port was first established in 1865 by a wealthy land owner. A branch was tapped off the nearby York to Grimsby railway to a channel cut on the site of an existing creek that flowed into the nearby estuary, deep enough and large enough to accommodate many types of vessels and cargo.

The first commercial operations commenced in 1867 with the import and export of raw materials and foods. At its peak Hedborough was handling 3.3 million tonnes of goods a year, mainly consisting of coal and building materials. All of which was arriving at the shore or being transported around the rest of England by its long established port railway.

The railway initially served the port from the north side, splitting in two as it approached the coast. One side being dedicated to raw materials and the other to boxed cargo and general goods. A third line was added when a larger basin was constructed to accommodate ever increasing vessel sizes.

After the Second World War, the types of goods shipped to and from the harbour shifted and more diverse and varied cargo was being handled. To accommodate these changes and to remain a strong contender the port established additional facilities on the south side of the basin, allowing the north side to concentrate on coal and the new container traffic.

With the shift from coal to gas and petroleum, the port adjusted its facilities still further by increasing storage and handling capacity again on the southern side, and ear marking land for further expansion.

Focus Time Period:

This fictional industrial route has been built to represent post transition period of the railways when British Rail set about modernising its traction and introducing a new fleet wide corporate brand.