A MURDER MYSTERY FOR RAILWAY BUFFS: THE ABC MURDERS

One of the most popular features of British tourism is the ‘heritage railway’. Up and down the country there are dedicated volunteers lovingly restoring former railway lines and bringing them back into operation, complete with an array of vintage rolling stock drawn by steam and diesel engines. One part of the country particularly well endowed with heritage railways is Yorkshire.  The Agatha Christie murder mystery The ABC Murders, shown on Boxing Day, has the murderer using the ABC Alphabetical Railway Guide, first published in 1853 but with the 1930s version used in this story, as the basis for his bloodthirsty attacks. So it is no surprise that the locations used for this BBC production include several stations on Yorkshire's heritage railways, not least because they come with a ready-made vintage appearance.



The first murder takes place in Andover, and the railway station which plays a part in this grisly event is Grosmont Station, part of the North York Moors Railway. Grosmont (pronounced ‘growmont’) is a village in the Esk Valley, within the North York Moors National Park. During the building of the railway, which runs from Whitby to Pickering, ironstone was discovered in Grosmont in 1836, giving rise to industrial activity in the locality, although this has now ended. This railway line makes a reappearance when the murderer gets to the letter D, with Pickering Station standing in for Doncaster.

Grosmont Railway Station, North Yorkshire Moors Railway - geograph.org.uk - 848888. Photo by Brian Robert Marshall, via Wikimedia Commons.

On reaching the letter E, the perpetrator selects the little-known village of Embsay in the Craven district of North Yorkshire. Little-known, that is, except as one of the terminii of the short but charming Embsay and Bolton Abbey Railway. The railway, which featured in some of the ABC Murders train scenes, was formerly part of the Midland Railway line from Skipton to Ilkley, and this section reopened in 1981. It is only 4 miles long, but the volunteers have aspirations to extend it further. The railway offers a range of novel events, including a Faulty (sic) Towers inspired dining experience.

Embsay Station Waiting Room - geograph.org.uk - 1184612. Photo by Henry Clark, via Wikimedia  Commons.

Finally, a scene in the production depicting Kings Cross Station in London makes use of Keighley Railway Station, another station which was a stop on the Midland Railway. The station is partly given over to the modern-day rail network, but two platforms are used for servicing the Keighley and Worth Valley Railway, which has been operating since the Worth Valley Line reopened in 1968. The line is a touch longer than the Embsay and Bolton Abbey line, at 5 miles, and there are six stations along the route.

Worth Valley Railway, Keighley - geograph.org.uk - 849385. Photo by Brian Robert Marshall, via Wikimedia Commons.

For a comprehensive list of heritage railways in the UK and Ireland, follow this link.