The Leeds to Selby line was incorporated by Act of Parliament on 29th May, 1830 but the idea was first raised in 1814. The railway was built because there was dissatisfaction with the high charges levied on goods being transported on the Aire & Calder Navigation from Leeds to Selby and then on the Ouse to Hull.
The line officially opened on the 22nd September, 1834. When a train ran from Leeds Marsh Lane station to Selby starting at 0630. The train was pulled by the locomotive ‘Nelson’ built by Fenton Murray & Jackson of the famous Round Foundry in Leeds. The train was made up of 3 1st class closed carriages, 62nd class open carriages carrying 156 passengers. Around 20,000 people turned out to cheer the train on its way. The service did not get off to a great start as the weather was wet and the locomotive had difficulty surmounting the gradient out of Leeds, and arrived at about 0900 in Selby. However, the return journey only took 1 hour and 16 minutes.
There were 4 passenger trains each way a day plus a mail train with only 2 on a Sunday. It is assumed that all the ordinary trains stopped at Hambleton. The fare for 1st class in 1834 was 1 4/5d per mile (about 75p in 2017) and 1 1/5d (about 50p in 2017) for second class. The line was not used for goods services until 15th December, 1834. The line was linked by a junction at Milford with the York & North Midland Railway (Y&NMR) at Milford on 29th May, 1839. George Hudson of the Y&NMR saw an opportunity and leased the Leeds & Selby Railway for £17,000 per annum from 9th November, 1840 and finally purchased it for £210,000 on 23rd May, 1844, prior to its amalgamation with a number of other railways to become the North Eastern Railway on 31st July, 1854.