It had been the CW&SLR's aim to run to the main Selby station from the outset, but this was thwarted by the NER, ostensibly because they were planning a significant upgrade.

[13] This ran a wide-ranging diagram including the Cawood branch[14] which came to a sudden end on 11 November 1926 when the railbus was destroyed by fire while refuelling at Selby.

After the end of passenger services the line went into steady decline in the face of road competition, which accelerated after the Second World War.

A handful of ancient 0-6-0Ts were regularly in charge, notably J71s 68285 and 68286 and veteran "Ironclad" J77 68406, with a J72 appearing more often in the late 1950s.

Selby locoshed closed in September 1959, after which the occasional "flyweight" freights were usually hauled by a Class 03 diesel shunter.

The journey time remained 17 minutes despite the extra mile to reach Selby's main station instead of Brayton Gates.

[25][26][27]The very last train, sent out to collect a stranded van and Cawood station's office equipment, ran on 23 May 1960, hauled by a diesel shunter.

[4] The track was lifted and the Selby Dam bridge was demolished by contractors in 1961, using road vehicles.

[30] The engine shed at Brayton Gates was used by railwaymen's mutual improvement classes for many years, but was demolished in 1963.