The station opened in June 1875 as the only intermediate one between the town of Masham and the junction of the line with the Leeds Northern Railway at Melmerby.

[3] By the time of the line's closure to passengers by the London and North Eastern Railway (LNER) in 1931, just four trains a day were calling at Tanfield.

[7] During the Second World War, ammunition storage in the area increased the number of trains through the station for offloading and forwarding too.

[5] Over 76,000 tonnes (84,000 tons) of munitions were stored near the station which were forwarded out on 42 armament trains in the weeks leading up to D-Day.

[10] The station footprint and goods yard was the location of some light industrial units until 2017 when they were converted into a small housing estate.