It had the customary goods facilities for wayside stations, plus a siding into Wharram Quarry, dominated by a large chalk silo.

[11][12] The line was originally conceived as part of a trunk route between Kingston-upon-Hull and the North East of England, but this came to very little.

Before the Second World War, intermittent excursion traffic called at Wharram to view the station's floral displays and well as the area's scenery.

[16] Freight traffic and occasional passenger specials[17][18][19] continued until the line closed completely on 20 October 1958, the last pickup goods having called on the 18th.

Traffic growth was dramatic, peaking in 1925 with 107,261 tons of chalk forwarded to Thirsk, bypassing Malton as the line had originally been conceived.