The Thorp(e) Arch estate was a munitions factory even after WWII, and continued into the mid 1950s. It had its own rail line which connected up with the NER/BR lines which ran to Wetherby-Spofforth; or in the other direction Wetherby-Walton Gates-Thorpe Arch- Tadcaster- and beyond.
Friends who worked at the munitions factory in the 1950s said it was a doddle and more like a holiday camp, - do a bit work, then play cards for a while.
When I was in the area in the 1960s most of the road signs had it spelled as Thorpe Arch, with the 'e'. I suppose a check of old maps might show how it was originally spelled.
