The Midland Railway (MR) was a
railway
Rail transport (also known as train transport) is a means of transport that transfers passengers and goods on wheeled vehicles running on rails, which are incorporated in tracks. In contrast to road transport, where the vehicles run on a p ...
company in the United Kingdom from
1844
In the Philippines, it was the only leap year with 365 days, as December 31 was skipped when 1845 began after December 30.
Events
January–March
* January 15 – The University of Notre Dame, based in the city of the same name, receives ...
.
The Midland was one of the largest railway companies in Britain in the early 20th century, and the largest employer in Derby, where it had its headquarters. It amalgamated with several other railways to create the
London, Midland and Scottish Railway at
grouping
Grouping may refer to:
* Muenchian grouping
* Principles of grouping
* Railways Act 1921, also known as Grouping Act, a reorganisation of the British railway system
* Grouping (firearms), the pattern of multiple shots from a sidearm
See also ...
in 1922.
The Midland had a large network of lines emanating from Derby, stretching to
London St Pancras,
Manchester
Manchester () is a city in Greater Manchester, England. It had a population of 552,000 in 2021. It is bordered by the Cheshire Plain to the south, the Pennines to the north and east, and the neighbouring city of Salford to the west. The ...
,
Carlisle,
Birmingham
Birmingham ( ) is a city and metropolitan borough in the metropolitan county of West Midlands in England. It is the second-largest city in the United Kingdom with a population of 1.145 million in the city proper, 2.92 million in the We ...
, and the South West. It expanded as much through acquisitions as by building its own lines. It also operated ships from
Heysham in Lancashire to
Douglas
Douglas may refer to:
People
* Douglas (given name)
* Douglas (surname)
Animals
*Douglas (parrot), macaw that starred as the parrot ''Rosalinda'' in Pippi Longstocking
* Douglas the camel, a camel in the Confederate Army in the American Civil ...
and
Belfast
Belfast ( , ; from ga, Béal Feirste , meaning 'mouth of the sand-bank ford') is the capital and largest city of Northern Ireland, standing on the banks of the River Lagan on the east coast. It is the 12th-largest city in the United Kingdom ...
. A large amount of the Midland's infrastructure remains in use and visible, such as the
Midland main line and the
Settle–Carlisle line, and some of its railway hotels still bear the name ''
Midland Hotel''.
History
Origins
The Midland Railway originated from 1832 in
Leicestershire /
Nottinghamshire
Nottinghamshire (; abbreviated Notts.) is a landlocked county in the East Midlands region of England, bordering South Yorkshire to the north-west, Lincolnshire to the east, Leicestershire to the south, and Derbyshire to the west. The trad ...
, with the purpose of serving the needs of local coal owners.
The company was formed on 10 May 1844 by the merger of the
Midland Counties Railway
The Midland Counties' Railway (MCR) was a railway company in the United Kingdom which existed between 1839 and 1844, connecting Nottingham, Leicester and Derby with Rugby and thence, via the London and Birmingham Railway, to London. The MCR ...
, the
North Midland Railway, and the
Birmingham and Derby Junction Railway, the
Birmingham and Gloucester Railway joined two years later. These met at the
Tri-Junct station at Derby, where the MR established its
locomotive and later its
carriage and wagon works.
Leading it were
George Hudson from the North Midland, and
John Ellis from the Midland Counties.
James Allport
Sir James Joseph Allport (27 February 181125 April 1892) was an English railway manager.
Life
He was a son of William Allport, of Birmingham and was associated with railways from an early period of his life.
In 1843, joined the Birmingham and ...
from the
Birmingham and Derby Junction Railway found a place elsewhere in Hudson's empire with the
York, Newcastle and Berwick Railway, though he later returned.
The MR was in a commanding position having its Derby headquarters at the junctions of the two main routes from London to Scotland, by its connections to the
London and Birmingham Railway in the south, and from
York
York is a cathedral city with Roman origins, sited at the confluence of the rivers Ouse and Foss in North Yorkshire, England. It is the historic county town of Yorkshire. The city has many historic buildings and other structures, such as a ...
via the
York and North Midland Railway in the north.
Consolidation
Almost immediately it took over the
Sheffield and Rotherham Railway and the
Erewash Valley Line in 1845, the latter giving access to the
Nottinghamshire
Nottinghamshire (; abbreviated Notts.) is a landlocked county in the East Midlands region of England, bordering South Yorkshire to the north-west, Lincolnshire to the east, Leicestershire to the south, and Derbyshire to the west. The trad ...
and
Derbyshire
Derbyshire ( ) is a ceremonial county in the East Midlands, England. It includes much of the Peak District National Park, the southern end of the Pennine range of hills and part of the National Forest. It borders Greater Manchester to the nor ...
coalfields. It absorbed the
Mansfield and Pinxton Railway in 1847, extending the Erewash Valley Line from the latter between
Chesterfield and
Trent Junction at
Long Eaton, completed to Chesterfield in 1862, giving access to the coalfields that became its major source of income. Passengers from
Sheffield
Sheffield is a city in South Yorkshire, England, whose name derives from the River Sheaf which runs through it. The city serves as the administrative centre of the City of Sheffield. It is historically part of the West Riding of Yorkshire ...
continued to use
Rotherham Masborough until a direct route was completed in 1870.
Meanwhile, it extended its influence into the
Leicestershire coalfields, by buying the
Leicester and Swannington Railway
The Leicester and Swannington Railway (L&SR) was one of England's first railways, built to bring coal from West Leicestershire collieries to Leicester, where there was great industrial demand for coal. The line opened in 1832, and included a tun ...
in 1846, and extending it to Burton in 1849.
The South-West
After the merger, London trains were carried on the shorter Midland Counties route. The former
Birmingham and Derby Junction Railway was left with the traffic to Birmingham and
Bristol
Bristol () is a City status in the United Kingdom, city, Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county and unitary authority in England. Situated on the River Avon, Bristol, River Avon, it is bordered by the ceremonial counties of Glouces ...
, an important seaport. The original 1839 line from Derby had run to
Hampton-in-Arden: the
Birmingham and Derby Junction Railway had built a terminus at
Lawley Street in 1842, and on 1 May 1851 the MR started to run into
Curzon Street
Curzon Street is located within the Mayfair district of London. The street is located entirely within the W1J postcode district; the eastern end is north-east of Green Park underground station. It is within the City of Westminster, running a ...
.
The line south was the
Birmingham and Bristol Railway
The Birmingham and Bristol Railway was a short-lived railway company, formed in 1845 by the merger of the Birmingham and Gloucester Railway and the Bristol and Gloucester Railway.
Origin
At Gloucester the latter had formed a junction with the ...
, which reached Curzon Street via
Camp Hill. These two lines had been formed by the merger of the
standard gauge Birmingham and Gloucester Railway and the
broad gauge Bristol and Gloucester Railway
The Bristol and Gloucester Railway was a railway company opened in 1844 to run services between Bristol and Gloucester. It was built on the , but it was acquired in 1845 by the Midland Railway, which also acquired the Birmingham and Gloucester Ra ...
.
They met at
Gloucester
Gloucester ( ) is a cathedral city and the county town of Gloucestershire in the South West of England. Gloucester lies on the River Severn, between the Cotswolds to the east and the Forest of Dean to the west, east of Monmouth and east o ...
via a short loop of the
Cheltenham and Great Western Union Railway
The Cheltenham and Great Western Union Railway was a railway company intended to link Cheltenham, Gloucester and Swindon, in England. It was authorised in 1836 but it found it very hard to raise money for the construction, and it opened only a p ...
. The change of gauge at Gloucester meant that everything had to be transferred between trains, creating chaos, and the C&GWU was owned by the
Great Western Railway, which wished to extend its network by taking over the Bristol to Birmingham route. While the two parties were bickering over the price, the MR's John Ellis overheard two directors of the
Birmingham and Bristol Railway
The Birmingham and Bristol Railway was a short-lived railway company, formed in 1845 by the merger of the Birmingham and Gloucester Railway and the Bristol and Gloucester Railway.
Origin
At Gloucester the latter had formed a junction with the ...
on a London train discussing the business, and pledged that the MR would match anything the Great Western would offer.
Since it would have brought broad gauge into Curzon Street with the possibility of extending it to the Mersey, it was something that the other standard gauge lines wished to avoid, and they pledged to assist the MR with any losses it might incur.
In the event all that was necessary was for the later
LNWR to share
Birmingham New Street
Birmingham New Street is the largest and busiest of the three main railway stations in Birmingham city centre, England, and a central hub of the British railway system. It is a major destination for Avanti West Coast services from , and vi ...
with the Midland when it was opened in 1854, and
Lawley Street became a goods depot.
Eastern competition
The MR controlled all the traffic to the North East and Scotland from London. The LNWR was progressing slowly through the Lake District, and there was pressure for a direct line from London to York. Permission had been gained for the
Northern and Eastern Railway to run through
Peterborough
Peterborough () is a cathedral city in Cambridgeshire, east of England. It is the largest part of the City of Peterborough unitary authority district (which covers a larger area than Peterborough itself). It was part of Northamptonshire unti ...
and
Lincoln but it had barely reached
Cambridge
Cambridge ( ) is a university city and the county town in Cambridgeshire, England. It is located on the River Cam approximately north of London. As of the 2021 United Kingdom census, the population of Cambridge was 145,700. Cambridge bec ...
.
Two obvious extensions of the Midland Counties line were from
Nottingham
Nottingham ( , locally ) is a city and unitary authority area in Nottinghamshire, East Midlands, England. It is located north-west of London, south-east of Sheffield and north-east of Birmingham. Nottingham has links to the legend of Robi ...
to Lincoln and from
Leicester to Peterborough. They had not been proceeded with, but Hudson saw that they would make ideal "stoppers": if the cities concerned were provided with a rail service, it would make it more difficult to justify another line. They were approved while the bill for the direct line was still before Parliament, forming the present day
Lincoln Branch and the
Syston to Peterborough Line.
The
Leeds and Bradford Railway had been approved in 1844. By 1850 it was losing money but a number of railways offered to buy it. Hudson made an offer more or less on his own account and the line gave the MR an exit to the north, which became the start of the Settle and Carlisle line, and it gave the MR a much more convenient station at
Leeds Wellington.
In spite of the objections of Hudson, for the MR and others, the "London and York Railway" (later the
Great Northern Railway) led by
Edmund Denison persisted, and the bill passed through Parliament in 1846.
The Battle of Nottingham
In 1851 the
Ambergate, Nottingham, Boston and Eastern Junction Railway completed its line from
Grantham
Grantham () is a market and industrial town in the South Kesteven district of Lincolnshire, England, situated on the banks of the River Witham and bounded to the west by the A1 road. It lies some 23 miles (37 km) south of the Lincoln a ...
as far as
Colwick, from where a branch led to the MR Nottingham station. The
Great Northern Railway by then passed through Grantham and both railway companies paid court to the fledgling line. Meanwhile, Nottingham had woken up to its branch line status and was keen to expand. The MR made a takeover offer only to discover that a shareholder of the
GN had already gathered a quantity of Ambergate shares. An attempt to amalgamate the line with the
GN was foiled by Ellis, who managed to obtain an
Order in Chancery preventing the GN from running into Nottingham. However, in 1851 it opened a new service to the north that included Nottingham.
In 1852 an
ANB&EJR train arrived in Nottingham with a
GN locomotive at its head. When it uncoupled and went to run round the train, it found its way blocked by a MR engine while another blocked its retreat. The engine was shepherded to a nearby shed and the tracks were lifted. This episode became known as the "Battle of Nottingham" and, with the action moved to the courtroom, it was seven months before the locomotive was released.
The Euston Square Confederacy
The
London and Birmingham Railway and its successor the
London and North Western Railway had been under pressure from two directions. Firstly the Great Western Railway had been foiled in its attempt to enter Birmingham by the Midland, but it still had designs on Manchester. At the same time the LNWR was under threat from the GN's attempts to enter Manchester by the
Manchester, Sheffield and Lincolnshire Railway.
To London
King's Cross 1857–1868
In 1850 the MR, though much more secure, was still a provincial line. Ellis realised that if it were to fend off its competitors it must expand outwards. The first step, in 1853, was to appoint
James Allport
Sir James Joseph Allport (27 February 181125 April 1892) was an English railway manager.
Life
He was a son of William Allport, of Birmingham and was associated with railways from an early period of his life.
In 1843, joined the Birmingham and ...
as general manager, and the next was to shake off the dependence on the LNWR to
London
London is the capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary dow ...
.
Although a bill for a line from
Hitchin into
King's Cross jointly with the
GN, was passed in 1847 it had not been proceeded with.
The bill was resubmitted in 1853 with the support of the people of Bedford, whose branch to the LNWR was slow and unreliable, and with the knowledge of the Northamptonshire iron deposits.
The Leicester and Hitchin Railway ran from
Wigston to
Market Harborough, through
Desborough,
Kettering
Kettering is a market and industrial town in North Northamptonshire, England. It is located north of London and north-east of Northampton, west of the River Ise, a tributary of the River Nene. The name means "the place (or territory) ...
,
Wellingborough and
Bedford
Bedford is a market town in Bedfordshire, England. At the 2011 Census, the population of the Bedford built-up area (including Biddenham and Kempston) was 106,940, making it the second-largest settlement in Bedfordshire, behind Luton, whilst t ...
, then on the
Bedford to Hitchin Line
Bedford is a market town in Bedfordshire, England. At the 2011 Census, the population of the Bedford built-up area (including Biddenham and Kempston) was 106,940, making it the second-largest settlement in Bedfordshire, behind Luton, whilst th ...
, joining the GN at
Hitchin for King's Cross. The line began its life in a proposition presented for the shareholders by George Hudson on 2 May 1842 as: "To vest £600,000 in the South Midland Railway Company in their line from Wigston to Hitchin." a full decade before realisation. The delay was partly due to the withdrawal of GN's interest in the competing scheme, the Bedford and Leicester Railway, after Midland purchased the Leicester and Swannington Railway and the Ashby Canal and Tramway, which were to have been the feeder lines. With the competition thwarted there was less rush to have this line as well as its branch lines to Huntingdon (from Kettering) and Northampton (from Bedford) finished. Both these branches were subsequently built by independent companies.
While this took some of the pressure off the route through Rugby, the GNR insisted that passengers for London alight at Hitchin, buying tickets in the short time available, to catch a GNR train to finish their journey.
James Allport
Sir James Joseph Allport (27 February 181125 April 1892) was an English railway manager.
Life
He was a son of William Allport, of Birmingham and was associated with railways from an early period of his life.
In 1843, joined the Birmingham and ...
arranged a seven-year deal with the
GN to run into King's Cross for a guaranteed £20,000 a year (),. Through services to London were introduced in February 1858. The construction of the Leicester and Hitchin railway cost £1,750,000
().
St Pancras 1868
By 1860 the MR was in a much better position and was able to approach new ventures aggressively. Its carriage of coal and iron – and beer from
Burton-on-Trent – had increased by three times and passenger numbers were rising, as they were on the GN. Since GN trains took precedence on its own lines, MR passengers were becoming more and more delayed. Finally in 1862 the decision was taken for the MR to have its own terminus in the Capital, as befitted a national railway.
On 22 June 1863, the Midland Railway (Extension to London) Bill was passed:
:"An Act for the Construction by the Midland Railway Company of a new Line of Railway between London and Bedford, with Branches therefrom; and for other Purpose".
The new line deviated at Bedford, through a gap in the
Chiltern Hills at
Luton
Luton () is a town and unitary authority with borough status, in Bedfordshire, England. At the 2011 census, the Luton built-up area subdivision had a population of 211,228 and its built-up area, including the adjacent towns of Dunstable an ...
, reaching London by curving around
Hampstead Heath to a point between King's Cross and Euston. The line from
Bedford
Bedford is a market town in Bedfordshire, England. At the 2011 Census, the population of the Bedford built-up area (including Biddenham and Kempston) was 106,940, making it the second-largest settlement in Bedfordshire, behind Luton, whilst t ...
to
Moorgate opened for passenger services on 13 July 1868 with services into
St Pancras station starting on 1 October 1868.
St Pancras station is a marvel of
Gothic Revival architecture
Gothic Revival (also referred to as Victorian Gothic, neo-Gothic, or Gothick) is an architectural movement that began in the late 1740s in England. The movement gained momentum and expanded in the first half of the 19th century, as increasingly ...
, in the form of the
Midland Grand Hotel by
Gilbert Scott, which faces
Euston Road, and the wrought-iron train shed designed by
William Barlow. Its construction was not simple, since it had to approach through the ancient
St Pancras Old Church graveyard. Below was the Fleet Sewer, while a branch from the main line ran underground with a steep gradient beneath the station to join the
Metropolitan Railway, which ran parallel to what is now Euston Road.
The construction of the London Extension railway cost £9,000,000
().
To Manchester
From the 1820s proposals for lines from London and the East Midlands had been proposed, and they had considered using the
Cromford and High Peak Railway to reach Manchester (
See Derby station).
Finally the MR joined with the
Manchester and Birmingham Railway (M&BR), which was also looking for a route to London from Manchester, in a proposal for a line from
Ambergate. The
Manchester, Buxton, Matlock and Midlands Junction Railway, it received the Royal Assent in 1846, in spite of opposition from the
Sheffield, Ashton-Under-Lyne and Manchester Railway. It was completed as far as
Rowsley a few miles north of
Matlock in 1849. However the M&BR had become part of the LNWR in 1846, thus instead of being a partner it had an interest in thwarting the Midland.
In 1863 the MR reached Buxton, just as the LNWR arrived from the other direction by the
Stockport, Disley and Whaley Bridge Railway
The Stockport, Disley and Whaley Bridge Railway was an early railway company in England which was opened in 1857 between Stockport Edgeley and Whaley Bridge.
Origins
As early as 1828 when the Cromford and High Peak Railway and the Liverpool ...
. In 1867 the MR began an alternative line through Wirksworth (now the
Ecclesbourne Valley Railway), to avoid the problem of the Ambergate line. The section from Wirksworth to Rowsley, which would have involved some tricky engineering, was not completed because the MR gained control of the original line in 1871, but access to Manchester was still blocked at Buxton. At length an agreement was made with the
Manchester, Sheffield and Lincolnshire Railway (MS&LR) to share lines from a branch at
Millers Dale
Millers Dale (Ordnance Survey: Miller's Dale) is a valley on the River Wye in Derbyshire, England, where there is also a hamlet of the same name.
It is a popular beauty spot in the Peak District of England, much of the area being preserved as ...
and running almost alongside the LNWR, in what became known as the
Sheffield and Midland Railway Companies' Committee
The Sheffield and Midland Railway Companies' Committee was incorporated by Act of Parliament in 1869 as a joint venture between the Midland Railway and the Manchester, Sheffield and Lincolnshire Railway.
Origins
For many years the Midland had be ...
.
Continuing friction with the LNWR caused the MR to join the MS&LR and the GN in the
Cheshire Lines Committee, which also gave scope for wider expansion into Lancashire and Cheshire, and finally a new station at
Manchester Central.
In the meantime Sheffield had at last gained a main-line station. Following representations by the council in 1867 the MR promised to build a through line within two years. To the MR's surprise, the Sheffield councillors then backed an improbable speculation called the Sheffield, Chesterfield, Bakewell, Ashbourne, Stafford and Uttoxeter Railway. This was unsurprisingly rejected by Parliament and the Midland built its "New Road" into a station at Pond Street.
Among the last of the major lines built by the MR was a connection between Sheffield and Manchester, by a branch at
Dore to
Chinley, opened in 1894 through the
Totley
Totley is a suburb on the extreme southwest of the City of Sheffield, in South Yorkshire, England. Lying in the historic county boundaries of Derbyshire, Totley was amalgamated into the city of Sheffield in 1933, and is today part of the Dor ...
and
Cowburn Tunnels, now the
Hope Valley Line.
To Scotland
In the 1870s a dispute with the
London and North Western Railway (LNWR) over access rights to the LNWR line to Scotland caused the MR to construct the
Settle and Carlisle line,
the highest main line in England, to secure access to Scotland.
The dispute with the LNWR was settled before the Settle and Carlisle was built, but
Parliament
In modern politics, and history, a parliament is a legislative body of government. Generally, a modern parliament has three functions: representing the electorate, making laws, and overseeing the government via hearings and inquiries. Th ...
refused to allow the MR to withdraw from the project. The MR was also under pressure from Scottish railway companies, which were eagerly awaiting the Midland traffic reaching Carlisle as it would allow them to challenge the
Caledonian Railway's dominance on the West Coast traffic to Glasgow and Edinburgh. The
Glasgow and South Western Railway had its own route from Carlisle to Glasgow via Dumfries and Kilmarnock, whilst the
North British Railway had built the
Waverley Line through the Scottish Borders from Carlisle to Edinburgh. The MR was obliged to go ahead and the Settle to Carlisle opened in 1876.
Later history
The
Nottingham direct line of the Midland Railway The Nottingham direct line of the Midland Railway was a new route created in 1879 to relieve congestion on the established routes of the Midland Railway, in England. It consisted of two connecting lines that, together with part of an existing route, ...
opened for goods traffic on 1 December 1879 and for passenger traffic on 1 March 1880.
By the middle of the decade investment had been paid for; passenger travel was increasing, with new comfortable trains; and the mainstay of the line – goods, particularly minerals – was increasing dramatically.
Allport retired in 1880, to be succeeded by John Noble and then by George Turner. By the new century the quantity of goods, particularly coal, was clogging the network. The passenger service was acquiring a reputation for lateness. Lord Farrar reorganised the expresses, but by 1905 the whole system was so overloaded that no one was able to predict when many of the trains would reach their destinations. At this point Sir
Guy Granet
Sir William Guy Granet, Order of the British Empire, GBE (13 October 1867 – 11 October 1943) trained as a barrister but became a noted railway administrator, first as general manager of the Midland Railway then as a director-general in the War ...
took over as general manager. He introduced a centralised traffic control system, and the locomotive power classifications that became the model for those used by British Railways.
The MR acquired other lines, including the
Belfast and Northern Counties Railway in 1903 and the
London, Tilbury and Southend Railway in 1912. It had running rights on some lines, and it developed lines in partnership with other railways, being involved in more 'Joint' lines than any other. In partnership with the GN it owned the
Midland and Great Northern Joint Railway to provide connections from the Midlands to East Anglia, the UK's biggest joint railway. The MR provided motive power for the
Somerset & Dorset Joint Railway
The Somerset and Dorset Joint Railway, also known as the S&D, SDJR or S&DJR, was an England, English railway line connecting Bath, Somerset, Bath (in north-east Somerset) and Bournemouth (now in south-east Dorset but then in Hampshire), with ...
, and was a one-third partner in the
Cheshire Lines Committee.
In 1913, the company achieved a total revenue of £15,129,136 () with working expenses of £9,416,981 ().
First World War and the Grouping
With the onset of the
First World War
World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was List of wars and anthropogenic disasters by death toll, one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, ...
in 1914, unified Government control of the Midland, and all the main line railways, was imposed through the medium of the Railway Executive Committee. The Midland retained its private sector independence, being given income to match 1913 levels, but was required to undertake huge volumes of military traffic, largely freight, with little opportunity to maintain the network and rolling stock.
At the end of the war, the railways were worn out and it was obvious that resumption of pre-war business was impossible. The Government passed the
Railways Act 1921 by which all the main line railways were amalgamated into one or other of four new large concerns, in a process known as the "Grouping". The Midland Railway was a constituent of the new
London Midland and Scottish Railway (LMS) from the beginning of 1923; it was the largest joint stock company in the world.
[Williams, pages 161 to 165][David Wragg, LMS Handbook, Haynes Publishing, Yeovil, 2010, ISBN 978 1 84425 828 4, pages 9, 11, 21 to 24]
Acquisitions
Ships
The MR operated ships from
Heysham to
Douglas
Douglas may refer to:
People
* Douglas (given name)
* Douglas (surname)
Animals
*Douglas (parrot), macaw that starred as the parrot ''Rosalinda'' in Pippi Longstocking
* Douglas the camel, a camel in the Confederate Army in the American Civil ...
and
Belfast
Belfast ( , ; from ga, Béal Feirste , meaning 'mouth of the sand-bank ford') is the capital and largest city of Northern Ireland, standing on the banks of the River Lagan on the east coast. It is the 12th-largest city in the United Kingdom ...
.
Emblems
The coat of arms combines the symbols of Birmingham, Derby, Bristol, Leicester, Lincoln and Leeds. The
wyvern
A wyvern ( , sometimes spelled wivern) is a legendary winged dragon that has two legs.
The wyvern in its various forms is important in heraldry, frequently appearing as a mascot of schools and athletic teams (chiefly in the United States, U ...
, a legendary bipedal dragon, was used extensively as an emblem by the Midland, having inherited it from the
Leicester and Swannington Railway
The Leicester and Swannington Railway (L&SR) was one of England's first railways, built to bring coal from West Leicestershire collieries to Leicester, where there was great industrial demand for coal. The line opened in 1832, and included a tun ...
. The MR, which used a wyvern ''sans legs'' (legless) above its crest, asserted that the "wyvern was the standard of the Kingdom of Mercia", and that it was "a quartering in the town arms of Leicester". The symbol appeared on everything from station buildings and bridges down to china, cutlery and chamber pots in its hotels, and was worn as a silver badge by all uniformed employees. However, in 1897 the ''Railway Magazine'' noted that there appeared "to be no foundation that the wyvern was associated with the Kingdom of Mercia". It has been associated with
Leicester since the time of
Thomas, 2nd Earl of Lancaster and Leicester (c. 1278–1322), the most powerful lord in the Midlands, who used it as his personal crest, and was recorded in a heraldic visitation of the town in 1619.
Accidents and incidents
* In June 1850, the boiler of a locomotive exploded at
Kegworth railway station,
Nottinghamshire
Nottinghamshire (; abbreviated Notts.) is a landlocked county in the East Midlands region of England, bordering South Yorkshire to the north-west, Lincolnshire to the east, Leicestershire to the south, and Derbyshire to the west. The trad ...
.
* In 1850, a train was in a rear-end collision with an excursion train at station,
Yorkshire
Yorkshire ( ; abbreviated Yorks), formally known as the County of York, is a Historic counties of England, historic county in northern England and by far the largest in the United Kingdom. Because of its large area in comparison with other Eng ...
. The cause was a signal not being lit at night.
* In 1853, the boiler of a locomotive exploded whilst it was hauling a freight train near
Bristol
Bristol () is a City status in the United Kingdom, city, Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county and unitary authority in England. Situated on the River Avon, Bristol, River Avon, it is bordered by the ceremonial counties of Glouces ...
,
Gloucestershire
Gloucestershire ( abbreviated Glos) is a county in South West England. The county comprises part of the Cotswold Hills, part of the flat fertile valley of the River Severn and the entire Forest of Dean.
The county town is the city of ...
.
[
* On 28 August 1875, a passenger train overran signals and was in a rear-end collision with an excursion train at ]Kildwick
Kildwick, or Kildwick-in-Craven, is a village and civil parish of the district of Craven in North Yorkshire, England. It is situated between Skipton and Keighley and had a population of 191 in 2001, rising slightly to 194 at the 2011 census. ...
, Yorkshire
Yorkshire ( ; abbreviated Yorks), formally known as the County of York, is a Historic counties of England, historic county in northern England and by far the largest in the United Kingdom. Because of its large area in comparison with other Eng ...
. Seven people were killed and 39 were injured.[
* On 11 August 1880, a passenger train was derailed at , ]Lancashire
Lancashire ( , ; abbreviated Lancs) is the name of a historic county, ceremonial county, and non-metropolitan county in North West England. The boundaries of these three areas differ significantly.
The non-metropolitan county of Lancas ...
. Eight people were killed and 23 were injured.[
* On 19 August 1880, a passenger train stops inside Blea Moor Tunnel, ]Yorkshire
Yorkshire ( ; abbreviated Yorks), formally known as the County of York, is a Historic counties of England, historic county in northern England and by far the largest in the United Kingdom. Because of its large area in comparison with other Eng ...
due to a faulty brake pipe. An express passenger train overruns signals and is in a rear-end collision at low speed.[
* On 27 August 1887, an express passenger train overran signals and collided with a freight train that was being shunted at Wath station, ]Yorkshire
Yorkshire ( ; abbreviated Yorks), formally known as the County of York, is a Historic counties of England, historic county in northern England and by far the largest in the United Kingdom. Because of its large area in comparison with other Eng ...
. Twenty-two people were injured.
:
* On 9 June 1892, a passenger train overran signals and was in collision with another at Esholt Junction, Yorkshire
Yorkshire ( ; abbreviated Yorks), formally known as the County of York, is a Historic counties of England, historic county in northern England and by far the largest in the United Kingdom. Because of its large area in comparison with other Eng ...
. Five people were killed and 30 were injured.
* On 3 December 1892, a freight train crashed at Wymondham Junction., Leicestershire, severely damaging the signal box.
:
* On 2 September 1898, an express passenger train was derailed at , Northamptonshire
Northamptonshire (; abbreviated Northants.) is a county in the East Midlands of England. In 2015, it had a population of 723,000. The county is administered by
two unitary authorities: North Northamptonshire and West Northamptonshire. It ...
by a trolley that had fallen off the platform onto the track. Seven people were killed and 65 were injured.
* On 24 July 1900, a passenger train was derailed at , Lancashire. One person was killed.
* On 1 December 1900, a freight train was derailed at Peckwash near Duffield, Derbyshire.
* On 23 December 1904, an express passenger train was derailed at , Buckinghamshire due to excessive speed on a curve. Another express passenger train collided with the wreckage at low speed. Four people were killed.[
* On 19 January 1905, an express passenger train overran signals and was in collision with a passenger train at , ]Yorkshire
Yorkshire ( ; abbreviated Yorks), formally known as the County of York, is a Historic counties of England, historic county in northern England and by far the largest in the United Kingdom. Because of its large area in comparison with other Eng ...
. Seven people were killed.[
* In June 1907, a luggage train was derailed by trap points at Silkstream Junction after the driver misread signals.]
:
* On 24 December 1910, an express passenger train was in a rear-end collision with two light engines near Moorcock Tunnel, to the south of Ais Gill summit, due to errors by the signalman at and the firemen of the light engines. The train was derailed and caught fire. Twelve people were killed and seventeen were injured.
:
* On 2 September 1913, a passenger train overran a signal and was in a rear-end collision with another passenger train between Mallerstang and Ais Gill, i.e. to the north of Ais Gill summit. Sixteen people were killed and 38 were injured.
Notable people
;Chairmen
* George Hudson 1844 – 1849
* John Ellis 1849 – 1856
* William Evans Hutchinson 1864 – 1870
* William Philip Price 1870 – 1873
* Edward Shipley Ellis 1873 – 1879
* Matthew William Thompson
Sir Matthew William Thompson Bt (1 February 1820 – 1 December 1891) was a British railway director and Liberal Party politician.
He was elected as Member of Parliament (MP) for Bradford in West Yorkshire at a by-election in 1867, but did not co ...
1880 – 1890
* (George) Ernest Paget 1890 – 1911
* George Murray Smith 1911 – 1919
* Charles Booth 1919 – 1922
* (William) Guy Granet
Sir William Guy Granet, Order of the British Empire, GBE (13 October 1867 – 11 October 1943) trained as a barrister but became a noted railway administrator, first as general manager of the Midland Railway then as a director-general in the War ...
1922 – 1923
;General Managers
* Joseph Sanders 1849 – 1853 (afterwards Secretary)
* James Joseph Allport 1853 – 1857
* W. L. Newcombe 1857 – 1860
* James Joseph Allport 1860 – 1880
* John Noble 1880 – 1892
* George Henry Turner 1892 – 1901
* John Mathieson 1901 – 1905
* (William) Guy Granet
Sir William Guy Granet, Order of the British Empire, GBE (13 October 1867 – 11 October 1943) trained as a barrister but became a noted railway administrator, first as general manager of the Midland Railway then as a director-general in the War ...
1905 – 1918[E. G. Barnes (1969). ''The Midland main line 1875–1922'', London : George Allen and Unwin, , pp. 223–224]
* Frank Tatlow 1918 – 1922 (formerly deputy general manager)
;Locomotive Superintendents and Chief Mechanical Engineers
* Matthew Kirtley 1844 – 1873 (LS)
* Samuel Waite Johnson 1873 – 1904 (LS)
* Richard Deeley
Richard Mountford Deeley (24 October 1855 – 19 June 1944) was an English engineer, chiefly noted for his five years as Chief Mechanical Engineer (CME) of the Midland Railway. Richard Deeley is recorded as being born in Derby
His father had ...
1904 – 1909 (CME)
* Henry Fowler 1909 – 1923 (CME)
** James Anderson 1915 – 1919 (temporary)
;Resident Engineers
* William Henry Barlow 1842 – 1857 (afterwards Consulting Engineer)
;Chief Architect
* John Holloway Sanders
John Holloway Sanders FRIBA (1825 – 16 October 1884) was an architect based in England and chief architect of the Midland Railway until 1884.
His date of appointment as Chief Architect to the Midland Railway is not known, but he is recorded as ...
c.1854 – 1884
* Charles Trubshaw 1884 – 1905
;Solicitors
* Samuel Carter MP 1835 – 1868
See also
* Midland Railway War Memorial, Derby
* Locomotives of the Midland Railway
References
Sources
*
*
*
*
Further reading
*
*
*
*
*
External links
Midland Railway Society
Midland Railway Study Centre at Derby
Midland Railway loco photo at National Railway Museum
RCHS Media Archive - Midland Railway
{{LMSconstituents
British companies established in 1844
Railway companies established in 1844
Pre-grouping British railway companies
London, Midland and Scottish Railway constituents
Companies based in Derby
Collections of Derby Museum and Art Gallery