Midland Counties Railway
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| Stations and landmarks |
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Stations indented were built later |
The Midland Counties Railway (MCR) was a railway company in the United Kingdom which existed between 1832 and 1844, connecting Nottingham, Leicester and Derby with Rugby and thence to London. The MCR system connected with the North Midland Railway and the Birmingham and Derby Junction Railway in Derby at what become known as the Tri Junct Station. The three later became the foundation of the Midland Railway.
The East Midlands had for some years been at centre of plans to link the major cities throughout the country. However, the MCR grew up out of competition to supply coal to Leicester, a town which was rapidly industrialising and was a valuable market for coal. The competition was between the Coalville area of Leicestershire, and the Erewash Valley area of Nottinghamshire.
For many years, the Nottinghamshire coal miners had enjoyed a competitive advantage over their counterparts in Leicestershire, but in 1832 the latter opened the Leicester and Swannington Railway.
In August of that year, at one of the Nottinghamshire miner's regular meetings at the Sun Inn, at Eastwood the decision was taken to extend the Mansfield and Pinxton Railway to Leicester. Not surprisingly there was opposition from Leicestershire to the proposal. In October an alternative plan was proposed of bringing in Nottingham and Derby, as well as Leicester, using a junction at Long Eaton, with the stated aim that it would reduce any differences in coal prices between them, and added the possibility of extending to Rugby on the London and Birmingham Railway for a connection to London. For the first time, the new railway was referred to as the Midland Counties Railway.
Subscriptions were slow and the project was postponed for a year. This allowed time to survey the line to Rugby, and de-emphasise further its role as a colliery line competeing with Leicester. In March 1834 the possibiity was mooted of an extension to Sheffield. It was not until September,1835 that the line was put before Parliament. Much of the investment had come from financiers in Liverpool and Manchester, who were already heavily committed to the proposed North Midland Railway. They objected to the Pinxton connection through Chesterfield to Sheffield, which would conflict with their own line. Accordingly it was dropped. In order to connect the Mansfield and Pinxton to the Midland Counties the track would need to be widened and completely relaid, and this was also deferred.
Charles Vignoles was asked to re-assess the hodge-podge of previous plans from earlier schemes. He carried out a complete survey and suggested a number of improvements. After more delays, including a campaign for the line to go through Market Harborough and Northampton, instead of Rugby, the Bill was finally passed on 21 June 1836, without the connection to Pinxton. Since this was the original reason for building the railway, one can imagine the feelings of the Nottinghamshire miners.
The was finally opened in three stages (1):
- Derby to Nottingham 4 June 1839
- Trent Junction to Leicester 4 May 1840
- Leicester to Rugby 1 July 1840
One notable event was the first large organised excursion by rail, got up by the Nottingham Mechanics' Institute. A week later the Leicester Mechanics' Institute returned the compliment to Nottingham. After Thomas Cook began the tourist business, the MCR began organising excursions on its own account, on one occasion conveying some 2,400 people in a single train of 65 four-wheeled carriages and wagons. The fact that MCR's locomotives were all either single driving-wheeled or 0-4-0s, and small at that meant that the heavier the train, the more were added. The excursion must have been a sight to behold.
Initially the Midland Counties Railway did not prosper due to competition from the Birmingham and Derby Junction Railway which also transported coal from the East Midlands to London, via Hampton-in-Arden. An ensuing price war between the two companies almost drove both of them out of business. In 1844, the Midland Counties, the Birmingham and Derby Junction Railway and the North Midland Railway merged to form the Midland Railway. The following year the Leicester and Swannington Railway merged with the Midland Railway, and finally the Mansfield and Pinxton Railway was connected in 1849, and the connection from Trent Junction to Chesterfield was built.
Where the lines to Nottingham, Derby and Leicester met was called Trent Junction, with an interchange station opened in 1862, given the same name. This underwent many changes over the years, the station finally closing in 1968.
Most of the original Midland Counties line between Nottingham, Derby and Leicester is still operating today as part of the Midland Main Line. The original line into Derby, through what later became the site of Chaddesden Sidings, closed in 1969. Also part of the original route was abandoned when track alterations were put in with the opening of Trent Station in the 1860s. The stretch between Leicester and Rugby was closed in 1961. The line between Trent Junction and Chesterfield, known locally as the Erewash Valley Line, is still today the second most busy in the East Midlands, with freight to the south east of the country. The daily southbound Master Cutler travels along it directly from Sheffield to London, while a few expresses divert at Trowell just north of Trent, to call at Nottingham, before travelling to London. Although the old North Midlands through Derby is the main express line (since trains have to reverse at Nottingham), there is still a half-hourly service from Nottingham itself to London.
See also Midland Counties Railway Locomotives
[edit] References
- Ellis, C. Hamilton (1953). The Midland Railway. Ian Allan Ltd.
- The Nottingham and Derby Raiilway Companion, (1839) Nottingham: R.Allen
- The Midland Counties Railway: 1839-1989 (1989) Midland Railway Trust
