Mr. Lewis Director’s Pass
A new acquisition to the collection is worthy of remark, and a big thank you to our member, Richard Hodges, for spotting it at auction and keeping us updated on its progress. It is a Mother of Pearl Director’s Pass in the name of Mr. Lewis. The reverse has Midland Railway with a wyvern device. […]
Railway Veteran’s Association
Following an enquiry we have received through the Midland Railway Study Centre from a gentleman in Ireland whose ancestors worked for the Midland Railway, a bit of new light has been shone on this small pin in the collection (RFB30637). It was proudly worn by members of the Derby Branch of the Railway Veterans Association. […]
Fact of the Week 17
The Sun Hotel at Eastwood in Nottinghamshire is regarded as the birthplace of the Midland Railway. It is where a group of coalmasters decided to build the Midland Counties Railway in August 1832.
Fact of the Week 16
The job of a signalman was a responsible and skilled one. Most were men, as the name implied, but during the Great War women were recruited as men went off to war. Today’s railway employs ‘Signallers’.
Fact of the Week 15
The Midland Railway Study Centre in the Museum of Making at Derby has 64,000 items.
Fact of the Week 14
Before the Grouping of the railway in 1923, The MR was the third largest railway company in the UK with a route mileage of 1,521 miles.
Fact of the Week 13
The first Chairman of the MR was the infamous ‘Railway King’, George Hudson.
Fact of the Week 12
Four locomotive engineers served the MR during its existence: Matthew Kirtley, Samuel Waite Johnson, Richard Mountford Deeley and Henry Fowler.
Fact of the Week 11
Signal boxes (sometimes called cabins) were often built from ‘flat packs’ of wooden components made in Derby and assembled on site – a century before IKEA.
Fact of the Week 10
By 1907 the MR had expended £120 million of capital.