From the late 1700s until 1832, most of Leicester’s coal came from the Erewash valley mines, over 30 miles away, instead of the nearby collieries near Coalville, only 12 miles away. The Erewash coal was transported by canal, while the local Leicestershire coal had to be carried by pack horses on poorly maintained and hilly roads. This ment that the Erewash coal was markedly cheaper because it came in bulk compared with the much smaller loads from the local collieries.
After a failed attempt by Leicestershire coalmasters to build their own Charnwood Forest Canal in 1799, they sought help from George Stephenson, who was then working on the Liverpool and Manchester Railway. Both George and his son Robert were interested in the idea, leading to the opening of the Leicester & Swannington Railway in July 1832. It was the first railway in the Midlands.
Overnight, the price of rail-borne local coal fell dramatically. Unable to persuade the canal owners to reduce their tolls, the Erewash coalmasters decided to retaliate by building their own railway to Leicester with branches to Derby and Nottingham.
The place the Erewash Coalmasters decided to build the Midland Counties Railway in August 1832
Republished from our old website, John Gough writes about the history of the Midland Railway’s distinctive Milepost and how the Company managed its Mileage. We also put paid to the fallacy, often related in print, that the Midland was always “Up to Derby”!
Despite local support, the Midland Counties Railway (MCR) promoters struggled to raise capital and sought financial assistance from the Liverpool Party, a group of wealthy railway entrepreneurs from the northwest. The Liverpool Party saw the MCR as a key link connecting London with York and beyond, rather than just a coal transport line. In exchange for their support, the MCR had to give up plans for a line to the Erewash valley collieries and extend the railway beyond Leicester to Rugby, where it would connect with the London and Birmingham Railway (L&BR).
The MCR opened between Derby and Nottingham on 4th June, 1839, and reached Rugby on 1st July the following year.
The Birmingham & Derby Junction Railway (B&DJR) opened between Derby and Hampton-in-Arden in 1839, providing a second connection to the London & Birmingham line. The North Midland Railway (NMR) opened to Masborough (Rotherham) in May, 1840, and extended to Leeds in late June, 1840, with a junction at Normanton. Initially, each railway planned its own terminus in Derby, but it became clear that a joint station was more practical. The station, known as the Tri-Junct station was created.
None of the trio of railways was financially successful. Passengers from the NMR in Derby had to choose between the B&DJR route to Hampton or the shorter MCR route to Rugby, leading to a price war that pushed both companies to the brink of bankruptcy. The NMR faced significant debt repayments, worsened by the country’s economic depression in the early 1840s. Disgruntled NMR shareholders, led by George Hudson, staged a coup due to low dividends. Hudson, known as the Railway King, proposed the amalgamation of the three Derby railways. Despite initial reluctance from the MCR, they eventually agreed to the merger with B&DJR, forming the Midland Railway Company (MR) on 10th May, 1844, with Hudson as Chairman.
From these humble beginnings, the Midland Railway grew to become one of the country’s leading railways, expanding its services to Bath, Carlisle, Swansea, Southend, and even Northern Ireland after joining the London Midland and Scottish Railway on 1st January, 1923. The company faced tough competition on routes to cities like Sheffield, Leeds, Manchester, and Carlisle, but stood out with superior passenger comfort and service standards.
Additionally, the Midland transported significant amounts of freight and minerals, including millions of tons of coal from Nottinghamshire, Derbyshire, and Yorkshire mines. Despite George Hudson’s controversial tactics and subsequent imprisonment, the Midland Railway maintained its reputation and continued its expansion under new leadership following Hudson’s resignation.
Photographed in Wye Dale, Derbyshire Peak District, 1898. At the head of the train is a brand new 4-2-2 “Spinner” No. 127 behind which is a rake of clerestory roofed coaches. Midland locomotives and carriages were painted in a dark maroon livery.
For an account of the History of the Midland Railway see ‘The Best Way’ available in our SHOP
‘Records and the Midland Railway’ is a transcript of a speech by Dr John Gough on the nature of the records kept.
Our website contains information on all aspects of the Midland Railway, but for more information, visit the Midland Railway Study Centre.
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