MRS Journal No. 13 (Spring 2000)

Table of Contents

• Early Accidents on the Midland Railway: 1845 (part 2) / By Chris Rouse
• Midland Railway Literature (11) / By Ted Hancock
• Horse-drawn Passemger Trains on the Midland Railway / By Roger Brettle
• Locomotive Aesthetics / By Jack Braithwaite
• Penny a Mile Variations on the Midland / By Glynn Waite
• Conditions of Service for Female Staff
• Comments on Items in Previous Journals
  • Defence of railways
  • Into the next millenium…
  • The johnson single framed six coupled goods tender engines
  • Platelayers brick cabin
  • The Midland Railway Institute at Hasland
• Query Corner
  • Query 19 (new query) : From Bristol to the Continent via the Midland Railway and Hull
• Posters & Poster Boards

• Front cover
  Branston Junction signalbox was situated just over 1¼ miles on the Birmingham side of Burton station. This particular structure – a Type 2a box, with the older style enamel name board – was opened on 15th September 1889. The work was probably associated with the opening of a new station, situated slightly to the west, on 1st October. This view, with a permanent way gang in the foreground and, possibly, the Station Master looking from the side window, was taken from a position by the points leading to the No.1 Up Goods line. The covered area behind the two men on the right of the group contained the facing point lock for the Down Goods line. It’s lifting bar can be seen below the box steps. The date is uncertain, but the junction signals suggest that it is after 1901 when the Down Goods line to Dunstall was opened, but before 1912, as the tall disc signal at the right hand end of the box – which acted as an indicator and was worked from a lever stage on Branston station – was removed during that year.
  [Photo – Society Archive: Notes by Tony Overton]
• Rear cover
  The Midland’s Publicity Department was second to none in advertising the Company’s facilities. This is the cover of a free booklet produced in connection with the World’s Fair in Chicago in 1893 which was available at the Company’s exhibition stand. It contained a brief history of the Midland and its facilities, and a guide to places of interest on the system based around an arrival in Liverpool. There is also a list of photographs on exhibit at the World’s Fair and a fold-out map.