At the end of its existence, the MR had over 120,000 wagons of which 60% was used to carry coal. Of the remaining 40% of wagons, most were used to carry goods of various kinds in open or covered vehicles and for the steel industry this meant a number of large special wagons for plates and boilers.

The Industrial Revolution developed in the Midlands with coal mining and the steel industry predominating and the MR capitalized on this from its early years, later expanding into many commercial areas. The largest wagon marshalling yards in the UK were on the Midland – at Toton, Nottinghamshire and Brent Sidings, North London. The Great War changed the UK forever and the individual railway companies could no longer survive. With the advent of the ‘Big Four’ in 1923, many of the Midland’s designs were carried through to the LMS and which also lasted into the BR period.

There were four carriage and wagon superintendents during the Midland’s life – Matthew Kirtley, 1844-1873; Thomas Clayton, 1873-1902; David Bain 1902- 1919 and lastly Robert Reid, 1919-1922.

The Study Centre houses a lot of Midland wagon-related ephemera – invoices, reports, circulars, number-takers books, and wagon labels as well as number plates, builder’s plates and other hardware items from the Derby wagon shops.