Journal 11 — Summer 1999

Table of Contents

  • "Another Melancholy Accident" — Early accidents on the Midland Railway: 1844 (Part 3) / By Chris Rouse
  • Midland Railway Literature (9) / By Ted Hancock
  • Locomotive Aesthetics / By Jack Braithwaite
  • Two Hours in Sheffield : Friday 21st May 1897 / By Laurence Knighton
  • Defence of railways against enemy action : an extract from an official LMS report
  • Saltaire in 1937 / By Jack Farrar
  • Comments on Items in Previous Journals
    • Midland Railway lodging houses / lodging turns [No. 4, p.16; No. 5, p.14; No. 16, p.16; No. 7, p.18; No. 8, p.13; No. 9, p.17]
    • Half holiday trip handbill [No. 10, back cover]
    • The memories of George Pratt [No. 9, p.19; No. 10, p.19]
  • Query Corner
    • Query 13 : Can you identify this station - 3
    • Query 16 (new query) : Engine tenter
    • Query 17 (new query) : North Midland railway station
    • Query 18 (new query) : Accident at Leicester West Bridge
  • Front cover

    Front cover

    The Burton & Ashby Light Railway was a 3ft 6in tramway built and operated by the Midland Railway primarily to safegaurd its interests in that area from unwelcome competition. It was authorised as four separate but linked, lines, the first section of which was opened on 2nd July 1906. One of the features of the early years was the operation of trams for special occasions. On the 25th July 1908 three fully-laiden cars are photographed in Swadlincote Market Place with a party of Children from Church Gresly Wesleyan Sunday School. Note the sign at the top of the pole on the left of the photograph which reads “Newhall & Burton Cars STOP HERE.” The notice lower down the pole is probably a timetable. The tramway suffered badly from bus competition in post-war years and was closed down after the end of services on Saturday 19th February 1927.

    [Mark Bown collection]

  • Rear cover

    The line between Nottingham and Melton Mowbray was opened to passenger traffic on 2nd February 1880 and from Glendon South to Manton on 1st March. These links with Melton to Manton section of the Syston & Peterborough Railway, which had opened some 32 years earlier, provided a more direct and easier graded route from Kettering to Nottingham. It would appear from this circular that certain services between St. Pancras and Bradford were diverted to this new route from 1st June, which the Railway Times of 21st August recorded, reduced the journey time by half an hour and put Nottingham “for the first time on the main line of a great railway company.” An additional Up train from sheffield at 7.30am had been introduced by October. Note, however, the short formations of the Bradford services.

    [Peter Holmes]