Lancashire, Derbyshire and East Coast Railway

The Lancashire, Derbyshire and East Coast Railway was a British

Great Britain

Great Britain or Britain is an island situated to the northwest of Continental Europe. It is the ninth largest island in the world, and the largest European island, as well as the largest of the British Isles...

railway company built toward the end of the era of British railway construction. It opened its line from Chesterfield

Chesterfield

Chesterfield is a market town and a borough of Derbyshire, England. It lies north of Derby, on a confluence of the rivers Rother and Hipper. Its population is 70,260 , making it Derbyshire's largest town...

to Lincoln

Lincoln, Lincolnshire

Lincoln is a cathedral city and county town of Lincolnshire, England.The non-metropolitan district of Lincoln has a population of 85,595; the 2001 census gave the entire area of Lincoln a population of 120,779....

in 1897.

It arose out of a perceived need for an East-West line, the plan being to take it from Warrington

Warrington

Warrington is a town, borough and unitary authority area of Cheshire, England. It stands on the banks of the River Mersey, which is tidal to the west of the weir at Howley. It lies 16 miles east of Liverpool, 19 miles west of Manchester and 8 miles south of St Helens...

on the Manchester Ship Canal

Manchester Ship Canal

The Manchester Ship Canal is a river navigation 36 miles long in the North West of England. Starting at the Mersey Estuary near Liverpool, it generally follows the original routes of the rivers Mersey and Irwell through the historic counties of Cheshire and Lancashire. Several sets of locks lift...

to Sutton-on-Sea

Sutton-on-Sea

Sutton-on-Sea is a small seaside village on the coast of Lincolnshire, England. It is close to Trusthorpe and Mablethorpe, and is part of the civil parish of Mablethorpe and Sutton...

on the east coast of Lincolnshire

Lincolnshire

Lincolnshire is a county in the east of England. It borders Norfolk to the south east, Cambridgeshire to the south, Rutland to the south west, Leicestershire and Nottinghamshire to the west, South Yorkshire to the north west, and the East Riding of Yorkshire to the north. It also borders...

. It was largely financed by a group of coal owners, led by William Arkwright, a descendant of Richard Arkwright

Richard Arkwright

Sir Richard Arkwright , was an Englishman who, although the patents were eventually overturned, is often credited for inventing the spinning frame — later renamed the water frame following the transition to water power. He also patented a carding engine that could convert raw cotton into yarn...

.

As such it was the largest railway scheme ever approved by Parliament in a single session. In addition to 170 miles of line including branches there would be dock facilities at each end.

It was never completed and, in 1907, was bought by the Great Central Railway

Great Central Railway

The Great Central Railway was a railway company in England which came into being when the Manchester, Sheffield and Lincolnshire Railway changed its name in 1897 in anticipation of the opening in 1899 of its London Extension . On 1 January 1923, it was grouped into the London and North Eastern...

Origin

Like most new railways of the time its purpose was the carriage of coal. The project's leading light was William Arkwright, a descendant of Richard Arkwright

Richard Arkwright

who had made the family's fortune by mechanising the spinning of cotton. William Arkwright had settled at Sutton Scarsdale Hall

Sutton Scarsdale Hall

Sutton Scarsdale Hall is a Grade 1 listed Georgian ruined stately home in Sutton Scarsdale, just outside Chesterfield, Derbyshire.-Estate history:...

near Chesterfield

Chesterfield

and with the land came extensive deposits of coal.

The rail network in the vicinity provided by the Midland Railway

Midland Railway

The Midland Railway was a railway company in the United Kingdom from 1844 to 1922, when it became part of the London, Midland and Scottish Railway....

and the Manchester, Sheffield and Lincolnshire Railway

Manchester, Sheffield and Lincolnshire Railway

The Manchester, Sheffield and Lincolnshire Railway was formed by amalgamation in 1847. The MS&LR changed its name to the Great Central Railway in 1897 in anticipation of the opening in 1899 of its London Extension.-Origin:...

was still in its infancy and would not meet his requirements. In 1887 the Chesterfield and Lincoln Direct Railway was proposed independently to join with Midland lines at each end. It would cross his land but received insufficient support. Arkwright initially supported the proposed Newark and Ollerton Railway authorised in 1887 as a branch from the Great Northern Railway

Great Northern Railway (Great Britain)

The Great Northern Railway was a British railway company established by the Great Northern Railway Act of 1846. On 1 January 1923 the company lost its identity as a constituent of the newly formed London and North Eastern Railway....

at Newark

Newark-on-Trent

Newark-on-Trent is a market town in Nottinghamshire in the East Midlands region of England. It stands on the River Trent, the A1 , and the East Coast Main Line railway. The origins of the town are possibly Roman as it lies on an important Roman road, the Fosse Way...

to Ollerton

Ollerton

Ollerton is a town in Nottinghamshire, England, on the edge of Sherwood Forest in the area known as the Dukeries. It forms part of the civil parish of Ollerton and Boughton....

The main trade of the latter at the time was the production of hops

Hops

Hops are the female flower clusters , of a hop species, Humulus lupulus. They are used primarily as a flavoring and stability agent in beer, to which they impart a bitter, tangy flavor, though hops are also used for various purposes in other beverages and herbal medicine...

. However there were vast reserves of coal and the line was being promoted by the Nottinghamshire

Nottinghamshire

Nottinghamshire is a county in the East Midlands of England, bordering South Yorkshire to the north-west, Lincolnshire to the east, Leicestershire to the south, and Derbyshire to the west...

coal masters..

Arkwright suggested that the line should be extended through his own estate to Chesterfield but received no support from the GNR and decided to promote an independent line and greatly extend its scope to provide through roads to opposite coasts of the country. In time it became known as "The East to West". It would be sufficiently large to maintain itself in the face of competition from other railways. There were a number of lines already approved but not carried forward which could be incorporated. With the Newark and Ollerton there was the Macclesfield and Warrington Railway and the Lincoln and East Coast Railway. A number of other lines had been considered but not formally proposed and these, together with plans for dock works at Sutton on Sea which had been approved in 1884, gave Arkwright his route and support from the various landowners involved. The Lancashire Derbyshire and East Coast Railway Company was formed at 27 George St in Westminster

Westminster

Westminster is an area of central London, within the City of Westminster, England. It lies on the north bank of the River Thames, southwest of the City of London and southwest of Charing Cross...

and published its plans in 1890.

There was initially a deal of opposition from landowners and other railway companies but, in the end, the main opponent was the MS&LR because the line would bypass its own line from Sheffield to Retford

Retford

Retford is a market town in Nottinghamshire in the East Midlands of England, located 31 miles from the city of Nottingham, and 23 miles west of Lincoln, in the district of Bassetlaw. The town is situated in a valley with the River Idle and the Chesterfield Canal running through the centre of the...

and thence to London. The Great Eastern Railway

Great Eastern Railway

The Great Eastern Railway was a pre-grouping British railway company, whose main line linked London Liverpool Street to Norwich and which had other lines through East Anglia...

withdrew its opposition, realising that the line could give it an entree to the Midlands coalfields. The Lancashire, Derbyshire and East Coast Railway Bill was passed by Parliament on 27 June 1898

The planned route west of Chesterfield

From Warrington

Warrington

the line would proceed south eastward and pass to the south of Knutsford

Knutsford

Knutsford is a town and civil parish in the unitary authority area of Cheshire East and the ceremonial county of Cheshire, in North West England...

where a short spur would make a branch with the Cheshire Midland Railway

Cheshire Midland Railway

An act was passed on 14 June 1860 to build a railway from Altrincham on the Manchester, South Junction and Altrincham Railway to Northwich. The line would be 12 miles 65 chains in length...

. It would then proceed roughly eastward, making a junction to the northwest of Macclesfield

Macclesfield

Macclesfield is a market town within the unitary authority of Cheshire East, the county palatine of Chester, also known as the ceremonial county of Cheshire, England. The population of the Macclesfield urban sub-area at the time of the 2001 census was 50,688...

with a new line from near Cheadle

Cheadle, Greater Manchester

Cheadle is a suburb in the Metropolitan Borough of Stockport in Greater Manchester, England. It borders the districts of Cheadle Hulme, Gatley, Heald Green and Cheadle Heath in Stockport, and the East Didsbury area of Manchester. As of 2001 it had a population of 14,261.-Early history:There has...

, where there would be junctions with the two lines of the Cheshire Lines Committee

Cheshire Lines Committee

The Cheshire Lines Committee was the second largest joint railway in Great Britain, with 143 route miles. Despite its name, approximately 55% of its system was in Lancashire. In its publicity material it was often styled as the Cheshire Lines Railway...

.

The combined line was initially envisaged as passing through Prestbury

Prestbury, Cheshire

Prestbury is a village, civil parish and ecclesiastical parish in the unitary authority of Cheshire East and the ceremonial county of Cheshire, England. Prestbury is a long, narrow parish covering 1,165 hectares to the west of the Peak Park foothills and to the east of the sandstone ridge which is...

and Rainow

Rainow

Rainow is a village and civil parish in the unitary authority of Cheshire East, located, mostly, on the eastern side of the River Dean valley next to the B5470 road, between Macclesfield and Kettleshulme in the ceremonial county of Cheshire, England. It straddles the eastern side of the Peak...

However rather than run a virtually straight line, it would take in Macclesfield by almost completely circling it before travelling eastward once again, passing to the north of Goyt's Moss in the Derbyshire

Derbyshire

Derbyshire is a county in the East Midlands of England. A substantial portion of the Peak District National Park lies within Derbyshire. The northern part of Derbyshire overlaps with the Pennines, a famous chain of hills and mountains. The county contains within its boundary of approx...

Peak District

The Peak District is an upland area in central and northern England, lying mainly in northern Derbyshire, but also covering parts of Cheshire, Greater Manchester, Staffordshire, and South and West Yorkshire....

, through what is now Lamaload Reservoir

Lamaload Reservoir

Lamaload Reservoir is a reservoir near Rainow, Cheshire, England . It lies in the South West Peak within the Peak District National Park, to the west of the Goyt Valley, and is fed by the River Dean. It serves Macclesfield, which lies to its west...

and Wild Moor, before dropping southward to Burbage

Burbage, Derbyshire

Burbage, is a village in Derbyshire, and was a parish until 1961, when it became part of the parish of Buxton.Burbage is well known for its Brass Band, the Burbage Band .Burbage backs onto Grinlow Woods and provides access to Solomon's Temple....

and Buxton

Buxton

Buxton is a spa town in Derbyshire, England. It has the highest elevation of any market town in England. Located close to the county boundary with Cheshire to the west and Staffordshire to the south, Buxton is described as "the gateway to the Peak District National Park"...

. (The Upper Goyt Valley

Upper Goyt Valley

The Upper Goyt Valley is the valley of the River Goyt in north west England.The western side of the valley is a long ridge, running from Shining Tor to Windgather Rocks, which forms the county boundary between Derbyshire and Cheshire; the boundary formerly followed the river itself.The eastern side...

at that time supported thriving coal and lead production,)

Passing Buxton to the south along Ashwood Dale, it would pass through Blackwell

Blackwell in the Peak

Blackwell is a village in the Derbyshire Dales local government district of Derbyshire, England, on the A6 main road between Bakewell and Buxton.It is sometimes referred to as "Blackwell-in-the-Peak" to distinguish it from Blackwell near Alfreton....

, then cross the Midland Railway

Midland Railway

The Midland Railway was a railway company in the United Kingdom from 1844 to 1922, when it became part of the London, Midland and Scottish Railway....

line at Monsal Dale

Monsal Dale

Monsal Dale is a valley in the Peak District of Derbyshire in England.In geological history this area of Derbyshire was long ago under water, and is formed from a subsequent uplift of resultant sedimentary deposits, known as the Derbyshire Dome...

in Derbyshire

Derbyshire

with a viaduct

Viaduct

A viaduct is a bridge composed of several small spans. The term viaduct is derived from the Latin via for road and ducere to lead something. However, the Ancient Romans did not use that term per se; it is a modern derivation from an analogy with aqueduct. Like the Roman aqueducts, many early...

some three hundred feet high. From there the line would run to Newbold Fields

Newbold, Derbyshire

Newbold is a village north of Chesterfield, a market town in the English county of Derbyshire. In 2001 in had a population of just under 8,000....

where there would be a branch from Sheepbridge, where there was a major ironworks, then turn southeast to enter Chesterfield

Chesterfield

East of Chesterfield

Due to lack of investment, only the portion from Chesterfield to Lincoln was built. To have continued west of Chesterfield would have required some extremely expensive and difficult engineering works. It was an ambitious undertaking, with some extremely expensive engineering works, crossing the Peak District

Peak District

which had always been a major headache for railway builders. Even to the east it crossed lines of hills running north and south. In addition it would conflict with the lines of a number of other railway companies.

On leaving Chesterfield from the Market Street station, a viaduct seven hundred feet long carried the line over both the Midland

Midland Railway

The Midland Railway was a railway company in the United Kingdom from 1844 to 1922, when it became part of the London, Midland and Scottish Railway....

and the MS&LR

Manchester, Sheffield and Lincolnshire Railway

lines at Horns Bridge.

To the east of this a series of limestone

Limestone

Limestone is a sedimentary rock composed largely of the minerals calcite and aragonite, which are different crystal forms of calcium carbonate . Many limestones are composed from skeletal fragments of marine organisms such as coral or foraminifera....

ridges necessitating a 501 yard tunnel near Duckmanton

Duckmanton

A village part of the civil parish of Sutton-cum-Duckmanton, in North East Derbyshire, between Bolsover and Chesterfield.-History:Duckmanton is recorded in 1086 in the Domesday Book under the land of Ralph Fitzhubert....

and the notorious 2624 yard Bolsover

Bolsover

Bolsover is a town near Chesterfield, Derbyshire, England. It is 145 miles from London, 18 miles from Sheffield, 26 miles from Nottingham and 54 miles from Manchester. It is the main town in the Bolsover district.The civil parish for the town is called...

Tunnel, followed by a long rock cutting which cut through the crest south of Scarcliffe

Scarcliffe

Scarcliffe is a small village and civil parish in the Bolsover district of Derbyshire, England. It is sometimes called Scarcliffe with Palterton...

. This was the summit of the line as built, with a smaller one eastward at Warsop

Warsop

Warsop is a civil parish in the District of Mansfield in Nottinghamshire, England, located on the outskirts of Sherwood Forest. According to the 2001 census it had a population of 12,365....

.

Between these a further branch was planned at Langwith

Langwith, Derbyshire

Langwith is a close group of four villages crossing the Derbyshire-Nottinghamshire border, on the river Poulter only about two miles from Warsop, and about four miles from Bolsover, on the A632 road, south of Whaley Thorns....

northward to a point just to the west of Killamarsh

Killamarsh

Killamarsh is a town in North East Derbyshire. It borders South Yorkshire to its north and west. It lies between Halfway and Mosborough to the west, Renishaw to the south, Beighton and Sothall to the northwest, Wales to the northeast, Harthill to its east and the Rother Valley Country Park to its...

where it join the Manchester, Sheffield and Lincolnshire Railway

Manchester, Sheffield and Lincolnshire Railway

to run into Sheffield Victoria. In the event it joined the Midland Railway

Midland Railway

The Midland Railway was a railway company in the United Kingdom from 1844 to 1922, when it became part of the London, Midland and Scottish Railway....

at Beighton

Beighton

Beighton ward —which includes the districts of Beighton, Hackenthorpe, Owlthorpe, and Sothall—is one of the 28 electoral wards in City of Sheffield, England. It is located in the eastern part of the city, on the border with Rotherham and covers an area of 5.7 km2...

.

From Warsop the terrain became easier and the line would proceed eastward across rolling country, with a junction with the proposed Newark and Ollerton Railway at Ollerton

Ollerton

Ollerton is a town in Nottinghamshire, England, on the edge of Sherwood Forest in the area known as the Dukeries. It forms part of the civil parish of Ollerton and Boughton....

. Further on at Tuxford

Tuxford

-Geography:Tuxford is a village and a civil parish on the southern edge of the Bassetlaw district of Nottinghamshire, England. It may also be considered a small town as it was historically a market town. Nearby larger towns are Retford and Newark-on-Trent. From Harvest Cottage, near the ECML, the...

, the line would cross the Great Northern Railway

Great Northern Railway (Great Britain)

with a west to north spur. Here the company would build its main engineering facility.

Further east the line would cross the River Trent

River Trent

The River Trent is one of the major rivers of England. Its source is in Staffordshire on the southern edge of Biddulph Moor. It flows through the Midlands until it joins the River Ouse at Trent Falls to form the Humber Estuary, which empties into the North Sea below Hull and Immingham.The Trent...

flood plain by the Fledborough Viaduct, around two thirds of a mile long.

Just after Skellingthorpe

Skellingthorpe

Skellingthorpe is a large village in the North Kesteven district of Lincolnshire, located 4 miles / 6.5 km southwest of Lincoln city centre.It is near the A46 near the roundabout with the B1378 Skellingthorpe Road. This is near to the Birchwood estate, which is built on the site of RAF...

it would join with the joint GNR and GER

Great Eastern Railway

The Great Eastern Railway was a pre-grouping British railway company, whose main line linked London Liverpool Street to Norwich and which had other lines through East Anglia...

line into Lincoln

Lincoln, Lincolnshire

at Pyewipe Junction. This was in fact the end of the line, though the original intention had been to continue eastward toward the coast.

East of Lincoln

From Lincoln the line would continue eastward over the Lincolnshire Wolds

Lincolnshire Wolds

The Lincolnshire Wolds is a range of hills in the county of Lincolnshire, England. It is a designated Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty , and the highest area of land in eastern England between Yorkshire and Kent...

, with a junction near Stainfield

Stainfield

Stainfield is a village and civil parish about east of the city of Lincoln, in the West Lindsey district of Lincolnshire, England.-St Andrews Church:...

as it crossed the GNR Louth to Bardney line

Louth to Bardney line

The Louth to Bardney line was a railway line built by the Great Northern Railway to link to . It closed in 1960.- History :The Great Northern Railway planned and built a branch line from to in stages, beginning in 1874. The line reached South Willingham on 09 November 1874 with intermediate...

. Proceeding well to the north of Horncastle it would cross the East Lincolnshire Railway

East Lincolnshire Railway

The East Lincolnshire Railway was a main line railway linking the towns of Boston, Louth and Grimsby in Lincolnshire, England. It opened in 1848 and was closed to passengers in 1970.-History:...

to the southwest of Alford

Alford

-Places:Australia*Alford, South AustraliaCanada*Alford, SaskatchewanEngland*Alford, Lincolnshire**Alford Manor House**Alford Windmill**Queen Elizabeth's Grammar School, Alford*Alford, Somerset*Alford CrosswaysScotland*Alford, Scotland...

passing to the south. It would then join that line's loop (at that time known as the Willoughby Railway) near Thurlby turning north east to Sutton on Sea, where the North Sea

North Sea

In the southwest, beyond the Straits of Dover, the North Sea becomes the English Channel connecting to the Atlantic Ocean. In the east, it connects to the Baltic Sea via the Skagerrak and Kattegat, narrow straits that separate Denmark from Norway and Sweden respectively...

port would be built.

The Sheffield branch

In 1900 a branch was built from Sheffield

Sheffield

Sheffield is a city and metropolitan borough of South Yorkshire, England. Its name derives from the River Sheaf, which runs through the city. Historically a part of the West Riding of Yorkshire, and with some of its southern suburbs annexed from Derbyshire, the city has grown from its largely...

to meet the line at Langwith Junction near Shirebrook

Shirebrook

Shirebrook is a town in the Bolsover district of north-east Derbyshire on the border with Nottinghamshire, England. At the 2001 UK Census it had a population of 9,291 , 10,412...

, using the Midland Line for part of the way.

Closure

A continuing problem had been the 1.5 miles (2.4 km) long Bolsover Tunnel, not only because of water ingress but also mining subsidence and in 1951 it was closed along with the section of the line between Langwith Junction and Chesterfield. Passenger services over the rest of the line to Lincoln finished in 1955. They had virtually ceased on the Sheffield branch before the Second World War. Sections of the line remained open for freight traffic (mainly coal) until the late 1990s, chiefly from Shirebrook to High Marnham Power Station

High Marnham Power Station

High Marnham Power Station is a former coal-fired power station, currently undergoing demolition. It is located in Nottinghamshire, to the west of the River Trent, just south of the village of Dunham. It was the most southerly of three power stations which lined the River Trent, the others being...

, but this ceased when High Marnham closed.

The line today

The only part of the line which still exists runs eastward from a triangular junction north of Shirebrook West

Shirebrook railway station

Shirebrook railway station serves the town of Shirebrook in Derbyshire, England. The station is on the Robin Hood Line, 35 km north of Nottingham towards Worksop.The line and the station were built by the Midland Railway...

on the present-day Robin Hood Line

Robin Hood Line

The Robin Hood Line is a railway line running from Nottingham to Worksop, Nottinghamshire. The stations between Shirebrook and Whitwell are in Derbyshire.The towns and villages served by the route are listed below:*Nottingham*Bulwell*Hucknall...

. This extends to just beyond Tuxford

Tuxford

across the ECML

East Coast Main Line

The East Coast Main Line is a long electrified high-speed railway link between London, Peterborough, Doncaster, Wakefield, Leeds, York, Darlington, Newcastle and Edinburgh...

to serve a power station and various collieries, all of which are now closed.

At this time the line is single from Boughton Junction

Boughton railway station (Nottinghamshire)

Boughton railway station is a former railway station in Boughton, Nottinghamshire. It was opened by the Lancashire, Derbyshire and East Coast Railway in March 1897 and closed by British Railways in 1955....

, but it terminates in a freight yard owned by EWS

DB Schenker Rail (UK)

DB Schenker Rail , before 2009 known as English, Welsh and Scottish Railway is a British rail freight company. EWS was established by a consortium led by Wisconsin Central Transportation Corporation in 1996 by acquisition of five of the six freight companies created by the privatisation of British...

. In 2009 the line is being reopened as far as Lodge Lane, just to the east of the former Tuxford station

Bolsover Colliery Company

The Bolsover Colliery Company was a major mining concern established to extract coal from land owned by the Duke of Portland. At its peak the business was a constituent of the FT 30 index of leading companies on the London Stock Exchange.- History :...

near Edwinstowe

Edwinstowe railway station

Edwinstowe railway station is a former railway station in Edwinstowe, Nottinghamshire. It was opened by the Lancashire, Derbyshire and East Coast Railway in March 1897 and closed by British Railways in 1955....

by Network Rail

Network Rail

Network Rail is the government-created owner and operator of most of the rail infrastructure in Great Britain .; it is not responsible for railway infrastructure in Northern Ireland...

with a testing and development centre and will be connected with the Robin Hood Line at Shirebrook

Shirebrook railway station

.
From January 2010, Network Rail have been running test trains from Thoresby Colliery Jcn - Tuxford nearly every weekday; this is set to continue for quite some time.

Locomotives

The company had 37 locomotives divided into four classes, all of which were built by Kitson & Co of Leeds:

Class A
LD&EC class A
The LD&EC class A was a class of 0-6-2T steam locomotives of the Lancashire, Derbyshire and East Coast Railway. An initial batch of eight was ordered and built in 1895. An order for 15 more was placed in 1899 but five of these were not delivered because the LD&ECR was unable to pay for them. The...

, 18 0-6-2T
0-6-2
Under the Whyte notation for the classification of steam locomotives, 0-6-2 represents the wheel arrangement of no leading wheels, six powered and coupled driving wheels on three axles, and two trailing wheels on one axle...

built 1895-1900 for goods trains, which became LNER class N6 and were withdrawn between 1933 and 1938
Class B, 4 0-6-0T
0-6-0
Under the Whyte notation for the classification of steam locomotives, 0-6-0 represents the wheel arrangement of no leading wheels, six powered and coupled driving wheels on three axles, and no trailing wheels...

built 1897 for shunting, which became LNER class J60 and were withdrawn between 1947 and 1948
Class C, 6 0-4-4T
0-4-4
Under the Whyte notation for the classification of steam locomotives, 0-4-4 represents the wheel arrangement of no leading wheels, four powered and coupled driving wheels on two axles, and four trailing wheels on two axles...

built 1897-1898 for passenger trains, which became LNER class G3 and were withdrawn between 1931 and 1935
Class D
LD&EC class D
The LD&EC class D was a class of nine 0-6-4T steam locomotives supplied to the Lancashire, Derbyshire and East Coast Railway in 1904 and 1906 by Kitson & Co. of Leeds...

, 9 0-6-4T
0-6-4
Under the Whyte notation for the classification of steam locomotives, 0-6-4 represents the wheel arrangement of no leading wheels, six powered and coupled driving wheels on three axles, and four trailing wheels on two axles....

built 1904-1906 for coal trains, which became LNER class M1 and were withdrawn between 1939 and 1947

All passed to the Great Central Railway

Great Central Railway

and their successor the London and North Eastern Railway

London and North Eastern Railway

The London and North Eastern Railway was the second-largest of the "Big Four" railway companies created by the Railways Act 1921 in Britain...

; but only two (both of Class B) survived long enough to be inherited by British Railways.

Tuxford locomotive works

A small establishment for the maintenance of the company's locomotives was built at Tuxford

Tuxford Central railway station

Tuxford Central railway station is a former railway station in Tuxford, Nottinghamshire. It was opened by the Lancashire, Derbyshire and East Coast Railway in March 1897 and closed by British Railways in September 1955....

; it employed about 130 men; only four locomotives could be maintained at once. Nearby there were carriage and wagon shops which could handle four carriages and 20 wagons simultaneously. The loco works was kept fully utilised by the GCR, but the LNER closed it in May 1927.

Locomotive Superintendents

The first locomotive superintendent was Charles Thomas Broxup, who was appointed on 1 July 1896, having served as temporary locomotive inspector from May 1895. Like most of his successors, his term of office was short, since he resigned in May 1897. His former duties were then combined with those of the maintenance engineer, and T.B. Grierson served as Maintenance Engineer & Locomotive Superintendent from 14 March 1898, but he resigned in December the same year. The post was then split again, and William Greenhalgh was appointed Locomotive Superintendent on 21 April 1899; he resigned on 15 June 1900 because locomotives which he was responsible for had not been properly maintained. James Conner was appointed next, on 11 September 1900, but he later resigned with effect from 31 December 1901. His successor, J.W. Dow, only served seven months, from 1 January 1902 until 31 July 1902, during which time the job was downgraded to Locomotive Inspector. On 24 October 1902, Robert Absalom Thom

Robert Absalom Thom

Robert Absalom Thom was the final Locomotive, Carriage and Wagon Superintendent of the Lancashire, Derbyshire and East Coast Railway, and became a key figure in the locomotive departments of the company's successors, the Great Central Railway and the London & North Eastern Railway.-Biography:Thom...

was appointed Locomotive Inspector; later the post once again became Locomotive Superintendent, and he remained in office until the end of the company's existence in 1906.

External links

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