Lancashire, Derbyshire and East Coast Railway

Lancashire, Derbyshire & East Coast Railway
Legend
Chesterfield (Market Place) Boythorpe Viaduct over MR Brampton Branch and Boythorpe Railway   Horns Bridge over Midland Main Line GCR Chesterfield Loop River Rother Duckmanton Tunnel Great Central Main Line Arkwright Town Arkwright Town Jct (1907) River Doe Lea Doe Lea Viaduct over MR Doe Lea Branch Bolsover South Bolsover Tunnel ScarcliffeSummit MML to St Pancras Sheffield Midland Attercliffe Road (MR) Rotherham Masborough West Tinsley(SDR) Catcliffe(SDR) Rotherham Masborough Treeton (MR) Woodhouse Mill (MR) Beighton (GCR) Beighton Junction Killamarsh West (MR) Beighton (GCR) Upperthorpe and Killamarsh Spinkhill Spinkhill Tunnel Clowne SouthSummit Markland Grips Viaduct Creswell and Welbeck Shirebrook North (Originally Langwith Junction) Langwith Junction shed Shirebrook South GNR to Nottingham Victoria (1901) Shirebrook West MR (now Robin Hood Line) Nottingham Midland to Worksop Warsop Clipstone Colliery Sidings Mansfield Railway to Nottingham Victoria (from 1917) Edwinstowe Ollerton Boughton Tuxford Central Tuxford Works Tuxford shed Dukeries Junction GNR (now ECML) Kings Cross to Retford Fledborough Fledborough Viaduct over River Trent Clifton-on-Trent Doddington and Harby Skellingthorpe GN&GEJR to Saxilby Pyewipe Junction Lincoln Central to Peterborough

The Lancashire, Derbyshire and East Coast Railway (LDECR) was a British railway built toward the end of the era of British railway construction.

It arose out of a perceived need for an East-West line, the plan being to take it from Warrington on the Manchester Ship Canal to Sutton-on-Sea on the east coast of Lincolnshire. It was largely financed by a group of coal owners, led by William Arkwright, a descendant of Richard Arkwright.

It was the largest railway scheme ever approved by Parliament in a single session. In addition to 170 miles (270 km) of line including branches there would be dock facilities at each end. The line from Chesterfield to Lincoln was opened in 1897, but this was to be the only part of the railway actually completed.

The railway was bought by the Great Central Railway in 1907.^[1]

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 who had made the family's fortune by mechanising the spinning of cotton. William Arkwright had settled at Sutton Scarsdale Hall near Chesterfield and with the land came extensive deposits of coal.

The rail network in the vicinity provided by the Midland Railway and the Manchester, Sheffield and Lincolnshire Railway 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 at Newark to Ollerton The main trade of the latter at the time was the production of hops. However, there were vast reserves of coal and the line was being promoted by the Nottinghamshire 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 and published its plans in 1890.^[2]

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 and thence to London. The Great Eastern Railway turned from opponent to supporteer, realising that the line could give it an entree to the Midlands coalfields. The Lancashire, Derbyshire and East Coast Railway Act authorising building the line was given Royal Assent on 5 August 1891.^[3]

A later Lancashire, Derbyshire and East Coast Railway Act, concerned with changes, enhancements and agreements such as granting running powers to the GNR was passed by Parliament on 27 June 1898.^[4][5]

The planned route

West of Chesterfield

From Warrington the line would proceed south eastward and pass to the south of Knutsford where a short spur would make a branch with the Cheshire Midland Railway. It would then proceed roughly eastward, making a junction to the northwest of Macclesfield with a new line from near Cheadle, where there would be junctions with the two lines of the Cheshire Lines Committee.^[6]

The combined line was initially envisaged as passing through Prestbury and Rainow^[7] 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 Peak District, through what is now Lamaload Reservoir and Wild Moor, before dropping southward to Burbage and Buxton.^[6] (The Upper Goyt Valley at that time supported thriving coal and lead production,)^[8]

Passing Buxton to the south along Ashwood Dale, it would pass through Blackwell, then cross the Midland Railway line at Monsal Dale in Derbyshire with a 300-foot (91 m) high viaduct. From there the line would run to Newbold Fields where there would be a branch from Sheepbridge, where there was a major ironworks, then turn southeast to enter Chesterfield.^[6]

East of Chesterfield

Route of the LD&ECR

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 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.^[6][9]

On leaving Chesterfield from the Market Place station, a 700-foot (210 m) long viaduct carried the line over both the Midland and the MS&LR lines at Horns Bridge.^[6][9]

To the east of this a series of limestone ridges necessitated building the 501 yard Duckmanton Tunnel and the notorious 2,624 yards (2,399 m) Bolsover Tunnel, followed by a long rock cutting which cut through the crest south of Scarcliffe. This was the summit of the line as built, with a smaller one eastward at Warsop.^[6][9]

Between these a further branch was planned from Langwith northward to a point just to the west of Killamarsh where it would join the Manchester, Sheffield and Lincolnshire Railway to run into Sheffield Victoria. In the event it joined the Midland Railway at Beighton Junction.^[6][9]

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. Farther on at Tuxford, the line would cross the Great Northern Railway with a west to north spur. Here the company would build its main engineering facility.^[6][9]

Farther east the line would cross the River Trent flood plain by the Fledborough Viaduct, around ²⁄₃-mile (1.1 km) long.^[6][9]

Just after Skellingthorpe it would join with the joint GNR and GER line into Lincoln at Pyewipe Junction. This was in fact the end of the line, though the original intention had been to continue eastward toward the coast.^[6][9]

East of Lincoln

From Lincoln the line would continue eastward over the Lincolnshire Wolds, with a junction near Stainfield as it crossed the GNR Louth to Bardney line. Proceeding well to the north of Horncastle it would cross the East Lincolnshire Railway to the southwest of Alford 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 port would be built.^[6]

The Sheffield branch

In 1900 a branch was built from Sheffield to meet the line at Langwith Junction near Shirebrook, using Midland Railway lines and the nominally independent Sheffield District Railway for part of the way. The branch was occasionally referred to as the Sheffield Branch, but far more commonly as the Beighton Branch.

Takeover and later history

From 1 January 1907 the line was taken over by the Great Central Railway.^[10]

Run down

Bolsover Tunnel was a continuing problem, not only because of water ingress but also mining subsidence. In 1951 it was closed completely and the section of the line between Langwith Junction and Chesterfield was closed to passengers, though Chesterfield Market Place remained open for goods until 1957, Markham Junction remained open until the mid-1950s and Arkwright Colliery was still accessed from the north via Duckmanton Junction until the 1980s. Passenger services over the rest of the line to Lincoln finished in September 1955. They had ceased on the Beighton Branch at the outbreak of the Second World War.

The line was progressively reduced in scope from the 1960s, with the Beighton Branch being closed in stages, and collieries closing or rationalising one by one. A major source of traffic was lost when High Marnham Power Station closed in 2003. At 10 August 2013 production at the sole remaining colliery in the Nottinghamshire coalfield - Thoresby - hung by a thread.^[11] If it closes, ex-LD&ECR lines will have lost their final connection with King Coal.

At 10 August 2013 the only other source of revenue was traffic to and from W H Davis's wagon works at Langwith Junction^[12] which is accessed via a single line connection known to erstwhile Langwith Junction railwaymen as the "New Found Out".^[13][14] This track is a South-to-West connection which leaves the Robin Hood Line opposite Shirebrook Junction signalbox. The track and its West-to-South flyover counterpart were lifted shortly after World War II. The South-to-West curve was relaid in 1974; it gives access to the wagon works via a headshunt in what was Shirebrook North's Platform 4.^[15]

The only other stretch of LD&ECR line in place is a short siding southeast from Beighton Junction which constitutes the last remaining part of the Beighton Branch.^[16]

Bevercotes Colliery Branch

The 4.5 miles (7.2 km) single track branch opened in 1960 in preparation for the opening of the colliery in 1963. It left the LD&ECR about a kilometre west of Boughton and turned north. Half the line was in cutting, half on a bank, with a 350 yards (320 m) tunnel (built to preserve agricultural land), bridges over the River Maun and River Meden and 2 roads and seven bridges over the railway.^[17] Bevercotes was described as the first fully automated colliery and also the first to be fully equipped to load coal into Merry-go-round trains . Trains were fed by four 35 ton weigh hoppers fed from a 4,000 ton storage bunker built by Head Wrightson.^[18] The colliery closed in 1993.^[19] The line closed after removal of coal stockpiles.^[20]

The line today

The only substantial part of the line which still exists runs eastward from a triangular junction north of Shirebrook West on the present-day Robin Hood Line. This extends to just beyond Tuxford across the ECML. It served a power station and various collieries, of which only Thoresby remains open.^[21]

At 10 August 2013 the line is single eastwards from Boughton Junction. In 2009 the line was reopened by Network Rail as far as Lodge Lane, just to the east of the site of Tuxford Central.^[22]

From January 2010, Network Rail has put the facility to use, with several examples on the internet.^[23][24]

At least one enthusiasts' railtour has run over the line, on 5 January 2013^[25] and was widely reported in the railway enthusiast press.

Motive power

Locomotives

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

• Class A, 18 0-6-2T built 1895–1900 for goods trains, which became LNER class N6 and were withdrawn between 1933 and 1938^[26]
• Class B, 4 0-6-0T built 1897 for shunting, which became LNER class J60 and were withdrawn between 1947 and 1948^[27]
• Class C, 6 0-4-4T built 1897–1898 for passenger trains, which became LNER class G3 and were withdrawn between 1931 and 1935^[28]
• Class D, 9 0-6-4T built 1904–1906 for coal trains, which became LNER class M1 and were withdrawn between 1939 and 1947^[29]

All passed to the Great Central Railway and their successor the London and North Eastern Railway; 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; 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.^[30] The loco works was kept fully utilised by the GCR, but the LNER closed it in May 1927.^[31]

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 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.^[32]

References

Notes

Sources

• Booth, Chris (2013). The Lancashire, Derbyshire and East Coast Railway A pictorial view of the "Dukeries Route" and branches. Blurb. 06715029. 
• Clinnick, Richard (2013). Harris, Nigel, ed. "Fleet". RAIL. Peterborough: Bauer Media (714). 
• Cupit, J.; Taylor, W. (1984) [1966]. The Lancashire, Derbyshire & East Coast Railway. Oakwood Library of Railway History (2nd ed.). Headington: Oakwood Press. ISBN 0-85361-302-8. OL19. 
• Dow, George (1965). Great Central, Volume Three: Fay Sets the Pace, 1900–1922. Shepperton: Ian Allan. ISBN 0-7110-0263-0. 
• Haigh, Philip (2013). Harris, Nigel, ed. "News". RAIL. Peterborough: Bauer Consumer Media (728). 
• Kingscott, Geoffrey (2007). Lost Railways of Derbyshire. Newbury: Countryside Books. ISBN 978-1-84674-042-8. 

Further material

• Allen, G. Freeman (January 1960). Allen, G. Freeman, ed. "Talking of Trains". Trains Illustrated. Hampton Court, Surrey: Ian Allan Ltd. XIII (136). 
• Anderson, Paul (June 2013). Hawkins, Chris, ed. "Out and About with Anderson". Railway Bylines. Clophill, Beds: Irwell Press Ltd. 18 (7). ISSN 1360-2098. 
• Bailey, Brian C (February 2013). Hawkins, Chris, ed. "Langwith Junction Shed Until the End of Steam ... and Beyond". British Railways Illustrated. Clophill, Bedfordshire: Irwell Press Ltd. 22 (5). ISSN 0961-8244. 
• Bradshaw, George (1985) [1922]. July 1922 Railway Guide. Newton Abbott: David & Charles. 
• Butt, R. V. J. (1995). The Directory of Railway Stations: details every public and private passenger station, halt, platform and stopping place, past and present (1st ed.). Sparkford: Patrick Stephens Ltd. ISBN 1-8526-0508-1. OCLC 60251199. 
• Clinnick, Richard (2013). Harris, Nigel, ed. "Fleet". RAIL. Peterborough: Bauer Media (714). 
• Cupit, Jack (February 1956). Allen, G. Freeman, ed. "The end of Passenger Services on the Mansfield Railway". Trains Illustrated. Hampton Court, Surrey: Ian Allan Ltd. IX (2). 
• DVD1 (2005). The Lancashire, Derbyshire and East Coast Railway - Memories of a Lost Route. Chesterfield: Terminus Publications. DVD, stills with commentary, 61 mins. 
• DVD2 (2005). Diesels Along:-The Lancashire, Derbyshire and East Coast Railway. Chesterfield: Terminus Publications. DVD, stills and film with commentary, 60 mins. 
• Felix, Richard; McKeown, Ron (2004) [1968]. Farewell to the GNR lines in Derbyshire and Nottinghamshire. Derby: Local Videos 2004 Ltd. DVD. 
• Fox, Ray; Kinder, Mike; Briggs, John (June 2011). Hawkins, Chris, ed. "The Job Langwith Shed, Saturday Afternoon 22 May 1965". British Railways Illustrated. Clophill, Bedfordshire: Irwell Press Ltd. 20 (9). ISSN 0961-8244. 
• Goode, C.T. (1983). Railway Rambles on the Notts. & Derbyshire Border. Hull: C. T. Goode. ISBN 0-9508239-2-9. 
• Grainger, Ken (2002). Sheffield Victoria to Chesterfield Central, The "Derbyshire Lines" of the Manchester, Sheffield and Lincolnshire Railway Part 1. Bredbury, Cheshire: Foxline Limited. ISBN 1-870119-83-5. 
• Howard Anderson, P. (1973). Forgotten Railways: The East Midlands. Newton Abbott: David & Charles. ISBN 0-7153-6094-9. 
• Hurst, Geoffrey (1987). The Midland Railway Around Nottinghamshire, Volume 1. Worksop: Milepost Publications. ISBN 0-947796-05-3. 
• Kaye, A.R. (1988). North Midland and Peak District Railways in the Steam Age, Volume 2. Chesterfield: Lowlander Publications. ISBN 0-946930-09-0. 
• Little, Lawson (1995). Langwith Junction, the Life and Times of a Railway Village. Newark: Vesper Publications. ISBN 0-9526171-0-2. 
• Little, Lawson (Summer 2002a). Bell, Brian, ed. "Lancshire, Derbyshire & East Coast Railway A personal View 1945–74 (Part I)". Forward. Holton le Clay, Grimsby: Brian Bell for the Great Central Railway Society. 132. ISSN 0141-4488. 
• Little, Lawson (Autumn 2002b). Bell, Brian, ed. "Lancashire, Derbyshire & East Coast Railway (Part II) A lineside look at Langwith Junction: (1) the 1940s". Forward. Holton le Clay, Grimsby: Brian Bell for the Great Central Railway Society. 133. ISSN 0141-4488. 
• Ludlam, A.J. (March 2013). Kennedy, Rex, ed. "The Lancashire, Derbyshire & East Coast Railway". Steam Days. Bournemouth: Redgauntlet 1993 Publications. 283. ISSN 0269-0020. 
• Lund, Brian (1999) [1991]. Nottinghamshire Railway Stations on old picture postcards. Keyworth, Nottingham: Reflections of a Bygone Age. ISBN 0-946245-36-3. 
• Lund, Brian (1997) [1995]. Derbyshire Railway Stations on old picture postcards. Keyworth, Nottingham: Reflections of a Bygone Age. ISBN 0-946245-86-X. 
• Marsden, Michael (2004A) [1963-4]. Sheffield to Nottingham Marsden Rail 10. Birkenshaw, Bradford: Marsden Rail 2004. DVD10. 
• Marsden, Michael (2004B) [1959–65]. Doncaster Marsden Rail 11. Birkenshaw, Bradford: Marsden Rail 2004. DVD11. 
• Walker, Colin (1991). Eastern Region Steam Twilight, Part 2, North of Grantham. Llangollen: Pendyke Publications. ISBN 0-904318-14-1. 
• Anderson, Paul; Cupit, Jack (2000). An Illustrated History of Mansfield's Railways. Clophill: Irwell Press. ISBN 1-903266-15-7. 
• Clinker, C.R. (1988) [1978]. Clinker's Register of Closed Passenger Stations and Goods Depots in England, Scotland and Wales 1830–1980 (2nd ed.). Bristol: Avon-Anglia Publications & Services. ISBN 0-905466-91-8. OCLC 655703233. 

• Conolly, W Philip (1998) [1958]. British Railways Pre-Grouping Atlas & Gazetteer. Shepperton: Ian Allan Ltd. ISBN 0-7110-0320-3. 
• Gilks, David (April 2002). Blakemore, Michael, ed. "Mr. Arkwright's Railway". Back Track. Penryn: Atlantic Publishers. 16 (4). 
• Hilmer, John (2007). British Railways Past and Present: Derbyshire. Kettering, Northants: Past & Present Publishing. ISBN 978-1-85895-252-9. No. 56. 
• Jowett, Alan (2000). Jowett's Nationalised Railway Atlas (1st ed.). Penryn, Cornwall: Atlantic Transport Publishers. ISBN 0-9068-9999-0. OCLC 228266687. 
• Little, Lawson (Winter 2002). Bell, Brian, ed. "Lancshire, Derbyshire & East Coast Railway (Part III) Brief History of Tuxford". Forward. Holton le Clay, Grimsby: Brian Bell for the Great Central Railway Society. 134. ISSN 0141-4488. 
• Little, Lawson (Spring 2003). Bell, Brian, ed. "Lancashire, Derbyshire & East Coast Railway (Part IV) A personal View 1945–74, Chesterfield". Forward. Holton le Clay, Grimsby: Brian Bell for the Great Central Railway Society. 135. ISSN 0141-4488. 
• Marsden, Michael (2004C) [1962-6]. Retford Marsden Rail 18. Birkenshaw, Bradford: Marsden Rail 2004. DVD18, film with commentary, 55 mins. 
• Quick, Michael (2009) [2001]. Railway passenger stations in Great Britain: a chronology (4th ed.). Oxford: Railway and Canal Historical Society. ISBN 978-0-901461-57-5. OCLC 612226077. 
• "The Lancashire, Derbyshire and E. Coast Ry.". The Why and the Wherefore. The Railway Magazine. Vol. 90 no. 549. London: Tothill Press Limited. January–February 1944. pp. 63–64. 

External links

• An early journey on the line