81-524: The Erewash Valley Line is a railway line in England, running from Long Eaton , between Nottingham and Derby , and Clay Cross , near Chesterfield . The southern part was opened by the Midland Railway in 1847 as far as Codnor Park, where it connected to established ironworks, and soon after, a line to Pinxton and Mansfield . It linked numerous collieries and ironstone pits, and encouraged
162-553: A considerable network of railways, that had hitherto been competitors and were now allies. Some of the Nottinghamshire coal owners now revived their scheme for a railway connection from Pinxton. Instead of connecting into the former Midland Counties line they decided to form an independent Erewash Valley Railway Company, to run from Pinxton to the Midland Railway at Long Eaton. The Midland Board were alarmed at this;
243-574: A day, taking 55 minutes. Mansfield trains from Nottingham followed the River Leen through Radford and Hucknall . Then there was an arduous four mile climb at 1 in 79 past Linby and Newstead to Kirkby Tunnel, 199 yards. The line continued to Kirkby, and a short distance north of there, the new line joined the route of the Pinxton railway past Sutton-in-Ashfield and across King's Mill viaduct to Mansfield. The distance from Nottingham to Mansfield
324-520: A gauge of 4 ft 4 in. At the first proprietors' meeting in April 1820 it was announced that the cost of building the railway had been £35,000, "which had put the Company and its investors into debt". The amount collected by tolls was £1,350, and a dividend of 3% was declared. Income figures are available for the year 1833-4: gross income was £1,966 3s 9d; expenses were £485 13s 2d and a dividend of 9%
405-612: A line that passed through the town centre, opening to passengers on 1 April 1878, and the Midland Railway hastened to reopen the branch line, on 1 July 1879. As it was a dead-end shuttle line, it was always inferior to the GNR's through services. The Pye Bridge – Pinxton – Mansfield line remained the northern limit of the Erewash Valley Line until in November 1861 the Midland Railway opened a line from Pye Bridge to Clay Cross on
486-423: A meeting of the proprietors took place, indicating that businesspeople had already committed to funding the construction, and no general invitation to subscribe was required. Josias Jessop was the engineer of the project. Construction evidently proceeded rapidly, but there was a cost overrun. At a meeting held on 18 December 1818 it was said that an additional £7,600 was needed to complete the railway. The line
567-595: A month. Hump working began in 1901, and it considerably speeded wagon sorting. The final addition in 1901 was the high-level goods avoiding line from Toton, with its spur to the Nottingham line at Attenborough Junction. The work included the provision of quadruple track southwards from the Trent Junctions through Red Hill Tunnel and over the River Trent. In the 1930s a thorough modernisation of both yards
648-535: A private house, it is now owned by the borough council and forms part of the expanded offices of Erewash Borough Council, which opened in 1991. The Parish Church of St Laurence stands to the east of the Market Place. Local tradition dates parts of it to the 11th century, possibly built under Viking King Cnut . However, some place the oldest parts of the church after the Norman Conquest , possibly in
729-638: A railway station, and on 7 May 1973 a new station on the Erewash Valley main line was opened at Alfreton, named Alfreton and Mansfield Parkway . Trent station was closed and demolished in January 1968. All the lines that converged at this point remained open, with the exception of the North Curve, which ran from Long Eaton station on the Derby line and curved south to enter the old Trent station from
810-558: A range of entertainment, stalls and a funfair on the Carnival showground on West Park. Long Eaton is twinned with: Mansfield and Pinxton Railway 53°07′57″N 1°13′28″W / 53.13250°N 1.22444°W / 53.13250; -1.22444 The Mansfield and Pinxton Railway was an early horse-drawn railway in the United Kingdom. It was completed in 1819, to make a transport link between Mansfield and
891-514: A through line. The Ripley–Butterley and Ripley–Heanor lines were opened together on 2 June 1890. The section on to the main Erewash Valley line, and a spur into separate platforms at Langley Mill, were opened on 1 October 1895. Throughout the final decades of the nineteenth century, sorting siding accommodation at Trent was continually enhanced, as the location became the primary yard for sorting coal wagons from Nottinghamshire and Derbyshire coalfields for southern and eastern destinations, and of course
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#1732771814638972-479: A week, and was fed continuously by 1,300 ton coal trains on the merry-go-round principle. In common with other local passenger services in the greater Nottingham area, the Ilkeston branch was closed to passengers on 16 June 1947. Intermediate stations on the main line were later closed and local passenger trains ceased to operate from 2 January 1967. Mansfield was by this time a very large population centre without
1053-625: A workmen's service from Kirkby to Nottingham continued until 6 September 1965. On 12 October 1964 the Leen Valley passenger trains between Nottingham and Mansfield were withdrawn. In June 1975 all goods facilities at Mansfield were withdrawn, so that the local rail network was entirely dependent on coal traffic. The Midland Railway Leen Valley route had already been severed between Kirkby in Ashfield and Annesley on 11 October 1970. A body of opinion developed in favour of funding reinstatement of
1134-480: Is West Park which has a café and neighbours West Park Leisure Centre. Long Eaton holds an annual "Chestnut Fair" in November. In a tradition which started in 1931, the town hosts an annual Carnival each year – currently on the third Saturday in June. The event commences with a parade of floats, decorated vehicles and walkers in fancy dress, which circulates round the town. It continues in the afternoon and evening with
1215-808: Is a traditional, four-storey, red lace mill, built by a consortium of manufacturers. The turrets on the sides house the original staircases. The floors above the shops in High Street and the Market Place show that large parts of the centre were built in Victorian or early 20th-century times. The New Central Building is an example of late Victorian architecture. Near the Market Place, the significant buildings are 1 Derby Road, Barclays Bank (1898) by Ernest Reginald Ridgway , 24 Market Place, Halifax Building Society, built as Smith's Bank , (1889) by Fothergill Watson , ( Grade II listed ), Therm House (1838–39) by Dodd & Wilcox, 41 Market Place, HSBC bank, built as
1296-726: Is at West Park Leisure Centre. Long Eaton Cricket Club , established in 1972, currently has three senior teams competing in the South Nottinghamshire Cricket League , two Sunday league teams in the Newark Club Cricket Alliance league and a junior training section that plays competitive cricket in the Erewash Young Cricketers League . Sawley Cricket Club moved onto West Park from nearby Sawley park in 1977. It has four senior teams competing in
1377-473: The Cromford Canal at Pinxton . An important traffic was coal inward to Mansfield, as coal deposits near there were too deep to be extracted economically at the time; minerals, malt and other manufactures were exported from Mansfield. Collieries along the line of route were developed as time went on. From 1847 the Midland Railway developed a railway network in the locality of Mansfield, and purchased
1458-712: The Derbyshire County Cricket League and a junior training section that plays competitively in the Erewash Young Cricketers League . Long Eaton Park Croquet Club (LEPCC) was founded in 1980 and is located behind the West Park Leisure Centre. The club is a full member of the Croquet Association and is an active member of the Federation of East Midlands Croquet Clubs (FEMCC). Long Eaton Speedway raced at
1539-699: The Waltham TV transmitter, and the Nottingham relay transmitter. Local radio stations are BBC Radio Nottingham , BBC Radio Derby , Smooth East Midlands , Hits Radio East Midlands , Capital East Midlands , Greatest Hits Radio Midlands and Erewash Sound , a community based radio station. The town is served by the local newspapers, Nottingham Post and Nottingham Journal . Long Eaton has two state secondary schools , The Long Eaton School and Wilsthorpe School , and several primary schools , including Brooklands, St Lawrence, Dovedale, Sawley, Harrington, English Martyrs, Longmoor and Grange. It also contains
1620-399: The public school Trent College (founded 1868), the private Elms School for ages 3–11, and two special needs schools: Stanton Vale and Brackenfield SEND School. Long Eaton School was split into two sites: Lower for years 7, 8 and 9, and Upper for years 10, 11 and sixth form. The Lower School building, opened in 1965, was demolished in 2006, when new school premises were built next door on
1701-487: The 12th century. It was originally a daughter church of All Saints' Church, Sawley , but gained separate status in the 19th century. The other religious buildings of note are: There are several fine examples of industrial architecture in Long Eaton. Most have to do with its development as a lace-making centre. By 1907, the town housed almost 1,400 lace machines and the industry employed over 4,000 people (a quarter of
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#17327718146381782-549: The Board of Trade inspection took place on 25 September. The route between Kirkby and Mansfield section was found to be in good shape. but the Codnor Park line was missing several crossing gates and even some short lengths of track. Mineral workings over the Codnor Park line (not requiring Board of Trade approval), and passenger services from Mansfield to Nottingham, commenced on 9 October 1849. There were four passenger journeys
1863-718: The Carnegie Library on Tamworth Road, again in the Art Nouveau style, in 1906. The Long Eaton War Memorial Cross was erected in the Market Place in 1921. The High Street and Market Place were pedestrianised in the 1990s. The work to enhance the layout and paving of the town centre was completed in 2010. Long Eaton railway station is sited on the Midland Main Line . It is served by two train operating companies : Bus services in Long Eaton are provided primarily by Trent Barton and CT4N . Routes connect
1944-465: The Cromford canal, about 8 miles away. Mansfield’s industry was malting, and the manufacture of stockings and gloves, there were considerable limestone deposits, and sand particularly suited to moulding in cast iron manufacture. The lack of economical transport left Mansfield at a disadvantage in transporting its products to market. Pinxton was at the eastern edge of coal deposits at practicable depths at
2025-645: The Erewash Valley. The promoters let it be known that they intended to extend that line later, to join the North Midland Railway at Chesterfield. The NMR and the MCR were competitors, and this announcement alarmed the NMR, as it would take much of its traffic away, and it vigorously opposed the Parliamentary Bill. Most of the finance for the line was to come from Liverpool commercial interests, and
2106-602: The Leen Valley services to Mansfield, and the British Railways Act 1990 (c. xxv) authorising the Newstead - Kirkby link was passed on 26 July 1990; the term 'Robin Hood Line' was adopted. A Nottingham - Newstead passenger service began on 17 May 1993. In 1994 work started on reinstating the link at Kirkby tunnel, and passenger services from Nottingham to Mansfield Woodhouse started operation on 20 November 1995;
2187-594: The Long Eaton Stadium in Station Road. The first meet was held on 18 May 1929. The Long Eaton Invaders became National Speedway Champions in 1984. However, the speedway stadium closed in 1997 and its site is held by an estate of houses and flats and by a playing field for Grange Primary School. Long Eaton Rangers F.C. was founded in 1889 but left the Midland League in 1899. The main park
2268-555: The M&;PR, converting it to be suitable for locomotive use and incorporating it in its own network. In the second half of the twentieth century, passenger and ordinary goods business in the Mansfield area declined substantially, leaving only a limited coal traffic via Codnor Park from 1970. The passenger service from Nottingham to Mansfield was revived under the marketing title The Robin Hood Line , opening to Mansfield in 1995, using
2349-488: The Mansfield & Pinxton line. These two organisations were so confident about their prospects that they jointly purchased the Mansfield & Pinxton company the following year. The Midland Railway had decided to build a line from Nottingham to Mansfield, using part of the Pinxton Railway, and Parliament favoured their plans, and an act of Parliament for the Nottingham to Mansfield railway (initially connecting with
2430-561: The Mansfield & Pinxton north of Kirkby in Ashfield) was passed as the Midland Railway (Nottingham and Mansfield) Act 1846 ( 9 & 10 Vict. c. clxiii) on 16 July 1846. The Midland Railway got the Midland Railway (Mansfield and Pinxton Branch) Act 1847 ( 10 & 11 Vict. c. cxci) on 9 July 1847. This sanctioned the acquisition of the tramway and its incorporation in a line between Codnor Park and Mansfield. Ownership of
2511-472: The Midland Railway built a number of longer branches and connecting lines. A branch from Stanton Gate to Shipley, beyond Ilkeston, was opened in 1870. On 1 May 1875 the Trowell to Radford cut-off was opened to allow quicker access to Nottingham, without the necessity to continue to Long Eaton. The Trowell Line was also seen as a mean of reducing congestion at Toton, by enabling the diversion of mineral trains for
Erewash Valley line - Misplaced Pages Continue
2592-539: The Midland Railway two routes to Mansfield: a new line from near Nottingham, via the Leen Valley, and the Erewash Valley line via Codnor Park. The tramway style of track of the Mansfield and Pinxton Railway needed to be completely renewed. It had been built with no concern for speed, and several sharp curves needed to be eased. The work progressed rapidly, and on 24 August 1849 a contractor's locomotive visited Mansfield, attracting considerable local attention. Midland Railway directors arrived by special train on 17 September, and
2673-767: The Nottingham Joint Stock Bank and later the Midland Bank, (1892) by Albert Nelson Bromley ( Grade II listed ) and the NatWest Bank, (1903) by John Sheldon. Numbers 38 and 40 Market Place are particularly notable as being built in the Art Nouveau style by local architects Gorman and Ross . Number 38 is York Chambers built in 1901, and number 40 was built for the Midland Counties District Bank in 1903. Both are now Grade II listed . Gorman and Ross also provided
2754-531: The Pinxton line remained a problem. The issue was finally resolved on 15 February 1848, when the Railway Commissioners issued a certificate, by the authority of which the Mansfield & Pinxton Railway was amalgamated with the Midland and immediately dissolved. The purchase of the Mansfield and Pinxton Tramway cost £21,066 13s. 4d.; Stretton considered that a comparatively small sum. This gave
2835-423: The advantage that the wagons can leave the track and be manoeuvred on an ordinary flat surface. Losing that advantage was only justified if edge rails enabled heavier loads to be hauled by a horse; there seemed to be a lack of objective evidence on that point. The track gauge was 4 ft 4 + 1 ⁄ 2 in. The Board of Trade Inspecting Officer visited on 25 September 1849, and his report mistakenly refers to
2916-753: The band won the Midland Area Regional Championships, its first contest win since 1966. This secured promotion back to the Second Section and an invitation to the National Championships of Great Britain. The band also won this contest, in what were its best contest results since 1927. Long Eaton United F.C. plays in the Midland Football League , as founder members in 2014. The club was formed in 1956 but records show football prominent in
2997-743: The congested Ambergate–Derby–Trent line. Already freight from the West Riding was diverted down the Erewash Valley line at Clay Cross, regaining the Birmingham line at Stenson Junction using the Castle Donington line , opened throughout in 1873. Next was a branch from Bennerley Junction to Kimberley and Watnall on 12 August 1879, where it joined the branch from Basford Junction to Watnall Colliery, opened in 1877. Passenger services over this Kimberley branch began on 1 September 1882. The Midland branch to Heanor ran from Ripley, putting Ripley on
3078-538: The detriment of Nottinghamshire. In the 1836 session of Parliament the Midland Counties Railway was promoted, to run from Nottingham and Derby, through Leicester to Rugby . At Rugby it would join the London and Birmingham Railway , giving access to London. The Nottingham and Derby arms would come together at Long Eaton, and there was to be a northwards branch from there to the collieries at Pinxton, up
3159-453: The development of the so-called "concealed" Nottinghamshire coalfield, where the coal measures were below a thick limestone stratum. The line was extended north to Clay Cross, on the way to Chesterfield, in 1861, and in doing so formed an alternative through southward route. Congestion on the Midland Railway was a grave problem, and the line enabled diversion of some goods and mineral traffic. Large marshalling yards were developed at Toton , at
3240-541: The district. In the latter half of the eighteenth century canals and navigable rivers became a viable means of transport. Nottinghamshire coalowners had become used to supplying Leicester, due to the convenience of the navigable River Soar . This had become a lucrative business, until the opening of the Leicester and Swannington Railway in 1832 gave cheaper access to the West Leicestershire collieries, to
3321-610: The east of the Midland's Erewash line, and was opened in August 1875. In the first six months of 1876, the line carried 115,000 tons of coal, which was considered to justify the project. Passenger services began running to Pinxton on 1 August 1876. The GNR line to Derby from near Kimberley on the GNR’s Nottingham to Derby line opened fully on 1 April 1878. It crossed the Erewash Valley on a long lattice viaduct, named Bennerley Viaduct . As well as several short connections to local mines,
Erewash Valley line - Misplaced Pages Continue
3402-442: The empty wagons returning. On the down side of the line, dealing with returning empties, there were five reception roads and seventeen sorting sidings in 1884. Loaded wagons are dealt with on the up side, where in 1884 there were nine reception roads and sixteen sorting sidings. Much shunting was done by horses; about forty were sufficient in summer to handle the 18,000 wagons a month. During the winter about 26,000 wagons were handled
3483-516: The former North Midland Railway route south of Chesterfield. At first only goods and mineral trains ran; the section was opened to passengers on 1 May 1862. The mineral wealth of the Erewash Valley was such that the Great Northern Railway, already established at Colwick, sought to expand westwards. After a false start, the GNR got a scheme authorised in 1872, and its own Pinxton line was begun first to bring it coal traffic. It ran to
3564-521: The growing town: lace-making and railway wagon manufacturing. A large railway yard at Toton Sidings grew up just north of the town. By 1900 the town population exceeded 10,000, after construction of housing, offices and factories through the Victorian period. In 1921 its extent was broadened to include Wilsthorpe and parts of Sandiacre and Sawley. One notable building is the Palladian Long Eaton Town Hall . Originally
3645-481: The line traced numerous iron ore deposits and coal seams, as well as locations where limestone -- a key ingredient in the iron-making process -- could be worked. The opening of the line encouraged a huge expansion in the ironworks' activity, although Stanton's expansion was slow to get under way. Corresponding increases in colliery working were apparent, both to service the ironworks locally and for industrial and domestic consumption elsewhere. The Erewash Valley main line
3726-541: The longer rails was for 200 yards. In 1836 one hundred and sixty rails were ordered. Although the Mansfield & Pinxton Railway was originally envisaged as an extension of the Cromford Canal, the canal company took little interest in the railway, and repeatedly declined to give discounted rates. Most of the traffic in later years was coal from pits alongside the lower part of the line to the industrial and domestic hearths of Mansfield. The quantity of stone conveyed
3807-458: The market-place about three o'clock, which, not withstanding the heavy rain falling at the time was thronged with people, the band struck up "God Save the King"... Nearly three hundred of the workmen who had been employed during the last three months on the road, then returned to partake of a dinner, provided for them by the proprietors, at different public houses in the town." The Mansfield terminal
3888-663: The north. It had occasionally been used to stable the Royal Train overnight when royalty was visiting Nottingham. Long Eaton Long Eaton is a town in the Erewash district of Derbyshire , England, just north of the River Trent , about 6 miles (9.7 km) south-west of Nottingham and 9 miles (14 km) south-east of Derby . The town population was 37,760 at the 2011 census. It has been part of Erewash borough since 1 April 1974, when Long Eaton Urban District
3969-477: The parliamentary process, the Midland agreed to adopt the Erewash Valley Company, guaranteeing its shareholders a dividend of 6% on their capital of £6,145,000. The authorising Act for the construction of the line and its takeover was passed on 4 August 1845. The line was opened for public traffic on 6 September 1847, and on that day trains ran from Codnor Park to Long Eaton Junction. Codnor Park
4050-528: The population). High Street Mill dates from 1857. West End Mill of 1882 was built alongside the Erewash Canal on Leopold Street. The adjacent Whiteley’s Mill was erected in 1883. Bridge Mill on Derby Road was built between 1902-06 by John Sheldon. One of the largest lace-making mills, Harrington Mill, was built in 1885. It took one and a quarter million bricks to build the 167-metre long factory and it has 224 cast-iron windows down one side. Harrington Mill
4131-561: The remaining traffic. Nevertheless coal outweighed the traffic volumes seven to one. William Epperstone provided a passenger service from 1832; his vehicle left "Wheatcroft & Co's. Railway Waggon Warehouse, Portland Wharf" every Thursday at 3 pm, in addition to "two or three waggons, every morning, at 6 or 7 o'clock, on the Railway to Pinxton, whence goods are forwarded to all parts of the Kingdom by land and water." The Midland Railway
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#17327718146384212-558: The rich mineral workings of the Erewash Valley would be under the control of another company; moreover an extension north to Clay Cross would form a new, shorter route and abstract from their own main line: exactly the same issue that had vexed the North Midland Railway in 1836. The solution was for the Midland Railway to use its commercial strength to take over the Erewash Valley Railway scheme. During
4293-710: The same grounds. Upper and Lower are now in one building again (with sixth Form being slightly apart), which was opened by Gordon Brown as Chancellor of the Exchequer. It has become an eco school with an eco club, and recently joined the Archway Trust. There is a research-grade telescope built on school grounds., where stargazing sessions have been open to the public in the past. It previously had partnership and student exchange relations with Spanish, French, Italian and Chinese schools. In 2005 Wilsthorpe School gained specialist status in business and enterprise. In 2018,
4374-642: The school was rebuilt. Both Wilsthorpe and Long Eaton schools have an OFSTED rating of "good". Long Eaton Silver Prize brass band is one of only two still functioning in Erewash. It was formed in 1906 after severing from a local temperance society. At its height, it reached the Brass Band Second Section. The original club building in Sailsbury Street closed in early 2015, but the band itself plays on. In 2006, its centenary year,
4455-400: The section of the original M&PR, as modified by the Midland Railway, from Kirkby to Mansfield. The mineral traffic flow from Codnor Park continues. The canal age had resulted in a network that greatly reduced transport costs, but topography, in particular hilly terrain, left some localities deprived of the amenity. Mansfield had no canal; the nearest was the Pinxton basin of a branch of
4536-508: The service was later extended to Worksop. The trains ran over the alignment of the Mansfield and Pinxton Railway as modified by the Midland Railway, between Kirkby and Mansfield. The line from Codnor Park is in use for mineral traffic, and uses the M&PR route from Pinxton. In 2019, the town of Mansfield celebrated 200 years since the opening of the railway with a procession into the town centre involving 90 participants, with some in period costume. The celebrations were partially supported by
4617-601: The south via Nottingham and Oakham , using the Nottingham Direct Line . Another diversion was achieved by the opening of the line from Pye Bridge to Ambergate (Crich Junction) on the same day as the Trowell Line. This too was primarily a goods line, to divert the increasingly heavy traffic in meat, grain, fruit and timber from the Americas, imported via Liverpool and other Lancashire ports, away from
4698-402: The southern end of the line, to handle the huge volume of coal traffic. The Erewash Valley Line continues in use at the present day. For centuries there have been colliery workings in the Erewash Valley of Nottinghamshire. The difficulty with a heavy and bulky commodity was conveying it to market over poor roads. That market was in Leicester , which at the time the supreme industrial centre in
4779-430: The summit level there was a rise of 89 ft; it then fell 181 feet to the Pinxton terminal. The summit was a little under half way from Mansfield. The track consisted of fish-bellied cast iron edge rails; the rails used a form of scarfed joints on stone block sleepers. The selection of edge rails was not without controversy: plate rails (where the wagon wheels are plain and the plate provides the flange for containment) have
4860-426: The time, so the coal consumed in Mansfield had to be brought in. Business interests in Mansfield saw the desirability of a railway connection to the town and promoted a line from the Pinxton basin of the Cromford Canal to Mansfield. The Mansfield and Pinxton Railway was authorised by the Mansfield and Pinxton Railway Act 1817 ( 57 Geo. 3 . c. xxxvii) of 16 June 1817. Unlike many tramway extensions to canals, it
4941-499: The town for many years before. The Football Club has many junior sides and gained FA Charter Standard Community Club status in 2013. It also has a ladies' team competing in the East Midlands Women's Football League. Long Eaton RFC is a Rugby Union club, established in 1969. Long Eaton Swimming Club, one of Derbyshire's largest, arose in 2007, when the Trident and Treonte swimming clubs merged. It covers all levels, from learners to competitive senior and master swimmers. Its home pool
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#17327718146385022-412: The town with Nottingham , Beeston , Stapleford , Sandiacre , Derby , East Midlands Airport and Coalville . The main road through the town forms part of the A6005. Junction 25 of the M1 motorway is on its north-western border. The broad Erewash Canal passes through the town. Local news and television programmes are BBC East Midlands and ITV Central . Television signals are received from
5103-442: The turmoil alarmed them. Not wanting an expensive Parliamentary battle, they insisted that the Pinxton branch be dropped from the MCR scheme. The Midland Counties Railway was authorised, without the Pinxton branch, on 21 June 1836. In 1844 the Midland Railway was formed by Act of 10 May, by the amalgamation of the Midland Counties Railway, the North Midland Railway, and the Birmingham and Derby Junction Railway . This brought together
5184-532: The twentieth century. The Midland Railway became a constituent of the new London, Midland and Scottish Railway in 1923, under the "grouping" of the railways, directed by the Railways Act 1921 . In turn the LMS, with other companies, was nationalised in 1948, becoming part of British Railways. By this time local passenger traffic (and the ordinary goods business) had been hard hit by road competition. Ordinary passenger services from Mansfield to Codnor Park and Pye Bridge had been withdrawn on 10 September 1951, although
5265-417: The two yards handled two million wagons a year. During the 1960s coal traffic declined sharply as oil imports increased and as natural gas replaced town gas. In addition, the eight local power stations were supplied directly from collieries, consuming half of the sixteen million tons of coal produced locally. Ratcliffe-on-Soar Power Station at the south end of Red Hill Tunnel burnt nearly 100,000 tons of coal
5346-415: Was Portland Wharf, alongside White Bear Lane. Bullocks were used as the motive power at first, and later horses were substituted. The railway was to be operated as a toll road: tonnage rates were set; owners of land adjacent to the line were to establish wharfs (goods sidings) and the company could step in if they failed to do so. The line was double track, 8 + 1 ⁄ 4 miles long. From Mansfield to
5427-437: Was a farming settlement that grew up close to the lowest bridging point of the River Erewash . The "Great Fire" of Long Eaton in 1694 destroyed 14 houses and several other buildings in the market place. The village remained a stable size until the construction of the Midland Counties Railway in 1839 and the Erewash Valley Line in 1844, which brought links that encouraged growth. Two industries came to employ many people in
5508-412: Was about 17 miles. There was a new terminal at Mansfield, attached to the original Mansfield and Pinxton warehouse. The Codnor Park-Mansfield railway climbed gently up the Erewash Valley to join the old tramway formation east of Pinxton basin. The Mansfield line became the springboard for reaching areas north and east of the town, promoted by the expansion of coal working in those areas. Mansfield station
5589-421: Was already well established in the ironfounding industry. Long Eaton Junction was the focus of lines west to Derby, east to Nottingham and south to Leicester. The new Erewash Valley line made a fork at Long Eaton: there was a sharp north-to-east curve towards Nottingham, and a southward line in the direction of Leicester. This crossed the former Midland Counties Derby to Nottingham line on the level. The intersection
5670-437: Was authorised independently. Its declared purpose was to convey heavy minerals, chiefly coal, lead and limestone at first, to and from the Pinxton basin of the Cromford canal. Pinxton was at the eastern edge of coal deposits at practicable depths at the time, so the coal was to be brought into Mansfield. The hilly terrain predisposed against extension of the canal. The authorised capital was £22,800. Immediately after authorisation
5751-422: Was constructed to maximise the connections to collieries and ironworks, and by-passed Ilkeston, although it was the largest town on the line. A short branch line was provided to Ilkeston, opening on the same day as the main line. Its traffic potential was disappointing, and in 1870 the branch was closed to passengers and the town was served only by a wayside station on the main line. The Great Northern Railway built
5832-451: Was converted for through working in 1872, although actual through operation did not begin until 1875. Numerous other collieries directly on the former Mansfield and Pinxton line opened towards the end of the nineteenth century, as technological improvements enabled the exploitation of the deeper seams. Many branch lines connections to the M&PR route were made, and competing lines were opened too. Expansion of colliery activity continued in
5913-620: Was disbanded. Long Eaton lies in Derbyshire, across the border of Nottinghamshire and close to Leicestershire . It is covered by the Nottingham post town , and has a Nottingham telephone area code (0115). Long Eaton sits on the banks of the River Trent Long Eaton is referred to as Aitone , in the Domesday Book . Several origins have been suggested, for example "farm between streams" and "low-lying land". It
5994-617: Was formed in May 1844; it acquired the rights to the Erewash Valley Railway ; it opened that line from Long Eaton Junction to Codnor Park on 6 September 1847. The Midland Railway saw the importance of connecting to Mansfield, but two new companies were being promoted: the Boston, Newark & Sheffield Railway was to pass through Southwell and Mansfield, while the Nottingham, Mansfield & Midlands Junction Railway would incorporate
6075-483: Was known as "Platt's crossing", and it proved a notorious and very unsatisfactory arrangement. As the mineral traffic increased, Platts Crossing was seen as a dangerous nuisance, but it was not until 1862 that the Trent Junctions (as they came to be called) were remodelled. A new curve allowed the diversion of the original Derby – Nottingham line, eliminating Platts Crossing. The line was extended to Pinxton through Pye Bridge on 9 October 1849. Through working to Mansfield
6156-585: Was less than expected, mainly because of the expense of carrying it forward by canal. Nevertheless, one of Britain's most famous landmarks, the Palace of Westminster (the Houses of Parliament) was rebuilt during the mid-1830s using limestone transported over the Pinxton line. Mansfield dispatched its renowned moulding sand to local ironworks via the railway and received wagons of metal for its foundries. Bricks, lime, timber, slate and assorted agricultural produce made up
6237-449: Was opened on 13 April 1819, when "the first load of coals was brought in to the Company's wharf [at Mansfield]... the coal was unloaded and taken to the market place where it was heaped up and set on fire." This was evidently a major event in the locality: crowds met the incoming train at the five-arch bridge "where they met ten waggons laden with coal from the Pinxton colliery... the assemblage amounted to some thousands... Having arrived at
6318-483: Was paid. Coal and coke were by far the dominant commodity carried. Repairing the rails proved more expensive than had been foreseen: the cost of repairs in the 1824/25 statement amounted to £204 18s. In 1834, it was decided that if any new rails were required they should be of wrought iron, not less than 12 feet long. Larger stone blocks were needed for the sleepers for these rails. They were to measure not less than 2 feet by 20 inches and 8 inches thick. The first order for
6399-668: Was planned, and completed in May 1939 for the down yard. Work on the up yard was interrupted by the war and not completed until 1952. Diesel shunters were then extensively used, and the thirty-five sidings in the down yard could handle nearly 5,000 wagons a day. Actual reconstruction in the down yard was kept to a minimum, but in the up yard sixteen miles of track were completely taken up and replaced with twenty-seven miles, within two years. Four fans of sorting sidings were laid, comprising thirty-seven roads, plus eleven arrival lines and twenty storage roads. These up sidings received up to seventy trains daily in 1952 and despatched sixty; between them,
6480-419: Was possible as the Midland Railway had rebuilt the original tramway. The Mansfield and Pinxton Railway had been built as a stone-block sleepered railway with horse traction (bullock traction at first) and some very sharp curves. The Midland Railway had acquired it, and closed and upgraded it, reopening it the same day as its own extension to Pinxton. There were two ironworks close to the line. The dominant site
6561-600: Was the Butterley Company works at Ripley ; this had been long established as a successful manufacturer of iron, and constructor of iron structures. The termination of the 1847 opening of the Erewash Valley Line at Codnor Park connected with the internal tramways of the Butterley company. Of secondary importance at the time of opening of the line was the Stanton Ironworks at Ilkeston . The course of
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