OUR MAIN RESOURCES...
The Study Centre Catalogue
Issue 99: 28DEC2024
The Derby Registers.
An index of the official photographs of the Midland Railway
The Midland Railway Assemblage Trail - self-guided tours of a selection of our objects in the Museum of Making.
For King and Country - the men who Joined Up in 1914 and those listed on the MR War Memorial.
Resources for modellers of Midland Railway locations or pre-grouping locos & stock
Including the searchable database of Carriage & Wagon drawings.
Information booklets published by the Midland Railway Society and downloadable without charge...
Our Other Resources and some External Links to sources of help.
The Midland Railway Society Library — titles available to researchers at the Study Centre.
The Journal Index — a fully searchable index to the Midland Railway Society Journal.
Updated to Journal 84.
Midland Railway Society Members — resources available exclusively to MRS members.
Some random images from our catalogue for you to enjoy...
Hover your mouse over the Item Number (or 'long press' on a mobile device) for more information
Item No. 03007
Print ref: Nil
Circular dated February 28th, 1911 detailing the procedure for nominating and electing members for the new Sectional Conciliation Boards together with an outline of the scheme for conciliation and arbitration.
Item No. 22849
Station (Location) of Origin: St Pancras Goods
Station Department: Goods
Document Type: Memo
Item No. 05135
Coloured pictorial poster. Cook's Christmas Excursions from St. Pancras,
Item No. 26149
General Manager's Order No. 433 (N.S.119.) (revised issue). Private Locomotive engines on Own Wheels.
Print Ref: G17-/912. (top right)
Item No. 75265
View of Great Rocks Dale signal box and junction with 8F 2-8-0 No. 48775 and CL4 0-6-0 No.44508 headed north. View includes industrial buildings.
Item No. 31158
Silver (EPNS) trophy inscribed “MR Carlisle Ambulance Corps.” and “For Annual Competition”. No names added. Manufactured by Richard Richardson of Sheffield, likely prior to 1900.
Item No. 31393
Pay check - hexagonal, brass, “L.M.&S.R. C&W Dept. Chaddesden” stamped No.22
Item No. 32555
Conserved and restored bound volume containing Appendix to the Working Time Table ( original cover missing and no other indication of date or issue). Spine suggests it is dated June 1914 but is earlier -- about 1906.
Item No. 88-P730_11
River Derwent bridge (Five Arches Bridge) Derby
Item No. 13056
Handbill.
Motor Bus Service Kettering & Rothwell, October 4th, 1920 ufn.
Item No. 13352
Midland Railway Electrification of Heysham, Morecambe and Lancaster Lines.
Reprinted from "Railway Gazette" of June 12 and 19, 1908
Item No. 66871
A Kirtley 2-4-0 locomotive number 20012 at Kettering with a running-in-board in view.
Item No. 31268
Cast iron wagon identification plate -- 'M.R No. 30 - W & W Dept. - Gas Tar - 2000 Galls'. Face restored.
Item No. 22509
Station (Location) of Origin: Retford
Station Department:
Document Type: Parcels Waybill
Item No. 82059
Kentish Town shed, 1870s. Metropolitan tank 4-4-0T No. 205 in original condition and with its crew posed on the footplate.
Item No. 94133
LT&SR, unidentified station. A view through the station showing a crossing for a track. The platforms with their buildings, the platform awnings and the footbridge behind. The signal box was at the far end of the station and a starter signal was at the near end of the right-hand platform. A workman had a trolley with several bales of hay. Some station staff were standing on the platform. A windmill stood near the far end of the station platforms.
Item No. 13558
Our Model Railway - A Notable Brewery Railway System.
A copy of an article in Railway Gazette and Railway Magazine published as an illustrated booklet by Bass Ratcliffe & Gretton Ltd in 1926. Describes their railway system at Burton on Trent.
(See Item 13693 for Bass Museum reprint of 1977)
Item No. 11324
Coat of arms mounted on wooden panel
Midland Railway (late - original)
Item No. 88-2015-0611-01
Great Northern Railway Retford North station, street view of station buildings.
Item No. 72075
Photograph of a Midland Railway four wheel covered horse-drawn van signwritten; "Midland Railway Collecting Van for Goods & Parcels" with a fleet number of 704 and St. Pancras, Somers Town and Castle & Falcon. Location of photograph unknown but presumably one of those depots.
IF WE CAN'T HELP YOU
ABOUT THE MIDLAND RAILWAY
We know lots of other people who might be able to!
The Midland Railway Study Centre is set up to be a research facility. We like to think we have something to help with almost any Midland Railway related subject — but of course no one organisation has all the answers. So we have complied this list of other places where you might like to turn to for information about ehat you seek...
Other sources of Midland Railway information
to help you...
| The Settle & Carlisle Railway Trust |
| The S & C Railway Trust go to inordinate lengths to ensure this world famous stretch of railway embraces its heritage perfectly. Their web site has a section on the line's heritage and anyone with an interest in Midland Railway matters will find their Design Guide invaluable. |
| Cumbrian Railways Association |
| Though of course not limited to the Midland Railway, the Cumbrian railway Association includes the Settle & Carlisle railway as well as other part of Midland in their extensive area of interest. |
| Somerset and Dorset Railway Trust |
| Arguably much more than a “line society”, given their extensive collection of rolling stock, the Somerset and Dorset Railway Trust preserves the memory of this fabled joint venture between the Midland Railway and the London and South Western Railway which ran between Bath and Bournemouth. |
| Midland Railway — Butterley |
| This list would not be complete without including our good friends at the Midland Railway — Butterley. Although there is no formal connection between our respective organisations, the shared “Midland Railway” element in our names means we are often confused with one another. Butterley is, of course, renowned for being a heritage railway, but they are also an Accredited Museum with a stunning collection of Midland Railway artefacts, ephemera and documents. |
| Other Midland Railway related heritage railways... |
| Similarly, we mustn't fail to include the other heritage lines which all keep the memory of the Midland Railway alive and maintain their own collections... |
| The Manchester Locomotive Society |
| Based on Stockport Station and in existence since 1935, this group's archive, library and photographic collection are all hugely impressive. Whilst there's naturally a strong north west England bias, their collections and members' interests span the globe. Anyone interested in the Cheshire Lines Committee (of which the Midland Railway was a constituent) will be well served by the MLS. Their resources are available to their members only, but if that is your interest, the modest annual subscription will be well worth it. Details on their web site. |
Not specifically Midland Railway related but great sources of relevant research material... ...
| The National Railway Museum |
| The NRM continue to make more and more of their vast collection available on-line. As such, their Collections Catalogue is well worth spending some time with. |
| The National Archives |
| Kew hold a substantial amount of Midland Railway material, including but far from limited to, many staff records and the full set of the various committee minute books. The main sub-reference for the Midland Railway in Discovery - their comprehensive on-line finding aid is RAIL 491. |
| Kidderminster Railway Museum |
| KRM have an extensive collection of photographs covering the entire country, many originating from the Roy F Burrows Midland Collection. You can contact them via their web site. |
| The Signalling Record Society |
| The SRS have an extensive archive and a Study Centre at Kenilworth, Warwickshire which they share with the London & North Western Railway Society. Find out more at the SRS web site. |
| Picture The Past |
| This is the North East Midland Photographic Record which holds the combined photographic collections of the local authorities of Derbyshire and Nottinghamshire. Their railway collection is extensive and the web site is well worth exploring. |
| British Transport Police History Group |
| Like the pre-grouping railway companies they served, the many railway police forces were “grouped” in 1923. The Midland Railway Police department became part of the LMS Police and subsequently, under the British Transport Commission, the BTP. The rich and varied history these many police forces represent is celebrated by the BTP History Group. This is an excellent source of any information regarding railway, dock and canal policing over the years. |
| Newton Abbot Railway Studies Collection |
| Although primarily focussing on the Great Western Railway, the Railway Studies Centre in the Passmore Edwards Centre, operated by Devon Libraries, has a substantial amount of information covering the whole of the UK's railways. Their web site contains a selection of images from the collection and a link to Devon Libraries' on line catalogue. |
| Cambridge University Map Library |
| It may seem somewhat unlikely, but Cambridge University hold a significant trove Midland Railway Engineer's Department papers within their Map Library. Their friendly and helpful staff will assist in finding these for you, but this search link should return everything they hold for the Midland Railway as a starting point. |
| Stephen Rabone's Hellifield micro-site |
| If you are at all interested in the workings around Hellifield, with the associated link over the Settle & Carlisle, then this collection of pages will be a treasure trove of information for you. Thanks to Graham Bocking for mentioning it. |
| Whatstandwell |
| The Crich village web site hosts an excellent page containing the memories of A.C.Phillips, a former Station Master there. It is also illustrated with splendid photographs from Mr. Phillips' album. |
| Woodlesford |
| For many years, Midland Railway Society member Howard Benson has been diligently researching every possible aspect of the North Midland Railway station at Woodlesford, south of Leeds. What he has developed is a stunning example of railway and social history preserved in online form Woodlesford Station.. This is supplemented with a Facebook page. |
Other pre-grouping railway companies...
The Midland Railway was just one company among dozens of others which collectively built Britain's railway network. If your research involves one of the other companies, here are some suggestions of where to seek help. This list isn't exhaustive and so if your area of interest isn't covered, let us know and we will do our best to point you in a helpful direction.
We will be delighted to add any other relevant research resources or web sites to this list. Please email with any suggestions and also please let me know if any of the above links are broken. Contact details below....
How you can help the Midland Railway Study Centre
There is no charge for individual private researchers to use the Study Centre, whether visiting in person or making email enquiries. Our volunteers receive no reimbursement, not even for travelling, as they are happy to help. However, there are overheads in operating the Study Centre and we have a responsibility to properly conserve the material we hold and use. To that end, if you have received assistance from us and wish to show your appreciation, we have added this PayPal button for your convenience.
Donations made in this way (or by cheque to The Midland Railway Society) are "ring fenced" for use in the Study Centre. Thank you.
The Midland Railway Society is a Registered Charity - Number 1149613
The Midland Railway Study Centre web site
is maintained by Dave Harris, the Study Centre Co-ordinator
Email: enquiries@midlandrailwaystudycentre.org.uk
The Museum of Making at Derby Silk Mill
Silk Mill Lane, Derby, DE1 3AF.
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Page last updated: Monday, 16 December 2024.