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MIDLAND RAILWAY DISTANCE DIAGRAMS

The cover sheet to the Midland Railway Distance Diagrams. Spread over multile lines, it reads; PRIVATE AND CONFIDENTIAL. MIDLAND RAILWAY. DIAGRAMS with Distances between Stations and Junctions, Positions of Canals, Private Sidings, Signal Boxes, Tunnels, Viaducts, County Boundaries, etc. Estate Office, London Midland and Scottish Railway, Midland Division, Derby.

Most people who have had anything to do with the history of the Midland Railway will be familiar with the “Distance Diagrams”. Like the Company's two-chains-to-the-inch land plans and, out on the lineside itself, the distinctive mile posts, the Distance Diagrams were an essential part of how the railway was administered. Presented as enormous bound volumes, over 100 copies were distributed around the Company and a good many of them survive, dotted around various archives, museums and libraries. We are proud to have eight copies at the Midland Railway Study Centre and our friends at the National Archives just beat us with nine.

The Diagrams are an incredibly detailed record of the Midland Railway's network with every station, yard and private siding marked — crucially with the distances between them presented in extraordinary detail. What adds to the complexity of their story, however, is that they were kept updated. Revisions were issued periodically with all sheets being completely replaced at least once over the years. Most books were dutifully updated by their custodians and so we are largely left with a picture of the Midland Railway as it became during the LMS period after 1923. Importantly, however, not all copies were so assiduously updated, and it is these copies which are particularly interesting. Notes and a spreadsheet compiled by the late Pat Larkam provide much more details in this regard below.

That all said, even the updated copies present us with a fascinating insight into the detail of the Midland Railway's system.

You can download a PDF of Distance Diagrams Book 44, including the Index Gazetteer sheets and the Alterations Sheets from 1911 to 1923. This is a 47.9Mb file. If you only want a copy of an individual sheet, please email your request to the address below.

Perhaps the most definitive account of the history of the Distance Diagram Books can be obtained from this Reference Paper written by John Gough.

Notes about different editions of the Distance Diagrams compiled in 1978 by the late Pat Larkam

The first edition was issued in 1873 entitled Midland Railway Diagrams – the word “Distance” was added to the second and last issue of 1893.

The table below shows the date of each diagram. The missing first edition dates are presumably all 7.1873, although there is some doubt in the case of 1G for instance, where the Settle and Carlisle was not opened until 1875, after that year’s amendments. Was there therefore some issued in 1876?

The title page of the 1st edition is 1873-4. Were there any amendments issued in 1874? Up to and including 1906 the date on the bottom right hand corner of each sheet included the month – usually January. Subsequently only the year was stated.

In the table, the month is shown only where it is definitely known from an example still in existence.

Over the 52 years of issue the layout changed, gradually including more and more information. This aspect could be the subject of a separate investigation.

The 1873 edition was issued by “The Engineer’s Office” and the 1893 edition by “Estate Agent’s Office” – both “Midland Railway, Derby”.

Sizes:
1873:- 21” high x 16” wide x 2½ thick – Bright Red.
1893:- 20¾” high x 16” wide x 3½ thick – Very Dark leather.

Known Editions for Each Sheet

Sheet Title 1st 2nd 3rd 4th 5th 6th 7th 8th 9th 10th 11th
1 Stranraer District 1.1886 1914
1a Newton Stawart - Glenluce District 1.1886 1914
1b Newton Stewart 1.1886 1914
1c Castle Douglas 1.1886 1914
1d Dumfries - Castle Douglas 1.1886 1914
1e Annan - Dumfries 1.1886 1914
1f Gretna District 1.1886 1914
1g (1) Carlisle District 1878 1882 1.1885 1904 1914
2 Appleby District 1.1.1878 1904 1914
3 Hawes Junction & District 1.1879 1903 1913
4 Hellifield & Ingleton 7.1873 (10) 1878 1881 1.1888 1901 (2) 1910 1913
4a Blackburn District 1.1888 1895 1913
4b Bolton District 1.1888 1895 1913
4c Ormskirk - Houghton District 1.1888 1895 1913
5 Carnforth - High Bentham 7.1873 1881 1901 1909 1916
6 Morecambe – Heysham - Lancaster 1.1884 1905 1909 1917
7 Skipton District 1881 1885 1.1888 1900 1909 1915
8 Bradford District 1877 1885 1.1888 1.1899 1906 1912 1920
9 Leeds - Royston 7.1873 1877 1879 1886 1898 1905 1910 1917/1918
9a Leeds & District 1895 1905 1910 1918
10 Rotherham District 1879 1883 1.1887 1898 1905 1909 1919
10a York District 1879 1.1888 1907 1920
10b (5) Cudworth District 1879/1905 1893/1909 (3) 1916
10c (5) Doncaster District 1.1882/1906 (4) 1910 1918
10d Hull 1.1882 1893 Cancelled 1907
Edition unknown
10e Millhouses - Rotherham - Brighton 1.1882 1893 1898 1906 1909 1918
10f Rotherham - Swinton & District 1902 1909 1913
11 Moorthorpe District 7.1873 1896 1907 1920
12 Chesterfield 1877 1878 1.1883 1885 1.1889 1900 1904 1907 1909
13 Southern Erewash 1877 1879 1.1883 1898 1908
13a Derby 1904 1908 1917
13b Trent 1897 1904 1908 1917/1918
13c Langley Mill District 1897 1904 1908 1921
13d Ambergate District 1898 1908 1920
14 Matlock District 1.1884 1902 1910 1913
15 Buxton District 1.1883 1886 1903 1911 1915
15a Huddersfield District 1886 1911 1915
15b Dore & Totley District 1894 1905 1912 1915
16 Manchester District 1875 1880 1886 1888 1902 1895 1914 1923
17 Warrington & Northwich District 7.1873 1880 1902 1914
18 Chester & Widnes District 1875 1880 1.1888 1902 1914
19 Liverpool District 1880 1885 1.1888 1897 1906 1914
19a Southport District 1885 1.1888 1910 (5) 1914 (5)
20 Mansfield Worksop & District 1880 1885 1.1889 1899 1907 1912
21 Nottingham & District 7.1873 1877 1880 1886 1899 1907 1912
21a Nottingham & District 1899 1907 1913
22 Newark District 1.1883 1904 1913
23 Lincoln District 1.1883 1904 1915
24 Leicester District 7.1873 1880 1886 1908 1916 1923
25 Ashby District 11883 1899 1906 1912 1920
26 Tamworth District 1877 1.1884 1896 1905 1912 1921
26a Tamworth - Water Orton District 1879 1.1883 1901 1910 1915
26b Burton on Trent 1.1884 1902 1915
26c Uttoxeter - Leek 1.1896 (6)
26d Stoke on Trent 1.1896 (6)
27 Wolverhampton District Issued
9.1876		 1879 1.1883 1899 1912 1920
28 Melton Mowbray District 1880 1884 1887 1.1888 1900 1911 1915
28a Saxby & Bourne Line 1.1888/1894 1907 1913
29 Manton District 1880 1.1884 1899 1912 1923
30 Bourne - Peterborough 1.1883 1894 1908 1916
31 M & GN Holbeach - Murrow 1.1883 1894 1912
32 M & GN Sutton Bridge - Kings Lynn 1.1883 1894 1912
32a M & GN Massingham District 1894 1912 1921
32b M & GN Fakenham District 1894 1912 1921
32c M & GN Melton Constable 1894 1912 1921
32d M & GN Norwich District 1894 1912 1921
32e M & GN North Walsham District 1894 1.1907 1921
32f M & GN Yarmouth - Lowestoft 1894 1904 1916
33 Wigston Rugby 1.1887 1897 1908 1916
34 Market Harborough District 7.1873 1886 1904 1913
35 Kettering - Wellingboro 7.1873 1.1.1877 1880 1886 1895 1905 1911 1914
36 Kettering - Thrapston - Huntingdon 1.1887 1905 1911 1916
37 Huntingdon - St Ives 1.1884 1907 1916
38 Cambridge 7.1873 1907 1916
39 Northampton 7.1873 1904 1911 1919
40 Bedford District 1.1888 1895 1905 1911 1914 1920
41 Hitchin District 7.1873 1905 1911 1913
42 Luton District 1.1.1877 1.1889 1896 1908 1915
43 Hendon District 1879 1.1884 1900 1908 1915 1919
44 London District 1.1883 1886 1901 1913
44a London District 1.1888 1901 1914
44b London District East 1.1888 1901 1914 1919
44c London District Clapham 1.1900 1915
44d (7) London District Hitherg 1900 1915
45 (4) LT & S Upminster 7.1873/1913 1.1893 (3)
45a LT & S Tilbury - Pitsea 1913
45b LT & S Southend 1913
46 Nuneaton - Whitacre 1878 1.1889 1896 1908 1916
47 Birmingham District Not Dated 1.1.1877 1879 1886 1897 1906 1913
48 Bromsgrove District 1.1884 1902 1912 1914
49 Alcester - Evesham - Ashchurch 1.1883 1902 1912 1918
49a Stratford on Avon District 1923
49b Towcester District 1923
50 Worcester District 7.1873 1895 1.1906 1913
51 Cheltenham - Gloucester - Stonehouse 1.1884 1897 1911 (8)
51a Severn & Wye (GW & MR Joint) 1886 1897 1910 1917
52 Stonehouse to Yate & Branches 7.1873 1881 1897 1910 1913
53 Mangotsfield - Bath - Bristol 1878 1887 1.1888 1898 1910 1918
53a Bristol District 1910 1914
54 GWR Ledbury District 7.1873 1.1906 1915
55 Hereford District 7.1873 1895 1.1906 1911 1915
56 Hay District 1.1889 1907 1911 1921
57 Brecon District Not Dated 1907 1911 1923
58 Colbren Junction District 1875 1.1.1877 (9) 1.1889 (9) 1908 1911 1923
59 Swansea Vale Lines 1875 1877 1.1884 1.1893 1903 1.1904 1911
59a Swansea Vale Lines 1.1884 1.1902 1911
60 S & D Bath - Evercreech 1.1887 1905 1917
61 Glastonbury 1.1876 1906 1918/1919
62 Highbridge - Bridgewater 1.1889 1910 1919
63 Templecombe 1.1876 1910 1919
64 Blandford 1.1876 1910 1919
65 Bournemouth 1.1888 1910 1919
66 Ashby Canal 1878 1.1906
67 Cromford Canal 1.1906 1924
Map Index 1910 1920
Index to Diagrams 1.1886 1912
Burton & Ashby Light Railway Date Stamp 18 July 1913
Notes:
(1) Renumbered from No.1 in 1886
(2) Apparently Not Issued
(3) Second Issue presumably cancelled but date unknown
(4) Two series for different areas
(5) Redrawn with amendments but both fourth editions
(6) Cancelled 1920
(7) Sheets 44E, 44F, 44G mentioned but not issued 1895
(8) Issued in 1910 amendments
(9) Redrawn with amendments but both 2nd editions
(10) 88-1997-5/269B