The Erewash Valley Line runs from south of Chesterfield along the Erewash Valley to Trent Junction at Long Eaton, joining the Midland Main Line at each end. Chesterfield is a historic market town and local government district in Derbyshire, a county in England. ... The Erewash Valley is the valley of the River Erewash on the border of Derbyshire and Nottinghamshire as far as the River Trent. ... Location within the British Isles This article is about a town in England. ... This article is about the Midland Main Line railway route. ...

History

It has historic, but troubled, origins. At the beginning of the nineteenth century the Nottinghamshire coalminers had a lucrative trade with Leicester using the Erewash Canal, the River Trent and the Leicester Navigation. The Leicester miners had attempted to compete by building the Charnwood Forest Canal but this was unsuccessful. However, in 1832, they opened the Leicester and Swannington Railway. Alternative meaning: Nineteenth Century (periodical) (18th century — 19th century — 20th century — more centuries) As a means of recording the passage of time, the 19th century was that century which lasted from 1801-1900 in the sense of the Gregorian calendar. ... Nottinghamshire (abbreviated Notts) is an English county in the East Midlands, which borders South Yorkshire, Lincolnshire, Leicestershire and Derbyshire. ... Leicester city centre, looking towards clock tower Leicester (pronounced ) is the largest city in the English East Midlands. ... The Erewash Canal is a broad canal in Derbyshire, England. ... The River Trent is one of the major rivers of England. ... 1832 was a leap year starting on Sunday (see link for calendar). ... The Leicester and Swannington Railway (L&S) was one of Englands first railways, being opened in July 1832 to bring coal from pits in west Leicestershire to Leicester. ...

The Nottinghamshire miners already had a tramway, the Mansfield and Pinxton Railway and attempted to raise the funds for a railway to Leicester but experienced difficulty in attracting investors. Their ideas developed into a line line linking Nottingham to Derby and Leicester which would carry their coal from the Erewash Valley. This was the beginning of the Midland Counties Railway and they attracted the attention of Lancashire and Yorkshire financiers. The idea developed further into a connection to the London and Birmingham Railway at Rugby. However, a proposed connection from the north of the Erewash to Chesterfield, was it undoing, since it would compete with the North Midland Railway. The Mansfield and Pinxton Railway was an early horse-drawn railway company in the United Kingdom, constructed in 1819 to transport coal between Mansfield and the head of the Pinxton branch of the Cromford Canal and thence by the Erewash Valley and the Trent to Leicester. ... Nottingham is a city (and county town of Nottinghamshire) in the East Midlands of England. ... Derby (pronounced dar-bee ) is a city in the East Midlands of England. ... Leicester city centre, looking towards clock tower Leicester (pronounced ) is the largest city in the English East Midlands. ... The Midland Counties Railway (MCR) was an early railway company in the United Kingdom which existed between 1832 and 1844, connecting Nottingham, Leicester and Derby with Rugby and thence to London. ... Lancashire is a county in North West England, bounded to the west by the Irish Sea. ... Look up Yorkshire in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ... The London and Birmingham Railway (L&BR) was an early railway company in the United Kingdom, which existed between 1833 and 1846 when it becam a constituent part of the London and North Western Railway. ... Rugby is a market town in the county of Warwickshire in the West Midlands region of England on the River Avon. ... Chesterfield is a historic market town and local government district in Derbyshire, a county in England. ... The North Midland Railway was a British railway company, opened in 1840, from Derby to Rotherham (Masborough) and Leeds. ...

The building of the Midland Counties Railway went ahead without the Erewash Valley Line. However, in 1844, the Midland Railway was formed. by the amalgamation of the North Midland, the Midland Counties and the Birmingham and Derby Junction Railway. The Midland almost immediately acquired the Leicester and Swannington and the Mansfield and Pinxton. 1844 was a leap year starting on Monday (see link for calendar). ... The Midland Railway (MR) was a railway company in the United Kingdom, which existed from 1844 to 1922. ... The Birmingham and Derby Junction Railway was a British railway company. ...

Finally in 1844 they built the Erewash Valley line as far as Pinxton in 1847, with a link to the Butterley Company's own railway at Codnor Park in 1849. The line was finally completed to Chesterfield in 1862. 1844 was a leap year starting on Monday (see link for calendar). ... Pinxton is a village on the eastern boundary of Derbyshire in the Bolsover district, {England]]. In Anglo-Saxon times it was a small agricultural community, thought to have been recorded in the {Domesday Book]] as Esnotrewic. ... 1847 was a common year starting on Friday (see link for calendar). ... 1849 was a common year starting on Monday (see link for calendar). ... 1862 was a common year starting on Wednesday (see link for calendar). ...

It was immediately successful, not only serving the collieries but also the iron and brickworks around Ripley, particularly the Butterley Company. By the end of the century, it was also carrying the main line expresses to Leeds and the Settle and Carlisle Line, while the main line to Derby served the expresses to Manchester, and the main line to Nottingham ran through the now closed line through Manton Junction (near Oakham) and Ruddington. Map sources for Ripley, Derbyshire at grid reference SK398505 Ripley is a small town in the Amber Valley area of Derbyshire in England. ... Statistics Population: 443,247 Ordnance Survey OS grid reference: SE297338 Administration Metropolitan borough: City of Leeds Metropolitan county: West Yorkshire Region: Yorkshire and the Humber Constituent country: England Sovereign state: United Kingdom Other Ceremonial county: West Yorkshire Historic county: Yorkshire (West Riding) Services Police force: West Yorkshire Police Ambulance service... The Settle–Carlisle Railway (S&C) is a 72 mile (115 km) long main railway line in northern England. ... Manchester is a major city in North West England, historically notable for being the worlds first industrialised city, and its subsequent central role in the Industrial Revolution. ... Nottingham is a city (and county town of Nottinghamshire) in the East Midlands of England. ... For the town in Massachusetts, see Oakham, Massachusetts. ... Ruddington is an English village situated five miles south of Nottingham in the Borough of Rushcliffe. ...

Present day

With the loss of heavy industry in the area, local traffic contracted massively, yet it continues to be the second most busy freight line in the East Midlands. It retains a local passenger service through Nottingham and Chesterfield, some of which goes on to London. It is also the route of the morning southbound Master Cutler which travels non-stop from Chesterfield to London. The East Midlands is one of the regions of England and consists of most of the eastern half of the traditional region of the Midlands. ... The Master Cutler is the head of the Company of Cutlers in Hallamshire established in 1624. ...

Future

Recent announcements by Network Rail have proposed improvements to the junctions at each end, and resignalling throughout with a new East Midland Control Centre. Since the existing Midland Main Line from Derby through the Derwent Valley has a number of tunnels and cuttings which are listed buildings and it is a World Heritage Area, it seems that the Erewash line is ripe for expansion. Network Rails logo Network Rail is a British not for dividend company limited by guarantee that owns the fixed assets of that part of the British railway system that formerly belonged to British Rail, the now-defunct UK state-owned railway operator. ... The Derwent is a river in the county of Derbyshire, England. ... Buckingham Palace, a Grade I listed building. ... A UNESCO World Heritage Site is a specific site (such as a forest, mountain, lake, desert, monument, building, complex, or city) that has been nominated and confirmed for inclusion on the list maintained by the international World Heritage Programme administered by the UNESCO World Heritage Committee, composed of 21 State...

Sources

Various sources from Wikipedia were used in preparing this page, plus announcements on National Rail's website.

See also