The Great Central Railway (GCR) was a railway company in England which came into being when the Manchester, Sheffield and Lincolnshire Railway changed its name in 1897 on the completion of its London Extension. In 1922 it was grouped into the London and North Eastern Railway. Motto (French) God and my right Anthem God Save the King (Queen) England() – on the European continent() – in the United Kingdom() Capital (and largest city) London (de facto) Official languages English (de facto) Unified  -  by Athelstan 967 AD  Area  -  Total 130,395 km²  50,346 sq mi  Population  -  2007 estimate... The Manchester, Sheffield and Lincolnshire Railway (MS&LR) was the major part of the Great Central Railway, which name it assumed in 1897. ... 1897 (MDCCCXCVII) was a common year starting on Friday (see link for calendar). ... The Great Central Main Line (GCML), also known as the London Extension of the Manchester, Sheffield and Lincolnshire Railway was a main railway line in England that linked Sheffield with Marylebone Station in London via Nottingham and Leicester. ... Year 1922 (MCMXXII) was a common year starting on Sunday (link will display full calendar). ... The Railways Act of 1921, also known as the Grouping Act, was an enactment by the British government of David Lloyd George intended to stem the losses being made by many of the countrys 120 railway companies, move the railways away from internal competition, and to retain some of... LNER timetable for Autumn 1926 detailing the resumption of services after the General Strike. ...

History

The new GCR

Upon assuming its new title, the GCR main line ran from Manchester London Road Station via Penistone, Sheffield, Brigg and Grimsby to Cleethorpes. A second line left the aforementioned line at Penistone and served Barnsley, Doncaster and Scunthorpe before rejoining the Grimsby line at Barnetby. Other lines linked Sheffield to Barnsley (via Chapeltown) and Doncaster (via Rotherham and also a line linking Lincoln and Wrawby Junction. Branch lines in north Lincolnshire ran to Barton-upon-Humber and New Holland and served ironstone quarries in the Scunthorpe area. In the Manchester are lines ran toStalybridge and Glossop. In the 1890's the M.S.& L.R. began construction of its "Derbyshire Lines", in effect the first part of its push southwards. Leaving its east - west main line at Beighton Junction, some 5 1/2 miles east of Sheffield, the line headed towards Nottingham, a golden opportunity to tap into the collieries in the north of county before reaching that city. A loop line was built to serve Chesterfield. Interior shot of the station with the Victorian trainshed. ... Penistone railway station Penistone railway station is a railway station in Penistone, South Yorkshire, England. ... Sheffield Victoria station was the main Sheffield station on the Great Central Railway (known prior to 1897 as the Manchester, Sheffield and Lincolnshire Railway), between Chesterfield and Penistone. ... The main entrance to the station Grimsby Town railway station serves the town of Grimsby in North East Lincolnshire. ... Cleethorpes railway station is a rail terminus serving the town of Cleethorpes in North East Lincolnshire. ... Doncaster railway station serves the town of Doncaster, in South Yorkshire, England. ... Scunthorpe railway station serves the town of Scunthorpe in North Lincolnshire. ... , Rotherham Central in 2004. ... Barton-upon-Humber or Barton is a small town in North Lincolnshire, on the south bank of the River Humber, and at the end of the Humber Bridge. ... Categories: Possible copyright violations ... Statistics Population: 22,568 (2001 Census) Ordnance Survey OS grid reference: SJ963985 Administration District: Tameside Metropolitan county: Greater Manchester Region: North West England Constituent country: England Sovereign state: United Kingdom Other Ceremonial county: Greater Manchester Historic county: Cheshire / Lancashire Services Police force: Greater Manchester Fire and rescue: {{{Fire}}} Ambulance: North... Glossop is a tourist market town in the borough of High Peak, Derbyshire, England. ...

The "London Extension"

The MS&LR had obtained Parliamentary approval in 1893 for its so-called Extension to London. On 1 August 1897 the original name of the railway was changed to become the Great Central Railway. Building work started in 1895: the new line, some 92 miles (147km) in length, opened for coal traffic on 25 July 1898; for passenger traffic on 15 March 1899, and for goods traffic on 11 April 1899. An Act of Parliament or Act is law enacted by the parliament (see legislation). ... August 1 is the 213th day of the year (214th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... 1897 (MDCCCXCVII) was a common year starting on Friday (see link for calendar). ... July 25 is the 206th day (207th in leap years) of the year in the Gregorian calendar, with 159 days remaining. ... Year 1898 (MDCCCXCVIII) was a common year starting on Saturday (link will display the full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar (or a common year starting on Monday of the 12-day-slower Julian calendar). ... March 15 is the 74th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (75th in leap years). ... Year 1899 (MDCCCXCIX) was a common year starting on Sunday (link will display the full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar (or a common year starting on Friday [1] of the 12-day-slower Julian calendar). ... April 11 is the 101st day of the year (102nd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1899 (MDCCCXCIX) was a common year starting on Sunday (link will display the full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar (or a common year starting on Friday [1] of the 12-day-slower Julian calendar). ...

The new line was built from Annesley in Nottinghamshire to join the existing Metropolitan Railway (MetR) Extension at Quainton Road, where the line became joint MetR/GCR owned, to return to GCR metals at Harrow for the final section to Marylebone. On 2 April 1906 an "alternative main line", running from Grendon Underwood Junction to Neasden was opened. The line was joint GCR/GWR between Ashenden Junction and Northolt Junction. Annesley is a village and civil parish in the Ashfield district of Nottinghamshire, England, between Hucknall and Sutton-in-Ashfield. ... Nottinghamshire (abbreviated Notts) is an English county in the East Midlands, which borders South Yorkshire, Lincolnshire, Leicestershire and Derbyshire. ... The Metropolitan Line is a line of the London Underground. ... Quainton Road railway station at Quainton in Buckinghamshire, England was a through station on the impoverished Aylesbury & Buckingham Railway (A&BR), a branch line running from Aylesbury station, connecting with the GWR, to Verney Junction, connecting with the LNWR cross-country route between Oxford and Cambridge. ... Harrow is the principal town in the London Borough of Harrow. ... The main entrance to Marylebone station. ... April 2 is the 92nd day of the year (93rd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar, with 273 days remaining. ... 1906 (MCMVI) was a common year starting on Monday (see link for calendar). ... Grendon Underwood is a village in Buckinghamshire, England. ... The original Bristol Temple Meads station, first terminus of the GWR, is the building to the left of this picture The Great Western Railway (GWR) was a British railway company, linking South West England, the West Country and South Wales with London. ... Ashenden Junction was where the Great Central Railway left the route between Princes Risborough and Bicester — currently operated by Chiltern Railways. ... South Ruislip is a London Underground and National Rail joint station in Ruislip in west London. ...

It was the last complete mainline railway to be built in Britain until section one of the Channel Tunnel Rail Link opened in 2003. It was also one of the shortest-lived intercity railway lines, being closed to passenger trains between Aylesbury and Rugby Central in 1966, leaving villages such as Woodford Halse without a railway. A Diesel Multiple Unit (DMU) shuttle service ran between Rugby Central and Nottingham (Arkwright Street) until it was also withdrawn in 1969. CTRL redirects here. ... 2003 (MMIII) was a common year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Woodford Halse is a village in the Daventry district of Northamptonshire in England, and is situated approximately 10 miles (16 km) south-west of Daventry and 15 miles (24 km) north-east of Banbury. ...

Other new lines

• The Lancashire, Derbyshire and East Coast Railway (LD&ECR): This railway was opened in 1897, principally to link the coalfields with deepwater ports, and was intended to run from Sutton on Sea in Lincolnshire to Warrington in Lancashire. In the event only the section between Pyewipe Junction, near Lincoln and Chesterfield Market Place, with some branch lines, was ever built. It was purchased by the GCR on 1 January 1907, providing a better link between the London main line and the east coast.
• Wrexham, Mold and Connah's Quay Railway purchased 1 January 1905
• North Wales and Liverpool Railway: same date
• Wigan Junction Railway: 1 January 1906
• Liverpool, St Helens and South Lancashire Railway: same date
• North Lindsey Light Railway Scunthorpe to Whitton: opened throughout 1 December 1910; worked by GCR, carried passengers, although its main freight was ironstone

Lincolnshire (abbreviated Lincs) is a county in the east of England. ... This article or section does not cite any references or sources. ... Lancashire is a county in North West England, bounded to the west by the Irish Sea. ... Lincoln (pronounced //) is a cathedral city and county town of Lincolnshire, United Kingdom. ... January 1 is the first day of the calendar year in both the Julian and Gregorian calendars. ... 1907 (MCMVII) was a common year starting on Tuesday (link will display the full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar (or a common year starting on Wednesday of the 13-day-slower Julian calendar). ... The Wrexham, Mold and Connahs Quay Railway (WMCQR) was incorporated on 7 August 1862 to build a line from Wrexham to Buckley. ... January 1 is the first day of the calendar year in both the Julian and Gregorian calendars. ... 1905 (MCMV) was a common year starting on Sunday (link will display the full calendar). ... The North Wales and Liverpool Railway (NWLR), was the name given to the joint committee formed to construct a railway between Bidston, on the Wirral Railway and Hawarden on the Manchester, Sheffield and Lincolnshire Railways (MSLR) Chester & Connahs Quay Railway from Chester to its link with the Wrexham... January 1 is the first day of the calendar year in both the Julian and Gregorian calendars. ... 1906 (MCMVI) was a common year starting on Monday (see link for calendar). ... Liverpool, St Helens & South Lancashire Railway, was formed in 1889, it incorporated the St Helens & Wigan Junction Railway which had been formed in 1855. ... Scunthorpe (popularly known as Scunny or Sunny Scunny) is a town in North Lincolnshire, England, and the historic county of Lincolnshire. ... Map sources for Whitton, Lincolnshire at grid reference SE903244 Whitton is an English village of about 190 inhabitants in North Lincolnshire. ... December 1 is the 335th (in leap years the 336th) day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... 1910 (MCMX) was a common year starting on Saturday (link will display calendar) of the Gregorian calendar or a common year starting on Sunday of the 13-day slower Julian calendar. ...

Joint working

Apart from the three branches in the Liverpool area noted above, the GCR lines proper in the north of England were all east of Manchester. Nevertheless, GCR trains could run from coast to coast by means of joint working with other railways. The largest of those utilized in this way were those under the Cheshire Lines Committee: the other participants were the Midland Railway and the Great Northern Railway, taking in both Liverpool and Southport. Other joint undertakings were (west to east): The Cheshire Lines Committee (CLC) was the second largest joint railway in Great Britain. ... The Midland Railway (MR) was a railway company in the United Kingdom, which existed from 1844 to 1922. ... For other uses, see Southport (disambiguation). ...

• Manchester, South Junction and Altrincham Railway (GCR/LNWR)
• Oldham, Ashton-under-Lyne and Guide Bridge Railway (GCR/LNWR)
• Macclesfield, Marple and Bollington Railway (GCR/NSR); including its Hayfield branch
• South Yorkshire Joint Railway (GCR, GNR, Lancashire and Yorkshire Railway, MR and North Eastern Railway)
• Sheffield District Railway(GCR and MidR)
• West Riding and Grimsby Joint Railway (GCR/GNR) - giving access to Wakefield and thence to Leeds

Route map of the Manchester, South Junction & Altrincham Railway, showing layout of connecting lines in the Manchester area (click for full size view) The Manchester, South Junction and Altrincham Railway (MSJAR) was a suburban railway which operated a 13. ... Hayfield from the northwest Hayfield (SK037870) is a village and civil parish in the borough of High Peak, in the county of Derbyshire, England. ... South Yorkshire Joint Railway was a committee formed in 1903, between the Great Central Railway (GCR), the Great Northern Railway (GNR), the Lancashire and Yorkshire Railway (L&YR), the Midland Railway (MR) and the North Eastern Railway (NER) to oversee the construction of a new railway in the Doncaster area... The Lancashire and Yorkshire Railway (L&YR) was a major British railway company before the 1923 Grouping, although in 1922 it had already entered into a working agreement with the London and North Western Railway. ... The North Eastern Railway (NER), unlike many other of the pre-Grouping companies, had a relatively compact territory, having the district it covered to itself. ... The Sheffield District Railway was a railway line in South Yorkshire with its main line running between Brightside Junction, on the Midland Railways Sheffield to Rotherham line, and Treeton Junction, on the same companys Rotherham to Chesterfield line (The Old Road), where it formed a triangular junction. ... Wakefield The Town Hall, Wood St. ... Leeds is a major city in West Yorkshire, England. ...

Chief Mechanical Engineers

• 1897-1900 Harry Pollitt (had served the MS&LR)
• 1900-1922 John George Robinson

1897 (MDCCCXCVII) was a common year starting on Friday (see link for calendar). ... Year 1900 (MCM) was an exceptional common year starting on Monday (link will display the full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar, but a leap year starting on Saturday of the Julian calendar. ... Harry Pollitt was chief mechanical engineer of the Manchester, Sheffield and Lincolnshire Railway from 1893-1897 and its successor, the Great Central Railway, from 1897-1900. ... Year 1900 (MCM) was an exceptional common year starting on Monday (link will display the full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar, but a leap year starting on Saturday of the Julian calendar. ... Year 1922 (MCMXXII) was a common year starting on Sunday (link will display full calendar). ... J. G. Robinson was chief mechanical engineer of the Great Central Railway from 1900 to 1922. ...

GCR locomotives

These could generally be divided into those intended for passenger work, especially those used on the London Extension and those for the heavy freight work.

• see Locomotives of the Great Central Railway

The London and North Eastern Railway (LNER) produced several classes of locomotive, mostly to the designs of Nigel Gresley, characterised by a three cylinder layout with a parallel boiler and round-topped firebox. ...

Pollitt's locomotives

These were those taken over from the MS&LR, mainly those of class F2, 2-4-2 tank locomotives, and also classes D5/6 4-4-0 locomotives.

Robinson locomotives

During Robinson's regime, many of the larger express passenger engines came into being:

• Classes B1-B9: 4-6-0 tender locomotives
• Classes C4/5: 4-4-2 tender locomotives
• Classes D9-11: 4-4-0 tender locomotives
• Class J13: 0-6-0T
• Classes L1/L3: 2-6-2T
• Classes O4/5: 2-8-0, heavy freight locos, including ROD engines
• Class Q4: 0-8-0 heavy shunting locomotive
• Class :three locos used at Wath marshalling yard

506 Butler Henderson is the only preserved Great Central Railway passenger locomotive. ... Preserved 63601 The Great Central Railway (GCR) Class 8K 2-8-0 is a class of steam locomotive designed for heavy freight. ... A division of the British Army Royal Engineers formed in 1915 to operate railways on many fronts in World War I. It was largely composed of railway employees and operated both standard gauge and narrow gauge railways. ... Wath marshalling yard was a large railway marshalling yard specifically designed for the concentration of coal traffic. ...

Major stations

• Marylebone
• Manchester London Road
• Nottingham Victoria
• Sheffield Victoria
• Leicester Central
• Rugby Central

Marylebone station or London Marylebone station is a National Rail and London Underground station in central London. ... Interior shot of the station with the Victorian trainshed. ... Nottingham Victoria railway station was a Great Central Railway and Great Northern Railway railway station in Nottingham, England. ... Sheffield Victoria station was the main Sheffield station on the Great Central Railway (known prior to 1897 as the Manchester, Sheffield & Lincolnshire Railway), between Chesterfield and Penistone. ... Leicester Central was a railway station in Leicester. ... The remains of Rugby Central Rugby Central was Rugbys station on the Great Central Railway which opened in 1899 and closed in 1969. ...

Wath marshalling yard

The new marshalling yard at Wath-upon-Dearne was opened in November 1907. It was designed to cope with coal trains, full and empty; it was worked with electro-pneumatic signalling.

Docks

Grimsby docks

Grimsby was dubbed the "largest fishing port in the world" in the early 20th century; it owed its prosperity to the ownership by the GCR and its forebear, the MS&LR. Coal and timber were also among its biggest cargoes. There were two main docks: the Alexandra Dock (named for Queen Alexandra) and the Royal Dock, the latter completed in 1852. The total area of docks was 104.25 acres (42ha). These docks were linked by the Union Dock Grimsby (also known as Great Grimsby after its Parliamentary constituency title [1]) is a seaport on the Humber Estuary in Lincolnshire, England. ... Alexandra of Denmark (December 1, 1844 – November 20, 1925) was queen consort of King Edward VII of the United Kingdom 1901–1910. ... 1852 was a leap year starting on Thursday (see link for calendar). ...

Immingham Dock

This dock [71 acres (29ha)] was mainly concerned with the movement of coal, and was completed in 1912.

External links

• Lists of LNER locomotives, including those of the GCR taken over at grouping
• Channel Tunnel schemes
• There appear to be no links to the GCR as a complete system. The following are only concerned with the preserved GCR:
  • Homepage of preserved Great Central Railway in Leicestershire
  • Homepage of Central Railway (proposal (2003) to reinstate the line primarily for freight)

Historical Study Group

• • Homepage of the Great Central Railway Society
  • www.railwayarchive.org.uk The Last Main Line - history and photographic archive of Great Central Railway This archive only covers the London extension: