The Manchester, Sheffield and Lincolnshire Railway (MS&LR) was the major part of the Great Central Railway, which name it assumed in 1897. It was an east to west line, and had been formed by the amalgamation of various lines in Yorkshire, Lincolnshire and Lancashire. The headquarters of the MS&LR was at Manchester London Road. The Great Central Railway (GCR) was the latter day name of a railway company of the United Kingdom which earlier was known as the Manchester, Sheffield and Lincolnshire Railway (MS&LR). ... 1897 (MDCCCXCVII) was a common year starting on Friday (see link for calendar). ... Interior shot of the station with the Victorian trainshed. ...

The MS&LR constituent railways

The system gradually built up over the years, as shown (including dates of opening):

• 1846 Manchester, South Junction and Altrincham Railway (1845)

Railways absorbed in 1847 to form the MS&LR: 1846 was a common year starting on Thursday (see link for calendar). ... 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. ...

• Great Grimsby & Sheffield Junction Railway (1845)
• Grimsby Docks Company (1845)
• Sheffield, Ashton-under-Lyne and Manchester Railway (1837)
• Manchester and Lincoln Union Railway (and Chesterfield & Gainsborough Canal Co (1845)
• Sheffield and Lincolnshire Junction Railway (1846)
• Sheffield and Lincolnshire Extension Railway (1846)

Later railways becoming part of the MS&LR:

• 1865:
  • Stockport & Woodley Junction Railway (1860)
  • Stockport, Timperley and Altrincham Junction Railway (1861) (jointly with Great Northern Railway (GNR)
  • West Cheshire Railway (1861) (jointly with GNR)
• 1866: West Riding and Grimsby Junction Railway ((1862) (jointly with GNR)
• 1874: South Yorkshire Railway and River Dun Company (1860)
• 1875: Widnes Railway (1853) (jointly with Midland Railway (MidR)
• 1882: Trent, Ancholme and Grimsby Railway (1861)

The MS&LR, also had part ownership of the Cheshire Lines Committee with the GNR and MidR and had direct access to Liverpool, Chester and Warrington. 1865 (MDCCCLXV) is a common year starting on Sunday. ... The Great Northern Railway (GNR) was a British railway company, founded by the London & York Railway Act of 1846. ... 1866 (MDCCCLXVI) is a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar or a common year starting on Wednesday of the 12-day-slower Julian calendar. ... 1874 (MDCCCLXXIV) was a common year starting on Thursday (see link for calendar). ... 1875 (MDCCCLXXV) was a common year starting on Friday (see link for calendar). ... The Midland Railway (MR) was a railway company in the United Kingdom, which existed from 1844 to 1922. ... 1882 (MDCCCLXXXII) was a common year starting on Sunday (see link for calendar) of the Gregorian calendar or a common year starting on Tuesday of the 12-day slower Julian calendar. ... The Cheshire Lines Committee (CLC) was the second largest joint railway in Great Britain. ... Liverpool is a city and metropolitan borough in North West England, along the eastern side of the Mersey Estuary. ... Chester is the county town of Cheshire in North West England. ... Warrington is the largest town and borough in the county of Cheshire, in the North-West of England. ...

On 1 August 1897 the MS&LR assumed the title of the Great Central Railway. August 1 is the 213th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (214th in leap years), with 152 days remaining. ... 1897 (MDCCCXCVII) was a common year starting on Friday (see link for calendar). ... The Great Central Railway (GCR) was the latter day name of a railway company of the United Kingdom which earlier was known as the Manchester, Sheffield and Lincolnshire Railway (MS&LR). ...

History of the Railway

The MS&LR, as with many of the earlier British railways, was engaged in fierce competition with other stronger railway companies including the London and North Western Railway (LNWR) the GNR and the MidR, across whose territories the Railway ran, although there were several joint operations, including the CLC and MSJ&AR. The Company's main source of income lay with freight, especially coal. The London and North Western Railway (LNWR) was formed in 1846 by the merger of three railway companies - the Grand Junction Railway, London and Birmingham and Manchester and Birmingham. ...

In 1864 Sir Edward Watkin took over directorship of the MS&LR. He had grand ambitions for the company: he had plans to transform it from a provincial middle-of-the-road railway company into a major national player. Watkin was a visionary who wanted to build a new railway line that would not only link his network to London, but which one day would be expanded and link to a future Channel Tunnel. This latter ambition was never fulfilled completely: when Watkin became chairman of the South Eastern Railway in the 1880s he was, however, involved in the earliest attempt to construct the Tunnel. After several attempts to co-build with those who were also rivals, in particular the MidR and the LNWR, he came to believe that the MS&LR needed its own route to the capital. At the time many people questioned the wisdom of building the line, as all the significant population centres which the line traversed were already served by other railway companies' lines. Sir Edward Watkin (1819 - 1901) was a Victorian railway baron and a Liberal Member of Parliament for the constituencies of Stockport and later Hythe in Kent. ... Map of the Channel Tunnel. ... The London and Greenwich Railway (LGR), together with the Canterbury and Whitstable Railway (CWR) in East Kent were the earliest railways to serve the then county of Kent: eventually both became parts of the South Eastern Railway (SER). ...

Parliamentary approval was obtained for the Extension in 1893; when it was opened in 1897, the Company changed its name. At the same time the headquarters of the Railway was moved from Manchester to London (Marylebone). In Westminster System parliaments, an Act of Parliament is a part of the law passed by the Parliament. ... The main entrance to Marylebone station. ...

Locomotive Works

The locomotive works was situated at Gorton, Manchester, opened in 1849. Alongside it were the works of Beyer-Peacock, and many of its locomotives were built there. Gorton is a district in Manchester, United Kingdom, to the south-east of the city centre. ... Beyer-Peacock Locomotive manufacturer with factory in Manchester from 1854 untill 1966. ...

Locomotive Engineers

• 1846-1854 Richard Peacock
• 1854-1859 W.G.Craig
• 1859-1886 Charles R Sacre
• 1886-1893 Thomas Parker
• 1893-1897 Harry Pollitt (served the GCR until 1900)

1846 was a common year starting on Thursday (see link for calendar). ... 1854 (MDCCCLIV) was a common year starting on Sunday (see link for calendar). ... Peacock was born in Swaledale on 9 April 1820 and died in Manchester on 3 March 1889. ... 1854 (MDCCCLIV) was a common year starting on Sunday (see link for calendar). ... 1859 (MDCCCLIX) is a common year starting on Saturday of the Gregorian calendar (or a common year starting on Monday of the Julian calendar). ... 1859 (MDCCCLIX) is a common year starting on Saturday of the Gregorian calendar (or a common year starting on Monday of the Julian calendar). ... 1886 (MDCCCLXXXVI) is a common year starting on Friday (click on link to calendar) // Events January 18 - Modern field hockey is born with the formation of The Hockey Association in England. ... 1886 (MDCCCLXXXVI) is a common year starting on Friday (click on link to calendar) // Events January 18 - Modern field hockey is born with the formation of The Hockey Association in England. ... 1893 (MDCCCXCIII) was a common year starting on Sunday (see link for calendar). ... 1893 (MDCCCXCIII) was a common year starting on Sunday (see link for calendar). ... 1897 (MDCCCXCVII) was a common year starting on Friday (see link for calendar). ...

MS&LR locomotives

• Class D5 4-4-0 1894-1897 six of the class were built
• Class D7 4-4-0 1887-1894 operated the MS&LR express trains, Manchester to London
• Class D8 4-4-0 1888
• Class E2 2-4-0 1888 3 built for the Manchester-Grantham expresses
• Class F1 2-4-2T 1889-1893 39 built
• Class F2 2-4-2T 10 built
• Class J8 0-6-0
• Class J9 0-6-0
• Class J10 0-6-0
• Class J62 0-6-0ST 1897
  • (details of each of the above)

Principal railway stations

• Manchester Central: See article G-Mex for a description of the station building
• Sheffield Victoria
• Grimsby Town
• Barnsley

The G-Mex centre or Greater Manchester EXhibition centre is a exhibition and conference centre in Manchester in England. ... The G-Mex centre or Greater Manchester EXhibition centre is a exhibition and conference centre in Manchester in 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. ... Barnsley railway station lies in the centre of Barnsley, in South Yorkshire. ...

Docks

Grimsby docks, named "the largest fishing port in the world" (but also with a large trade in timber) became part of the Railway at its inception. It was opened in 1801, using the natural harbour. Once it became railway property, the MS&LR increased the facilities by starting to construct a New Dock covering 25 acres (10ha) in 1846; it was opened on 18 April 1852. Over the years more docks were added. Statistics Population: 87,574 Ordnance Survey OS grid reference: TA279087 Administration District: North East Lincolnshire Region: Yorkshire and the Humber Constituent country: England Sovereign state: United Kingdom Other Ceremonial county: North East Lincolnshire Historic county: Lincolnshire Services Police force: Humberside Police Ambulance service: {{{Ambulance}}} Post office and telephone Post town... April 18 is the 108th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (109th in leap years). ... 1852 was a leap year starting on Thursday (see link for calendar). ...

Woodhead Tunnels

The official title of the Tunnel was the Thurgoland Tunnels: the two bores were driven through the Pennine Hills, a length of 3 miles 13.5 yards (4.81km). The first tunnel boring began in the spring of 1839: it was opened for traffic 22 December 1845; the second began construction in the spring of 1847: and opened 2 February 1852. Its construction was originally deemed practically impossible, because of the engineering difficulties. Typical Pennine scenery. ... December 22 is the 356th day of the year (357th in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar. ... 1845 was a common year starting on Wednesday (see link for calendar). ... February 2 is the 33rd day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar. ... 1852 was a leap year starting on Thursday (see link for calendar). ...

Further reading

• Dow, G., (1959) Great Central, Volume One: The Progenitors (1813-1863) , Shepperton: Ian Allan Ltd.
• Dow, G., (1962) Great Central, Volume Two: Dominion of Watkin (1864-1899) , Shepperton: Ian Allan Ltd.