Midland Railway facts for kids

The Midland Railway (MR) was a very important railway company in the United Kingdom. It operated from 1844 until 1922. The company had a huge network of railway lines. These lines were all managed from its main office in Derby. The Midland Railway grew to become the third-largest railway company in the British Isles. Only the Great Western Railway and the London and North Western Railway were bigger.

How the Midland Railway Started

The Midland Railway company was officially formed in 1844. This happened when three smaller railway companies decided to join together. These companies were:

• The Midland Counties Railway
• The North Midland Railway
• The Birmingham & Derby Junction Railway

Two years later, in 1846, another company called the Birmingham & Gloucester Railway also joined them. All of these earlier railway systems met at Derby railway station. This made Derby a very important central hub for the new Midland Railway.

Derby: The Heart of the Midland Railway

Because Derby was so central, the Midland Railway decided to build its main workshops there. First, they built workshops to make and fix their locomotives (the engines that pull trains). Later, they also built workshops to make and repair their carriages (where passengers sit) and wagons (where goods are carried). This made Derby the true heart of the Midland Railway's operations.

The End of the Midland Railway

The Midland Railway operated for many years, helping people and goods travel across the country. However, in 1923, a new law called the Railways Act 1921 changed things for all railway companies in Britain. Many smaller companies were grouped together into bigger ones. The Midland Railway became a big part of a new, even larger company called the London, Midland and Scottish Railway.

Images for kids

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  A boundary marker showing where the Midland Railway's land was.

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  Curzon Street railway station in Birmingham, an important stop for the Midland Railway.

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  An old drawing of King's Cross from 1852, a station later used by the Midland Railway.

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  The inside of the huge Barlow train shed at St Pancras Station, around 1870.

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  A sign from the Midland Railway at Rowsley Station, which is now part of a heritage railway.

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  The impressive train shed of Manchester Central, which was a northern end point for the Midland Railway.

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  The famous Ribblehead Viaduct, a huge bridge on the Settle-Carlisle Railway line.

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  A Midland locomotive visiting the North Norfolk Railway, a line that the Midland company once partly owned.

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  An old poster advertising the Midland Railway of England.

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  A picture showing the Esholt Junction rail crash from 1892.

See also

In Spanish: Ferrocarril de Midland para niños