Erewash Valley Line
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Stations and landmarks |
|
Trent Junction</br/>
Trent station *
|
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.
Contents |
[edit] 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.
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 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.
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.
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.
[edit] 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.
[edit] 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.
[edit] Sources
Various sources from Wikipedia were used in preparing this page, plus announcements on National Rail's website.
