Everything about Manchester Sheffield And Lincolnshire Railway totally explained
The
Manchester, Sheffield and Lincolnshire Railway (MS&LR) was formed, by amalgamation in
1847. The MS&LR changed its name to the
Great Central Railway in
1897 in anticipation of the opening in
1899 of its
London Extension.
Origin
The MS&LR was formed by the amalgamation of the
Sheffield, Ashton-under-Lyne and Manchester Railway with two proposed lines - the
Sheffield and Lincolnshire Junction Railway and the
Great Grimsby and Sheffield Junction Railway, with its headquarters at
Manchester London Road. The Sheffield, Ashton-under-Lyne and Manchester Railway had opened between
Manchester and
Sheffield in
1845, but as early as
1844 the promoters of the Sheffield and Lincolnshire Junction had approached the SA&MR with a view to the latter leasing it. The Great Grimsby and Sheffield Junction had been promoted by the Grimsby Docks Company, actually the oldest company of the three. Until reaching south with its "Derbyshire Lines", the MS&LR was essentially an east-to-west Trans-Pennine line.
Before the formation of the MS&LR, the SA&MR had already absorbed a number of existing and proposed lines. Another important part of its operation was the
Manchester, South Junction and Altrincham Railway, promoted as its link to the
Liverpool and Manchester Railway, and which it owned and operated jointly with the
London and Birmingham Railway; although both the MSJ&AR and the L&MR subsequently became part of the
London and North Western Railway.
History
The first board meeting of the amalgamated company took place on 6, January,
1847. At this time only the SA&MR was open and running. During
1848, the GG&SJR succeeded in opening between
Grimsby and
New Holland and, later in the year, connecting to
Market Rasen and
Lincoln. Despite severe financial problems the whole line was completed during the next year, with the final link from Woodhouse Junction, near Sheffield, to Gainsborough being completed in
1849. On
16 July, a special train carried the directors from
Liverpool to
Grimsby.
Attention then turned towards a second bore for the
Woodhead Tunnel and further expansion. The MS&LR also owned three important canals, the
Ashton Canal, the
Macclesfield Canal and the
Peak Forest Canal, along with the
Peak Forest Tramway. Approval was granted for an extension of the
Whaley Bridge branch of the Peak Forest Canal from
Bugsworth to the tramway, with the eventual aim of reaching
Buxton, although it wasn't proceeded with. In
1849 the first part of the
Manchester, South Junction and Altrincham Railway opened.
The M&SL had a good working relationship with the
Great Northern. The GG&SR's first line from Grimsby to New Holland and the latter's ferries had opened the same day as the GNR's first line, that from
Grimsby to
Louth. There was also a close association where the GNR crossed near
Retford, with the two sharing the station and the GNR granted running powers on S&LJR tracks into Sheffield. This gave the GNR access to Manchester and Liverpool, while it gave the MS&LR access to
London. The MS&LR also a connection with the
Lancashire and Yorkshire Railway at
Stalybridge with which it shared the station.
Allport
The experience of other lines, notably the
Midland and the
LNWR was showing that a dedicated and competent manager was essential, and the MS&LR appointed
James Allport who joined it on
1 January 1850. Among his other duties, he was charged with improving relations with the Midland and the LNWR. Thus the MS&LR became a partner in what was popularly known as the
Euston Square Confederacy. However, while it gave a monopoly over the L&Y and Midland for traffic to
Hull it prohibited co-operation with the Great Northern, with whom relations became increasingly bitter.
In
1851 through carriages were introduced from Sheffield to London via the Midland and LNWR. In the same year the electric
telegraph which had been used in the Woodhead Tunnel was extended across the network - and a contract was signed by
"Messres. Smith and Son of London" to sell books at the principal stations. In September, the new station at
Sheffield was opened, and the
Great Exhibition in London ensured a successful year.
The second bore of the Woodhead Tunnel finally opened at the beginning of
1852.
The Company's main source of income lay with freight, especially coal. and a number of new short lines were built, along with a start on the long-awaited
Barnsley branch which, however, wasn't completed until
1855. However, Allport, possibly frustrated by the behaviour of some of the directors, accepted the post of General Manager of the Midland, and resigned in September.
Watkin
Edward Watkin took over in his place in
1854. He had been the assistant of Huish at the LNWR and he revealed that the latter, in spite of the Euston Square agreement, had been negotiating with the GNR for a territorial division between the two companies, to the detriment of the MS&LR - and the Midland. Relations between the MS&LR and the GNR improved as the restrictions placed on the latter's operations over the MS&LR lines were removed, and MS&LR became somewhat wary of the LNWR. In particular a number of new small lines were being built. Some would give the MS&LR an alternative path into Liverpool, while the proposed
Stockport, Disley and Whaley Bridge Railway, supported by the LNWR, would supplant its own plans for a line to Peak Forest and Buxton, which it hadn't been able to pursue. The LNWR still felt threatened however and placated the MS&LR by a series of mutual agreements.
However in
1855 there was another meeting at Euston Square. The Stockport to Whaley Bridge line was virtually complete and the possibility of extending it to Buxton or
Rowsley was discussed. Both the MS&LR and the Midland proposed that no one of the three companies should proceed alone with any scheme, but the meeting ended with them more than a little suspicious of the LNWR. At this point legal action was taken against a common purse agreement which existed between the LNWR and the Midland. When it succeeded, the confederacy was virtually at an end, particularly when Huish renewed his territorial offer to the Great Northern. This the GNR refused, strengthening instead its ties with the MS&LR with it route into Manchester.
The MS&LR also cut all its ties with the LNWR, and the relationship became increasingly bitter, which came to a head in the matter of Manchester station. Previously the MS&LR, perennially short of money, had vacated their offices and booking facilities, the LNWR having agreed to operate them. Now the MS&LR wanted to return. Of the first two booking clerks to arrive, one was refused entry and the other ejected. For a while the LNWR were arresting MS&LR passengers as they arrived. By
1858, a price war was raging for both passengers and freight, that was alarming other railway companies. When, however, the co-operative agreement between the MS&LR and the GNR was ratified by Parliament, while it declared past private agreements with the LNWR as void, the stage was set for the peacemakers. At a meeting of nineteen different railway companies at the
Railway Clearing House most, if not all, of the disagreements were overcome. A meeting at Euston Square saw agreement between the GNR, the MS&LR and the LNWR on the matter of fares and handling of traffic, with disputes settled by arbitration. While the first two became closer however, they remained wary of the LNWR's intentions.
Nevertheless the MS&LR was still able to work with its aggressive neighbour, as with the construction of the
Oldham, Ashton and Guide Bridge Railway which was leased jointly with the LNWR in
1862. Meanwhile, in
1858, the MS&LR had opened a branch from
Newton to
Hyde and in
1859 an extension was proposed, the
Marple, New Mills and Hayfield Railway. To prevent repercussions it was promoted as a private venture. In time it would prove to be an important part of
Midland Railway history. At the same time, private investors had floated the
Cheshire Midland Railway and the
Stockport and Woodley Junction Railway. In spite of opposition from the LNWR, Watkins and his directors gave support and in
1860 another line was proposed - the
Stockport, Timperley and Altrincham Junction Railway. The GNR, taking an interest, suggested resurrecting an earlier scheme for a line between
Garston and Liverpool, and became a partner in the last two, plus the West Cheshire, when they gained Parliamentary approval in
1861. This group of lines would become the
Cheshire Lines Committee.
Watkin resigns and returns
Watkin had interests in railways outside the MS&LR and, being granted three months leave of absence to recover his health, agreed to examine the affairs of the
Grand Trunk Railway of
Canada. The MS&LR was on a verge of an association with the GNR and, possibly the LNWR, that would solve its financial problems. However an event during his absence put an end to his plans. The
Midland Railway were determined to find a path into Manchester. It was already building an extension to
Buxton from
Rowsley but the LNWR was proceeding into Buxton from the other direction. One day, it's said, some directors of the MS&LR met James Allport and others, while the latter were prospecing an alternative route. The upshot was that the MS&LR agreed to share their line from
New Mills with the Midland, the latter extending their line to meet it. This, which was later approved as the
Sheffield and Midland Railway Companies' Committee, threatened to cause a schism with the GNR. Clearly the MS&LR couldn't countenance another major line in their territory, but Watkin was incensed, and tendered his resignation.
Watkin remained a major shareholder and retained a seat on the board, taking an active role in many of the MS&LR's projects, such as the Cheshire Lines Committee. He had grand ambitions for the company: he'd plans to transform it from a provincial middle-of-the-road railway company into a major national player.
In
1864 he resumed control when he was elected Chairman and was at once involved in proposing new lines and opposing others in the complex interactions of the railway companies of that time. In particular, both the MS&LR and the GNR were threatened for a while by the Great Eastern Northern Junction. This was supported at various times by the
GER and
L&Y and threatened to produce a competing main line to London. However among the advances were the lease of the
South Yorkshire Railway and progress with the Cheshire lines. In
1865, the Midland joined as a third partner. In
1866 the Midland began running from Rowsley through New Mills into Manchester London Road, and had at long last gained its path to London.
By
1870, Watkin had relinquished his position on the boards of the
GWR and the Grand Trunk Railway of Canada. However he'd joined the board of the
GER and was Chairman of the
South Eastern Railway He was knighted in 1868 and made a
baronet in 1880.
Continued growth
Watkin was a visionary who wanted to build a new railway line that wouldn't 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. However, when Watkin became Chairman of the South Eastern Railway in the 1880s he was involved in the earliest attempt to construct it.
Demand for coal was rising dramatically through the latter half of the nineteenth century, and competition between the different railways was keen. The MS&L had access to the Yorkshire coalfields, but was dependent on the Great Northern to ship it to London. The latter was dependent on other lines for the traffic. The Midland had the advantage of both lines into the Derbyshire coalfields and its own path to London. In spite of attempts to arrange more favourable price agreements, the Yorkshire coal owners felt aggrieved and proposed the Coalowners' Associated (London) Railway, with the help of the MS&L and the Great Eastern. The bill was rejected, partly because it wasn't intended to carry passengers. Watkins was relieved, because, secretly, he hoped to negotiate running powers into London over the Great Northern's lines. In 1875 he became Chairman of the
Metropolitan Railway, having already relinquished his post on the Great Eastern. With his association with the South Eastern, it gave him a firm foothold in the capital.
However, in the short term, the demand for the MS&L's services had risen to the point where it was paralysed by the density of traffic and attention had be given to improving the existing infrastructure. The company as forced to invest heavily in extra sidings, relief tracks and station improvements. Throughout its history the MS&L had been the subject of merger proposals with other railways. In 1875, the LNWR and the Midland planned to absorb the
North Staffordshire Railway, and Watkin suggested to the Great Northern that their two companies might make a counter-offer. Both schemes fell through. However, in 1877, the Great Northern suggested that it, the Midland and the MS&LR should merge, the scheme foundering, to the annoyance of the MS&LR directors, on the conditions stiplulated by Watkin.
The Cheshire Lines Committee, too had been growing steadily and in
1874, it opened
Liverpool Central station involving a tunnel, long, and with a single arched trainshed high. In 1877 a temporary station was built at
Manchester Central, approached by a mile and a quarter long viaduct. The permanent station was opened in
1880, another single arch trainshed, built by
Andrew Handyside of
Derby and the Midland transferred to it, at first approaching via
Stockport Tiviot Dale, then later building a direct line from
Chinley.
Watkin became associated with the Submarine Continental Railway Company, an attempt to build a tunnel under the
English Channel, but in 1882, the
Board of Trade ordered it to cease work. His attention turned to the
Humber. Trial borings were made by the MS&L at
South Ferriby, while the
North Eastern Railway had done the same at
North Ferriby. Permission was secured to investigate the Humber itself in 1883, and an estimate prepared. However, the imminent construction of the
Hull and Barnsley Railway made the project unlikely to be profitable.
Expansion of the network continued and in 1889 permission was granted for a line from
Beighton, where the MS&LR crossed the Midland, to
Annesley. This was the first step on the road to London.
Access to the coalfields of North Wales had been sought since 1861 by various lines, and in 1884, Watkins proposed the
Chester & Connah's Quay Railway. The major obstacle was the crossing of the
River Dee for which a swing bridge at
Hawarden was designed by
Francis Fox. This allowed the MS&LR and the
Wrexham, Mold and Connah's Quay Railway to jointly launch the Welsh Railways Union Bill.
Towards London
By the 1890's construction of the company's so-called "Derbyshire Lines" had continued, including a station at Chesterfield, and trains via Annesley running into the GNR's
Nottingham London Road. In 1889, he wrote to the Great Northern soliciting its support for a line from Nottingham to the Metropolitan which, by that time, had extended to
Aylesbury, in co-operation, if need be, with the Midland and the LNWR. The following year the GNR declined and, in spite of its somewhat shaky finances, the MS&LR submitted the Bill for the extension in 1891. Watkin and his co-directors set out to gather support which came from a number of influential businessmen and councillors in the area it would serve.
Not surprisingly there was strong opposition from the Midland and the LNWR. Unexpected however, was the vociferous opposition of the artists in
St. John's Wood and the cricketers of
Lords, all extremely influential in the public arena. An arrangement was agreed with the cricketers, but little would placate the artists who foresaw "a line for the conveyance not only of passengers, but of coal, manure, fish and other abominations." The opposition was led by the GNR and the Bill failed at its first stage.
The MS&LR came to various agreements with the GNR and support was gained, not only from the Metropolitan and the South Eastern, but various Sheffield manufacturers. Some of the London objectors was removed by the expedient of buying their houses. The following year the Bill was submitted again, and had reached the Lords when an election was called, thus Royal Assent wasn't obtained until March
1893.
In
1892 the Metropolitan had extended to Aylesbury, joining the Aylesbury and Buckingham line. The plan was to join the latter at Quainton Road. The line would leave the Metropolitan at St. John's Wood and proceed by a cut and cover tunnel under Lords Cricket Ground - hence the opposition from those quarters - to the new station at
Marylebone.
Watkins was now seventy four and, having virtually achieved his dream, succumbed to his deteriorating health and retired to his home in North Wales in 1894, resigning the chairmanship of his various companies.
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.
When it was opened in 1897, the Company changed its name to the
Great Central Railway. At the same time the headquarters of the Railway was moved from Manchester to London (
Marylebone).
The MS&LR constituent railways
The system gradually built up over the years, as shown (including dates of opening):
Founding members in 1847'
Co-owned by the SA&ML with the LNWR:
1846 Manchester, South Junction and Altrincham Railway (1845)
Later railways becoming part of the MS&LR:
1861: Oldham, Ashton and Guide Bridge Railway (Jointly with the LNWR)
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)
1869: Sheffield and Midland Railway Companies' Committee (Jointly with the Midland)
1871: Macclesfield, Bollington and Marple Railway (jointly with the North Staffordshire Railway)
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)
1890: Chester & Connah's Quay Railway.
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.
On 1st August 1897 the MS&LR assumed the title of the Great Central Railway.
Locomotive Works
The locomotive works was situated at Gorton, Manchester, opened in 1849. They were known as "The Tank".
On the opposite side of the main line was the works of Beyer-Peacock, and many of its locomotives were built there.
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)
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
Principal railway stations
Manchester Central
Sheffield Victoria
Grimsby Town
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 18th April 1852. Over the years more docks were added.
Woodhead Tunnels
At the opening of the line the first tunnel was incomplete and trains ran to stations either side, Dunford Bridge and Woodhead, with a stagecoach connection between. The two bores were driven through the Pennines, a length of 3 miles 13.5 yards (4.81 km). The first tunnel boring began in the spring of 1839: it was opened for traffic 22 December 1845 and the stagecoach service terminated; 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. See Woodhead Tunnel and Woodhead Line.
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