Midland Railway Centre, Butterley

Founded (heritage operation)	1969
Reopened to public	1973
Length	5.5 km (3½ miles)
Gauge	Standard 4 ft 8½ in
Headquarters	Butterley, Derbyshire
Principal stations	Butterley, Swanwick Junction, Hammersmith, Ironville
Original line	Midland Railway
Original line closed	1968
Annual visitors	~80,000
Website	www.midlandrailway-butterley.co.uk

The Midland Railway Centre at Butterley is a 3½-mile heritage railway and substantial railway museum complex in Derbyshire, occupying part of the former Midland Railway Pye Bridge to Ambergate line. The site combines a working heritage railway with a major static museum (the Midland Railway Museum), the Country Park, and the headquarters of the Princess Royal Class Locomotive Trust, the body that owns and operates LMS Princess Coronation 6233 Duchess of Sutherland.

The Midland Railway Trust was formed in 1969 and the Centre opened in 1973, with the heritage line progressively reopening through the 1980s and 1990s. The site has a particular Midland Railway focus, with restored Midland-style stations, signage, and rolling stock, and substantial collections of MR / LMS material.

The line runs from Butterley (the headquarters) through Swanwick Junction (where the museum and locomotive depots are sited) to Hammersmith and on to Ironville. The Princess Royal Trust's engineering shed at Butterley is one of the principal heavy-overhaul facilities in the heritage movement and has carried out major work on main-line registered engines.

History

The Midland Railway Trust was formed in 1969 with the aim of preserving Midland Railway artefacts and creating a working museum based on Butterley station. The Centre opened in 1973 and the heritage line was reopened in stages from 1981 onwards.

The Princess Royal Class Locomotive Trust established its workshop at Butterley in the 1990s, and from 2001 onwards has used Butterley as the home base for <em>Duchess of Sutherland</em>, the LMS Princess Coronation that famously hauled the Royal Train in 2002 (the first steam-hauled Royal Train since 1967).

Original line history

The line is part of the Midland Railway Pye Bridge to Ambergate connection, opened progressively through the late 19th century. Passenger services were withdrawn in 1968 and the line was reduced to a freight branch before final closure.

Stations and infrastructure

Butterley is the headquarters, with substantial Midland Railway-style station buildings, the Princess Royal Trust workshops, and the principal museum building. Swanwick Junction is the location of the matching second museum site, the locomotive depot, and various themed exhibits including a model railway museum and a country park.

Route and stations

Map: © OpenStreetMap contributors

Special events and operations

Major events include steam galas, diesel galas, 1940s weekends, beer festivals, and visits by main-line registered engines. The Centre is a frequent venue for film and television.

Visitor information

Butterley is signposted from the A38 between Ripley and Ambergate. The line operates weekends most of the year and daily during peak summer.

Engines based here

158A — Preserved Midland Railway 2-4-0 of 1866, one of the oldest surviving Midland engines.
25185 — Preserved Class 25.
25321 — Preserved Class 25.
27000 Electra — EM2 Co-Co Woodhead route electric, repatriated from the Netherlands.
31289 Phoenix — Preserved Class 31, often main-line registered.
31418 — Preserved Class 31.
37418 An Comunn Gaidhealach — Preserved Class 37.
44027 — A preserved Fowler 4F at the Midland Railway Centre, Butterley.
45041 Royal Tank Regiment — Preserved Class 45 Peak.
45133 — Preserved Class 45 Peak.
46045 — Preserved Class 46 Peak.
46203 Princess Margaret Rose — 46203 Princess Margaret Rose, Princess Royal Locomotive Trust at the West Shed, Swanwick Junction (Midland Railway Centre, Butterley). Restored to main-line specification in 1990 but later returned to static display.
46233 Duchess of Sutherland — 46233 Duchess of Sutherland, Princess Royal Locomotive Trust at the West Shed, Midland Railway Centre, Butterley. Underwent intermediate overhaul in 2023–2024 for new boiler ticket and tyres. Returned to main-line service for the 2024–2025 charter season, often through hire arrangement with Locomotive Services Limited at Crewe.
47327 — A preserved Jinty at the Midland Railway Centre, Butterley.
47357 — A preserved Jinty at the Midland Railway Centre, Butterley.
47401 North Eastern — 47401 (D1500) North Eastern, the first-built Class 47. 47401 Project, based at the Midland Railway Centre, Butterley.
47406 — A preserved Jinty at the Midland Railway Centre, Butterley.
47445 — A preserved Jinty at the Midland Railway Centre, Butterley.
47564 — A preserved Jinty at the Midland Railway Centre, Butterley.
47798 Prince William — Preserved Class 47, formerly used on Royal Train duties.
50015 Valiant — 50015 Valiant, Class 50 Owners Group, based at the Midland Railway Centre, Butterley.
51043 — Preserved Class 124 Trans-Pennine DMU vehicle, only preserved example.
51226 — Preserved Class 101 DMU vehicle.
51610 — Preserved Class 127 Derby Suburban DMU vehicle.
73129 — The only Caprotti rotary valve gear example preserved (one of 30 Caprotti-fitted engines). Currently at the Midland Railway Centre, Butterley.
D1500 — The first Class 47, originally D1500.
D4 Great Gable — Preserved Class 44 Peak (one of two survivors of ten built).
D67 — Preserved Class 45 Peak.
D7628 Sybilla — Preserved Class 25.
D8 Penyghent — Preserved Class 44 Peak.
D8020 — Preserved Class 20.
M56224 — Preserved Class 108 DMU vehicle.