Midland Railway

About

The Midland Railway was a British pre-grouping railway formed on 10 May 1844 by the amalgamation of the Midland Counties, the Birmingham & Derby Junction, and the North Midland railways. It ran a trunk network from St Pancras (from 1868) and London King's Cross (from 1858 to 1868) to the East Midlands, Sheffield, Manchester, Leeds and ultimately to Carlisle and Glasgow over the celebrated Settle & Carlisle line of 1876.

Locomotive engineering was carried out at Derby Works under successive Locomotive Superintendents, Matthew Kirtley (1844–1873), Samuel Waite Johnson (1873–1903), Richard Deeley (1903–1909) and Henry Fowler (1909–1922). The 'small engine policy' was a Midland house principle: rather than building large express engines, the company preferred two smaller locomotives double-heading the heavier trains. The crimson lake livery and meticulous lining-out gave Midland engines a distinctive identity.

Johnson's Spinner Class 4-2-2 single (1887) was perhaps the most elegant British express engine of its time. The Midland Compound 4-4-0 (initially Smith's design under Johnson, developed by Deeley) was the most successful British compound design and continued in production by the LMS into 1932.

At Grouping on 1 January 1923 the Midland became the dominant constituent of the LMS, and the small-engine policy persisted into the early LMS years until Stanier arrived from the GWR in 1932. Derby Works continued in service into BR days; Litchurch Lane Carriage Works survives today as Alstom's UK manufacturing centre.

Locomotives owned

6 Class — Samuel W. Johnson's 1875 Midland Railway 0-4-4T suburban class, built at Derby for MR London suburban services and outer-suburban passenger work.
LMS Fowler Class 4F — The LMS's standard heavy goods 0-6-0, derived from Sir Henry Fowler's 1911 Midland Railway Class 4 design and built in massive numbers under both Midland Railway and LMS ownership. By 1941 some 772 engines had been built across the MR and LMS works and contracted private builders. The 4F was the workhorse of LMS goods traffic throughout the 1930s and 1940s. Four are preserved.
Midland 990 Class — Johnson's 1899 Midland Railway 990 class 4-2-2 — the last and largest of Johnson's celebrated single-driver expresses, with the new Belpaire firebox replacing the round-top of the earlier 115/118 series. 10 built between 1900 and 1903. Worked Midland Railway expresses on the Settle & Carlisle and Manchester routes; the last MR singles in service. None preserved.
Midland 990 Class Spinner — Reference to Midland 990 class — see that entry.
Midland Railway 1000 Class — Johnson's / Deeley's 1902 Midland Railway 1000 class 4-4-0 "Compound" — Britain's most famous compound express engines. Johnson designed the original three-cylinder compound prototype in 1901; Deeley refined the design and 45 were built between 1902 and 1909, with the LMS continuing construction (as the "Standard Compounds") until 1932 — eventually 240 in total. The engines were exceptionally fast and economical and worked Midland and LMS expresses for half a century. MR No. 1000 is preserved at the National Railway Museum, restored to MR crimson lake.
Midland Railway 115 Class — Johnson's 1889 Midland Railway 115 class 4-2-2 "Spinner" single-driver express — the celebrated MR singles, the last great British single-drivers and arguably the most beautiful express engines of the 19th century. 95 built between 1887 and 1900; the leading example, MR No. 118 (later 673), is preserved at the NRM York.
Midland Railway 240 Class — Matthew Kirtley's 1867 Midland Railway 2-4-0 passenger class, the standard MR mid-Victorian express type, built at Derby Works.
Midland Railway 2441 Class — Fowler's 1899 MR 2441 class 0-6-0T — Midland Railway shunting tank, evolved into the LMS Class 3F "Jinties".
Midland Railway 3835 Class — Fowler's 1911 Midland Railway 3835 class 0-6-0 (LMS 4F class) — the MR's standard heavy goods 0-6-0, 192 built between 1911 and 1922; the LMS continued construction (as Standard 4F) and 580 had been built by 1941. The standard British Class 4F goods engine. Two preserved: 4027 (working at the Midland Railway, Butterley) and 43924 (Keighley & Worth Valley Railway).
Midland Railway 483 Class — Johnson's 1896 Midland Railway 483 class 4-4-0 — Johnson's larger-boilered 4-4-0s for MR Carlisle and Manchester expresses. Some lasted into BR days as Class 2P after rebuilding by Fowler.
Midland Railway 6 wheel tank — Johnson's 1877 Midland Railway 0-6-0T standard shunting tank, built at Derby.
Midland Railway J Class — Johnson's 1890 Midland Railway J class 0-6-0 goods, built at Derby — Johnson's standard MR goods engine, hundreds built between 1875 and 1908 in successive batches with progressive enlargement.

Founded	10 May 1844
Dissolved	1 January 1923
Country	England and Scotland
Headquarters	Derby