The Midland Railway.
The Midland Railway Was A Magnificent Railway.
It had two of the most spectacular main lines in England, Derby to Manchester and Settle to Carlisle. It possessed handsome stations, its passenger trains, from 1873 to 1923, had the most comfortable third-class in the world.
It was not a line of giant locomotives; its fast trains were light and frequent, smartly timed without stunting. They were stately, extraordinarily clean and smart, in which respect its locomotives were rivalled, perhaps, only by London.
From Humble Beginnings..
The genesis of the Midland Railway can be traced back to the Leicester and Swannington line which was constructed to carry coal from the area around Swannington to Leicester. It opened in 1832 and eventually this and other lines formed amalgamations which ultimately took the name "Midland Railway". It was from such humble beginnings that one of the greatest and most important railway systems in the country developed
The directorate of the Midland Railway Company always seemed to be made up of men with strong personalities and it was the policy to elect to the Board men of influence and who were resident, or had large business concerns in strategic points on the company's system, or at places where the Company desired to extend its sphere of activity.
One such individual was Matthew William Thompson, Baronet, (Chairman of the Midland Railway Company, 1879-1891) it is to this gentleman's influence we can attribute the building of the New Midland Hotel and Forster Square Station, the third on the site.
(see the collection entitled, Matthew William Thompson)
Railway Business Archive
-
Midland Railway – 1898
The Windsor Magazine, 1898: “The Midland Railway leads where the others follow.” Although it was in 1859 that the Pullman car was first used in America, it was sixteen years later before that convenienct invention made its debut upon our British railway system. Sir James Allport, then General Manager of the Midland Railway, made a visit to [...] -
Sir Matthew William Thompson, Bart.
Matthew William Thompson – Baronet (February 1,1820- December 1, 1891) It is to Matthew Thompson, Chairman of Midland Railway Company, we can thank for his influence in the planning and building of the Bradford Midland Hotel and New Station. DEATH OF SIR M.W. THOMPSON,BART Bradford, Daily Telegraph, December 2, 1891 Yesterday afternoon, Sir Matthew William Thompson, Bart., of Park [...] -
Charles Trubshaw, Architect
Charles Trubshaw Victorian Hotel and Railway Architect. Charles Trubshaw, (1841 – 1917) Charles was born in to an architectural family, the son of an architect also named Charles, who was to be the source of his primary education. Charles Senior was the architect and surveyor to the county of Stafford. Charles the younger was to achieve A.R.I.B.A status [...] -
Terrible Accident At The Midland Station
A Man Crushed To Death Bradford, Daily Telegraph, December 15, 1894 Shortly before five o’ clock this evening a shocking accident happened at the Midland Station, Bradford. A train was steaming into the station when a man was observed to step from a carriage. He lost his foothold, slipped between the carriage and the platform, [...] -
Esholt Junction Disaster, 1892
The Esholt Junction rail crash occurred on Thursday 9 June 1892, at the point at which the Wharfedale Line from Ilkley divides, one branch in the direction of Leeds and the other Bradford, a short distance after Guiseley railway station. Two trains collided at around three thirty in the afternoon, resulting in the deaths of [...] -
Distinguished Scholar’s Tragic End, 1907
The 13th of August 1907, was a day James Russell would never forget… The 42-year-old foreman plate-layer for the Midland Railway Company was heading home for his dinner, as was his usual practice. As made his way through the old tunnel he came across the badly injured body of the distinguished Rev. Henry de Beltgens Gibbins. [...]