The Manchester, Sheffield and Lincolnshire Railway (MS&LR) was formed in 1847 when the Sheffield, Ashton-under-Lyne and Manchester Railway joined with authorised but unbuilt railway companies, forming a proposed network from Manchester to Grimsby. It pursued a policy of expanding its area of influence, especially in reaching west to Liverpool, which it ultimately did through the medium of the Cheshire Lines Committee network in joint partnership with the Great Northern Railway (GNR) and the Midland Railway.

Its dominant traffic was minerals, chiefly coal, and the main market was in London and the south of England. It was dependent on other lines to convey traffic southward. The London and North Western Railway (LNWR) was an exceptionally hostile partner, and in later years the allied itself with the Great Northern Railway. Passenger traffic, especially around Manchester, was also an important business area, and well-patronised express trains to London were run in collaboration with the . Nevertheless, the was never greatly profitable.

thumb|The Manchester, Sheffield and Lincolnshire Railway system in 1897

For many years its general manager, and then chairman, was Edward Watkin, a dynamic leader who sometimes allowed personal vanity to drive his priorities. Watkin was determined that the should get its own route to London, and this became the scheme for the London Extension, a fearfully expensive project that risked alienating friendly companies. The London extension scheme changed the character of the completely and dominated its final years. In 1897 the company changed its name to "The Great Central Railway", and it was under that company name that the London Extension was opened in 1899.

Origin

The Sheffield, Ashton under Lyne and Manchester Railway (SA&MR) had opened throughout on 23 December 1845. Its line ran through the Woodhead Tunnel, a little over 3 miles in length. The line connected with the Manchester and Birmingham Railway at its western end, and had a basic terminus in Sheffield at Bridgehouses. There was a branch from Dinting to Glossop, and another from Guide Bridge to Stalybridge. The had been short of money during construction, and the Woodhead Tunnel was built as a single track to save money.

As the Railway Mania took hold, it became evident that enlargement of the network dominated by a railway company was key to competitive survival, and in 1846 the had been authorised, by the (9 & 10 Vict. c. cclxviii) of 27 July 1846, to amalgamate with three as-yet unbuilt railways: they were:

  • The Great Grimsby and Sheffield Junction Railway had been authorised by the Great Grimsby and Sheffield Junction Railway Act 1845 (8 & 9 Vict. c. l) of 30 June 1845 to build from Gainsborough to Grimsby. At Gainsborough it was to connect with the proposed Sheffield and Lincolnshire Junction Railway, and this justified the word "Sheffield" in its title. A further act of Parliament, the Great Grimsby and Sheffield Junction Railway (Lincoln Extension) Act 1846 (9 & 10 Vict. c. xcix) of 26 June 1846 authorised a branch from Wrawby South Junction at Barnetby down to Lincoln, and an extension from there to Newark, on the Great Northern Railway; and in addition a branch to Barton-on-Humber from Brocklesby and a branch to Cleethorpes from Grimsby.
  • The Sheffield and Lincolnshire Junction Railway was authorised by the Sheffield and Lincolnshire Junction Railway Act 1846 (9 & 10 Vict. c. ccciv) of 3 August 1846 to build from Sheffield to Gainsborough.
  • The was also authorised by the (9 & 10 Vict. c. cccxix) on 3 August 1846, connect with the at Clarborough Junction, east of Retford, and to run south-east to Sykes Junction, north of Lincoln, where it joined the Great Northern Railway and ran by running powers into Lincoln.

The amalgamation took effect on 1 January 1847, and the combined company was named the Manchester, Sheffield and Lincolnshire Railway. It had headquarters at Manchester London Road station. The first board meeting of the amalgamated company took place on 6 January 1847.

Canals

As well as the railway interest, the new acquired a considerable canal network. The Sheffield, Ashton under Lyne and Manchester Railway had acquired three canals in March 1846; they were

  • the Ashton Canal (connecting Manchester, Ashton, Stalybridge and Stockport);
  • the Peak Forest Canal, which ran from Ashton to Whaley Bridge, and which had a plateway extension to Dove Holes; and
  • the Macclesfield Canal, which left the Peak Forest Canal at Marple and had a long southward main line through Macclesfield and Congleton to join the Trent and Mersey Canal.

These canals cost the company £33,608 annually in guaranteed payments to the original proprietors.

The Sheffield and Lincolnshire Junction Railway had already purchased the Sheffield Canal and it was vested in the on 22 July 1848 by the Sheffield Canal Purchase Act 1848 (11 & 12 Vict. c. xciv), and the acquired the Chesterfield Canal on 9 July 1847.

First years 1847–1849

In 1847 the railway network of the consisted of nothing more than the network of the , with one small addition. On the first day of 1847 a short spur connection was opened from the Sheffield terminal to the Sheffield station of the Midland Railway (former Sheffield and Rotherham Railway). At this time the Midland approached from the Rotherham direction only, and it had a terminal station adjacent to Wicker, and named after that thoroughfare. The short connecting link was steeply graded and almost entirely in tunnel; it was only used for wagon exchange purposes.

Having now taken over three large railway schemes that were authorised but not yet started, the had to let large contracts for construction. In February 1847 nearly half a million pounds worth of work was commissioned; the Sheffield and Lincolnshire Junction Railway main line from Woodhouse (near Sheffield) to Gainsborough, the Grimsby line to Market Rasen, and a second bore of the Woodhead Tunnel. The eastward construction from the Bridgehouses terminus across Sheffield was started in May 1847.

The soon ran short of money, and a loan of £250,000 had to be negotiated; deliveries of locomotives were slowed, as were certain infrastructure improvements; the stations at Dog Lane, Hazlehead, Oxspring and Thurgoland were closed to passenger traffic as from 1 November 1847. One new station was provided, at Dinting, at the Glossop branch junction. The original Dinting station was closed after an interval. In its first year of operation, the had paid a 5% dividend on ordinary stock. This fell to % for the first half of 1848, since when there were no further payments for six years.

Progress continued on building the line between Grimsby and New Holland. The Grimsby-Louth line of the East Lincolnshire Railway (now leased to the Great Northern Railway) was nearing completion too, and both lines opened on 1 March 1848. There was a through train service between New Holland and Louth, operated equally by both companies. A pier in length had been provided at New Holland, which was the terminal of a ferry service to Hull. It was promised that "the rails of the New Holland line will be continued to the extremity of the pier".

Next opening was from a junction at Ulceby (about halfway between New Holland and Grimsby) to Brigg, and a second arm of that line to Market Rasen. These sections opened on 1 November 1848.

Notwithstanding the difficult financial conditions, the network as originally planned was completed during 1849, except for the new station at Sheffield (still under construction), the Leverton branch (as the Sheffield and Lincolnshire Extension Railway was now called) and certain dock works at Grimsby. There was an impressive succession of openings: the Barnetby-Lincoln line was opened on 1 February 1849, and the section from Sheffield to Beighton, where a junction was made with the Midland Railway, was opened on 12 February 1849. passenger trains ran through to Eckington on the Midland Railway from Beighton. A triangular junction was formed at New Holland, leading to a branch to Barton on Humber, opened on 1 March 1849. On 2 April 1849 the section between Brigg and Gainsborough was opened. There was a triangular junction at Ulceby: the eastern side of the triangle had been in use since before July 1848.

The final link, from Woodhouse junction, on the Sheffield-Beighton junction section, to Gainsborough, was formally opened on 16 July 1849. A special train conveying the Directors ran from Liverpool to Grimsby in five hours. The line was opened to the public the following day, 17 July 1849.

There were two stations at Stalybridge: the former station and one belonging to the Lancashire and Yorkshire Railway (L&YR). The companies agreed to rationalise, with the station handling all passenger business, and the all the goods business. The necessary junctions between the two routes at Stalybridge were ready on 1 July 1849, and on 1 August two new junctions with the London and North Western Railway (LNWR) were brought into use as well, end-on at Stalybridge with the new line from Huddersfield, and at Guide Bridge station, with the line from Heaton Norris.

At the end of 1849, the network amounted to 159 miles, with an additional 110 miles of canal.

Manchester South Junction and Altrincham Railway

The Manchester South Junction and Altrincham Junction Railway (MSJ&AR) had originally been conceived to connect the Sheffield, Ashton under Lyne and Manchester Railway and the Liverpool and Manchester Railway. The Manchester and Birmingham Railway (M&BR) would benefit too from the connection. It was authorised on 21 July 1845 as an independent private company, with three shareholders: the , the and the Earl of Ellesmere. His share was bought out in 1847 and the two railway companies had merged into the Manchester, Sheffield and Lincolnshire Railway and the London and North Western Railway respectively, so that the was wholly and equally owned by the and the . The line was to be in two parts. The South Junction part was to connect the London Road station of the (used by the ) with the former Liverpool and Manchester Railway (now ) at Ordsall Lane. This connected the hitherto separate networks east and west of Manchester. The other part was the seven-mile line to Altrincham.

The line opened between Oxford Road, Manchester, and Altrincham on 20 July 1849, and it was extended back to London Road in July 1849, and from Altrincham to Bowdon in August 1849, or September 1849.

The network was now complete. As well as enabling a busy local passenger service, in time the line formed a strategic link, later enabling the to pass Manchester and penetrate westwards.

James Allport

In May 1849, George Hudson, the so-called Railway King, had fallen from power as his underhand methods were exposed. The politics of the large railway companies shifted considerably, as Hudson's successors, particularly Captain Mark Huish of the London and North Western Railway (LNWR), engaged in schemes to gain advantage over neighbouring lines. The directors saw that it was no longer practicable to control their company's day-to-day activities from the board, and the decided to appoint a general manager. The board selected James Joseph Allport, appointed at a salary of £1,200 a year. Due to existing commitments he was not able to take up the post until 1 January 1850. Allport's appointment at what seemed to some to be a high salary caused some shareholder disquiet.

The Great Northern Railway

The Great Northern Railway was building its main line in stages, and on 4 September 1849 it opened its Doncaster-Retford line. At Retford the trains used the station until its own station there was opened. This took place on 1 August 1852 after completion of the Retford-Peterborough section of the main line, which crossed that of the on the flat. An act of Parliament of 24 July 1851, the (14 & 15 Vict. c. cxiv), permitted the to run over the to cross the River Trent at Gainsborough, and also to enter the eastern end of the Great Northern Railway station at Lincoln by means of a spur from Durham Ox Junction, on the line from Market Rasen. On 1 July 1859 the brought into use the Whisker Hill curve at Retford, which enabled its passenger trains to use the Great Northern station: the Retford station closed on the same date.

The Euston Square Confederacy

Mark Huish had taken over at the ; he was a master of commercial chicanery. He achieved domination of the Midland Railway and the Lancashire and Yorkshire Railway by means of traffic pooling agreements, and the alliance became known as the Euston Square Confederacy. There were good relations between the Great Northern Railway and the , and Huish saw that completion of the line from Peterborough to Doncaster, connecting with the at Retford, as well as the Gainsborough connection, would encourage a co-operation that would abstract traffic from his allies. He manipulated Allport and the into joining a traffic agreement that contained clauses hostile to any collaboration with the ; this was approved on 16 January 1850.

Improvements 1850 to 1852

The Lancashire and Yorkshire Railway opened a line from Huddersfield to Penistone on 1 July 1850; passenger trains began to run over it into Huddersfield.

The Leverton line, leading towards Lincoln, was opened on 7 August 1850, forming a shortened route between Retford and Lincoln. It was supposed to enable trains to run through to Lincoln over the , and in return for the to reach Sheffield; however because of its traffic agreement with the , the felt obliged to try to frustrate the arrangement.

At the end of May 1851 a contract was concluded with the Electric Telegraph Company which, for about £5 per mile per annum, undertook to install lines between Manchester, Sheffield, New Holland, Grimsby and Lincoln, providing not only the equipment but the clerks to operate it at the principal stations.

In July 1851 through carriages by three trains a day were introduced between Sheffield (Bridgehouses) and London (Euston Square) via Beighton, Eckington, the Midland Railway, and the .

A considerable step forward was taken when the new Sheffield station (in due course named "Victoria") was opened on 15 September 1851. It was very commodious; the Bridgehouses station was converted to a goods depot.

The second bore of the Woodhead tunnel opened for traffic on 2 February 1852; its beneficial effect on train operating was felt immediately, and the removal of the pilot engine alone saved £800 a year.

On 18 March 1852 a banquet was held at Grimsby to celebrate the completion of the 's dock; it entered public use in May and a branch from Grimsby Town station to the Docks and Pier stations, with two miles of internal dock lines, were ready on 1 August 1853.

The Etherow and Dinting Vale viaducts on the original line had both been strengthened with extra tie rods in the middle 1850s. They were insured respectively for £4,000 and £6,000, but now drastic repairs were required: all of the timber arches in both structures were to be replaced by wrought iron girders at a cost of £28,700 from November 1859. Not long afterwards the contractor system of permanent way maintenance came to an end when it was discovered that a contractor had got into serious financial difficulty; the work was brought in-house.

The first quadruple-track section of the , between Gorton and Ashburys, were drawn up in 1860. Negotiations were required with the over the use of the proposed widened lines between Ardwick junction and London Road. The were to vacate the original pair of tracks and be given the exclusive use of the two new lines on the northern side, except in the case of accidents, and have access across the to the line. Although this seemed to be agreed smoothly enough with the , that company later used its primacy at London Road and the need for trains to cross to the southern side there, as a means of obstructing expansion.

Edward Watkin

James Allport resigned on 20 July 1853, effective at the end of September; he went to the Midland Railway. A shareholders' consultative committee had been set up and was require to be involved in strategic decisions of the company; it appears that Allport considered this to be an infringement of his role.

Edward William Watkin took over in his place on 1 January 1854. He had been the assistant of Huish at the and he revealed that the latter, in spite of the Euston Square agreement, had been negotiating with the for a territorial division between the two companies, to the detriment of the . Dow refers to this as "deplorable duplicity" by Huish.

Watkin had a challenge before him; at this time traffic receipts were falling short of fixed obligations by about £1,000 a week. Huish resumed his attempts at coercion. Members of the and boards met at Rugby on 20 July 1854. It was agreed that the two railways should be worked as one interest with a scheme for sharing income and expenses. The treaty was regarded as continuous and subject only to seven years' notice of termination by either side. The agreement was finalised on 29 July 1854. Later in the year the offered to perform the whole of the 's passenger and parcels business at London Road station, including collection and delivery by van, for £600 a year. This was accepted and the withdrew its staff. It was a move that the came to regret.

Financially, 1855 was not a good year for the . Trade generally had been adversely affected by the blockade of the Baltic ports, owing to the Crimean War. Passenger traffic showed decreases in all categories except second class. In the same year the maintenance of permanent way was changed from direct to contractors.

The end of the Euston Confederacy

In the 1856 session of Parliament, the North Western Railway (a small company unconnected with the London and North Western Railway) was applying for running powers over part of the . In the course of the examination of witnesses, the illegal "common-purse" agreement which existed between the London and North Western and the Midland Railway was exposed. Euston Square was now vulnerable to a Chancery suit, and, in the spring of 1857 a director of the Great Northern Railway filed a petition in Chancery. The position was indefensible and Euston Square had no option but to terminate the arrangement; this was done on 12 May 1857. The Euston Square Confederacy was neutralised.

Huish attempted further duplicity in trying to agree a sharing of traffic with the Great Northern Railway, but that company saw the danger and refused. The decided to sever all agreements with the , and to form an alliance with the Great Northern Railway. The process to conclude these things took some time, but it resulted in transfer of the Manchester to London express passenger service to the route via Retford and the Great Northern Railway, in the same journey time as formerly via the . Of course much mineral traffic followed this transfer. Some of the track between Wadsley Bridge and Oughty Bridge still had the original stone-block sleepered track, and this had to be hastily modernised. (At the beginning of 1858 an inspection indicated that the last of the stone block sleepers in the main line had gone).

The continued to use underhand tactics of all kinds to frustrate the smooth operation of and trains, especially at Manchester. The warfare continued despite the efforts of neutral railway companies to mediate, and it was not until 12 November 1858 that a peaceful agreement was concluded. Throughout the process, Huish had been pursuing personal antagonistic objectives, and had steadily lost the confidence of his own board, and on 11 September 1858 his resignation was accepted.

Domestic branch lines

Penistone to Barnsley branch

Towards the end of 1851 the Board had considered the restarting of the Barnsley branch construction, which had been promised but never proceeded with. In the meantime, other companies had connected the town: the Sheffield, Rotherham, Barnsley, Wakefield, Huddersfield and Goole Railway and the South Yorkshire Railway. It was at last completed, opening in three stages, from 15 May 1854 to 12 February 1857.

Birley coal branch

The Birley coal branch, turning west from Woodhouse and miles in length, was brought into use in June 1855.

Hyde branch and extension to New Mills

The opened a branch to Hyde from Newton, on the main line on 1 March 1858. Newton station had been called Newton & Hyde (now Hyde North), and an omnibus service to Hyde itself had been operated at one time. (The Hyde station is now Hyde Central.) Parliamentary sanction was given in 1858 to extend the Hyde branch to Compstall Bridge, then a local centre of industry. In fact the extension was from Hyde to Marple, with intermediate stations at Woodley and Romiley; it opened on 5 August 1862.

A further extension looked advantageous, and this was conceived as a nominally independent company, the (MNM&HJR). Sponsored by the it was authorised by the (23 & 24 Vict. c. xv) on 15 May 1860. It was to extend to New Mills with a branch from there to Hayfield. From Marple to New Mills the line opened for goods on 1 July 1865 and for passengers on 1 February 1867. Meanwhile, the Midland Railway was building a line up from near Miller's Dale, joining the at New Mills; it opened on 1 October 1866. This gave the Midland Railway access to the system, and thereby to Manchester. The Marple, New Mills and Hayfield Junction Railway Company was acquired by the on 5 July 1865 under the (28 & 29 Vict. c. ccxlviii).

Oldham, Ashton and Guide Bridge Railway

The had sought the support of the and for the construction of a south-to-north line from Guide Bridge to Oldham, connecting with those companies' lines. The Oldham, Ashton and Guide Bridge Railway (OA&GBR) was authorised on 10 August 1857, with capital of £140,000. The was anxious to secure the commitment of the to the project, partly to disarm plans to build their own line there. The had at first expressed preparedness to support the line, but in negotiations which dragged into 1858 the as clearly determined to keep the out, and the withdrew. Accordingly, on 30 June 1862 the was leased to the and . Each subscribed £50,000.

By the end of March 1860 the line had been finished between Guide Bridge and the junction with the near Ashton-under-Lyne, but unusually wet weather delayed the completion of the remainder. On 31 July 1861 the line was opened formally. Passenger trains started running on 26 August, the providing the locomotives and carriages; goods traffic did not start until 1 February 1863.

Reaching toward Liverpool

Liverpool was a prime seaport with a huge volume of international and coastwise trade, and was consequently of strategic importance for railways in the region. The reached as far west as Manchester, and was joint owner of the Manchester South Junction and Altrincham Railway. The began to consider how it might reach Liverpool without dependency of the , which was generally hostile and obstructive.

St Helens Railway

The St Helens and Runcorn Gap Railway had been built to convey minerals south from St Helens to the River Mersey. It had opened on 21 February 1833, and its route included rope worked inclines. It amalgamated with the Sankey Brook Navigation, forming the St Helens Canal and Railway by an act of Parliament, the St. Helens Canal and Railway Act 1845 (8 & 9 Vict. c. cxvii), of 21 July 1845. The construction of the Liverpool and Manchester Railway showed that merely acting as a feeder to waterborne transport was no longer competitive.

John Meadows Rendel, the engineer of Birkenhead docks, recommended the development of a dock at Garston, on the Mersey south of Liverpool, and a connecting railway. This was authorised in 1846; it diverged from the original line to Runcorn Gap just north of the Mersey and ran west to Garston. It opened on 1 July 1852, and the dock at Garston opened on 21 July 1853. A line eastwards to Warrington was built from a junction with the new line, and was opened on 1 February 1853.

Warrington and Altrincham Junction Railway

The Warrington and Altrincham Junction Railway (W&AJR) was authorised by the Warrington and Altrincham Junction Railway Act 1851 (14 & 15 Vict. c. lxxi) on 3 July 1851. It was to make a line from the St Helens Railway at Warrington to Timperley Junction (facing Manchester) on the . The and the St Helens Railway were closely associated, sharing directors.

The changed its name to the Warrington and Stockport Railway by an act of Parliament, the Warrington and Stockport Railway Act 1853 (16 & 17 Vict. c. cxxii), on 4 August 1853 when it got powers to extend eastwards to Stockport. On 1 May 1854 it opened its line between Timperley, on the , and Warrington, and the St Helens Railway was extended a short distance from its Warrington terminal to meet the Warrington and Stockport line at Arpley station, in 1854. On 13 August 1859 the Warrington and Stockport Railway was leased to the and St Helens companies jointly, and on 14 June 1860 the St Helens company's line from Warrington to Garston was leased to the .

Stockport and Woodley Junction Railway

The Stockport and Woodley Junction Railway was authorised on 15 May 1860 by the Stockport and Woodley Junction Railway Act 1860 (23 & 24 Vict. c. xvi) to make a line from Woodley, on the line between Newton & Hyde and Marple stations. It opened on 12 May 1863, giving access to Stockport round the south side of Manchester. An east to south connection from Godley to Woodley was later constructed, enabling through running from the Sheffield direction to Woodley; it opened on 1 February 1866. This short line was vested in the Cheshire Lines Committee (CLC) on 10 August 1866.

Manchester, Sheffield and Lincolnshire Railway trains to Liverpool

The now had access to Garston over the St Helens line, from the . At first the St Helens company worked the line, but the working was taken over by the from 1 October 1856. From 1 February 1858 the in collaboration with the ran express trains between Garston and London; an "express omnibus" connection was provided over the five miles between Garston and Liverpool. In 1858 and 1859 an steamer, brought round from the River Humber service, made the connection instead. Yet the could set London passengers and goods down in the centre of Liverpool, and the gap from Garston made the and service unattractive.

From September 1859, the changed its routing: through coaches and goods wagons were worked over the 's Liverpool & Manchester line, via Newton-le-Willows, and both the and opened offices at various stations in Liverpool, including Lime Street, Wapping and Waterloo. This arrangement was better than the use of the Garston terminal, but it involved a heavy dependency on the , and that company was not a comfortable partner. In March 1861 the held a meeting to generate support for a new railway northwards from Garston. The outcome was the Garston and Liverpool Railway, which received its act of Parliament, the Garston and Liverpool Railway Act 1861 (24 & 25 Vict. c. xxxv), on 17 May 1861. It was to be a four-mile double track line with a terminus at Queen's Dock, although this was altered to Brunswick Dock in 1862. Meanwhile, the had leased the St Helens Railway from 1860, and absorbed it in 1864, as part of its own plan for an improved route from Liverpool to the south, avoiding the detour via Newton le Willows.

Chester and West Cheshire Junction Railway

The West Cheshire Railway had been denied direct access to Chester in 1861 and 1862. Finally an act of 5 July 1865, the Chester and West Cheshire Junction Railway Act 1865 (28 & 29 Vict. c. ccxcii) authorised the Chester and West Cheshire Junction Railway to build from the West Cheshire Railway at Mouldsworth to a new Chester station, named Northgate. The company was acquired by the Cheshire Lines Committee (CLC) on 10 August 1866. Construction was greatly delayed, and the line was opened on 2 November 1874 for goods trains and on 1 May 1875 for passengers.

Sheffield and Midland Railway Companies' Committee

The Marple, New Mills and Hayfield Junction Railway (MNM&HJR), sponsored by the was incorporated on 15 May 1860. It opened as far as New Mills on 1 July 1865 (goods) and 1 February 1867 (passengers). Meanwhile, the Midland Railway had built a line up from Miller's Dale, joining the at New Mills, and opening on 1 October 1866. This gave the Midland Railway access to Manchester, and the regarded it as an ally. The inbound journey for Midland trains was via Romiley, Hyde and Guide Bridge. The MNM&HJR company was acquired by the on 5 July 1865.

On 16 July 1866 the Manchester and Stockport Railway was incorporated, sponsored by the . This sanctioned a line of miles from Ashburys to Brinnington Junction on the Stockport and Woodley (now ) line, with a branch of miles from Reddish junction to Romiley on the New Mills line. It was conceived chiefly to give the Midland Railway access into Manchester, and it was intended that the Midland would adopt joint ownership of the line, as well as the existing line between Hyde Junction and New Mills. Midland trains started to use London Road from 1 February 1867. On 24 June 1869 the still unfinished Manchester and Stockport Railway, and the line from Hyde to New Mills, and the branch from New Mills to Hayfield, were vested jointly in the and the Midland, from then onwards known as the Sheffield and Midland Committee Lines. Like the , this committee was a corporate body owning physical assets.

South Yorkshire Railway

The South Yorkshire Railway (SYR) had established a small network primarily oriented to mineral traffic, opened from Doncaster to Swinton in 1849, and to Barnsley in 1851. On 10 September 1859 the opened from Doncaster and Keadby. Already in 1861 the had carried a million tons of coal. On 23 June 1864 the was authorised to lease the for 999 years. The got a follow-up act of Parliament, the Manchester, Sheffield and Lincolnshire Railway (Purchase, &c.) Act 1865 (28 & 29 Vict. c. ccxlviii), on 5 July 1865 which provided for an extensive interchange of running powers with the Midland Railway. The was to connect from Barnsley on to the Midland main line by means of a new branch to Cudworth, and then continue northwards to the West Riding & Grimsby Railway near Oakenshaw.

The had started the process of reaching Hull, having agreed with the North Eastern Railway (NER) to construct such a line, the portion finishing at Thorne. That line opened on 2 August 1869 and the started running through to Hull over the . The southern fork to Keadby opened on the same day.

On 16 July 1874 the South Yorkshire Railway and River Dun Company's Vesting Act 1874 (37 & 38 Vict. c. cxxxi) dissolved the , transferring it to the absolutely. 76 route miles of railway and 60 miles of canal transferred to ownership.

Cleethorpes

On 6 April 1863 the Cleethorpes extension from Grimsby was opened; it was a single line, later doubled in 1874.

Scunthorpe line

In 1858 ironstone deposits were discovered at Frodingham, a few miles east of the River Trent, where Keadby was located on the west side. The Trent, Ancholme and Grimsby Railway was sponsored by the and the together to fill in the gap from Keadby to Barnetby. It was authorised by the Trent, Ancholme and Grimsby Railway Act 1861 (24 & 25 Vict. c. clvi), and required a bridge at Althorpe to cross the Trent. The line opened to goods on 1 May 1866 and passengers on 1 October 1866. The Frodingham ironstone resource gave rise to the massive Scunthorpe ironworks.

West Riding and Grimsby Joint Railway

The West Riding and Grimsby Joint Railway was promoted by the South Yorkshire Railway (SYR) in 1862 as the West Riding, Hull and Grimsby Railway, extending from Wakefield to a junction with the at Stainforth, with a branch from Adwick to Doncaster. Hull and Grimsby were included in the title as distant objectives, rather than places to be included in the network: the was separately planning a line to Hull, and already ran to Keadby with aspirations to continue to Grimsby. Hull was omitted from the title by the time of incorporation on 7 August 1862.

The Great Northern Railway was alarmed by the interest that the was taking in the line: it was leasing the . The appeared to be friendly with the Great Eastern Railway, which the was at pains to keep out of the area. After much negotiation the West Riding and Grimsby Railway (Transfer) Act 1866 (29 & 30 Vict. c. clxii) authorised the and the to become joint owners of the line. The settlement gave the running powers over existing lines north-west of Wakefield. The direct benefit to the was a route from Doncaster to Wakefield avoiding dependency on the Lancashire and Yorkshire Railway.

The Doncaster – Adwick – Wakefield part of the was opened in February 1866, but the section from Adwick junction to Stainforth junction was delayed until the finished its Doncaster – Thorne direct line, in November 1866.

Independent access to Liverpool

Notwithstanding the construction of the Garston and Liverpool line, the could only get access to Liverpool by running over a lengthy section of the from Timperley Junction to Garston. Watkin saw that this was untenable, and determined to build an independent line. He deposited a bill for a new line from Old Trafford (on the on the edge of Manchester) to a junction with the Garston and Liverpool line near Cressington, as well as a link from Timperley to Glazebrook, joining the proposed line. The Old Trafford to Garston line was sanctioned by the (28 & 29 Vict. c. ccclxxviii) of 5 July.

Macclesfield

The Macclesfield, Bollington and Marple Railway was incorporated on 14 June 1864 to build a line from Marple Wharf Junction, on the Sheffield & Midland Joint line, to its own Macclesfield terminus, a distance of ten miles. It opened the line to passengers on 2 August 1869, and to goods in March 1870. A connection to the North Staffordshire Railway for goods traffic was made on 3 August 1871.

The company was vested in the and NSR on 25 May 1871, and the joint owners opened a new station, Macclesfield Central, on 1 July 1873.

Manchester Central station and the South District Railway

The was progressing towards having its own independent terminus, Manchester Central, authorised by the Cheshire Lines Act 1872 (35 & 36 Vict. c. lvii). The station opened on 9 July 1877. Immediately the introduced an hourly express service to Liverpool, with a journey time of 45 minutes. The first station was a temporary building and the permanent structure was opened on 1 July 1880.

The South District Railway had been authorised by the Manchester South District Railway Act 1873 (36 & 37 Vict. c. ccxxii), an act of Parliament passed on 5 August 1873, to build from the Liverpool Extension Railway at Throstle Nest Junction (east of Trafford Park Station) via Chorlton-cum-Hardy, and Didsbury to Alderley. It never reached Alderley, and the company was acquired by the Midland Railway on 12 August 1877. It opened to Heaton Mersey () on 1 January 1880, giving the Midland Railway access to the lines and Central station.

The was able to build a line from Fairfield junction (facing east) to Chorlton junction passing round the south of Manchester giving the direct access from the east to the South District Line and Manchester Central station. It opened on 1 October 1891 from Chorlton Junction to Fallowfield, and the portion of the South District Line between Chorlton Junction and Throstle Nest Junction was transferred to the on the same day. The line was extended to Fairfield Junction on 2 May 1892.

Wigan Junction Railways

Expanded colliery activity around West Leigh and Wigan encouraged the and the Midland Railway, working collaboratively as the Sheffield and Midland Committee to plan a line to get access. The scheme materialised as the Wigan Junction Railways, making a junction with the west of Glazebrook and running north-west; junctions were planned with the and Lancashire Union Railway on the approach to Wigan. The company was incorporated on 16 July 1874. It was slow to make progress and the Midland withdrew its financial support; the ensured that the line was solvent, to prevent it from falling into the hands of the . It opened from Glazebrook to Strangeways Hall Colliery, immediately west of Hindley, 16 October 1879; the working the goods and mineral traffic. Connections with the at Amberswood East and West Junctions were made in July 1880. A passenger service was started on 1 April 1884; the line was extended to a temporary terminus at Darlington Street, on the edge of Wigan. A quarter-mile extension of the line to Wigan Central station was opened on 3 October 1892. The company was later taken over by the Great Central Railway.

Southport and Cheshire Lines Extension Railway

In 1878 municipal authorities in Southport asked the to extend the North Liverpool line from Aintree to Southport. In 1880 the set up a separate company for the purpose and a bill was prepared for a Southport and Cheshire Lines Extension Railway; it passed as the Southport and Cheshire Lines Extension Railway Act 1881 (44 & 45 Vict. c. cxciii) on 11 September 1881. The line opened on 1 September 1884, to Birkdale, and throughout on 18 August 1882. It was worked by the Cheshire Lines Committee although it retained its separate identity. built by and rented from the North Eastern Railway. The site of the goods station has been redeveloped as an ice arena, Hull Arena.

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 express trains, Manchester to London (Kings' Cross, via Retford and G.N.R. line)
  • 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 J12 0-6-0
  • Class J10 0-6-0
  • Class J62 0-6-0ST 1897
  • (details of each of the above)

Accidents and incidents

  • On 12 December 1870, a goods train was being marshalled at Barnsley, and part of the train was left on a falling gradient of 1 in 119. The wagons were inadequately secured. When other wagons were fly-shunted on to them, they ran away down the gradient and collided with a passenger train at station. Fifteen persons were killed and 59 injured.
  • On 16 July 1884, an express passenger train was derailed between and , Yorkshire due to the fracture of the crank axle on the locomotive hauling it. Nineteen people were killed.

Notes

References

Bibliography