Ambergate, Nottingham, Boston and Eastern Junction Railway
Encyclopedia
The Ambergate, Nottingham, Boston and Eastern Junction Railway was an early British
railway company, which opened in 1850.
The original aim was to link to the proposed Manchester, Buxton, Matlock and Midlands Junction Railway
at Ambergate
to link Manchester
with Boston
and the East Coast. It would proceed eastwards north of Ripley
and Eastwood
to a proposed Midland Railway
line from Bulwell
to Nottingham
. There it would join the latter's Lincoln line as far as Colwick
where there would be a junction. Proceeding to Grantham
and Spalding
, there would be two branches, one to Sleaford
, the other to Boston
Not only were subscriptions minimal, some investors reneged on their pledges - a common state of affairs in early railway history. In the event it only opened from Nottingham
to Grantham
. The line is still in use.
It received Parliamentary approval in 1846, and the engineer was John Underwood, an associate of John Urpeth Rastrick
For all that it crossed a number of river valleys, the terrain was favourable. The major engineering work was the viaduct at Radcliffe
over the River Trent
. The Trent Navigation Company
insisted on a clear span of at least 100 ft and so a 110 ft cast iron arch was constructed on the northwest side, with three masonry arches on the approach.
and Grantham Canal
s two months after opening the line from Ambergate to Grantham. This final blow to the company's overstretched finances were to have unfortunate, and unintended, repercussions for the Midland.
The line opened for passengers on 15, July,1850 from its own terminus at Ambergate Yard at the Old Wharf in Grantham to Colwick Junction.
Initially it was worked by E. B. Wilson and Company
under contract to the proprietors, with David Joy
as the locomotive foreman. The opening seems to have been somewhat chaotic. We have an informative account in David Joy's diary in which he tells us that, when he arrived two days before the opening, nothing was ready for him, and no engines to be found. He prevailed upon the Midland to lend him two Bury Singles
.
He writes "E. B. Wilson fetched me on a Friday evening in a cab, took me to Arthington Hall to go next evening to open Nottingham and Grantham Railway on the Monday. He had taken it to work by contract at 2s. per mile run. No engines, nothing ready. To Nottingham early Saturday. Midland Railway supplied us with two old Bury's singles to be at Grantham Sunday night. Saturday afternoon over the line with Underwood (engineer), Gough (secretary), and on the contractor's (G. Wythes) engine (ballast), went off the road, not very fast, but a jolly tumble about."
However the first train departed at 9 a.m. with half a dozen second and third class carriages and a number of wagons.
As with most railways of the time, operation was somewhat haphazard and it wasn't long before the first accident in October, 1850.
Joy again: "We had got another engine from Railway Foundry, known as No. 266, and she did "goods"; and Nottingham Goose Fair coming, and a special ordered for Nottingham, I snapped at the chance of driving one of the engines. I don't know how it all came about, but at night I found myself on the leading engine, the other old Bury behind with old Pilkington as driver down at the junction of the Mansfield line at the front of a long line of carriages, on the down main line, which, for the day, was being used to stand lines of trains—the down trains for Mansfield being shunted at the junction on to the up line to the next station. It was pitch dark; and we waited for a signal to go on to Nottinghem with our train, and waited long. At last a rustle, and I thought we were going to be liberated by the passing out of the mail to Derby. So watched for her disappearing sideways to the right, but no, I could see her sweeping round and approaching us. And instantly I calculated that she could not have stopped and passed on to the up line at the junction, so must be on our line rushing upon us. It was not many seconds before we found all this true, as we jumped from our engines and rushed forward on the "in" side of the curve, and only just in time, for I saw the flare of the ashpan of the coming engine ripple over the sleepers as she came on, and heard the broken buffers of my own engine wizz over my head. It was only just in time, the next instant our two poor little light Bury engines were one wreck of material in front of the big six-coupled, with a train of twenty crammed carriages behind her. The footplate of my engine disappeared entirely, the firebox of the engine falling in between the legs of the tank—buffers and buffer beams gone altogether. It was an awful experience, and none of us forgot it in a hurry."
The Midland lent some more engines and Joy writes "one was a little Sharp. This little engine was nearly the death of a nephew of one of my directors. He wanted to ride with me on the footplate one night with a special I said, No! We ran down Bingham Bank into a fog — stuck — no weather board. Suddenly we went through the road crossing gates, the bits flew all round us, we knew how to duck."
were interested in making a takeover, since it would impede the Great Northern's progress. Meanwhile, the Great Northern was keen to penetrate Nottinghamshire and its coalfields, something that Midland in particular was resisting, making a takeover offer in 1851. However a member of the GNR board had acquired a holding of ANB&EJR shares and was able to resist the offer.
In 1852 the Great Northern arrived at Grantham and a connection was built into its station. Running rights were agreed such that the GN was able advertise through coaches from Nottingham to London in competition with the Midland.
The latter obtained an Order in Chancery preventing the GN from running into Nottingham, but in 1852 an ANB&EJR train arrived in Nottingham with a GNR locomotive at its head. When it uncoupled and went to "run around" the train it found its way blocked by a Midland loco, while another blocked its retreat. The engine was shepherded to a nearby shed and, for good measure, the tracks were lifted. This episode became known as the "Battle of Nottingham" and, though the action moved to the courtroom, it was seven months before the loco was released.
From 2 April 1855 the Great Northern agreed to work the line for a period of ten years. The directors of the ANBEJR, not having completed the line throughout, held that they were not bound to buy the two canals. The canal proprietors took the matter to court, the sale was effected and, in 1860, the name was changed to the Nottingham and Grantham Railway and Canal Company. In 1861 it was leased to the GNR completely.
Though the Midland grudgingly accepted passengers into its station, it refused to handle goods which had to be carted from the terminus at Colwick. The GNR therefore built its own terminus at London Road
in 1857. In 1900 a new station, Nottingham Victoria
, was built jointly with the Great Central Railway
.
The GNR built its GNR Derbyshire and Staffordshire Extension in 1878 then acquired the Stafford and Uttoxeter Railway
in 1881 thus gaining a through route from Grantham
to Wales
.
Great Britain
Great Britain or Britain is an island situated to the northwest of Continental Europe. It is the ninth largest island in the world, and the largest European island, as well as the largest of the British Isles...
railway company, which opened in 1850.
The original aim was to link to the proposed Manchester, Buxton, Matlock and Midlands Junction Railway
Manchester, Buxton, Matlock and Midlands Junction Railway
The Manchester, Buxton, Matlock and Midland Junction Railway ran from a junction with the Midland Railway at Ambergate to Rowsley north of Matlock and thence to Buxton....
at Ambergate
Ambergate railway station
Ambergate railway station is a railway station owned by Network Rail and managed by East Midlands Trains Train operating company . It serves the village of Ambergate in Derbyshire...
to link Manchester
Manchester
Manchester is a city and metropolitan borough in Greater Manchester, England. According to the Office for National Statistics, the 2010 mid-year population estimate for Manchester was 498,800. Manchester lies within one of the UK's largest metropolitan areas, the metropolitan county of Greater...
with Boston
Boston, Lincolnshire
Boston is a town and small port in Lincolnshire, on the east coast of England. It is the largest town of the wider Borough of Boston local government district and had a total population of 55,750 at the 2001 census...
and the East Coast. It would proceed eastwards north of Ripley
Ripley, Derbyshire
Ripley is a town in the Amber Valley area of Derbyshire in England.- Earliest history :Not much information is available as to when Ripley was founded, but it existed at the time of the Domesday Book, when it was held by a man called Levenot....
and Eastwood
Eastwood
-Places:in Australia*Eastwood, New South Wales**Eastwood railway station*Eastwood, South Australiain Canada*Eastwood, Ontario*Eastwood, Edmonton, Alberta, a neighborhoodin the Philippines*Eastwood Cityin the UK*Eastwood, Essex, England...
to a proposed Midland Railway
Midland Railway
The Midland Railway was a railway company in the United Kingdom from 1844 to 1922, when it became part of the London, Midland and Scottish Railway....
line from Bulwell
Bulwell
Bulwell is an English market town approximately northwest of Nottingham city centre, on the northern edge of the city. The United Kingdom Census 2001 showed there were almost 30,000 people living in the Bulwell area, accounting for over 10% of the population of the city of Nottingham.-Early...
to Nottingham
Nottingham
Nottingham is a city and unitary authority in the East Midlands of England. It is located in the ceremonial county of Nottinghamshire and represents one of eight members of the English Core Cities Group...
. There it would join the latter's Lincoln line as far as Colwick
Colwick
Colwick is a suburb in the east of Greater Nottingham in England. It forms part of the Nottinghamshire borough of Gedling, although Colwick Country Park is actually within the city boundary. It lies between the River Trent and the railway line, with nearby places being Netherfield , Bakersfield ,...
where there would be a junction. Proceeding to Grantham
Grantham
Grantham is a market town within the South Kesteven district of Lincolnshire, England. It bestrides the East Coast Main Line railway , the historic A1 main north-south road, and the River Witham. Grantham is located approximately south of the city of Lincoln, and approximately east of Nottingham...
and Spalding
Spalding, Lincolnshire
Spalding is a market town with a population of 30,000 on the River Welland in the South Holland district of Lincolnshire, England. Little London is a hamlet directly south of Spalding on the B1172 road....
, there would be two branches, one to Sleaford
Sleaford
Sleaford is a town in the North Kesteven district of Lincolnshire, England. It is located thirteen miles northeast of Grantham, seventeen miles west of Boston, and nineteen miles south of Lincoln, and had a total resident population of around 14,500 in 6,167 households at the time...
, the other to Boston
Not only were subscriptions minimal, some investors reneged on their pledges - a common state of affairs in early railway history. In the event it only opened from Nottingham
Nottingham
Nottingham is a city and unitary authority in the East Midlands of England. It is located in the ceremonial county of Nottinghamshire and represents one of eight members of the English Core Cities Group...
to Grantham
Grantham
Grantham is a market town within the South Kesteven district of Lincolnshire, England. It bestrides the East Coast Main Line railway , the historic A1 main north-south road, and the River Witham. Grantham is located approximately south of the city of Lincoln, and approximately east of Nottingham...
. The line is still in use.
It received Parliamentary approval in 1846, and the engineer was John Underwood, an associate of John Urpeth Rastrick
John Urpeth Rastrick
John Urpeth Rastrick was one of the first English steam locomotive builders. In partnership with James Foster, he formed Foster, Rastrick and Company, the locomotive construction company that built the Stourbridge Lion in 1829 for export to the Delaware and Hudson Railroad in America.-Early...
For all that it crossed a number of river valleys, the terrain was favourable. The major engineering work was the viaduct at Radcliffe
Rectory Junction Viaduct
Rectory Junction Viaduct, also known as the Radcliffe Viaduct, crosses the River Trent between Netherfield and Radcliffe on Trent near Nottingham.-History:...
over the River Trent
River Trent
The River Trent is one of the major rivers of England. Its source is in Staffordshire on the southern edge of Biddulph Moor. It flows through the Midlands until it joins the River Ouse at Trent Falls to form the Humber Estuary, which empties into the North Sea below Hull and Immingham.The Trent...
. The Trent Navigation Company
Trent Navigation Company
The Trent Navigation Company existed from 1783 to 1940. It was responsible for control of navigation on the River Trent in England.-History:...
insisted on a clear span of at least 100 ft and so a 110 ft cast iron arch was constructed on the northwest side, with three masonry arches on the approach.
Opening
Rather than build its own expensive station in Nottingham, the ANB&EJR sought running powers into the Midland Railway's Carrington Street station, from a junction at Colwick. With the support of the city fathers it obtained these, but the Midland insisted that ANB&EJR bought out the NottinghamNottingham Canal
The Nottingham Canal was a long canal between Langley Mill in Derbyshire and Nottingham, England. It opened in 1796, and most of it was closed in 1937. The southern section is now part of the River Trent Navigation, and the northern section is a nature reserve.-Origins:The idea for the canal first...
and Grantham Canal
Grantham Canal
The Grantham Canal is a canal that runs for 33 miles from Grantham, falling through 18 locks to West Bridgford where it joins the River Trent. It was built primarily to allow for the transportation of coal to Grantham. It opened in 1797, and its profitability steadily increased until 1841...
s two months after opening the line from Ambergate to Grantham. This final blow to the company's overstretched finances were to have unfortunate, and unintended, repercussions for the Midland.
The line opened for passengers on 15, July,1850 from its own terminus at Ambergate Yard at the Old Wharf in Grantham to Colwick Junction.
Initially it was worked by E. B. Wilson and Company
E. B. Wilson and Company
E.B.Wilson and Company was a locomotive manufacturing company at the Railway Foundry in Hunslet, Leeds, West Yorkshire, England.-Origins:When Todd left Todd, Kitson & Laird in 1838, he joined Shepherd in setting up the Railway Foundry as Shepherd and Todd...
under contract to the proprietors, with David Joy
David Joy
David Frederick Joy was a former professional footballer, who played for Huddersfield Town and York City.-References:*99 Years & Counting - Stats & Stories - Huddersfield Town History...
as the locomotive foreman. The opening seems to have been somewhat chaotic. We have an informative account in David Joy's diary in which he tells us that, when he arrived two days before the opening, nothing was ready for him, and no engines to be found. He prevailed upon the Midland to lend him two Bury Singles
Bury Bar Frame locomotive
The Bury Bar Frame locomotive was an early type of steam locomotive, developed at the works of Edward Bury and Company, later named Bury, Curtis, and Kennedy....
.
He writes "E. B. Wilson fetched me on a Friday evening in a cab, took me to Arthington Hall to go next evening to open Nottingham and Grantham Railway on the Monday. He had taken it to work by contract at 2s. per mile run. No engines, nothing ready. To Nottingham early Saturday. Midland Railway supplied us with two old Bury's singles to be at Grantham Sunday night. Saturday afternoon over the line with Underwood (engineer), Gough (secretary), and on the contractor's (G. Wythes) engine (ballast), went off the road, not very fast, but a jolly tumble about."
However the first train departed at 9 a.m. with half a dozen second and third class carriages and a number of wagons.
As with most railways of the time, operation was somewhat haphazard and it wasn't long before the first accident in October, 1850.
Joy again: "We had got another engine from Railway Foundry, known as No. 266, and she did "goods"; and Nottingham Goose Fair coming, and a special ordered for Nottingham, I snapped at the chance of driving one of the engines. I don't know how it all came about, but at night I found myself on the leading engine, the other old Bury behind with old Pilkington as driver down at the junction of the Mansfield line at the front of a long line of carriages, on the down main line, which, for the day, was being used to stand lines of trains—the down trains for Mansfield being shunted at the junction on to the up line to the next station. It was pitch dark; and we waited for a signal to go on to Nottinghem with our train, and waited long. At last a rustle, and I thought we were going to be liberated by the passing out of the mail to Derby. So watched for her disappearing sideways to the right, but no, I could see her sweeping round and approaching us. And instantly I calculated that she could not have stopped and passed on to the up line at the junction, so must be on our line rushing upon us. It was not many seconds before we found all this true, as we jumped from our engines and rushed forward on the "in" side of the curve, and only just in time, for I saw the flare of the ashpan of the coming engine ripple over the sleepers as she came on, and heard the broken buffers of my own engine wizz over my head. It was only just in time, the next instant our two poor little light Bury engines were one wreck of material in front of the big six-coupled, with a train of twenty crammed carriages behind her. The footplate of my engine disappeared entirely, the firebox of the engine falling in between the legs of the tank—buffers and buffer beams gone altogether. It was an awful experience, and none of us forgot it in a hurry."
The Midland lent some more engines and Joy writes "one was a little Sharp. This little engine was nearly the death of a nephew of one of my directors. He wanted to ride with me on the footplate one night with a special I said, No! We ran down Bingham Bank into a fog — stuck — no weather board. Suddenly we went through the road crossing gates, the bits flew all round us, we knew how to duck."
Takeover battle
Both the Midland and the LNWRLondon and North Western Railway
The London and North Western Railway was a British railway company between 1846 and 1922. It was created by the merger of three companies – the Grand Junction Railway, the London and Birmingham Railway and the Manchester and Birmingham Railway...
were interested in making a takeover, since it would impede the Great Northern's progress. Meanwhile, the Great Northern was keen to penetrate Nottinghamshire and its coalfields, something that Midland in particular was resisting, making a takeover offer in 1851. However a member of the GNR board had acquired a holding of ANB&EJR shares and was able to resist the offer.
In 1852 the Great Northern arrived at Grantham and a connection was built into its station. Running rights were agreed such that the GN was able advertise through coaches from Nottingham to London in competition with the Midland.
The latter obtained an Order in Chancery preventing the GN from running into Nottingham, but in 1852 an ANB&EJR train arrived in Nottingham with a GNR locomotive at its head. When it uncoupled and went to "run around" the train it found its way blocked by a Midland loco, while another blocked its retreat. The engine was shepherded to a nearby shed and, for good measure, the tracks were lifted. This episode became known as the "Battle of Nottingham" and, though the action moved to the courtroom, it was seven months before the loco was released.
From 2 April 1855 the Great Northern agreed to work the line for a period of ten years. The directors of the ANBEJR, not having completed the line throughout, held that they were not bound to buy the two canals. The canal proprietors took the matter to court, the sale was effected and, in 1860, the name was changed to the Nottingham and Grantham Railway and Canal Company. In 1861 it was leased to the GNR completely.
Though the Midland grudgingly accepted passengers into its station, it refused to handle goods which had to be carted from the terminus at Colwick. The GNR therefore built its own terminus at London Road
Nottingham Great Northern railway station
Nottingham London Road railway station was opened by the Great Northern Railway on London Road Nottingham in 1857.-History:The station was opened in 1857 by the Great Northern Railway at the terminus of its line from Grantham, originally built by the Ambergate, Nottingham, Boston and Eastern...
in 1857. In 1900 a new station, Nottingham Victoria
Nottingham Victoria railway station
Nottingham Victoria railway station was a Great Central Railway and Great Northern Railway railway station in Nottingham, England. It was designed by the architect Albert Edward Lambert....
, was built jointly with the Great Central Railway
Great Central Railway
The Great Central Railway was a railway company in England which came into being when the Manchester, Sheffield and Lincolnshire Railway changed its name in 1897 in anticipation of the opening in 1899 of its London Extension . On 1 January 1923, it was grouped into the London and North Eastern...
.
The GNR built its GNR Derbyshire and Staffordshire Extension in 1878 then acquired the Stafford and Uttoxeter Railway
Stafford and Uttoxeter Railway
The Stafford and Uttoxeter Railway was created by Act of Parliament in 1862, to run between Stafford and Uttoxeter in Staffordshire, England.It opened for traffic in 1867. It was nicknamed the Clog and Knocker....
in 1881 thus gaining a through route from Grantham
Grantham
Grantham is a market town within the South Kesteven district of Lincolnshire, England. It bestrides the East Coast Main Line railway , the historic A1 main north-south road, and the River Witham. Grantham is located approximately south of the city of Lincoln, and approximately east of Nottingham...
to Wales
Wales
Wales is a country that is part of the United Kingdom and the island of Great Britain, bordered by England to its east and the Atlantic Ocean and Irish Sea to its west. It has a population of three million, and a total area of 20,779 km²...
.