Everything about The Manchester And Birmingham Railway totally explained
The
Manchester and Birmingham Railway was built between
Manchester and
Crewe and opened in stages from 1840. Between Crewe and
Birmingham, trains were worked by the
Grand Junction Railway. The M&BR was merged into the
London and North Western Railway in
1846.
History
Plans
After the building of the
Grand Junction Railway and the
Liverpool and Manchester Railway, investors began to look for other routes south of
Manchester. From
1835, the GJR was considering a branch to the
Potteries, while the Manchester and Cheshire Junction Railway was planning a line from Manchester to
Crewe with branches outwards. Meanwhile
George Stephenson was investigating a line from Manchester and
Stockport to the Potteries, which developed into a proposal for a "Manchester South Union Railway". Also involved were proposals for competing lines through the
Trent valley to
Rugby.
After two years of proposals and counter-proposals, what emerged was a scheme to run from a junction from the GJR at
Chebsey, with branches to
Macclesfield and Crewe, into Manchester
Store Street, which received Parliamentary authorisation in
1837. There were plans to take the line to Rugby, but for a number of reasons, including lack of finance, they were put in abeyance.
Opening
A section between
Heaton Norris and a temporary station at Travis Street in Manchester was opened first in
1840 carrying nearly two thousand passengers in the first twenty weeks. However there still remained to be built an enormous 22 arch viaduct over the
River Mersey at Stockport. In
1841 the
Sheffield, Ashton-under-Lyne and Manchester Railway, which was to share Store Street, also began running into Travis Street. Store Street finally opened in
1842 and later became known as London Road. (It became Piccadilly in
1960). Services were extended to
Sandbach but entry to Crewe, where it would use GJR metals to Birmingham, proved more difficult. In the end it was agreed that the GJR would work the trains south of Crewe, while the M&B would work them into Manchester.
Enough locomotives, all
2-2-2, had been ordered from
Robert Stephenson and Company and
Sharp, Roberts and Company to work the whole distance, but
John Ramsbottom, their Locomotive Superintendent, managed to sell four of them on to the
South Eastern Railway. Although the company's finances remained weak, it built a number of short branches, and, although a minor player, its position made it a crucial part in revived plans for the Trent and
Churnet valleys, which involved the
London and Birmingham Railway with which they'd compete.
Merger
Eventually the complex relationship between the M&BR, the GJR and the L&BR was resolved by their merger in
1846 to form the
London and North Western Railway. The long-awaited Trent Valley Railway opened in
1847. The Manchester and Birmingham had put other plans forward, including a line from Rugby to the
Midland Railway at
Syston near Leicester, authorised in
1846 and the Coventry and Nuneaton Railway. Also in
1846 the
Manchester, Buxton, Matlock and Midlands Junction Railway had been authorised, supported strongly by the M&BR and the Midland, joining the latter's line to
London. In the event it only reached
Rowsley due to financial difficulties, but the merger was a considerable embarrassment to the Midland, since the LNWR was naturally opposed to a competing line to the capital.
Locomotives of the M&BR
The M&BR's locomotive works was at
Longsight railway station.
Further Information
Get more info on 'Manchester And Birmingham Railway'.
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