Classic Diesel Years Midland Main Line Leicester to Sheffield

Complementary to Paul’s book about the southern half of the Midland Main Line from London St Pancras to Leicester, this is the northern section. North of Leicester, the line is a single route as far as Trent Junction, then splits three ways before converging again further north and continuing to Chesterfield and Sheffield. The route was built in various stages from 1839. In 1844, the Midland Railway took over, and it constructed the later sections. By the 1970s, many smaller stations on the line had closed, but the main routes remained intact. Freight traction was highly varied in this period and in the 1980s, with Class 20s, Classes 31, 44, 45, 47, 56, 58 and more. Locations featured include Leicester, Sileby, Loughborough, Spondon, Beeston and more.