Railways of Derbyshire

Derbyshire is a county of contrasts and the development of the railways reflect this. In the limestone country in the west the LNW held sway with its railways from Ashbourne and Cromford to Buxton involved in the extraction of limestone. Meanwhile in the east of the county no fewer than four different companies fought over the lucrative business of coal carrying in the huge North Midlands Coalfield. From the historic railway town of Derby, the Midland Railway had routes south to London, west to Birmingham and north to Sheffield. In the north of the county was the MR's Hope Valley route, which included two of the longest tunnels in Britain. Further north still was the Great Central's Woodhead route carving its way through the gritstone. No fewer than six railway companies were represented in the county, including the Great Northern penetrating from the east, the North Staffordshire in the south-west and the Lancashire, Derbyshire and East Coast Railway with its transversal Chesterfield-Lincoln line.