The Great Northern Railway in the East Midlands

Book excerpt: The GN built the Nottingham-Grantham line primarily to carry coal from its Midlands origins to the main markets in the South. With minerals accounting for 60% of business, discovery of iron ore in the area of the line brought major expansion, not only of local branches but also the north-south Newark-Melton and Leicester routes. This book gives a fascinating insight into the lines as they were originally built, the effect of the major expansion and traffic volumes, wartime traffics, and also covers the decline and closure of much of the system in the 50s and 60s. Modernisation and current operation of the Nottingham-Grantham line is also covered, with a review of the closed lines remaining features that today's visitors can find. The authors background is in signalling and traffic operation, both feature in this absorbing new book. This book completes the series of four by author Alf Henshaw.