Lancashire Derbyshire and East Coast Railway: Chesterfield to Langwith: Junction, the Beighton Branch and Sheffield District Rai

Description

In the days when coal was king, an ambitious plan was laid for an east-to-west cross country rail route, connecting the Manchester Ship Canal at Warrington to a new dock near the small east coast village of Sutton-on-Sea. Grandly titled The Lancashire, Derbyshire and East Coast Railway, history was to show that this line would reach neither Warrington nor Sutton-on-Sea with only the Chesterfield to Pyewipe Junction section and a branch to Sheffield ever being completed. Taken over by the G.C.R. in 1907, the route was primarily a coal-carrying railway, although it did have a passenger service that lasted until 1955. Discover the former LD&ECR, the self-styled 'Dukeries Route' and its branches, through the lenses of photographers from over 100 years. From the main line between Chesterfield and Lincoln, the Beighton Branch, the Sheffield District Railway and the Mansfield Railway, to the motive power depots at Chesterfield, Tuxford and Langwith Junction. This is a photographic journey bringing you the story of the railway from the early days to its final days, including the last coal train to use the route.

Chris Booth has been hooked on railways since he first visited Retford Station back in the early 1960s. In June 1975, he began work as a signalman. He submitted his first photograph to the railway press in 1992 and is now a regular contributor to magazines. In 2013, he was one of the co-writers of '40 Years of Sheffield PSB', published via Blurb. Fascinated with The Lancashire Derbyshire & East Coast Railway after reading the book 'The Lancashire Derbyshire & East Coast Railway', he decided to publish his own book: a potted history of the LD&ECR and its connections.