Some general notes:
Lines
· Hayfield branch line
· Great Central and Midland Joint Committee (GC&MJC) connection at New Mills Central
· Kinder Railway
All standard gauge
Interesting Dates
1) 1868 - 1897 – MS&LR and Midland main line era
2) 1908 – 1911 - pre-merger era - during construction of Kinder Damn
3) April 1932 big 4 era – The Mass Trespass
Operators
Hayfield branch – 1) MS&LR, 2) Great Central Railway, 3) LNER
GC&MJC – 1) MS&LR and Midland Railway (Manchester – London main line), 2) Great Central Railway and Midland Railways (local and trans-Pennine service), 3) Joint LMS and LNER
Kinder Railway – Private
Timeline for Railway Development in the area
1861 – Agreement between MS&LR and Midland Railway to form GC&MJC (known as the Marple, New Mills and Hayfield Junction Line prior to 1897)
1865 – Midland joins the Cheshire Lines Committee
1867 – Midland main line from Millers Dale via the Dove Holes tunnel and Chinley connects with the GC&MJR at New Mills Central, GC&MJR joins the MS&LR mainline at Hyde Junction.
1868 – Branch line to Hayfield opens
1875 – Direct route into Manchester London Road from Romley via Bredbury opens
1880 – Midland switches to Manchester Central for its main line service, initially diverts on the Manchester side of Romley to connect through Stockport Tiviot Dale.
1894 – Dore to Chinely line opened by Midland Railway to provide a direct connection from Sheffield to Manchester
1st August 1897 – MS&LR changes name to Great Central Railway.
1902 – Midland diverts its main line service to Manchester at the New Mills South junction switching it away from New Mills Central.
1908 –Kinder Railway starts operation, change of GCR coach livery from brown and cream to teak
1911 – Kinder Railway stops operation
1st January 1923 – Great Central Railway grouped into LNER, Midland Railway grouped into LMS
1930 – Hourly Sunday service carrying upward of 5,000 hikers a weekend into Hayfield to access the moors
c. 1935 – Bogey coaches become operational on LNER local services
1948 – Nationalisation
1968 – Goods service withdrawn from Hayfield
1970 – Hayfield branch line closes
Local Industry
Craft woollen weaving
Cotton weaving - calico
Fabric dying and printing
Paper printing
Rail operations
1 & 2) Coal and raw cotton to local industry, mixed freight finished goods to markets
Each goods siding shown in photographs carrying mixed freight on 15-20 cars
3) Post WWI large numbers of tourist passengers accessing the moors for walking at weekends
Passenger trains 4 standard coaches and a break. 4-6 wheel close coupled coaches
Kinder Railway operations show short mixed freight sets and a 4 car 4 wheel carriage set hauled by 0-6-0ST locomotives