Mansfield and Pinxton Railway

The Mansfield and Pinxton Railway was an early 4 ft 4 in (1,321 mm) horse-drawn railway in the United Kingdom, completed in 1819 to transport coal to Mansfield from the head of the Pinxton branch of the Cromford Canal from collieries along the Erewash valley served by the Erewash Canal. (At that date the coal seams beneath Mansfield were unproven and would have been too deep to develop economically.) The railway's importance lies in its influence on later railway building in the area, particularly the development of the Midland Counties Railway.

For many years, as in other parts of the country, Nottinghamshire quarry owners and miners had built wagonways to transport heavy goods. As larger projects were proposed, usually where the terrain made canal building impracticable, outside investment was required. Railway promoters became required to justify their plans and their likely viability before Parliament, as had been the case with canal building. Thus the Mansfield and Pinxton became the first railway in the East Midlands to be incorporated by Act of Parliament, in 1817.

Although the idea of the railway was first mooted in 1803 there was considerable delay while a decision was taken as to what form it should take. Wagonways had developed into iron plateways, for which Benjamin Outram of the Butterley Company had gained considerable expertise. His partner, William Jessop, had however, pioneered the use of fish-bellied iron edge rails on the earlier Charnwood Forest Canal. In the end, his son Josias, as engineer, used the latter.

The first load of coal arrived in Mansfield on 13 April 1819 and was taken to the marketplace to be ceremoniously burnt. Costing less than £25,000 to build, its original purpose had been to carry stone and lime from Mansfield, but it soon proved its worth carrying coal. It facilitated the opening of a number of new pits, for which branches were provided, along with a branch to the Butterley Company's works at Codnor Park. Another important cargo was moulding sand from Mansfield. Although, in the long term the railway would bring prosperity to Mansfield, it initially caused a great deal of distress to the horse dealers and wagon masters, many of whom lost their livelihood. In 1832 a coach was introduced each Thursday (the market day) for second and third class passengers from the Boat Inn at Pinxton Wharf.

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