Midland and Great Northern Joint Railway
The Midland and Great Northern Joint Railway (M&GNJR) was a railway network in England, in the area connecting southern Lincolnshire, the Isle of Ely and north Norfolk. It developed from several local independent concerns and was incorporated in 1893. It was jointly owned by the Midland Railway and the Great Northern Railway, and those companies had long sponsored and operated the predecessor companies.
| Midland and Great Northern Joint Railway | |
|---|---|
1926 map of M&GNJR | |
| Overview | |
| Status | Defunct |
| Locale | East of England |
| Service | |
| Type | Regional rail |
| History | |
| Opened | 1858-1893 |
| 1893 | Midland and Great Northern Joint Railway is incorporated |
| 1948 | The railway is nationalised under British Rail |
| Closed | 1959-1965 (vast majority) |
| Reopened | 1975-2010 (5.25 miles (8.45 km) by North Norfolk Railway) |
| Technical | |
| Line length | 183 miles 20 chains (294.9 km) (1925) |
| Track length | 261 miles 4 chains (420.1 km) (1925) |
| Number of tracks | Majority single track. 74 miles 25 chains (119.6 km) double track. |
| Track gauge | 4 ft 8+1⁄2 in (1,435 mm) |
The area directly served was agricultural and sparsely populated, but seaside holidays had developed and the M&GNJR ran many long-distance express trains to and from the territory of the parent companies, as well as summer local trains for holidaymakers. It had the longest mileage of any joint railway in the United Kingdom.
In the grouping of 1923, the two joint owners of the M&GNJR were absorbed into two separate companies (the Midland into the London, Midland and Scottish Railway and the Great Northern into the London and North Eastern Railway). The M&GNJR maintained a distinct identity which only formally ended with nationalisation in 1948. After 1945 the profitability of the network declined steeply, worsened by the seasonality of the business. It was duplicated by other lines and the decision was taken to close it. Most of the network closed in 1959, although some limited sections continued in use. Only a short section near Sheringham is in commercial use today, but the North Norfolk Railway is active as a heritage line.