Along much of the route between Sheffield and Nottingham the line ran through a mainly industrial landscape dominated by mining. Pilsley had its own colliery a short distance to the north of the station, with extensive sidings on both sides of the main line. The Midland Railway also gained access to Pilsley colliery, via a section about 2.5 miles in length which branched off their Erewash Valley Line just to the north of Doe Hill station, and ran across country to join the Great Central at Pilsley, running virtually alongside Pilsley station before making its connection with the line near the colliery.
Pilsley station closed on 2 November 1959, the line itself on 5 September 1966. The collieries also closed around this time, although coal mining continued to be a source of employment for the village until the 1980s.
The route of the Great Central line was redeveloped by Derbyshire County Council in the late 1960s and early 1970s, and now forms part of the Five Pits Trail network. These efforts received a Countryside Award in 1970, as indicated by a plaque at the site of Pilsley station. The trail runs approximately 12 miles, from Tibshelf to Grassmoor Country Park, though with the filling in of cuttings and removal of embankments it is virtually unrecognisable as a former railway line. Similarly the collieries that had once been such conspicuous features of the landscape have vanished without trace. The area is now once again mostly rural in character.
Staveley is a town and civil parish in the Borough of Chesterfield, Derbyshire, England. Located along the banks of the River Rother. It is northeast of Chesterfield, west of Clowne, northwest of Bolsover, southwest of Worksop and southeast of Sheffield.
Bolsover is a market town and the administrative centre of the Bolsover District, Derbyshire, England. It is 18 miles (29 km) from Sheffield, 26 miles (42 km) from Nottingham and 27 miles (43 km) from Derby. It is the main town in the Bolsover district.
Clay Cross is a town and a civil parish in the North East Derbyshire district of Derbyshire, England. It is a former industrial and mining town, about 5 miles (8.0 km) south of Chesterfield. It is directly on the A61. Surrounding settlements include North Wingfield, Tupton, Pilsley and Ashover.
Tibshelf is a village and civil parish in the Bolsover District in Derbyshire, England. It lies between the towns of Clay Cross, Shirebrook, Mansfield and Chesterfield and had a population of 4,348 at the 2021 Census. Tibshelf shares its boundaries with the villages of Morton, Pilsley, Newton, Teversal and Hardstoft.
Pilsley is a village and civil parish in the district of North East Derbyshire in the county of Derbyshire, England, near the town of Chesterfield. At the 2011 Census the population was 3,487.
Rotherham Main Colliery was situated in Canklow, about 0.5 miles south of Rotherham town centre in the Rother Valley. The area was the site of an ancient crossing of the river set below the crag on which were Canklow Woods, an ancient woodland area.
Tibshelf Town railway station is a disused station on the former Great Central Main Line in the village of Tibshelf in Derbyshire, England.
The Five Pits Trail is a rail trail in Derbyshire, England. It consists of a network of surfaced walkways for recreational use. The approximately 5.5-mile-long (8.9 km) trail links Grassmoor to Tibshelf. The Trail can be extended to 7.5 miles (12.1 km) by continuing along the route to Williamthorpe Ponds and Holmewood. Derbyshire County Council created the Five Pits Trail in 1989, following the route of the former Great Central Railway which served the five main coal mines of Grassmoor, Williamthorpe, Holmewood, Pilsley and Tibshelf.
The Lancashire, Derbyshire and East Coast Railway (LD&ECR) was built to connect coalfields in Derbyshire and Nottinghamshire with Warrington and a new port on the Lincolnshire coast. It was a huge undertaking, and the company was unable to raise the money to build its line. With the financial help of the Great Eastern Railway it managed to open between Chesterfield and Lincoln with a branch towards Sheffield from 1896. Despite efforts to promote tourist travel, the passenger business was never buoyant, but collieries were connected to the line, at first and in succeeding years. The Great Eastern Railway, and other main line companies, transported coal to the southern counties, and the company's engines took coal to Immingham in great quantities. The company had a fleet of tank engines.
Arkwright Town railway station was in Arkwright Town, Derbyshire, England.
Shirebrook North railway station was a railway station serving the town of Shirebrook in Derbyshire, England. It was on the Lancashire, Derbyshire and East Coast Railway running from Chesterfield to Lincoln. The station was also on the former Shirebrook North to Nottingham Victoria Line and the Sheffield District Railway. The station has since been demolished and housing now occupies parts of the site with some stub rails nearby serving a train scrapper.
Upperthorpe and Killamarsh was a railway station that served the villages of Killamarsh and Upperthorpe in Derbyshire, England. It was one of three stations serving Killamarsh. The station was on the Sheffield District Railway which ran between Sheffield Victoria and Shirebrook North on the Lancashire, Derbyshire and East Coast Railways network of lines in the region.
The Mansfield Railway was an eleven-mile railway line in Nottinghamshire, England. It was built to serve collieries opening in the coalfield around Mansfield, and ran between junctions at Clipstone and Kirkby-in-Ashfield on the Great Central Railway. It opened in 1916 and was worked by the GCR. Passenger stations were opened on the line, although, at the date of opening, road bus competition was already dominant.
Duckmanton Junction is a former railway junction near Arkwright Town in Derbyshire, England.
Staveley Town is a disused railway station in Staveley, Derbyshire in England.
Pleasley East is a former railway station in Pleasley, Derbyshire, England on the Nottinghamshire border near Mansfield.
Beighton Junction is a set of railway junctions near Beighton on the border between Derbyshire and South Yorkshire, England.
The Leen Valley lines of the Great Northern Railway were railway branch lines built to access the collieries in the Nottinghamshire coalfield in England. The Midland Railway had long been dominant in the area, but there was resentment against its monopolistic policies from coalowners, who encouraged the Great Northern Railway to build a line. The Leen Valley Line was opened in 1881; it ran as far as Annesley colliery. A passenger service was run the following year, and very considerable volumes of coal were hauled.
Skegby railway station is a former station on the Leen Valley Extension of the Great Central Main Line. It served the village of Skegby, Nottinghamshire in England.
Sutton-in-Ashfield Town railway station or simply "Sutton Town" railway station served the market town of Sutton-in-Ashfield, Nottinghamshire in England.
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