About the Midland Railway Study Centre

The Midland Railway Study Centre is a collaborative project comprising:-

Roy F Burrows Midland Collection Trust
The Silk Mill - Derby’s Museum of Industry and History
Midland Railway Society

The Study Centre is located within Derby's Silk Mill Museum on Full Street and is home to the collections of Midland Railway ephemera and artifacts of the three organisations. The result is the largest collection of publicly accessible Midland Railway material anywhere.

The collection of the RFBMCT, which comprises around 10,000 individual items alone, forms a very large part of the Study Centre's holdings. Meanwhile the Derby Museum has amassed a large collection of its own – very little of which has previously been on public display. The Study Centre therefore provides the opportunity for the Museum to celebrate the Company which so fundamentally shaped what became the City of Derby.

A great deal of the collection consists of “three dimensional” objects. This ranges from cast iron signs, through signaling material (nameboards, box diagrams, signal arms and even a signalbox stove!) to silverware and crockery from hotels, dining cars, and steamships. Regrettably, lack of display space means that this part of the collection is not ordinarily on show to the public. However, items can be made available for viewing by special arrangement.

Interesting though the hardware undoubtedly is, the strength of the Study Centre is its paper records and, most importantly, how the two link together. The Study Centre boasts a wide range of timetables (both public and working), notices, memos & circulars, tickets, maps, plans, drawings.... There are many ledgers in the collections, reflecting the diversity of the Company's record-keeping needs, and often remaining in use from the late 19th Century into the British Railways period! Altogether the document collection is a veritable treasure trove of primary material relating to the history of the Midland Railway, its constituents, and its joint lines.

Of course the visual record of the Company has not been forgotten. Most of the photographs in the collection are held in a partnership with the successful and comprehensive Kidderminster Railway Museum’s photographic archive. As well as the details of the material available to view in the Study Centre, the computer based catalogue also includes thumbnails of the photographic collection, enabling visitors to the Study Centre to place orders for prints with the KRM.

Conservation of the material is something that the Study Centre and its host, the Silk Mill Museum, take very seriously. Reproduction facilities are available to readers, though the most non-invasive methods possible are used. To that end, the use of non-flash digital photography is encouraged. Of course Copyright is a consideration all our visitors have to take seriously, though research for private purposes is normally not problematical.

Details of how to arrange a visit to the Study Centre can be found elsewhere on this web site. Two visitors can be accommodated at a time and there are no less than 20 dates each year for which bookings can be made.

Invigilators for the Study Centre are drawn from the ranks of the Midland Railway Society and all are unpaid volunteers. The invigilators are responsible for producing the material on request of the visitor and stewarding the use of the reading room. This is a vital role and the more volunteers we have the better. Membership of the Midland Railway Society is a prerequisite to be an invigilator.

The Midland Railway Study Centre opened on Monday, 10th May 2004 – 160 years to the day after the formation of the Midland Railway. Phase II was inauguratated on 14th April 2007. You can read more about progress on our News page.

AN INTRODUCTION TO THE MIDLAND RAILWAY STUDY CENTRE
The Midland Railway Study Centre is a collaborative project comprising:- Roy F Burrows Midland Collection Trust The Silk Mill - Derby’s Museum of Industry and History Midland Railway Society The Study Centre is located within Derby's Silk Mill Museum on Full Street and is home to the collections of Midland Railway ephemera and artifacts of the three organisations. The result is the largest collection of publicly accessible Midland Railway material anywhere. The collection of the RFBMCT, which comprises around 10,000 individual items alone, forms a very large part of the Study Centre's holdings. Meanwhile the Derby Museum has amassed a large collection of its own – very little of which has previously been on public display. The Study Centre therefore provides the opportunity for the Museum to celebrate the Company which so fundamentally shaped what became the City of Derby. A great deal of the collection consists of “three dimensional” objects. This ranges from cast iron signs, through signaling material (nameboards, box diagrams, signal arms and even a signalbox stove!) to silverware and crockery from hotels, dining cars, and steamships. Regrettably, lack of display space means that this part of the collection is not ordinarily on show to the public. However, items can be made available for viewing by special arrangement. Interesting though the hardware undoubtedly is, the strength of the Study Centre is its paper records and, most importantly, how the two link together. The Study Centre boasts a wide range of timetables (both public and working), notices, memos & circulars, tickets, maps, plans, drawings.... There are many ledgers in the collections, reflecting the diversity of the Company's record-keeping needs, and often remaining in use from the late 19th Century into the British Railways period! Altogether the document collection is a veritable treasure trove of primary material relating to the history of the Midland Railway, its constituents, and its joint lines. Of course the visual record of the Company has not been forgotten. Most of the photographs in the collection are held in a partnership with the successful and comprehensive Kidderminster Railway Museum’s photographic archive. As well as the details of the material available to view in the Study Centre, the computer based catalogue also includes thumbnails of the photographic collection, enabling visitors to the Study Centre to place orders for prints with the KRM. Conservation of the material is something that the Study Centre and its host, the Silk Mill Museum, take very seriously. Reproduction facilities are available to readers, though the most non-invasive methods possible are used. To that end, the use of non-flash digital photography is encouraged. Of course Copyright is a consideration all our visitors have to take seriously, though research for private purposes is normally not problematical. Details of how to arrange a visit to the Study Centre can be found elsewhere on this web site. Two visitors can be accommodated at a time and there are no less than 20 dates each year for which bookings can be made. Invigilators for the Study Centre are drawn from the ranks of the Midland Railway Society and all are unpaid volunteers. The invigilators are responsible for producing the material on request of the visitor and stewarding the use of the reading room. This is a vital role and the more volunteers we have the better. Membership of the Midland Railway Society is a prerequisite to be an invigilator. The Midland Railway Study Centre opened on Monday, 10th May 2004 – 160 years to the day after the formation of the Midland Railway. Phase II was inauguratated on 14th April 2007. You can read more about progress on our News page.