We
recognise that it is very often not possible, or even appropriate, for
you to come to Derby to find information about the Midland Railway -
especially if your enquiry only incidentally
touches
on railway matters - family history, for example.
In such cases, the resources of the Study Centre and the partner
organisations from which it is formed, are not denied to you.
Therefore, if you would like us to try and help find out something for
you which relates to the Midland Railway then please either write to us
or send an email. We regret that it is very difficult to handle such
enquiries by telephone as we deal with them as a team, so letters and
emails can be copied and forwarded without losing vital information.
When contacting us, besides obvious contact details, we need to know
the following:
- What do you want to know? Please be as specific as possible - "everything about the Settle
& Carlisle line" is an extreme example, but even just asking
in general terms about a particular station will make it difficult for
us to give you sensible response.
- What do you already know? There is
no need to go into detail, but telling us, for example, what documents
or libraries etc. that you have already consulted will, again, make
things easier for us. This is especially so for family history enquiries - we are very interested to learn about MR employees, so we would delighted to hear all about your ancestor so we can preserve their story in our records.
We
will endeavour to give you a response very quickly, but ask you to bear
with us as your enquiry will be dealt with by one or more volunteers
whose spare time may be limited. For that reason, we reserve the right
to levy a fee on commercial organisations requesting research by the
Study Centre partners - please contact us for details. There is no fee
for private individuals.
Write to:
The Midland Railway Study Centre
Silk Mill Lane, off Full Street, Derby, DE1 3AF
Email:
enquiries@midlandrailwaystudycentre.org.uk
There is no charge for individual private researchers to use the Study Centre, whether visiting in person or making email enquiries. Our volunteers receive no reimbursement, not even for travelling, as they are happy to help. However, there are overheads in operating the Study Centre and we have a responsibility to properly conserve the material we hold and use. To that end, if you have received assistance from us and wish to show your appreciation, we have added this PayPal button for your convenience. Donations made in this way go to the Midland Railway Society are are 'ring fenced' for use in the Study Centre. Thank you.
The Midland Railway Society is a Registered Charity - Number 1149613
Some other sources of information to help you...
Kidderminster Railway Museum have an extensive collection of photographs covering the entire country, many originating from the Roy F. Burrows Midland Collection Trust. You can contact them via their web site.
Picture The Past, "the north east midland photographic record", is the combined photographic collections of the local authorities of Derbyshire and Nottinghamshire. Their railway collection is extensive and well worth exploring.
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