Midland Railway

The Midland Railway (MR) was a railway company in the United Kingdom from 1844 to 1922. It had a large network of lines managed from its headquarters in Derby. It became the third-largest railway undertaking in the British Isles after the Great Western Railway and the London and North Western Railway.

The company was formed in 1844 by the merger of the Midland Counties Railway, the North Midland Railway, and the Birmingham & Derby Junction Railway. The Birmingham & Gloucester Railway joined two years later. The earlier systems met at Derby railway station. The MR established its locomotive works, and later its carriage and wagon works, at Derby.

In 1923, the MR became part of the London, Midland and Scottish Railway under the Railways Act 1921.

v t e The "Big Four" pre-nationalisation British railway companies
Great Western London Midland & Scottish London & North Eastern Southern
GWR constituents	Alexandra (Newport and South Wales) Docks and Railway Barry Railway Cambrian Railways Cardiff Railway Great Western Railway Rhymney Railway Taff Vale Railway Full list
LNER constituents	Great Central Great Eastern Great Northern Great North of Scotland Hull & Barnsley North British North Eastern Full list
LMS constituents	Caledonian Furness Glasgow & South Western Highland Lancashire & Yorkshire London and North Western Midland North Staffordshire Full list
SR constituents	London and South Western Railway London, Brighton and South Coast Railway London, Chatham and Dover Railway South Eastern and Chatham Railway South Eastern Railway Full list
See also History of rail transport in Great Britain 1923–1947 List of companies involved in the grouping