Great Northern Railway and London & North Western Railway Joint Line from Market Harborough to Bottesford and Saxondale via Melton Mowbray

Nottingham London Road

London Road station, although not a product of the joint line, became the terminus for the LNWR and GNR passenger traffic. The Ambergate Company as it was known operated from 15th July 1850 to a junction with the MR at Netherfield, but soon built its own line to the city from that point and on 3rd October 1857 brought into use the terminus at London Road (later to be called London Road Low Level) no more than a couple of hundred yards away from the rival MR establishment on Station Street. 

The section of line between Netherfield and Nottingham was built owing to various conflicts between the MR and the AN&B&EJR. The difficulties related to the carriage of Derbyshire coal which had been cornered as MR business. The GNR used the line which it had leased to open up business opportunities by driving a line around the north of Nottingham and on to Derby.

The GNR would eventually reach the Burton on Trent Breweries and the milk traffic in Stafford. The GNR secured a large tract of land at Colwick to the east of Nottingham and established siding and a loco shed there. Later in LNER days the loco shed would become a main stabling location (38A) with over 200 engines allocated to the shed.

Although the joint line effectively terminated upon reaching the GNR Nottingham to Grantham line, through its running powers over the GNR metals the LNWR would reach the Nottingham and Derbyshire coalfields taking their share of the lucrative coal traffic. The LNWR built a large goods warehouse on a short east facing branch on the north of Trent Junction at Manvers Street. They also built an eight road loco shed at Colwick near the GNR sheds and yards. Staff houses were built and named 'North Western Terrace'. Later as business grew they provided a further yard at Colwick. In exchange for the running powers agreement with the GNR the LNWR secured a strong footing in the east midlands.

Very little track mileage was provided by the LNWR but it achieved a strong trading position in Nottingham through its policy of opposing the laying of new lines and supporting the GNR in exchange for running powers, in the process saving itself much capital outlay.

London Road station remained in service until WWII when it became the outgoing mail center for troops. It was used as a parcels depot into the 1970's. Richard Maund - Rail Chronology 

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