Map of The Route
 ‎30‎/‎06‎/‎2019 Map of the Mansfield & Pinxton Railway 1819 to 2019

Showing the route and the main towns
of the area.

Please leave a comment on our Guestbook page.

Guided walks along the M&P route in 2021.
See the relevant page on the right hand side.


The Walk Booklet
, the M&P Book and the
Information Boards are available to read and
download by selecting the relevant section 
shown on the right hand side of this page.


We have recently received the sad news of
the death of John Vanags. John was a contributing
author to 'The Story of the Mansfield and Pinxton
Railway', and as a member of the Old Mansfield Society
he was a major contributor to this project who will be
greatly missed.











 


Welcome to the Website of the Mansfield and Pinxton  Bicentennial Celebratory Project.

The Mansfield and Pinxton Railway was approved by Act of Parliament in 1817, and work began immediately on the five arch viaduct shown below, the Portland Bridge, named in honour of the Duke of Portland, the main shareholder in the enterprise.

The railway was originally a twin track built of iron rails on stone slabs, and was completed by Easter 1819. The Grand Opening on Tuesday 13th April was celebrated by a huge crowd of people, who accompanied the first load of coal from Pinxton to Mansfield market place, where the coal was ceremonially burned in a large bonfire, accompanied by the ringing of church bells.

The cost of building the railway in 1819 was £35,000, but in 1847, after almost 30 years as a horse drawn operation, it was sold to the newly formed Midland Railway for little over half that amount. Steam engines were introduced at that time as the line became part of the MR Nottingham to Mansfield route.

Taken over again in 1923 as part of LMS it was worked through the 20th century and the nationalisation of the railways in 1948.

Closed to passenger traffic in 1964 it was then reinstated as part of the newly opened Robin Hood Line in 1993, making it one of the oldest railways in the UK in continuous use.







Videos and Images
  • M&P Project Launch Video

    Due to Covid we had to launch our book and video via Youtube. Take a look and learn what the project achieved.


  • History of the M&P Railway

    This 41 minute video takes you through the construction, route and 200 year history of the Mansfield & Pinxton Railway.


  • Robin Hood Line at Kirkby

    Views of the Robin Hood Line passing through Kirkby on the line of the old Mansfield & Pinxton Railway.


  • 200th Anniversary Celebration

    Celebrating the 200th Anniversary of the Mansfield & Pinxton Railway 13th April 2019.


  • ITV Central News extract

    Extract from ITV Central News programme on 13th April 2019, the 200th Anniversary of the opening of the Mansfield & Pinxton Railway.


  • The Viaduct datestone

    Portland Bridge datestone with the date
    of construction and the enigmatic initials.
    Does this read O&P or O&F, and what is 
    the significance of either ?


  • Kings Mill Viaduct

    Also known as Portland Bridge, crossing over the
    River Maun, built in just 4 months in 1817.
    Constructed in local limestone and now
    a Grade 2 listed building.