The Rowsley Association

The Midland Railway Society aims to bring together those who are interested in the Midland Railway, including its predecessors, successors, joint lines, and working arrangements, and to effectively disseminate information amongst its members.

Benefits of Midland Railway Society Membership:
• A high quality Journal published three times per annum.
• Selected back issues are downloadable from the Members’ Area of this website, with a fully searchable index.
• Modelling the Midland is published twice a year.
• Members’ Newsletter published quarterly.
• All the above Society publications (examples illustrated above) for the calendar year in which you join, plus a generous discount on other Journal back issues.
• Free postage on publications available in our Shop.
• Invitations to visits and events throughout the year.
• Annual meeting and Presidential address on a topic of interest.
• Access to the Members’ Area of the Midland Railway Study Centre website with a wide range of downloadable digital resources.
• Membership of our on-line Discussion Group.

Visits to locations of interest to the Midland Railway enthusiast are organised, while the Society participates at selected exhibitions and open days. Less formal meetings are arranged where members can examine and discuss Midland-related matters in a relaxed atmosphere. These can also include short talks. A feature of the Society's calendar is an address by the President, who is elected annually.

The current UK rate for membership, which covers the period from January to December, is £30. Overseas rates are £45 Europe and £55 rest of the world. This includes the despatch of publications by air mail.

Anyone joining during the year will receive all publications issued in the earlier part of that year.

If you would like to join the Society please visit our web site: www.midlandrailwaysociety.org.uk

The Midland Railway Study Centre is the largest publicly accessible collection of primary research material and ephemera relating to the Midland Railway and constituent companies. The collection details the Company's lasting impact on social history and provides and insight into the working lives of the tens of thousands of staff it employed over the years.
The Study Centre is also home to the incomparable Roy F Burrows Midland Collection, over 2,500 objects from which can be viewed within the Museum of Making's Assemblage.

Located within the Derby Silk Mill, itself a World Heritage Site, the Museum of Making is a ground-breaking reimagining of what a museum should be — notably because its collection of objects and ephemera is all freely accessible to visitors rather than mostly being hidden away in storage. With the stunning “Kirtley” model railway and the widely renowned River Kitchen, the Museum truly is a “Grand Day Out”! :

Step aboard a lovingly preserved section of the former Midland Railway line, once connecting Manchester Central and London St Pancras. Closed in 1968, this historic route now operates a 4-mile stretch between Rowsley South Station and Matlock Platform 2—a charming ride the whole family will enjoy.

Here you will be able to explore the role of the association in supporting Peak Rail Plc in their ambition to reopen the former Midland Railway line from Matlock to Buxton.
The primary functions of the Association is to recruit the volunteer workforce for the railway from our members and raise finances for carefully selected projects on the railway.
The various sections of the site show the achievements of volunteers past and present in developing a working railway from a derelict site. There is information on membership and how to join and become a volunteer along with details of the volunteer opportunities available.
There is also information on projects funded by the association through its members with news on those ongoing at the present time.

Disused stations in the UK contains historical details and photos of several local stations, with information provided by the Rowsley Association.