Take-over
Investment was still very slow, until finance was obtained from Lancashire and Yorkshire financiers. They, however, were deeply committed to the North Midland Railway and refused to finance the connection to the M & P.R., particularly an associated proposal to extend to Chesterfield. Accordingly, the Midland Counties Railway was built without the connection to the M & P.R.
The line was finally taken over by the newly-formed Midland Railway in1847. However railway technology had moved on and the track needed to be relaid. In 1847 a line was built from Long Eaton to Pye Bridge, near Ironville. Another line was built in 1848 from Nottingham to Kirkby, with the Midland providing a horse-drawn coach from there to Mansfield, since the old rails were not strong enough for a steam locomotive. In 1849 the line was relaid from Mansfield and extended to Pye Bridge.
Several parts of the old lines had been winding with gentle gradients for the horses, which also had a braking effect in the downward direction with the wheel flanges pressing against the rails. Most of these curves were realigned and there were one or two changes in succeeding years. Most notably in 1871 a deviation was made which avoided Jessop's Kings Mill Viaduct and in 1892 a deviation to join the line from Nottingham south of Kirkby-in-Ashfield involving a gradient of 1 in 45.
Read more about this topic: Mansfield And Pinxton Railway