Marsden Rail No. 14 DVD, Nottingham to Marylebone, Great Central Railway, Part 2

The Woodhead DVD\nConstructed to link Sheffield and Manchester, the 41-mile route headed west from the industrial heartland of south Yorkshire, climbing to the line\u2019s summit at Woodhead, almost 1000 feet above sea level, where it penetrated the Pennine barrier before descending towards Manchester.\nFrom its opening, the steep inclines on the route were a severe test for the steam locomotive, resulting in the frequent need for banking and double-heading.\nTo eliminate these expensive practices, the LNER took the decision in the 1930s to electrify the route, using an overhead 1500v d.c. system.\nBut owing to the outbreak of the Second World War, work on this ambitious electrification scheme was delayed.\nUpgrading the route also required the construction of a new tunnel at Woodhead and it was not until 1954 that Britain\u2019s first mainline to use overhead electric power, and now under the ownership of British Railways, carried revenue-earning traffic.\nAlthough steam and diesel .