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LMS Scientific Research Laboratory

Buildings and structures completed in 1935Engineering research institutesLondon, Midland and Scottish RailwayRail transport in DerbyScience and technology in Derbyshire
Use British English from March 2017
500 London Road, Derby (geograph 4187790)
500 London Road, Derby (geograph 4187790)

The LMS Scientific Research Laboratory was set up following the formation of the London, Midland and Scottish Railway in 1923. In 1929, the Company President, Lord Stamp read a paper Scientific Research in Transport to the Institute of Transport, and, in 1930 he founded the Advisory Committee on Scientific Research for Railways. The Scientific Research Laboratory was formed by the Vice-President and Director of Scientific Research, Sir Harold Hartley. Purpose-built accommodation was provided on the west side of London Road, Derby which opened in December 1935. The various paint and varnish laboratories were amalgamated and relocated there, joining the textile research from Calvert Street and the metallurgy and general engineering research in the locomotive works. In addition the laboratory liaised with various university departments, its remit covering all areas of railway operation. In 1936 an aerodynamics laboratory was formed, located in the locomotive works, using 1/24 scale models. It was involved in the design work for Stanier's Coronation locomotives, and went on to assess smoke deflectors, carriage ventilation and the effect of passing trains on structures and passengers in stations. This passed to the Derby College of Technology in 1960. The Rugby Testing Station was opened in 1948 as a joint venture with the LNER. Work continued into the nationalised era, when a decision was made to concentrate various headquarters functions, particularly that of the Chief Mechanical and Electrical Engineer, in one national centre. This produced the Railway Technical Centre (RTC) on the opposite side of London Road, on a site which had formerly been part of the Way and Works sidings. Part of the RTC would be occupied by a new British Rail Research Division, reporting directly to the Board, under the Chief Civil Engineer's Department. This went on, in addition to its other work into all aspects of the railway, to design the experimental version of the Advanced Passenger Train (APT-E). The Scientific Research Laboratory was renamed Hartley House, and formed the Scientific Services department of the Research Division. Later, after British Rail privatisation and the sale of the Research Division to AEA Technology, the Scientific Services department was separately privatised to form the company Scientifics Ltd. Since 2012, the laboratory buildings have been occupied by the Zaytouna School, an Islamic faith primary school.

Excerpt from the Wikipedia article LMS Scientific Research Laboratory (License: CC BY-SA 3.0, Authors, Images).

LMS Scientific Research Laboratory
London Road, Derby Wilmorton

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Latitude Longitude
N 52.909805555556 ° E -1.4590555555556 °
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London Road 500
DE24 8WH Derby, Wilmorton
England, United Kingdom
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500 London Road, Derby (geograph 4187790)
500 London Road, Derby (geograph 4187790)
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Midland Railway War Memorial
Midland Railway War Memorial

The Midland Railway War Memorial is a First World War memorial in Derby in the East Midlands of England. It was designed by Sir Edwin Lutyens and unveiled in 1921. The memorial commemorates employees of the Midland Railway who died while serving in the armed forces during the First World War. The Midland was one of the largest railway companies in Britain in the early 20th century, and the largest employer in Derby, where it had its headquarters. Around a third of the company's workforce, some 23,000 men, left to fight, of whom 2,833 were killed. Standing on Midland Road, within sight of Derby railway station and backing on to the garden of the Midland Hotel, the memorial consists of a cenotaph partially enclosed by a screen wall on three sides. Affixed to the wall are bronze plaques listing the names of the dead. On either side of the cenotaph is the Midland's coat of arms, enclosed in a laurel wreath. The crest is surmounted by a catafalque with sculpted lion heads at the corners, supporting the recumbent effigy of a soldier, covered by a coat. Lutyens renders the soldier anonymous by lifting him high above eye level, allowing the viewer to believe it could be somebody they knew. The memorial was unveiled on 15 December 1921. The Midland also published a book of remembrance, a copy of which was sent to the families of all the men listed on the memorial. Later in the 1920s, the Midland Railway was amalgamated into a larger company and Derby's importance as a railway centre waned. Today, the memorial stands in a conservation area and is a grade II* listed building. It was repaired in 2010 after several of the bronze plaques were stolen and later recovered.