Passenger traffic on the line was supplemented by a considerable amount of freight. For many years the local railway stations enjoyed a transport monopoly, which was not restricted to passengers, the railway companies being happy to be local goods carriers. The railway was well equipped to deliver wagons of coal and to move cattle, parcels, produce and milk.

The Nottingham & Melton Line was no different, and although it had been primarily built as a fast alternative route, there was ample capacity to provide local passenger and goods services. All but one (Upper Broughton) of the local stations were built with facilities for handling goods - a coal dock, cattle pens, a goods shed and a weighbridge. The Midland Railway mainly played the role of a carrier, renting the station yard and facilities to merchants who operated from there. Goods would then be delivered from the station to farms or homes by horse and cart.

Unlike the passenger services, a full analysis of the freight timetables is a much bigger task, and information in this Chapter is based on just a few sample Working Timetables.

In the first decade of operation, there were five types of freight traffic:

• The Goods Pickup which called at the local stations
• Minerals (coal) to Peterborough and Empty Wagons back
• Minerals to Wellingborough and Empty Wagons back
• Express Goods to London and back
• Minerals (Iron Ore) from Holwell and Old Dalby to Staveley and other places, and Empty wagons back

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