The
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It has been claimed that the first English railway existed in Rotherham, though I am sure this will not be mentioned in most history books. It is supposed to have run from Fenton Colliery to the Canal Wharf.
However the east to west railway between Rotherham and Sheffield, built by the Sheffield and Rotherham Railway Company, was opened in 1838, which is pretty early as railways go. There were a lot of objections and hassles about it and it took four years to get the project off the ground, or rather on the ground. The first journey from Sheffield to Rotherham took precisely seventeen minutes and the passengers included Robert and George Stephenson. This line terminated at Westgate Station.
The North Midland Railway opened the north to south line in 1840 with it's station at Masbrough and Rotherham. There was also a northern curved line opened in 1840, but the southern curve, Masbrough South Curve did not open until after 1869.
The Manchester, Sheffield and Lincolnshire Railway opened in 1868.
By the end of the century all the railway lines were owned by the Midland Railway.