The Leicester and Swannington Railway (L&SR) was one of England's first railways, built to bring coal from West Leicestershire collieries to Leicester, where there was great industrial demand for coal. The line opened in 1832, and included a tunnel over a mile in length, and two rope-worked inclined planes; elsewhere it was locomotive-operated, and it carried passengers. When it was built, the L&SR was the only railway in the area, but the Midland Railway (MR) was formed and had a main line through Leicester, opened in 1840 and its directors decided to acquire the L&SR. They made a generous offer and they took possession in 1847. At first the Midland Railway line and the L&SR were not connected, but the Midland Railway constructed a route from its main line to Burton, using part of the L&SR. The MR by-passed the inclines for its new route, but most of the other parts of the L&SR continued in use until 1966. The MR Burton line continues in use at the present day. Prior history The industry of Leicester was dominant in the county and the region generally, but it was limited by poor transport links. The developing industry brought about a huge demand for coal. During the closing years of the eighteenth century, the opening of turnpikes, and improvements to the River Soar – the Loughborough Navigation in 1778; the Leicester Navigation in 1791) and then in 1814 the completion of the Grand Union Canal towards Rugby – were all supportive of Leicester's development. As early as 1790 a railway connection from Swannington was proposed: In the 1820s the Leicester Navigation was carrying 56,000 tons of coal annually for Leicester and 59,000 tons for other markets. There was good quality coal nearby around Swannington but no usable transport link, so it was cheaper to bring coal thirty miles by canal from South Derbyshire. William Stenson was part-owner of Long Lane Pit near Whitwick (close to present-day Coalville). Frustrated by the situation, he visited the industrial north-east of England in 1827 and observed the success of the Stockton and Darlington Railway. Seeing a railway as a solution to his local difficulty, he enlisted the support of the wealthy weaver John Ellis, and together they travelled to see George Stephenson, who was engaged on the construction of the Liverpool and Manchester Railway. Stephenson and his son Robert Stephenson, then 25, visited Leicester by invitation