The following list sets out to show all the railway companies set up by Acts of Parliament in the 19th century until the late 1850s. Most of them became constituent parts of the emerging main-line railway companies, often immediately after being built. Some continued as independent companies until the
1923 GroupingThe Railways Act of 1921, also known as the Grouping Act, was an enactment by the British government of David Lloyd George intended to stem the losses being made by many of the country's 120 railway companies, move the railways away from internal competition, and to retain some of the benefits...
; a few retained that independence until 1947. They have been listed under
ScottishScotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
; and
EnglishEngland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west and the North Sea to the east, with the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
and
WelshWales is a country that is part of the United Kingdom, bordered by England to its east, and the Atlantic Ocean and Irish Sea to its west. It is also an elective region of the European Union...
early railways; and under the later main line company which absorbed them.
Each of the main line companies after the Grouping has an article listing all companies who became part of, and jointly part of, individual companies. Many of those had been in separate existence since being set up in the 19th century, and were only in 1923 losing that individuality.
The
list is by no means complete: in 1846 alone there were 272 railways agreed by
Act of ParliamentAn act of Parliament is a statute enacted as primary legislation by a national or sub-national parliament....
, although not all of those were built, since it was the time of the
Railway ManiaRailway Mania is the term given to the speculative frenzy in Britain in the 1840s. It followed a common pattern: as the price of railway shares increased, more and more money was poured in by speculators, until the inevitable collapse...
. In addition lines might be extensions to existing ones, but floated as a separate company to separate the risk, and to ring-fence subscriptions, or promoted by a company which was mostly financed by an existing company. An example is the Dore and Chinley Railway which was floated as a company and then adopted and largely financed by the Midland.
Caledonian RailwayThe Caledonian Railway was a major Scottish railway company operating in Scotland. It was formed in the early 19th century and it was absorbed almost a century later into the London, Midland and Scottish Railway, in the 1923 railway grouping, by means of the Railways Act 1921...
(incorporated 1845)
Under the
Railways Act 1921The Railways Act of 1921, also known as the Grouping Act, was an enactment by the British government of David Lloyd George intended to stem the losses being made by many of the country's 120 railway companies, move the railways away from internal competition, and to retain some of the benefits...
, the Caledonian Railway became part of the
London, Midland and Scottish RailwayThe London Midland and Scottish Railway was a British railway company. It was formed on 1 January 1923 under the Railways Act of 1921, which required the grouping of over 300 separate railway companies into just four....
on 1 July 1923.
- Aberdeen Railway
The Aberdeen Railway was a railway that ran mainly along the North East coast of Scotland south from Aberdeen to on the Arbroath and Forfar Railway. There were branches to Montrose and Brechin...
opened in stages between 1848 and 1853
- Brechin and Edzell District Railway
- Cathcart District Railway
The Cathcart District Railway was authorised on 7 September 1880. The eastern section to Cathcart opened to Mount Florida station on 1 March 1886. The line was completed through to the first Cathcart station on 25 May 1886...
- Crieff and Comrie Railway
The Crieff and Comrie Railway was incorporated on 25 July 1890 following the abandonment of a previous scheme in 1856. The line opened in July 1893 and was operated by the Caledonian Railway, and being absorbed by the same in August 1898....
authorised 1890
- Crieff and Methven Junction Railway opened 1867
- Crieff Junction Railway
The Crieff Junction Railway was constituted to link Crieff to the then Scottish Central Railway, later part of the Caledonian Railway at Gleneagles.The line opened on 13 March 1856 and was absorbed by the Scottish Central Railway on 29 June 1865....
opened 1856
- Dunblane, Doune and Callander Railway
The Dunblane, Doune and Callander Railway had been incorporated in 1846, but the powers were initially unexercised. Ten years later construction commenced, with Callander being reached in 1858...
incorporated in 1846
- Dundee and Newtyle Railway
The Dundee and Newtyle Railway opened in 1831 and was the first railway in the north of Scotland. It was built to carry goods from Strathmore to the port of Dundee and was chartered with an Act of Parliament that received royal assent in 26 May 1826 and opened in 1831...
opened 1831 (incorporated in Scottish Central Railway)
- Glasgow and Paisley Joint Railway
The Glasgow and Paisley Joint Railway company was formed in 1837 to provide a railway link between Glasgow and Paisley, Scotland. It was promoted jointly by the Glasgow, Paisley and Greenock Railway and the Glasgow, Paisley, Kilmarnock and Ayr Railway....
opened 12 August 1840.
- Glasgow Central Railway
The Glasgow Central Railway was a railway that ran from Maryhill in the north west of Glasgow through the West End and City Centre to Rutherglen and Newton to the south east of the city.- Early days :...
; opened 26 November 1894
- Glasgow, Garnkirk and Coatbridge Railway
The Garnkirk and Glasgow Railway was incorporated on 26 May 1826 and was ceremonially opened on 27 September 1831. It was built to the Scotch gauge of...
opened 1831 as the Garnkirk and Glasgow RailwayThe Garnkirk and Glasgow Railway was incorporated on 26 May 1826 and was ceremonially opened on 27 September 1831. It was built to the Scotch gauge of...
- Glasgow, Paisley and Greenock Railway
The Glasgow, Paisley and Greenock Railway was an early railway, which merged with the Caledonian Railway. It was created to provide train services between Greenock and Glasgow.-History:...
opened 29 March 1840; merged with the Caledonian RailwayThe Caledonian Railway was a major Scottish railway company operating in Scotland. It was formed in the early 19th century and it was absorbed almost a century later into the London, Midland and Scottish Railway, in the 1923 railway grouping, by means of the Railways Act 1921...
1847
- Hamilton and Strathaven Railway
The Hamilton and Strathaven Railway was an historic railway in Scotland. It ran from a junction with the Hamilton Branch of the Caledonian Railway to a terminus at Strathaven...
opened 6 August 1860; taken over by the Caledonian RailwayThe Caledonian Railway was a major Scottish railway company operating in Scotland. It was formed in the early 19th century and it was absorbed almost a century later into the London, Midland and Scottish Railway, in the 1923 railway grouping, by means of the Railways Act 1921...
1864
- Lanarkshire and Dunbartonshire Railway
- Early days :The Lanarkshire and Dunbartonshire Railway was authorised in 1891, and opened in stages between 26 November 1894 and 1 October 1896.On 16 August 1909 the Lanarkshire and Dunbartonshire Railway was absorbed into the Caledonian Railway...
authorised in 1891
- Lochearnhead, St Fillans and Comrie Railway opened Comrie to St Fillans 1 October 1901; opened to Balqhidder 1 May 1905
- Perth, Almond Valley & Methven Railway
The Perth, Almond Valley and Methven Railway ran from Almond Valley Junction, 1½ miles north of Perth to the small town of Methven 6½ miles along the Almond Valley....
opened 1858
- Scottish Central Railway
The Scottish Central Railway was formed in 1845 to link the Caledonian Railway near Castlecary to the Scottish Midland Junction Railway at Perth...
(to PerthPerth is a former royal burgh in central Scotland. Sitting on the banks of the River Tay, it is the administrative headquarters of Perth and Kinross council area. According to the 2001 census, its population is 43,450...
and DundeeDundee is the fourth-largest city in Scotland and, fully named as Dundee City, one of Scotland's 32 local government council areas. It lies on the north bank of the Firth of Tay, which feeds into the North Sea....
), formed in 1845
- Scottish North Eastern Railway
The Scottish North Eastern Railway was created when the Aberdeen Railway amalgamated with the Scottish Midland Junction Railway The Scottish North Eastern Railway was created when the Aberdeen Railway amalgamated with the Scottish Midland Junction Railway The Scottish North Eastern Railway was...
(to AberdeenAberdeen is Scotland's third most populous city and one of Scotland's 32 local government council areas. It has an official population estimate of .Nicknames include the Granite City, the Grey City and the Silver City with the Golden Sands...
)
- Wishaw and Coltness Railway
The Wishaw and Coltness Railway was an early Scottish railway. It ran for approximately 11 miles from Chapel Colliery, at Coltness, North Lanarkshire, to the Monkland and Kirkintilloch Railway, near Gartsherrie...
Independent Lines operated by the Caledonian Railway
- Callander and Oban Railway
The Callander and Oban Railway company was formed in 1864 with the objective of linking Callander, Scotland to the west coast port of Oban over challenging terrain, particularly at Glen Ogle and the Pass of Brander at Loch Awe. Callander had been reached in 1858 by the Dunblane, Doune and Callander...
opened 1 July 1880
- Killin Railway
The Killin Railway opened to traffic on 13 March 1886, linking the Callander and Oban Railway to Killin.- History :Passenger services between and were withdrawn at the outbreak of the Second World War on 11 September 1939, and were not reinstated after the war...
, opened 13 March 1886
- Lanarkshire and Ayrshire Railway
The Lanarkshire and Ayrshire Railway was a railway company in Scotland built in the late 19th century that provided services between Ardrossan and Glasgow, with branches to Irvine and Kilbirnie. The line was operated by the Caledonian Railway with an aim to compete with the Glasgow and South...
opened 1888
Glasgow and South Western RailwayThe Glasgow and South Western Railway , one of the pre-grouping railway companies, served a triangular area of south-west Scotland, between Glasgow, Stranraer and Carlisle...
(title assumed 1850)
Under the
Railways Act 1921The Railways Act of 1921, also known as the Grouping Act, was an enactment by the British government of David Lloyd George intended to stem the losses being made by many of the country's 120 railway companies, move the railways away from internal competition, and to retain some of the benefits...
, the Glasgow and South Western Railway became part of the
London, Midland and Scottish RailwayThe London Midland and Scottish Railway was a British railway company. It was formed on 1 January 1923 under the Railways Act of 1921, which required the grouping of over 300 separate railway companies into just four....
on 1 January 1923.
- Ardrossan and Johnstone Railway
The Ardrossan Railway was a railway company in Scotland built in the mid 19th century that primarily ran services between Kilwinning and Ardrossan, as well as freight services to and from collieries between Kilwinning and Perceton...
opened 6 November 1831; became the dual-tracked Ardrossan Railway on 23 July 1840
- Bridge of Weir Railway
The Bridge of Weir Railway ran from Elderslie, Scotland, to Bridge of Weir. It was closed in January 1983.- Formation :The line from Elderslie to Bridge of Weir was built originally as the Bridge of Weir Railway, which had opened to passengers in 1864 between Johnstone and Bridge of Weir...
opened 1864
- Glasgow and Paisley Joint Railway
The Glasgow and Paisley Joint Railway company was formed in 1837 to provide a railway link between Glasgow and Paisley, Scotland. It was promoted jointly by the Glasgow, Paisley and Greenock Railway and the Glasgow, Paisley, Kilmarnock and Ayr Railway....
opened 12 August 1840.
- Glasgow, Paisley, Kilmarnock and Ayr Railway
The Glasgow, Paisley, Kilmarnock and Ayr Railway was a railway in Scotland that provided train services between Glasgow, Kilmarnock and Ayr. For a short period, it also provided West Coast services between Glasgow and London. Opened in stages between 1839 and 1848, the line ran from Paisley in the...
opened 12 August 1840
- Glasgow, Barrhead and Kilmarnock Joint Railway
The Glasgow, Barrhead and Kilmarnock Joint Railway was a railway co-owned by Caledonian Railway and Glasgow and South Western Railway and was an amalgation of two different lines: the Glasgow, Barrhead and Neilston Direct Railway and the Glasgow and Kilmarnock Joint Railway.-Glasgow, Barrhead and...
opened 29 September 1848
- Greenock and Ayrshire Railway
The Greenock and Ayrshire Railway ran from Greenock, Scotland to Bridge of Weir. It closed progressively between 1959 and 1983. Despite its name it never reached Ayrshire; however by means of the line to Johnstone on the Bridge of Weir Railway trains could head directly to Ayrshire.- Formation :The...
opened 23 December 1869
- Kilmarnock and Troon Railway
The Kilmarnock and Troon Railway was the first railway line in Scotland authorised by Act of Parliament, in 1808; the engineer was William Jessop. It was the first railway in Scotland to use a steam locomotive; and it was the only one in Scotland for fourteen years...
: First railway in Scotland authorised by Act of ParliamentAn act of Parliament is a statute enacted as primary legislation by a national or sub-national parliament....
, opened 6 July 1812; originally worked by horses, converted to steam operation in 1817
- Maidens and Dunure Railway opened 17 May 1906
- Paisley and Renfrew Railway
The Paisley and Renfrew railway was a railway line from the town of Paisley to its neighbouring town Renfrew; and to the River Clyde at Renfrew wharf. The railway was built to the Scotch gauge of...
opened 21 July 1835; Scotch gaugeScotch gauge was the name given to a rail gauge, the distance between the inner sides of the rails, that was adopted by early 19th century railways mainly in the Lanarkshire area of Scotland. It differed from the gauge of that was used on some early lines in England; and from the Standard gauge of...
railway originally locomotive hauled, then down graded to horse operation. Reopened as dual track, standard gauge, line 1 May 1866.
Great North of Scotland RailwayThe Great North of Scotland Railway was one of the smaller British railways before the grouping, operating in the far north-east of Scotland. It was formed in 1845 and received its Parliamentary approval on June 26 1846, following over two years of local meetings...
(incorporated 1846)
Under the
Railways Act 1921The Railways Act of 1921, also known as the Grouping Act, was an enactment by the British government of David Lloyd George intended to stem the losses being made by many of the country's 120 railway companies, move the railways away from internal competition, and to retain some of the benefits...
, the Great North of Scotland Railway became part of the
London and North Eastern RailwayThe London and North Eastern Railway was the second-largest of the "Big Four" railway companies created by the Railways Act 1921 in Britain...
on 1 January 1923.
- Aberdeen and Turriff Railway
- Aboyne and Braemar Railway
- Vale of Alford Railway
The Alford Valley Railway is a narrow gauge in the Howe of Alford, Aberdeenshire, Scotland.-History:The Vale of Alford Railway was built in 1859 as a Great North of Scotland Railway branch line from Kintore, northwest of Aberdeen. It closed in 1966....
built 1859
- Banffshire Railway
- Banff, Macduff and Turriff Extension Railway
- Banff, Portsoy and Strathisla Railway
- Deeside Railway
- Deeside Extension Railway
- Formartine and Buchan Railway
The Formartine and Buchan Railway was a railway in the north east of Scotland. It was built to link Fraserburgh and Peterhead with Aberdeen. It had a junction with the main line of the Great North of Scotland Railway at Dyce.-History:...
- Inverurie and Old Meldrum Railway
- Keith and Dufftown Railway
Keith and Dufftown Railway is an historic railway in Scotland that ran between Dufftown and Keith.-Connections to other lines:* Strathspey Railway at Dufftown* Inverness and Aberdeen Junction Railway at Keith Junction...
- Morayshire Railway
The Morayshire Railway was the first railway to be built north of Aberdeen, in Scotland. It received royal assent in 1846 but construction did not start until 1851 due to the economic conditions existing in the United Kingdom at the time. The railway was built in two phases with the section from...
opened 10 August 1852
- Strathspey Railway
Strathspey Railway is an historic railway in Scotland that ran from Boat of Garten to Dufftown.-History:The line was opened on 1st July 1863 between Dufftown and Abernethy . It was extended to meet up with the Inverness and Perth Junction Railway at Boat of Garten on 1st August 1866...
Highland RailwayThe Highland Railway was one of the smaller British railways before the Railways Act 1921; it operated north of Perth railway station in Scotland and served the farthest north of Britain...
(title assumed 1865)
Under the
Railways Act 1921The Railways Act of 1921, also known as the Grouping Act, was an enactment by the British government of David Lloyd George intended to stem the losses being made by many of the country's 120 railway companies, move the railways away from internal competition, and to retain some of the benefits...
, the Highland Railway became part of the
London, Midland and Scottish RailwayThe London Midland and Scottish Railway was a British railway company. It was formed on 1 January 1923 under the Railways Act of 1921, which required the grouping of over 300 separate railway companies into just four....
on 1 January 1923.
- Dingwall and Skye Railway
The Dingwall and Skye Railway was authorised on 5 July 1865 with the aim of providing a route to Skye and the Herbrides. However due to local objections, another Act of Parliament was required before work could commence. This was passed on 29 May 1868...
opened 19 August 1870
- Duke of Sutherland's Railway
The Duke of Sutherland's Railway was a railway worked built by the Duke of Sutherland when the Sutherland Railway which had powers to build north to Brora, stopped at Golspie...
opened 19 June 1871
- Findhorn Railway opened 18 April 1859
- Inverness and Aberdeen Junction Railway
Inverness and Aberdeen Junction Railway is an historic railway in Scotland.- History :It was authorised by an Act of Parliament on 21 July 1856 as an extension to the Inverness and Nairn Railway, the line was opened in stages:...
opened 18 August 1858
- Inverness and Nairn Railway
The Inverness and Nairn Railway was a railway worked by, and later absorbed by the Inverness and Aberdeen Junction Railway.- History :The line was opened in the year 1855 and connected the towns of Inverness and Nairn. Opening had been delayed from 1 August 1855 due to delays in the contractor's...
(INR) opened 5 November 1855
- Inverness and Perth Junction Railway
The Inverness and Perth Junction Railway was built to link the Inverness and Aberdeen Junction Railway at Forres and Perth and Dunkeld Railway, ultimately absorbing the latter.- History :...
opened 9 September 1863
- Inverness and Ross-shire Railway
The Inverness and Ross-shire Railway was incorporated on 3 July 1860 with the aim to build a line to Invergordon. The line opened in stages:* 11 June 1862 - Inverness to Dingwall* 23 March 1863 - Dingwall to Invergordon...
opened 23 March 1863
- Nairn and Keith Railway opened 1858 amalgamated with INR 1861
- Perth and Dunkeld Railway
The Perth and Dunkeld Railway was built from Stanley Junction on the Scottish Midland Junction Railway to Birnam, on the opposite bank of the River Tay to Dunkeld.-History:...
opened 7 April 1856
- Sutherland Railway
The Sutherland Railway was a railway worked by, and later absorbed in 1884 by the Highland Railway running through Sutherland, Scotland. Sutherland is a former county, and former districts of the Highland region....
opened 13 April 1868
- Sutherland and Caithness Railway
The Sutherland and Caithness Railway was a railway worked by, and later absorbed by the Highland Railway running through Sutherland and Caithness, Scotland. Caithness and Sutherland are former counties, and former districts of the Highland region.- History :...
opened 28 July 1874
- Wick and Lybster Railway
The Wick and Lybster Railway was a light railway worked by, and later absorbed by the Highland Railway in Caithness, Scotland following a coastal route south from Wick to Lybster. It was intended to profit from the fishery based in Lybster but the harbour declined not long after the line opened...
North British RailwayThe North British Railway was a Scottish railway company that was absorbed into the London and North Eastern Railway at the Grouping in 1923.-History:...
(incorporated 1844)
Under the
Railways Act 1921The Railways Act of 1921, also known as the Grouping Act, was an enactment by the British government of David Lloyd George intended to stem the losses being made by many of the country's 120 railway companies, move the railways away from internal competition, and to retain some of the benefits...
, the North British Railway became part of the
London and North Eastern RailwayThe London and North Eastern Railway was the second-largest of the "Big Four" railway companies created by the Railways Act 1921 in Britain...
on 1 January 1923.
- Ballochney Railway
The Ballochney Railway was an early mineral railway built near Airdrie, in the Monklands District of Scotland.The railway was Incorporated on 19 May 1826 and was opened on 8 May 1828. Its main function was intended to be the transportation of coal, but iron ore and passengers were also carried. It...
opened 8 August 1828
- Dundee and Arbroath Railway
The Dundee and Arbroath Railway was a railway link between those two towns in Scotland which ran along the banks of the River Tay.-History:The railway company received its Parliamentary Act on 19 May 1836. It was planned as a gauge railway, because, at that time, it was expected to be a purely...
- Edinburgh and Dalkeith Railway
The Edinburgh and Dalkeith Railway, also called the Innocent Railway, was Edinburgh's first railway. It carried coal from the mines in Lothian to its city centre terminus at St Leonards...
opened 1831
- Edinburgh and Glasgow Railway
The Edinburgh and Glasgow Railway was a railway built to link Glasgow and Edinburgh. The Act of Parliament for building the railway received its Royal Assent in 1838 which was open on 28 July 1863. Services started between Glasgow Queen Street and Haymarket on 21 February 1842. The line was...
opened 28 July 1863
- Edinburgh Suburban and Southside Junction Railway
The Edinburgh Suburban and South Side Junction Railway is a freight and former commuter railway in Edinburgh, Scotland. It opened in 1884 for both freight and passenger services...
- Glasgow, Yoker and Clydebank Railway
The Glasgow, Yoker and Clydebank Railway is a Scottish railway, authorised in 1878, and absorbed into the North British Railway in 1897. It runs from Whiteinch to Clydebank.-Sources:*...
authorised in 1878
- Invergarry and Fort Augustus Railway
The Invergarry and Fort Augustus Railway was a branch-line railway built in Scotland, and served by the Highland Railway, the North British Railway and later the London & North Eastern Railway- Beginnings :...
opened 1901
- Kincardine Line
The Kincardine Line was a railway in Clackmannanshire and Fife, Scotland connecting the stations in Alloa and near Dunfermline along the north shore of the Firth of Forth. From Charlestown Junction a short branch line to Charlestown on the shore of the Forth ran. This branch line had been part of...
open to Kincardine in 1893, and on to Dunfermline in 1906
- Monkland and Kirkintilloch Railway
The Monkland and Kirkintilloch Railway was an early mineral railway running from a colliery at Monklands to the Forth and Clyde Canal at Kirkintilloch, Scotland....
first public steam railway in ScotlandScotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
opened 1826
- Newburgh and North Fife Railway
The Newburgh and North Fife Railway was a railway in Fife, Scotland that provided services between and Newburgh. The line is closed.- History :The railway was incorporated on 6 August 1897. The line opened on 25 January 1909...
- Slamannan Railway
The Slamannan Railway was an early mineral railway built near Slamannan, Falkirk, Scotland, in an area containing coal and iron ore.The railway was Incorporated on 3 July 1835 and was opened on 31 August 1840. Its main function was intended to be the transportation of coal and passengers, but iron...
opened 31 August 1840
- Stirling and Dunfermline Railway
The Stirling and Dunfermline Railway was a railway in Clackmannanshire and Fife, Scotland connecting the stations in Stirling and Dunfermline. It had a branch line from Alloa to Tillicoultry.-Closure:...
opened progressively between 1850 and 1853
- West Highland Railway
The West Highland Railway was one of the last main lines to be built in Scotland. It is one of the most scenic railway lines in Britain, linking Fort William on the west coast to Glasgow. It was originally operated by the North British Railway.- History :...
opened 7 August 1894 with an extension to Mallaig opened 1901.
English and Welsh early railways
This list of lines in England and Wales is ordered roughly by region, with the exception
of the GWR which was a very large company even pre-1900.
East
- Great Eastern Railway
The Great Eastern Railway was a pre-grouping British railway company, whose main line linked London Liverpool Street to Norwich and which had other lines through East Anglia...
- Eastern Counties Railway
The Eastern Counties Railway was an English railway company which began operating on 20 June 1839 with a train service running from a temporary terminus at Mile End to Romford, now part of the Great Eastern Main Line...
(ECR) opened 20 June 1839; original 5 ft gauge converted to standard in 1845, absorbed into GER Aug 1862
- Eastern Union Railway, incorporated 1844, opened 1846, absorbed 1847.
- Eastern Union and Hadleigh Junction Railway
- Ipswich and Bury St Edmunds Railway
- Colchester, Stour Valley, Sudbury and Halstead Railway, incorporated 1846, opened 1848
- East Anglia Railway. absorbed into Eastern Counties Railway, Jan 1852
- Saffron Walden Railway incorporated 1861, sponsored by ECR.
- Northern and Eastern Railway
The Northern & Eastern Railway operated one of the two main lines which eventually became the Great Eastern Railway: the other being the Eastern Counties Railway....
incorporated 1836 gauge conversion as with ECR
- London and Blackwall Railway
Originally called the Commercial Railway, the London & Blackwall Railway was a railway line that originally ran from the Minories to Blackwall via Stepney, in east London, England.-History:...
, opened 1840, extended to Tilbury with ECR 1854 (authorised 1852 as London, Tilbury and Southend RailwayThe London, Tilbury and Southend Railway is an English railway line linking Fenchurch Street station in the City of London with East London and the entire length of the northern Thames Gateway area of Essex. It is known as the Thameside Route by Network Rail. Train services on the line are...
(LT&SR)), absorbed by GER 1866. Started with non-standard gauge, converted 1849.
- Ely, Haddenham and Sutton Railway (later Ely and St Ives Railway), authorised 1864, opened 1866, leased by ECR since opening, absorbed by GER 1897
- Norfolk Railway
- Colne Valley and Halstead Railway
|}The Colne Valley and Halstead Railway is a closed railway between Haverhill, Suffolk and Chappel and Wakes Colne, Essex, in England.-History:...
, incorporated 1856
- Harwich Railway
- East Anglian Railways (the plural is correct!) formed by merger in 1847. Bankrupt in 1851, it was operated by arrangement by ECR until the takeover by GER.
- Lynn and Dereham Railway
- Lynn and Ely Railway
- Ely and Huntingdon Railway
- East Suffolk Railway (re-incorporation of the "Halesworth, Beccles and Hadiscoe Railway" in 1854), absorbed by ECR 1859
- Yarmouth and Haddiscoe Railway absorbed 1858
- Lowestoft and Beccles Railway absorbed 1858
- Midland and Great Northern Joint Railway
The Midland and Great Northern Joint Railway, was a joint railway owned by the Midland Railway and the Great Northern Railway in eastern England, affectionately known as the 'Muddle and Get Nowhere' to generations of passengers, enthusiasts, and other users.The main line ran from Peterborough to...
incorporated 1893
Great Western Railway
- Great Western Railway
The Great Western Railway was a British railway company that linked London with the south west and west of England and most of Wales. It was founded in 1833, received its enabling Act of Parliament in 1835, and ran its first trains three years later...
incorporated 1835, opened London[]London is the capital of England and the United Kingdom. It has been a major settlement for two millennia, and the history of London goes back to its founding by the Romans, when it was named Londinium. London's core, the ancient City of London, the 'square mile', retains its medieval boundaries...
to MaidenheadMaidenhead is a town within the Royal Borough of Windsor and Maidenhead, in Berkshire, England. It lies on the River Thames and is situated west of Charing Cross in London.-History:...
Bridge 4 june 1838, completed throughout to BristolBristol is a city, unitary authority area and ceremonial county in South West England, west of London, and east of Cardiff.With an estimated population of 416,400 for the unitary authority in mid-2007, and a surrounding urban area with an estimated 561,500 residents, it is England's sixth, and...
30 June 1841
- Hayle Railway
The Hayle Railway was an early Cornish railway, built to standard gauge, and opened in 1837. The railway served the engineering works and copper quays at Hayle with the copper mines of Redruth and Camborne carrying ore to the port and coal to the mines, before the construction of the Saltash Bridge...
opened 23 December 1837, closed for rebuilding 16 February 1852, reopened by West Cornwall RailwayThe West Cornwall Railway is a former railway company in Cornwall, United Kingdom. The company was formed in 1844 to operate the existing Hayle Railway between the towns of Hayle and Redruth and extend the railway to Penzance and Truro....
- Cheltenham and Great Western Union Railway
The Cheltenham and Great Western Union Railway was a broad gauge railway that linked the Great Western Railway at Swindon, Wiltshire, with Cheltenham, Gloucestershire, England...
opened SwindonSwindon is a large town and unitary borough authority in the ceremonial county of Wiltshire in south west England. It is midway between Bristol, west, and Reading, east. London is east....
to CirencesterCirencester is a market town in Gloucestershire, England, 93 miles west northwest of London. Cirencester lies on the River Churn, a tributary of the River Thames, and is the largest town in Cotswold District. It is home of the Royal Agricultural College, the oldest agricultural college in the...
31 may 1841, opened throughout to Cheltenham 13 October 1847
- Bristol and Exeter Railway
The Bristol & Exeter Railway was a railway company formed to connect Bristol and Exeter. It was friendly to the Great Western Railway, which had been opened between London and Bristol the previous year, and the two railways operated in collaboration....
opened to BridgwaterBridgwater in Somerset, England, is a market town, the administrative centre of the Sedgemoor district, and the leading industrial town in the county.Bridgwater is located on the major communication routes through South West England....
14 June 1841, completed in stages to ExeterExeter is a city and district in Devon, England; it is the county town of Devon. Exeter is located approximately northeast of Plymouth, and southwest of Bristol, on the River Exe. The city has a population of 111,076 according to the 2001 Census....
1 May 1844, amalgamated with GWR 1 January 1876
- Cornwall Minerals Railway
|}The Cornwall Minerals Railway operated a network of railway lines in Cornwall, United Kingdom. Based at St Blazey, its network stretched from Fowey to Newquay and lasted as an independent company from 1874 to 1896, after which it became a part of the Great Western Railway.-Authorisation:The...
opened 1 June 1874 replacing and connecting several earlier railways and tramways. Amalgamated with GWR 1 July 1896
- Par Tramway, construction started c.1841, completed north of Pontsmill 1847, extended to Par Harbour 1855
- Newquay Railway authorised by Act of Parliament 1844, completed 1849
- Lostwithiel and Fowey Railway
The Lostwithiel and Fowey Railway opened in 1869 as a broad gauge railway and links the port of Fowey in Cornwall with the Cornish Main Line at Lostwithiel...
opened 1 June 1869, closed 1 January 1880, transferred to CMR 27 June 1893 and reopened 1893
- Newquay and Cornwall Junction Railway
The Newquay and Cornwall Junction Railway was a broad gauge railway intended to link the Cornwall Railway with the horse-worked Newquay Railway. It opened a short section to Nanpean in 1869, the remainder being built by the Cornwall Minerals Railway who took over the company in 1874...
opened 1 July 1869, transferred to CMR 1 June 1874
- Liskeard and Caradon Railway
The Liskeard and Caradon Railway was a mineral railway in Cornwall, in the United Kingdom, which opened in 1844 and closed in 1917. Its neighbour, the Liskeard and Looe Railway, opened in 1860 and is still operating as the Looe Valley Line.-Overview:...
opened 28 November 1844, vested in GWR 1 July 1909
- Shrewsbury and Chester Railway opened 4 November 1846, amalgamated with GWR 1 September 1854
- South Devon Railway
The South Devon Railway Company built and operated the railway from Exeter to Plymouth and Torquay in Devon, England. It was a broad gauge railway built by Isambard Kingdom Brunel-Chronology:* 1844 South Devon Railway Act passed by parliament...
opened 30 May 1846, completed in stages to Plymouth 2 April 1849, amalgamated with GWR 1 February 1876
- Torquay branch opened 18 December 1848
- South Devon and Tavistock Railway
The South Devon and Tavistock Railway was a broad gauge railway linking Plymouth with Tavistock in Devon, England. It opened in 1859, was extended by the Launceston and South Devon Railway to Launceston, Cornwall, in 1865, and was closed in 1962....
opened 22 June 1859
- Dartmouth and Torbay Railway
The Dartmouth and Torbay Railway was a broad gauge railway linking the South Devon Railway branch at Torquay with Kingswear in Devon, England. It was operated from the outset by the South Devon Railway....
completed 16 August 1864
- Launceston and South Devon Railway opened 22 June 1865
- Moretonhampstead and South Devon Railway
The Moretonhampstead and South Devon Railway was a broad gauge railway which linked the South Devon Railway at Newton Abbot railway station with Bovey Tracey and Moretonhampstead, Devon, England....
opened 4 July 1866
- Buckfastleigh, Totnes and South Devon Railway
The Buckfastleigh, Totnes and South Devon Railway built the broad gauge railway line from Totnes to Buckfastleigh and Ashburton in Devon, England.-History:...
opened 1 May 1872
- Berks and Hants Railway
|}The Berks and Hants Railway consisted of two railway lines built by the Great Western Railway in an attempt to keep the London and South Western Railway out of the area that it considered to be its territory in England....
opened ReadingReading is a large town in England, located at the confluence of the River Thames and River Kennet, and on both the Great Western Main Line railway and the M4 motorway, some west of London...
to HungerfordHungerford is a market town and civil parish in Berkshire, England, 10 miles west of Newbury. It covers an area of and, according to the 2001 census, has a population of 5,700 .- Geography :...
21 December 1847 and ReadingReading is a large town in England, located at the confluence of the River Thames and River Kennet, and on both the Great Western Main Line railway and the M4 motorway, some west of London...
to BasingstokeBasingstoke is a town in northeast Hampshire, England. It lies across a valley at the source of the River Loddon. It is southwest of London, northeast of Southampton, southwest of Reading, and northeast of the county town, Winchester. In 2006 it had an estimated population of 80,477...
1 November 1848; Berks and Hants Extension Hungerford to DevizesDevizes is a small market town and civil parish in the English county of Wiltshire, in the southern United Kingdom.-History:Devizes Castle was built by Osmund, Bishop of Salisbury in 1080 but the town is not mentioned in the Domesday Book...
opened 11 November 1862
- Wilts, Somerset and Weymouth Railway
The Wilts, Somerset and Weymouth Railway was a broad gauge railway that linked the Great Western Railway at Chippenham, Wiltshire with Weymouth, Dorset, England. Branches ran to Devizes, Bradford-on-Avon and Salisbury in Wiltshire, and to Radstock in Somerset. The majority of the line survives...
, opened ChippenhamChippenham is a market town in Wiltshire, England, located at , some 21 km east of Bath and 163 km west of London. In the 2001 census the population of the town was recorded as 28,065....
to WestburyWestbury is a town and civil parish in the west of the English county of Wiltshire, most famous for the Westbury White Horse.-Name:The most likely origin of the West- in Westbury is simply that the town is near the western edge of the county of Wiltshire, the bounds of which have been much the same...
5 September 1848; completed in stages to Weymouth 20 January 1857
- Shrewsbury and Birmingham Railway opened 1 June 1849, amalgamated with GWR 1 September 1854
- South Wales Railway
The South Wales Railway was a broad gauge railway that linked the Gloucester and Dean Forest Railway with Neyland in Wales.-History:The need for the railway was created by the need to ship coal from the South Wales Valleys to London, and secondly to complete Brunel's vision of linking London with...
opened ChepstowChepstow is a town in Monmouthshire, Wales, adjoining the border with Gloucestershire, England. It is located on the River Wye, close to its confluence with the River Severn, and close to the western end of the Severn Bridge on the M48 motorway...
to Landore 18 june 1850, Chepstow Bridge opened 19 June 1862, amalgamated with GWR 1 January 1862
- Gloucester and Dean Forest Railway opened 19 September 1851
- Vale of Neath Railway
The Vale of Neath Railway was a broad gauge railway line from Neath to Merthyr Tydfil, in Glamorgan, Wales, and also operated the Swansea and Neath Railway which gave it access to the docks at Swansea...
opened 24 September 1851, amalgamated into GWR 1 February 1865
- West Cornwall Railway
The West Cornwall Railway is a former railway company in Cornwall, United Kingdom. The company was formed in 1844 to operate the existing Hayle Railway between the towns of Hayle and Redruth and extend the railway to Penzance and Truro....
opened 11 March 1852 including previous Hayle Railway, transferred to GWR 1 January 1868
- Hereford, Ross and Gloucester Railway opened 11 July 1853
- Wycombe Railway
The Marlow Branch Line is a single track railway line between Maidenhead, Berkshire, Bourne End and Marlow, Buckinghamshire, England. Passenger services are operated by First Great Western using Class 165 diesel trains...
opened 1 August 1854
- Abingdon Railway opened 2 June 1856
- Bridport Railway opened 12 November 1857, bought by GWR 1 July 1901, closed 5 May 1975 (see notes)
- Liskeard and Looe Union Canal
The Liskeard and Looe Union Canal is a derelict broad canal between Liskeard and Looe in Cornwall, United Kingdom. The canal is almost 6 miles long and has 25 locks. The Engineer was Robert Coad. Traffic on the canal ceased around 1910.-Overview:...
, railway opened 11 May 1858, vested in GWR 1 January 1923
- East Somerset Railway
The East Somerset Railway is a heritage railway in Somerset, running between Cranmore and Mendip Vale. Prior to the Beeching Axe, the railway ran from Witham to Wells, meeting both the Cheddar Valley line and Somerset and Dorset Joint Railway at the latter station.- History :The line was...
first stage opened 9 November 1858, completed 1 March 1862
- Great Western and Brentford Railway opened 18 July 1858
- Cornwall Railway
The Cornwall Railway was a broad gauge railway from Plymouth in Devon to Falmouth in Cornwall, United Kingdom. The section from Plymouth to Truro opened in 1859, the extension to Falmouth in 1863...
opened to Truro 4 May 1859, extended to Falmouth 21 August 1863, amalgamated with GWR 1 July 1889
- West Midlands Railway
The West Midlands Railway was an early British railway company. It was formed on 1 July 1860 by a merger of several older railway companies and amalgamated with the Great Western Railway on 1 August 1863.-History:...
formed 1 July 1860, amalgamated with GWR 1 August 1863
- Oxford, Worcester and Wolverhampton Railway
The Oxford, Worcester and Wolverhampton railway was a company authorised on 4 August 1845 to construct a railway line from the Oxford and Rugby Railway at Wolvercot Junction to Worcester, Stourbridge, Dudley, and Wolverhampton, with a branch to the Grand Junction Railway at Bushbury...
opened at Worcester 5 October 1850, completed from Wolverhampton to Oxford in stages by April 1854
- Newport, Abergavenny and Hereford Railway
The Newport, Abergavenny and Hereford Railway was incorporated on 3 August 1846, and was to create a rail link from Newport in a northerly direction to Hereford...
opened 2 January 1851
- Worcester and Hereford Railway opened 25 July 1859
- Ely Valley Railway opened 1 August 1860
Midlands
- Manchester, Sheffield and Lincolnshire Railway
The Manchester, Sheffield and Lincolnshire Railway was formed, by amalgamation in 1847. The MS&LR changed its name to the Great Central Railway in 1897 in anticipation of the opening in 1899 of its London Extension...
(became Great Central Railway 1897)
- Great Central Railway
The Great Central Railway was a railway company in England which came into being when the Manchester, Sheffield and Lincolnshire Railway changed its name in 1897 in anticipation of the opening in 1899 of its London Extension . On 1 January 1923, it was grouped into the London and North Eastern...
incorporated 1897
- Manchester, Sheffield and Lincolnshire Railway
The Manchester, Sheffield and Lincolnshire Railway was formed, by amalgamation in 1847. The MS&LR changed its name to the Great Central Railway in 1897 in anticipation of the opening in 1899 of its London Extension...
: formed by an amalgamation of:
- Sheffield, Ashton-under-Lyne and Manchester Railway
The Sheffield, Ashton-Under-Lyne and Manchester Railway was an early British railway company which opened in stages between 1841 and 1845 between Sheffield and Manchester via Ashton-Under-Lyne...
- Sheffield and Lincolnshire Junction Railway
The Sheffield and Lincolnshire Junction Railway was an early British railway company which opened in 1849 between Sheffield and Gainsborough and Lincoln...
- Great Grimsby and Sheffield Junction Railway
The Great Grimsby and Sheffield Junction Railway was an early British railway company which existed between 1845 and 1847 with the intention of providing rail services between Grimsby, New Holland and Gainsborough in the county of Lincolnshire...
- including Grimsby Docks Company.
- South Yorkshire Railway
The South Yorkshire Railway was a railway company which was based in the south of the former West Riding of Yorkshire, England. Its first section of line opened on 10 November 1849 between Swinton Junction and Doncaster...
opened 9 September 1854, merged with GCR 1 August 1864
- Wigan Junction Railway
- Wrexham, Mold and Connah's Quay Railway
The Wrexham, Mold and Connah's Quay Railway was incorporated on 7 August 1862 to build a line from Wrexham to Buckley.-Overview:The Buckley Railway had already been incorporated on 14 June 1860 to build a 5-mile line from that town to a junction with the London and North Western Railway...
- North Wales and Liverpool Railway
The North Wales and Liverpool Railway , was the name given to the joint committee formed to construct a railway between Bidston, on the Wirral Railway and Hawarden on the Manchester, Sheffield and Lincolnshire Railway's Chester & Connah's Quay Railway from Chester to its link with the Wrexham,...
- Liverpool, St Helens and South Lancashire Railway
- Midland Railway
The Midland Railway was a railway company in the United Kingdom from 1844 to 1922, when it became part of the London, Midland and Scottish Railway....
: formed 1844 by amalgamation:
- North Midland Railway
The North Midland Railway was a British railway company, which opened its line from Derby to Rotherham and Leeds in 1840.At Derby it connected with the Birmingham and Derby Junction Railway and the Midland Counties Railway at what became known as the Tri Junct Station...
- Midland Counties Railway
The Midland Counties Railway was a railway company in the United Kingdom which existed between 1832 and 1844, connecting Nottingham, Leicester and Derby with Rugby and thence, via the London and Birmingham Railway, to London. The MCR system connected with the North Midland Railway and the...
- Birmingham and Derby Junction Railway
The Birmingham and Derby Junction Railway was a British railway company. From Birmingham it connected at Derby with the North Midland Railway and the Midland Counties Railway at what became known as the Tri Junct Station...
Later acquired:
-
- Leicester and Swannington Railway
The Leicester and Swannington Railway was one of England's first railways, being opened on July 17 1832 to bring coal from pits in west Leicestershire to Leicester.-Overview:...
opened 14 July 1832
- Sheffield and Rotherham Railway
The Sheffield and Rotherham Railway was a short railway between Sheffield and Rotherham and the first in the two towns.In the early nineteenth century, when news broke of the building of the North Midland Railway, it was clear that George Stephenson would follow the gentle gradient of the Rivers...
1838
- Birmingham and Gloucester Railway
The Birmingham and Gloucester Railway is a railway route linking Birmingham to Gloucester in England.It is one of the world's oldest main line railways and includes the famous Lickey Incline, a dead-straight stretch of track running up the 1-in-37 gradient of the Lickey Ridge...
opened 17 December 1840
- "Little" North Western Railway (Skipton - Lancaster) opened 1 June 1850
- Sheffield, Rotherham, Barnsley, Wakefield, Huddersfield and Goole Railway Company
- Manchester, Buxton, Matlock and Midlands Junction Railway
The Manchester, Buxton, Matlock and Midlands Junction Railway initially served neither Manchester nor the Midlands, since its connection with the North Midland Railway at Ambergate Junction was in a northerly direction...
- North Staffordshire Railway
The North Staffordshire Railway was a British railway company formed in 1845 to promote a number of lines in the Staffordshire Potteries and surrounding areas in Staffordshire, Cheshire, Derbyshire and Shropshire....
incorporated in 1845 to promote three railway schemes. Three Acts of Parliament on 26 June 1846 were given to the one company. Main line opened in 1848. Further Acts were all granted to the NSR Co. which remained independent until the 1923 Grouping.
North
- Maryport and Carlisle Railway
The Maryport & Carlisle Railway was incorporated in 1837 to connect the two towns of Carlisle and Maryport. George Stephenson was the engineer of the line, which first opened on February 10, 1845...
(first section) opened 1845. Remained independent until the 1923 Grouping
- Furness Railway
The Furness Railway was a railway company operating in the Furness area of north-west England.-History:The company was established on May 23 1844 when the Furness Railway Act was passed by Parliament...
(Furness) (first section) opened 11 August 1846
- Ulverston and Lancaster Railway
The Furness Railway was a railway company operating in the Furness area of north-west England.-History:The company was established on May 23 1844 when the Furness Railway Act was passed by Parliament...
opened 1857 amalgamated with Furness in 1862
- Great Northern Railway
The Great Northern Railway was a British railway company established by the London & York Railway Act of 1846.The main line ran from London via Hitchin, Peterborough, and Grantham, to York, with a loop line from Peterborough to Bawtry via Boston and Lincoln, and branch lines to Sheffield and...
incorporated 1846
- Edgware, Highgate and London Railway
The Edgware, Highgate and London Railway was a railway in north London. The railway was a precursor of parts of London Underground's Northern Line and was, in the 1930s the core of an ambitious expansion plan for that line which was thwarted by the Second World War...
incorporated 1862
- London and York Railway
- Direct Northern Railway
- North Eastern Railway
The North Eastern Railway , was an English railway company. It was incorporated in 1854, when four existing companies were combined, and was absorbed into the London and North Eastern Railway at the Grouping in 1923.- Introduction :...
(NER) incorporated 1854
- York, Newcastle and Berwick Railway was York and Newcastle Railway (1846-1847) and Newcastle and Darlington Junction Railway (1842-1846)
- Durham Junction Railway incorporated 1834, amalgamated with N&DJR in 1844
- Brandling Junction Railway incorporated 1836, amalgamated with N&DJR in 1845
- Durham and Sunderland Railway incorporated 1834, amalgamated with N&DJR in 1846
- Pontop and South Shields Railway incorporated 1842, amalgamated with N&DJR in 1846
- Stanhope and Tyne Railway
The Stanhope and Tyne Railway was opened in 1834 from Stanhope, in County Durham, UK, to Tyne Dock in South Shields, via Consett. It originally provided a link between the limestone quarries at Stanhope and coal mines at Stanhope for the production of lime, with an outlet to the Tyne down river of...
incorporated 1834, amalgamated with P&SSR in 1842
- Newcastle and Berwick Railway incorporated 1845, amalgamated with Y&NR in 1847
- Newcastle and North Shields Railway incorporated 1836, amalgamated with N&BR in 1845
- Great North of England Railway
The Great North of England Railway was an early British railway company. Its main line, opened in 1841 was between York and Darlington, and originally it was planned to extend to Newcastle. In 1850 it was absorbed by the North Eastern Railway ....
incorporated 1836, amalgamated with YN&BR in 1850
- York and North Midland Railway
The York and North Midland Railway was a railway company in the United Kingdom which opened in 1839, connecting York, with the Leeds and Selby Railway and in 1840 with the North Midland Railway at Normanton near Leeds.-Origins:...
incorporated 1836
- Leeds and Selby Railway
The Leeds and Selby Railway was a railway company in the United Kingdom which opened in 1834 between Leeds and Selby.-Origin:For a number of years the manufacturers in Leeds had become increasingly dissatisfied with the route to the North Sea ports via the Aire and Calder Navigation. Not only were...
incorporated 1830, amalgamated with Y&NMR in 1844
- Whitby and Pickering Railway
The Whitby and Pickering Railway was built as the culmination of attempts to halt the gradual decline of the port of Whitby on the east coast of the United Kingdom...
incorporated 1833, amalgamated with Y&NMR in 1845
- East and West Yorkshire Junction Railway incorporated 1846, amalgamated with Y&NMR in 1852
- Leeds Northern Railway was Leeds and Thirsk Railway (1845-1849)
- Malton and Driffield Railway incorporated 1846
- Dearness Valley Railway incorporated 1855, amalgamated with NER in 1857
- Hartlepool Dock and Railway incorporated 1832, amalgamated with NER in 1857
- North Yorkshire and Cleveland Railway incorporated 1854, amalgamated with NER in 1858
- Bedale and Leyburn Railway incorporated 1853, amalgamated with NER in 1859
- Hull and Holderness Railway
|}The Hull and Holderness Railway was a branch line in the East Riding of Yorkshire, which connected the city of Kingston upon Hull with the North Sea coast at Withernsea.-History:...
incorporated 1853, amalgamated with NER in 1862
- Newcastle and Carlisle Railway
The Newcastle and Carlisle Railway, also known as the Tyne Valley Line, is a railway line in northern England. The line was built in the 1830s, and links the city of Newcastle upon Tyne in Tyne and Wear with Carlisle in Cumbria. Formal opening took place on 18 June 1838.The line follows the course...
incorporated 1829, amalgamated with NER in 1862
- Blaydon, Gateshead and Hebburn Railway incorporated 1834, amalgamated with N&CR in 1839
- Stockton and Darlington Railway
The Stockton and Darlington Railway , which opened in 1825, was the world's first permanent steam locomotive hauled public railway. The line was 26 miles long, and was built between Darlington and Stockton-on-Tees and from Darlington to several collieries near Shildon in north-eastern England...
incorporated 1821, amalgamated with NER in 1863
- Darlington and Barnard Castle Railway incorporated 1854, amalgamated with S&DR in 1858
- Middlesbrough and Guisborough Railway
|}The Middlesbrough & Guisborough Railway was a railway line serving the towns of Middlesbrough and Guisborough as well as areas of the Eston Hills in North Yorkshire from 1853 through to 1964.-The Beginning:...
incorporated 1852, amalgamated with S&DR in 1858
- Middlesbrough and Redcar Railway incorporated 1845, amalgamated with S&DR in 1858
- Wear Valley Railway incorporated 1845, amalgamated with S&DR in 1858
- Bishop Auckland and Weardale Railway incorporated 1837, amalgamated with WVR in 1847
- Eden Valley Railway
The Eden Valley Railway was a railway in Cumbria, England. It ran between Penrith and Kirkby Stephen via Appleby, but was gradually cut back with track now only remaining for 6 miles between Appleby and Flitholme...
incorporated 1858, amalgamated with S&DR in 1862
- Frosterley and Stanhope Railway incorporated 1861, amalgamated with S&DR in 1862
- South Durham and Lancashire Union Railway
|}The South Durham & Lancashire Union Railway, also known as the Stainmore Railway, is a closed railway line, which formerly linked the Stockton & Darlington Railway near Bishop Auckland with the Lancaster and Carlisle Railway at Tebay, via Barnard Castle, Stainmore Summit & Kirkby Stephen.A very...
incorporated 1857, amalgamated with S&DR in 1862
- Cleveland Railway
The Cleveland railway is a former railway line running from the outskirts of Middlesbrough through the Eston Hills and via the town of Guisborough to reach the former Whitby Redcar and Middlesbrough Union Railway near the village of Brotton on the East Coast of England...
incorporated 1858, amalgamated with NER in 1865
- West Hartlepool Harbour and Railway incorporated 1852, amalgamated with NER in 1865
- Clarence Railway incorporated 1828, amalgamated with WHH&R in 1853
- Stockton and Hartlepool Railway incorporated 1839, amalgamated with WHH&R in 1853
- Hull and Hornsea Railway
|}The Hull and Hornsea Railway was a branch line in the East Riding of Yorkshire, which connected the city of Kingston upon Hull with the seaside holiday resort of Hornsea.-Early proposals:...
incorporated 1862, amalgamated with NER in 1866
- West Durham Railway incorporated 1839, amalgamated with NER in 1870
- Hull and Selby Railway
The Hull and Selby Railway was a railway company in the United Kingdom which opened in 1840, connecting Hull with the Leeds and Selby Railway-Origins:...
incorporated 1836, amalgamated with NER in 1872
- Blyth and Tyne Railway
The Blyth & Tyne Railway was a railway in Northumberland. It was chiefly a coal-carrying network linking collieries in Ashington, Seghill and Blyth to the river Tyne at Percy Main. It later linked to Tynemouth and Newcastle upon Tyne, providing a passenger service to Whitley Bay which would lead...
incorporated 1852, amalgamated with NER in 1874
- Hexham and Allendale Railway incorporated 1865, amalgamated with NER in 1876
- Leeds, Castleford and Pontefract Junction Railway incorporated 1873, amalgamated with NER in 1876
- Tees Valley Railway
The Tees Valley Railway was a railway line opened on May 12, 1868 and ran nearly 5 miles between Barnard Castle and Middleton-in-Teesdale, with intermediate stations at Cotherstone, Romaldkirk & Mickleton. The line closed on November 30, 1964....
incorporated 1865, amalgamated with NER in 1882
- Hylton, Southwick and Monkwearmouth Railway incorporated 1871, amalgamated with NER in 1883
- Scotswood, Newburn and Wylam Railway incorporated 1871, amalgamated with NER in 1883
- Whitby, Redcar and Middlesbrough Union Railway
|}The Whitby, Redcar and Middlesbrough Union Railway was a short lived railway line, running along the northeast coast of England from the River Tees at Middlesbrough to the Esk at Whitby, where it met the Scarborough & Whitby Railway line and the Whitby and Pickering Railway...
incorporated 1866, amalgamated with NER in 1889
- Wear Valley Extension Railway incorporated 1892, amalgamated with NER in 1893
- Scarborough & Whitby Railway
|}The Scarborough & Whitby Railway is a disused railway from Scarborough to Whitby in North Yorkshire, England, the line followed a scenic route along the Yorkshire coast.It fell victim to the Beeching Axe closing in 1965...
incorporated 1871, amalgamated with NER in 1898
- Cawood, Wistow and Selby Light Railway incorporated 1896, amalgamated with NER in 1900
- Scarborough, Bridlington and West Riding Junction Railway incorporated 1885, amalgamated with NER in 1914
- Lancashire and Yorkshire Railway
The Lancashire and Yorkshire Railway was a major British railway company before the 1923 Grouping. It was incorporated in 1847 from an amalgamation of several existing railways....
incorporated 1847. In 1846 the Liverpool and Bury Railway was amalgamated with the Manchester and Leeds Railway, which became known as The Lancashire and Yorkshire Railway in 1847
- Manchester and Leeds Railway
The Manchester and Leeds Railway was a railway company in the United Kingdom which opened in 1839, connecting Manchester with Leeds via the North Midland Railway which it joined at Normanton.-History:...
incorporated 1836
- Manchester and Bolton Railway
The Manchester and Bolton Railway was a railway in the historic county of Lancashire, England, connecting Salford to Bolton. It was built by the proprietors of the Manchester, Bolton and Bury Canal Navigation and Railway Company who had in 1831 converted from a canal company...
opened 1838
- Ashton, Stalybridge and Liverpool Junction Railway
Ashton, Stalybridge & Liverpool Junction Railway , was formed in 1844 and was taken over by the Manchester and Leeds Railway in 1847.The first section ran from Miles Platting on the Lancashire and Yorkshire Railway via Clayton Bridge and Droylsden stations to Ashton under Lyne from 13 July 1846. ...
1844
- Liverpool and Bury Railway
The Liverpool and Bury Railway was formed in 1845 and opened on 28 November 1848. The line ran from Bury via Bolton and Kirkby to Kirkdale, where it shared lines with the Liverpool, Ormskirk and Preston Railway into Liverpool Exchange....
1845
- East Lancashire Railway opened 1846: a section of this line is now a heritage railway
The East Lancashire Railway is a heritage railway in Lancashire and Greater Manchester, England.-Overview:The line opened on 25 July 1987 operating a service from Bury to Ramsbottom via Summerseat. In 1991 the service was extended via Irwell Vale to Rawtenstall and in September 2003 an eastbound...
- Wakefield, Pontefract and Goole Railway opened 1848
- London and North Western Railway
The London and North Western Railway was a railway company of the United Kingdom which existed between 1846 and 1922. It was created by the merger of three railway companies - the Grand Junction Railway, the London and Birmingham Railway and the Manchester and Birmingham Railway. During the late...
(LNWR) formed by amalgamation in 1846, there were 45 formerly independent railways within the LNWR, including:
- Liverpool and Manchester Railway
The Liverpool and Manchester Railway was the world's first inter-city passenger railway in which all the trains were timetabled and were hauled for most of the distance solely by steam locomotives. The line opened on 15 September 1830 and ran between the cities of Liverpool and Manchester in North...
opened 15 September 1830
- London and Birmingham Railway
The London and Birmingham Railway was an early railway company in the United Kingdom from 1833 to 1846 when it became part of the London and North Western Railway ....
(first section) opened 20 July 1837; opened throughout 17 September 1838
- Grand Junction Railway
The Grand Junction Railway was an early railway company in the United Kingdom, which existed between 1833 and 1846 when it was merged into the London and North Western Railway...
opened 1837
- Chester and Crewe Railway
The Chester and Crewe Railway was an early British railway company absorbed by the Grand Junction Railway in 1840. The line was 11 miles in length, the engineer was Robert Stephenson and the contractor for the work was Thomas Brassey...
opened 1846
- Chester and Holyhead Railway
|}The Chester and Holyhead Railway was incorporated out of a proposal to link Holyhead, the traditional port for the Irish Mail, with London by way of the existing Chester and Crewe Railway, and what is now the West Coast Main Line...
opened 1848 to Bangor 1850 to Holyhead
- Manchester and Birmingham Railway
The Manchester and Birmingham Railway was built between Manchester and Crewe and opened in stages from 1840. Between Crewe and Birmingham, trains were worked by the Grand Junction Railway...
- Lancaster and Carlisle Railway
The Lancaster and Carlisle Railway was a British railway company authorised on 6 June 1844 to build a line between Lancaster and Carlisle in North-West England...
- Cromford and High Peak Railway
The Cromford and High Peak Railway in Derbyshire, England, was completed in 1831, to carry minerals and goods between the Cromford Canal wharf at High Peak Junction and the Peak Forest Canal at Whaley Bridge.-Origins:...
- Kendal and Windermere Railway
The Kendal and Windermere Railway is a railway in Cumbria in north-west England. It was built as a railway from the Lancaster and Carlisle Railway at Oxenholme via Kendal to near Windermere, opening fully in April 1847. The engineer was Joseph Locke and the partnership of contractors consisted of...
- Watford and Rickmansworth Railway opened 1 October 1862 closed 1998 possible reopening (see Watford tube station
Watford is a station at the end of the Watford branch of London Underground's Metropolitan Line in the north-western part of the network in Zone 7, previously zone A.- Location and description :...
)
South
- Isle of Wight Central Railway
The Isle of Wight Central Railway was a railway company on the Isle of Wight, United Kingdom. At its peak the company owned 21½ miles of railway line, and it also operated trains on some additional lines it did not own. Trains were first run on what became its lines in 1862, although the company...
amalgamation of three railways including:
- Cowes and Newport Railway incorporated 1859
- London Brighton and South Coast Railway amalgamation of five railways August 1846:
- London and Croydon Railway
The London and Croydon Railway was an early railway which operated between London and Croydon in England. It was opened in 1839 and in July 1846 it merged with other railways to form a part of the London Brighton and South Coast Railway ....
incorporated 1835 opened 1839
- London and Brighton Railway
The London and Brighton Railway was a railway in England which was incorporated in 1837 and survived until 1846. It ran from a junction with the London & Croydon Railway at Norwood - which gave it access from London Bridge, just south of the River Thames in central London...
incorporated 1837 opened 21 September 1841
- Croydon and Epsom Railway incorporated 1844.
- Brighton and Chichester Railway
The Brighton and Chichester Railway was an early railway in southern England running between the towns of Shoreham and Chichester in Sussex, which operated between 1845 and 1846.-History:...
incorporated 1844.
- Brighton Lewes and Hastings Railway incorporated 1844.
- London, Chatham and Dover Railway
The London, Chatham and Dover Railway was a railway company in south-eastern England from 1859 until the 1923 grouping which united it with other companies to form the Southern Railway. Its lines ran through London and northern and eastern Kent to form a significant part of the Greater London...
- East Kent Railway
The East Kent Railway was incorporated in 1853 for the construction of a line from the South Eastern Railway at Strood to the city of Canterbury...
incorporated 1853
- London and South Western Railway
The London and South Western Railway was a railway company in England from 1838 to 1922. Its network extended from London to Plymouth via Salisbury and Exeter, with branches to Ilfracombe and Padstow and via Southampton to Bournemouth and Weymouth. It also had many routes connecting towns in...
(LSWR)
- London and Southampton Railway opened (first section) 21 May 1838; renamed LSWR 1838
- Bodmin and Wadebridge Railway opened 23 May 1832, sold to LSWR autumn 1846 but not legally vested in that company until 1 July 1886
- Richmond Railway opened 27 July 1846
- Windsor, Staines and South Western Railway opened 1848/1849
- Southampton and Dorchester Railway opened 1 June 1847; extended to Weymouth 20 June 1857
- Staines, Wokingham and Woking Junction Railway opened 1856
- Andover and Redbridge Railway
The Sprat and Winkle Line was the familiar name of a railway line which ran between Andover and Redbridge in Hampshire, UK. It was also known as the Andover to Redbridge Line....
opened 6 March 1865, closed 1967
- Lymington Railway opened 12 July 1858, closed 1967
- London, Tilbury and Southend Railway
The London, Tilbury and Southend Railway is an English railway line linking Fenchurch Street station in the City of London with East London and the entire length of the northern Thames Gateway area of Essex. It is known as the Thameside Route by Network Rail. Train services on the line are...
incorporated 1862 amalgamated with Midland Railway 1912
- London and Blackwall Railway
- Metropolitan Railway
Metropolitan Railway can refer to:* Metropolitan line, part of the London Underground* Metropolitan and Metropolitan District Railways, the first two underground railways to be built in London...
(MetR)
- North Metropolitan Railway incorporated 1853; became MetrR 1854. Other sections followed in 1860-70
- Midland and South Western Junction Railway
The Midland and South Western Junction Railway was, until the 1923 Grouping, an independent railway built to form a north-south link between the Midland and London and South Western Railways allowing the Midland and other companies' trains to reach the port of Southampton.-Formation:The M&SWJR...
: formed in 1884 by amalgamation of
- Swindon, Marlborough and Andover Railway incorporated 1873
- Swindon and Cheltenham Extension Railway incorporated 1881
- North London Railway
The North London Railway was a railway company that opened various lines connecting the north of London to the East and West India Docks, the core route later becoming the basis of the North London Line...
incorporated 1846 original name:
- East and West India Docks and Birmingham Junction Railway
- Pentewan Railway
The Pentewan Railway was a British narrow gauge railway in Cornwall. It was built as a horse-drawn tramway carrying china clay from St Austell to the harbour at Pentewan. In 1874 the line was rebuilt by engineer John Barraclough Fell and converted to locomotive working. The line ran from a clay...
The railway from St Austell was complete by 22 June 1829 but not incorporated until 20 February 1873 as the Pentewan Railway and Harbour Company Limited. An Act of Parliament on 7 August 1874 authorised the use of locomotives. It was closed from 4 March 1918.
- Redruth and Chasewater Railway
The Redruth and Chasewater Railway was a very early industrial railway line in Cornwall, United Kingdom that opened in 1825 and closed in 1915...
This was opened on 30 January 1826 and was locomotive worked from 1 December 1864. It was closed from 27 September 1915.
- Somerset and Dorset Joint Railway
The Somerset & Dorset Joint Railway – almost always referred to as "the S&D" – was an English railway line connecting Bath in north east Somerset and Bournemouth now in south east Dorset but then in Hampshire...
(S&DJR). An amalgamation of the:
- Somerset Central Railway, first section opened on 1 November 1860, and
- Dorset Central Railway, first section opened on 28 August 1854.
- The S&D Joint Railway
A joint railway is a railway operating under the control of more than one railway company: those companies very often supplying the traction over the railway.-United Kingdom:There are many examples of joint railway working in the United Kingdom...
was jointly operated by the Midland RailwayThe Midland Railway was a railway company in the United Kingdom from 1844 to 1922, when it became part of the London, Midland and Scottish Railway....
and the London and South Western RailwayThe London and South Western Railway was a railway company in England from 1838 to 1922. Its network extended from London to Plymouth via Salisbury and Exeter, with branches to Ilfracombe and Padstow and via Southampton to Bournemouth and Weymouth. It also had many routes connecting towns in...
(L&SWR). After the 1 January 1923 GroupingThe Railways Act of 1921, also known as the Grouping Act, was an enactment by the British government of David Lloyd George intended to stem the losses being made by many of the country's 120 railway companies, move the railways away from internal competition, and to retain some of the benefits...
, joint ownership of the S&DJR passed to the LMSThe London Midland and Scottish Railway was a British railway company. It was formed on 1 January 1923 under the Railways Act of 1921, which required the grouping of over 300 separate railway companies into just four....
and the Southern RailwayThe Southern Railway , was a British railway company established in the 1923 Grouping. It linked London with the Channel ports, South West England and Kent...
.
- South Eastern Railway
South Eastern Railway was a railway company in the United Kingdom, which linked London with Kent.The company was formed from the London and Greenwich Railway and the Canterbury and Whitstable Railway...
incorporated 1836
- London and Greenwich Railway
- Canterbury and Whitstable Railway
- Surrey Iron Railway
The Surrey Iron Railway was a narrow gauge railway that linked the Surrey towns of Wandsworth and Croydon via Mitcham . It was constructed in the early years of the 19th century, opening on 26 July 1803.-Origins:...
(SIR) opened 1804 (4 ft gauge):
- Croydon Merstham and Godstone Railway - extension of SIR
- West Somerset Mineral Railway
|}The West Somerset Mineral Railway was a line which operated in the UK county of Somerset. It ran from the ironstone mines in the Brendon Hills to the port of Watchet on the Bristol Channel. From there the ore was carried across by ship to Newport and thence to Ebbw Vale for smelting to remove...
incorporated 1855 to carry iron ore; passenger service from 1865; closed to all traffic 1898 see article here
Wales
- Cambrian Railways
Cambrian Railways owned of track over a large area of mid-Wales. The system was an amalgamation of a number of railways that were incorporated in 1864, 1865 and 1904...
incorporated between 1864 and 1904
- Oswestry and Newtown Railway 30 miles: incorporated 6 June 1855; opened 1860-1
- Llanidloes and Newtown Railway 12.25 miles: 4 August 1853; 1859. Until 1861 this section of the line was completely isolated
- Newtown and Machynlleth Railway 23 miles: 27 July 1857; 1863
- Oswestry, Ellesmere and Whitchurch Railway 18 miles: 1 August 1861; 1863-4
- Aberystwyth and Welsh Coast Railway
The Aberystwith and Welsh Coast Railway was a standard gauge railway built in 1863 connecting major towns on the Welsh coast.- History :...
86 miles: July 26 1861; 1863-69
- Mid Wales Railway
|}The Mid Wales Line was a standard gauge railway line that opened in 1864 as a North-South route serving central Welsh towns including Llanidloes, Rhayader, Builth Wells and Brecon...
45.5 miles: 1 August 1859; 1 September 1864. This Railway maintained complete independence from the Cambrian until 1 January 1888, when the latter took over working the line; and on 1 July 1904 when the two Railways amalgamated.
- and several railways opened in the 1860s
- Festiniog Railway Company
The Ffestiniog Railway is a narrow gauge heritage railway, located in Gwynedd in Wales. It is a major tourist attraction located mainly within the Snowdonia National Park....
incorporated 23 May 1832 ( gauge) 13½ miles opened 1836 to carry dressed slate from Blaenau Ffestiniog to Porthmadog for export by sea, carried passengers from 1865. Still independent and since 1954 a leading heritage railway.
- Llanelly Railway and Dock Company incorporated 1828
- Rhymney Railway
The Rhymney Railway was virtually a single stretch of main line, some fifty miles in length, by which the Rhymney Valley was connected to the docks at Cardiff in the county of Glamorgan, South Wales .|}-History:...
incorporated 1854
- Taff Vale Railway
The Taff Vale Railway is a railway in Glamorgan, South Wales, and is one of the oldest in Wales.-History:On February 10, 1804, a young engineer, Richard Trevithick, drove the world's first ever steam locomotive along a track at the Penydarren ironworks, near Merthyr Tydfil. Ten tons of iron and 70...
(TVR) incorporated 1836. Among the eight railways amalgamated with the TVR is one early railway:
- Aberdare Railway opened 1846
See also
- History of rail transport in Great Britain
The railway system of Great Britain, the principal territory of the United Kingdom, is the oldest in the world. The system was originally built as a patchwork of local rail links operated by small private railway companies. These isolated links developed during the railway boom of the 1840s into a...
- History of rail transport in Great Britain to 1830
The history of rail transport in Great Britain to 1830 covers the period up to the opening of the Liverpool and Manchester Railway, the world's first intercity passenger railway operated solely by steam locomotives. The earliest form of railways, horse-drawn wagonways, originated in Germany in the...
- History of rail transport in Great Britain 1830 - 1922
This article is part of a series on the History of rail transport in Great BritainThe history of rail transport in Great Britain 1830 - 1922 covers the period between the opening of the Liverpool and Manchester Railway , and the Grouping, the amalgamation of almost all of Britain's many railway...