London and North Western Railway
LNWR crest | |
Dates of operation | 16 July 1846–31 December 1922 |
---|---|
Predecessor |
Grand Junction Railway London and Birmingham Railway Manchester and Birmingham Railway |
Successor | London, Midland and Scottish Railway |
Track gauge | 4 ft 8 1⁄2 in (1,435 mm) standard gauge |
The London and North Western Railway (LNWR, L&NWR) was a British railway company between 1846 and 1922. It was created by the merger of three companies – the Grand Junction Railway, the London and Birmingham Railway and the Manchester and Birmingham Railway. In the late 19th century the L&NWR was the largest joint stock company in the world.
In 1923 it became a constituent of the London, Midland and Scottish (LMS) railway, and, in 1948, the London Midland Region of British Railways: the LNWR is effectively an ancestor of today's West Coast Main Line.
Overview
The LNWR described itself as the Premier Line. This was justified as it included the pioneering Liverpool & Manchester Railway of 1830, and the original LNWR main line linking London, Birmingham and Lancashire had been the first big railway in Britain, opened throughout in 1838. As the largest joint stock company in the United Kingdom, it collected a greater revenue than any other railway company of its era.[1]
At its peak just before World War I, it ran a route mileage of more than 1,500 miles, and employed 111,000 people. At the core of the LNWR system was the main line network connecting London Euston with the major cities of Birmingham, Liverpool and Manchester, and (through co-operation with the Caledonian Railway) Edinburgh and Glasgow. This route is today known as the West Coast Main Line. The LNWR also ran the main connection between Britain and Ireland via the North Wales Main Line to Holyhead and handled the Irish Mail.[2] A ferry service also linked Holyhead to Greenore in County Louth, where the LNWR owned the 26-mile Dundalk, Newry and Greenore Railway, which connected to other lines of the Irish mainline network at Dundalk and Newry.[3]
The LNWR also had a main line connecting Liverpool and Manchester with Leeds, and secondary routes extending to Nottingham, Derby, Peterborough and South Wales.[4]
Formation
The company was formed on 16 July 1846 by the amalgamation of the Grand Junction Railway, London and Birmingham Railway and the Manchester and Birmingham Railway. This move was prompted in part by the Great Western Railway's plans for a railway north from Oxford to Birmingham.[1] The company initially had a network of approximately 350 miles (560 km),[1] connecting London with Birmingham, Crewe, Chester, Liverpool and Manchester.
Successors
The LNWR became a constituent of the London, Midland and Scottish (LMS) railway when the railways of Great Britain were merged in the grouping of 1923. Ex-LNWR lines formed the core of the LMS's Western Division.
Nationalisation followed in 1948, with the English and Welsh lines of the LMS becoming the London Midland Region of British Railways. Some former LNWR routes were subsequently closed, notably the lines running East to West across the Midlands (e.g. Peterborough to Northampton and Cambridge to Oxford), but others were developed as part of the Inter City network, notably the main lines from London to Birmingham, Manchester, Liverpool and Carlisle, collectively known in the modern era as the West Coast Main Line. These were electrified in the 1960s and 1970s, and further upgraded in the 1990s and 2000s, with trains now running at up to 125 mph. Other LNWR lines survive as part of commuter networks around major cities such as Birmingham and Manchester.
Acquisitions
- This list is incomplete; you can help by expanding it.
- Anglesey Central Railway, 1876
- Ashby and Nuneaton Joint Railway (partnership with the Midland Railway) 1873
- Aylesbury Railway,[5] 1846
- Bedford and Cambridge Railway, 1865
- Birkenhead Railway, 1861 (jointly with GWR)
- Birmingham, Wolverhampton and Stour Valley Railway, 1847 (the Stour Valley Line)
- Brynmawr and Blaenavon Railway, 1869
- Brynmawr and Western Valleys Railway, 1902 (jointly with GWR)
- Buckinghamshire Railway,[6] 1847
- Cannock Chase Railway, 1863
- Cannock Mineral Railway, 1869
- Carnarvon and Llanberis Railway, 1870
- Carnarvonshire Railway, 1870
- Central Wales Railway, 1868
- Central Wales and Carmarthen Junction Railway, 1891
- Central Wales Extension Railway, 1868
- Chester and Holyhead Railway, 1858
- Cockermouth and Workington Railway, 1866
- Conway and Llanrwst Railway, 1867
- Cromford and High Peak Railway, 1862
- Denbigh, Ruthin and Corwen Railway, 1879
- Dundalk, Newry and Greenore Railway, 1869
- Fleetwood, Preston and West Riding Junction Railway, 1867 (jointly with Lancashire and Yorkshire Railway)
- Hampstead Junction Railway, 1867
- Harrow and Stanmore Railway, 1899
- Huddersfield and Manchester Railway and Canal, 1847
- Knighton Railway, 1863
- Lancashire and Yorkshire Railway, 1921
- Lancashire Union Railway, 1883 (jointly with Lancashire and Yorkshire Railway)
- Lancaster and Carlisle Railway, 1859
- Leeds, Dewsbury and Manchester Railway, 1847
- Ludlow and Clee Hill Railway, 1892 (jointly with GWR)
- Manchester South Junction and Altrincham Railway, 1849 (jointly with Sheffield, Ashton-under-Lyne and Manchester Railway)
- Merthyr, Tredegar and Abergavenny Railway, 1862
- Nerquis Railway, 1866
- Newport Pagnell Railway, 1875
- North and South Western Junction Railway, 1871 (jointly with the Midland Railway and the North London Railway)
- North London Railway, 1909 (NLR retained own Board)
- Northampton and Peterborough Railway, 1846
- Oldham, Ashton-under-Lyne and Guide Bridge Railway, 1862 (jointly with the Manchester, Sheffield and Lincolnshire Railway)
- Portpatrick and Wigtownshire Railway, 1885 (jointly with Midland Railway, Caledonian Railway and Glasgow and South Western Railway)
- Preston and Wyre Railway, 1847 (jointly with Lancashire and Yorkshire Railway)
- Rugby and Leamington Railway, 1848
- Rugby and Stamford Railway, 1846
- St George's Harbour, 1861
- St Helens Canal and Railway, 1864
- Shrewsbury and Hereford Railway, 1862 (jointly with GWR and West Midland Railway)
- Shrewsbury and Welshpool Railway, 1864 (jointly with GWR from 1865)
- Shropshire Union Railways and Canal, 1847
- Sirhowy Railway, 1876
- South Leicestershire Railway, 1867
- South Staffordshire Railway, 1861
- Stockport, Disley and Whaley Bridge Railway, 1866
- Trent Valley Railway, 1847
- Tenbury Railway, 1866 (jointly with GWR from 1869)
- Vale of Clwyd Railway, 1867
- Vale of Towy Railway, 1884 (jointly with GWR from 1889)
- Warrington and Stockport Railway, 1859
- Watford and Rickmansworth Railway, 1881
- West London Extension Railway, 1859 (jointly with GWR, LSWR and LBSCR)
- Whitehaven, Cleator and Egremont Railway, 1877 (jointly with Furness Railway from 1878)
- Whitehaven Junction Railway, 1866
Locomotives
The LNWR's main engineering works were at Crewe (locomotives), Wolverton (carriages) and Earlestown (wagons). Locomotives were usually painted green at first, but in 1873 black was adopted as the standard livery. This finish has been described as "blackberry black".
Accidents and incidents
Major accidents on the LNWR include:-
- On 26 March 1850, the boiler of a locomotive exploded at Wolverton, Buckinghamshire due to the tampering of the safety valves. One person was injured.[7]
- On 6 March 1853, the boiler of a locomotive exploded at Longsight, Lancashire. Six people were killed and the engine shed was severely damaged.[7]
- On 11 June 1861, a cast-iron bridge collapsed under a freight train at Leek Wootton, Warwickshire. Both engine crew were killed.
- On 29 June 1867, a passenger train ran into the rear of a coal train at Warrington, Cheshire due to a pointsman's error which was compounded by the lack of interlocking between points and signals. Eight people were killed and 33 were injured.
- On 20 August 1868, a rake of wagons ran away from Llandulas, Denbighshire during shunting operations. The wagons sucsequently collided with the Irish Mail at Abergele, Denbighshire. Kerosene being carried in the wagons set the wreck on fire. Thirty-three people were killed in what was then the deadliest rail accident to have occurred in the United Kingdom.
- On 14 September 1870, a mail train was diverted into a siding at Tamworth station, Staffordshire due to a signalman's error. The train crashes through the buffers and ends up in the River Anker, killing three people.[8]
- In 1870, a North Eastern Railway freight train overruns signals and is in collision with a passenger train at St. Nicholas Crossing, Carlisle, Cumberland. Five people are killed. The driver of the freight train was intoxicated.[8]
- In 1870, a mail train is in a rear-end collision with a freight train at Harrow, Middlesex. Eight people are killed.[8]
- On 2 August 1873, a passenger train derailed at Wigan, Lancashire due to excessive speed. Thirteen people were killed and 30 were injured.
- On 22 December 1894, a wagon was derailed fouling the main line at Chelford, Cheshire. It was run into by an express passenger train, which was derailed. Fourteen people were killed and 48 were injured.
- On 15 August 1895, an express passenger train was derailed at Preston, Lancashire due to excessive speed on a curve. One person was killed.[9]
- On 12 January 1899, An express freight train was derailed at Penmaenmawr, Caernarfonshire due to the trackbed being washed away by the sea during a storm. Both locomotive crew were killed.[10]
- On 15 August 1903, two passenger trains collided at Preston, Lancashire due to faulty points.[11]
- On 15 October 1907, a mail train was derailed at Shrewsbury, Shropshire due to excessive speed on a curve. Eighteen people were killed.[12]
- On 19 August 1909, a passenger train was derailed at Friezeland, Cheshire. Two people were killed.[13]
- On 5 December 1910, a passenger train was in a rear-end collision at Willesden Junction, London. Three people were killed and more than 40 were injured.[14]
- On 17 September 1912, the driver of an express train misread signals at Ditton Junction, Cheshire. The train was derailed when it ran over points at an excessive speed. Fifteen people were killed.
- On 14 August 1915, an express passenger train was derailed at Weedon, Northamptonshire due to a locomotive defect. Ten people were killed and 21 were injured.
- On 11 November 1921, the boiler of a locomotive exploded at Buxton, Derbyshire. Two people were killed.[15]
Minor incidents include:-
- In 1900, wagons of a permanent way train carrying sleepers were set on fire by the heat of the sun at Earlestown, Lancashire, destroying a number of them.[12]
Electrification
From 1909 to 1922, the LNWR undertook a large-scale project to electrify the whole of its London inner-suburban network.
Ships
The LNWR operated a number of ships on Irish Sea crossings between Holyhead and Dublin, Howth or Kingstown. The LNWR also operated a joint service with the Lancashire & Yorkshire Railway from Fleetwood to Belfast and Derry.
Notable people
Chairmen of the Board of Directors
- 1846–1852 — George Glyn, later 1st Baron Wolverton
- 1852–1853 — Major-General George Anson
- 1853–1861 — Marquess of Chandos, later 3rd Duke of Buckingham and Chandos
- 1861 — Admiral Constantine Richard Moorsom
- 1861–1891 — Richard Moon, Sir Richard Moon from 1887
- 1891–1911 — The Lord Stalbridge
- 1911–1921 — Gilbert Claughton, Sir Gilbert Claughton from 1912
- 1921–1923 — Hon. Charles N. Lawrence, later Baron Lawrence of Kingsgate
Members of the Board of Directors
- John Pares Bickersteth[16]
- Michael Linning Melville [17]
- Frederick Baynes[16]
- John Albert Bright[16]
- Ralph Brocklebank[16]
- Sir Thomas Brooke, 1st Baronet[16]
- Philip Henry Chambres[16]
- William E. Dorrington[16]
- Edmund Faber, 1st Baron Faber[16]
- Alfred Fletcher[16]
- Samuel Robert Graves[18]
- Rupert Guinness, 2nd Earl of Iveagh[16]
- Theodore Julius Hare[16]
- John Hick[19]
- The Hon. A. H. Holland-Hibbert[16]
- Sir William Houldsworth, 1st Baronet[16]
- J. Bruce Ismay[16]
- Lieut-Col. Amelius Lockwood, 1st Baron Lambourne[16]
- The Hon. William Lowther[16]
- Brigadier-General Lewis Vivian Loyd[16]
- Miles MacInnes[16]
- Edward Nettlefold[16]
- David Plunket, 1st Baron Rathmore[16]
- Cromartie Sutherland-Leveson-Gower, 4th Duke of Sutherland[16]
- Henry Ward[16]
General Managers
- 1846–1858 — Captain Mark Huish
- 1858–1874 — William Cawkwell
- 1874–1893 — Sir George Findlay
- 1893–1908 — Sir Frederick Harrison (knighted in 1902)
- 1909–1914 — Frank Ree
- 1914 — Robert Turnbull
- 1914–1919 — Guy Calthrop
- 1919–1920 — Isaac Thomas Williams
- 1920–1923 — Arthur Watson
Locomotive Superintendents and Chief Mechanical Engineers
Southern Division:
- 1846–1847 — Edward Bury
- 1847–1862 — James McConnell
North Eastern Division:
- 1846–1857 — John Ramsbottom
NE Division became part of N Division in 1857.
Northern Division:
- 1846–1857 — Francis Trevithick
- 1857–1862 — John Ramsbottom
Northern and Southern Divisions amalgamated from April 1862:
- 1862–1871 — John Ramsbottom
- 1871–1903 — Francis William Webb
- 1903–1909 — George Whale
- 1909–1920 — Charles Bowen Cooke
- 1920–1921 — Hewitt Pearson Montague Beames
- 1922 — George Hughes (ex-Lancashire and Yorkshire Railway)
Preservation
- Sections of the former L&NWR are preserved as the Battlefield Line Railway, Nene Valley Railway and Northampton & Lamport Railway, the latter giving the name Premier Line to its quarterly journal.[20]
- A section of the former L&NWR line and station buildings are preserved at Quainton near Aylesbury. It is administered by the Buckinghamshire Railway preservation Society and houses some original L&NWR rolling stock in the former Oxford Rewley Road station. It regularly runs steam trains using various locomotives.
See also
- Great Northern and London and North Western Joint Railway
- Nickey Line
- Croxley Rail Link
- Rail transport in Great Britain
References
- 1 2 3 Ferneyhough, Frank (1975). The history of railways in Britain. Reading: Osprey. p. 111. ISBN 978-0-85045-060-6.
- ↑ "The Importance of Passenger Traffic". London and North Western Railway Society. Retrieved 24 February 2013.
- ↑ Barrie, D. S. M. (1957). The Dundalk, Newry & Greenore Railway and the Holyhead - Greenore Steamship Service. Usk, UK: The Oakwood Press.
- ↑ "Map of LNWR". London and North Western Railway Society. Retrieved 24 February 2013.
- ↑ Book 0323: The Aylesbury Railway. Hertfordshire Genealogy. Retrieved 29 December 2010.
- ↑ Banbury To Verney Junction (Lnwr). Disused-rlys.fotopic.net. Retrieved 29 December 2010.
- 1 2 Hewison, Christian H. (1983). Locomotive Boiler Explosions. Newton Abbot: David & Charles. pp. 32, 36–37. ISBN 0 7153 8305 1.
- 1 2 3 Hall, Stanley (1990). The Railway Detectives. London: Ian Allan. pp. 38–40. ISBN 0 7110 1929 0.
- ↑ Trevena, Arthur (1981). Trains in Trouble: Vol. 2. Redruth: Atlantic Books. p. 7. ISBN 0-906899-03-6.
- ↑ Trevena, Arthur (1981). Trains in Trouble: Vol. 2. Redruth: Atlantic Books. pp. 15–16. ISBN 0-906899-03-6.
- ↑ Earnshaw, Alan (1990). Trains in Trouble: Vol. 6. Penryn: Atlantic Books. p. 8. ISBN 0-906899-37-0.
- 1 2 Trevena, Arthur (1980). Trains in Trouble. Vol. 1. Redruth: Atlantic Books. pp. 16, 24. ISBN 0-906899-01-X.
- ↑ Hoole, Ken (1982). Trains in Trouble: Vol. 3. Redruth: Atlantic Books. p. 15. ISBN 0-906899-05-2.
- ↑ Earnshaw, Alan (1991). Trains in Trouble: Vol. 7. Penryn: Atlantic Books. p. 13. ISBN 0-906899-50-8.
- ↑ Earnshaw, Alan (1993). Trains in Trouble: Vol. 8. Penryn: Atlantic Books. p. 11. ISBN 0-906899-52-4.
- 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 Bradshaw's Railway Manual, Shareholders' Guide and Official Directory for 1905. London: Henry Blacklock & Co. Ltd. pp. 201–202.
- ↑ Railway Reminiscences by George P. Neele Late Superintendent of the Line of the London and North Western Railway, Morquorquodale & Co., London 1904, Chapter VII
- ↑ Debretts House of Commons and the Judicial Bench 1870
- ↑ Unknown (1894). "Obituary, John Hick, 1815-1894". Proceedings of the Institution of Civil Engineers 117: 379–380. ISSN 1753-7843. Retrieved 13 November 2015.
- ↑ Premier Line. Northampton and Lamport Railway (26 January 2008). Retrieved 29 December 2010.
- Reed, M.C. (1996). The London & North Western Railway. Penryn: Atlantic Transport. ISBN 978-0-906899-66-3
Further reading
- Measom, George (1859), Official Illustrated Guide to the North-Western Railway, London: W.H. Smith and Son
- Steel, Wilfred L. (1914), The history of the London & North Western Railway, Railway and Travel Monthly
- Darroch, G.R.S. (1920), Deeds of a great railway; a record of the enterprise and achievements of the London and north-western railway company during the great war, John. Murray
- Head, Francis Bond (1849), Stokers and pokers; or, The London and North-Western Railway, the electric telegraph, and the Railway Clearing-House, John. Murray, 1861 edition
- Findlay, George (1889), The Working and Management of an English Railway (2nd ed.)
External links
Wikimedia Commons has media related to London and North Western Railway. |
- "J. Hudson & Co Beaufort whistle, Railway, L&NWR, Kings Whistle, Made by J.Hudson & Co. One of their Best Made models.", Whistle Museum (image)
- London and North Western Railway Society, Registered Charity L&NWR Society No. 1110210
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