London and North Western Railway
The
London and North Western Railway (LNWR) 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, and is effectively an ancestor of today's
West Coast Main Line.
It was known as the 'Premier Line' - though disputed by many it may be thought that it deserved this title as the
Liverpool and Manchester Railway, the first passenger railway in the world, was one of its ancestors through its merger with the
Grand Junction Railway).
As the largest
joint stock company in the
United Kingdom, it collected a greater revenue than any other company. It served some of Britain's largest cities:
Birmingham,
Leeds,
Liverpool,
London,
Manchester, and (through co-operation with the
Caledonian Railway)
Edinburgh and
Glasgow. It also handled the Irish Mail for the Government between
Euston and
Holyhead.
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.
See
Locomotives of the London and North Western Railway*
Canada Dock Branch from
Edge Hill railway station on the
Liverpool and Manchester Railway through the northern
Liverpool to
Canada Dock in
1866.
*
London and North Western Railway Society*
Rail transport in Great Britain*
UK topics*
The Nicky Line*
Victoria Tunnel
