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Great Western Railway
Coat-of-arms of the Great Western Railway,incorporating the shields ofthe cities of London (left) and Bristol (right)
Coat-of-arms of the Great Western Railway,
incorporating the shields of
the cities of London (left) and Bristol (right)
History
1835Act of Incorporation
1838First train ran
1892Broad gauge abandoned
1903Start of road motor services
1904City of Truro sets speed record
1948Nationalised
Constituent companies
1854Shrewsbury and Birmingham Ry
Shrewsbury and Chester Railway
1862South Wales Railway
1863West Midlands Railway
1876Bristol and Exeter Railway
South Devon Railway
1889Cornwall Railway
1922Rhymney Railway
Taff Vale Railway
Cambrian Railway
1923Midland & S W Junction Rwy
See full list of constituents of the Great Western Railway
Successor organisation
1948Western Region
of British Railways
Key locations
Headquarters Paddington station, London
WorkshopsSwindon
 Wolverhampton
Major stationsBristol Temple Meads
Cardiff General
London Paddington
Reading General
Route mileage
1841171 miles (275 km)
18631,106 miles (1,780 km)
18762,023 miles (3,256 km)
18992,504 miles (4,030 km)
19212,900 miles (4,700 km)
19243,797 miles (6,111 km)
Mileage shown as at end of year stated. A coat of arms or armorial bearings (often just arms for short in European tradition is a design belonging to a particular person (or group of people London ( ˈlʌndən is the capital and largest urban area in the United Kingdom. Bristol ( ˈbrɪstəl is a city, Unitary authority and ceremonial county in South West England, west of London An Act of Parliament is a Law enacted as Primary legislation by a national or sub-national Parliament. Broad gauge Railways use a Rail gauge (distance between the rails greater than the Standard gauge of. The Great Western Railway road motor services operated from 1903 to 1933 both as a feeder to their train services and as a cheaper alternative to building new railways in rural areas Great Western Railway (GWR City Class 4-4-0 Locomotive number 3440 City Of Truro was designed by George Jackson Churchward Nationalization, also spelled nationalisation, is the act of taking an industry or assets into the Public ownership of a national government The Shrewsbury and Birmingham Railway opened on 12 November 1849. The South Wales Railway was a Broad gauge railway that linked the Gloucester and Dean Forest Railway with Neyland in Wales. The West Midlands Railway was an early British Railway company The Bristol & Exeter Railway was a railway company formed to connect Bristol and Exeter. The South Devon Railway Company built and operated the Railway from Exeter to Plymouth and Torquay in Devon, England The Cornwall Railway was a Broad gauge (7 feet 025 inch railway from Plymouth in Devon to Falmouth in Cornwall, United 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 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 Cambrian Railways owned 230 miles of track over a large area of mid- Wales. Formation The M&SWJR was formed in 1884 from the amalgamation of two local lines the Swindon Marlborough and Andover Railway and the Swindon and Cheltenham Extension Railway The Western Region was a region of British Railways from 1948 See also Rail transport in Great Britain, National Rail, Network Rail This article is about the defunct entity "British Railways" London ( ˈlʌndən is the capital and largest urban area in the United Kingdom. Swindon railway works were built by the Great Western Railway in 1841 in Swindon in the English county of Wiltshire. Bristol Temple Meads railway station is the oldest and largest Railway station in Bristol, England Cardiff Central railway station (Caerdydd Canolog is a major British railway station on Central Square in Cardiff, Wales. London Paddington station, also known as London Paddington, or just simply Paddington, is a major National Rail and London Underground station Reading railway station (formerly Reading General) is a major rail transport hub in Reading. Source[1][2][3]

The Great Western Railway (GWR) was incorporated by Act of Parliament in 1835 and Nationalised on 1 January 1948. The Great Western Railway ( GWR) was a British railway company and a notable example of Civil engineering, linking London with the West An Act of Parliament is a Law enacted as Primary legislation by a national or sub-national Parliament. Nationalization, also spelled nationalisation, is the act of taking an industry or assets into the Public ownership of a national government New Year See also New Year The Ancient Romans began their consular year on January 1st since 153 BC Year 1948 ( MCMXLVIII) was a Leap year starting on Thursday (link will display the 1948 calendar of the Gregorian calendar. During this time it amalgamated with, or purchased outright, many other railway companies. Consolidation or amalgamation is the act of merging many things into one These are listed here in two groups. The early amalgamations (mostly between 1843 and 1900) were often railway companies that were already financially supported by the GWR. The Railways Act 1921 brought many new companies into the fold including many successful Welsh lines. The 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

Key:

♠ – Companies that were already operated by or leased to the GWR or one of the other absorbed railways before amalgamation. Note: This list is incomplete.
♥ – Companies operating wholly or partly on the 7 ft 0¼ in (2,140 mm) broad gauge at the time that they combined with the GWR. Broad gauge Railways use a Rail gauge (distance between the rails greater than the Standard gauge of. The broad gauge was finally abandoned on 21 May 1892. Events 878 - Syracuse Italy is captured by the Muslim sultan of Sicily. Year 1892 ( MDCCCXCII) was a Leap year starting on Friday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian Calendar (or a Leap year

Contents

Early amalgamations and purchases

1921 Railways Act

The following companies were absorbed into the Great Western Railway as a result of the Railways Act 1921, however they were incorporated into the new larger business on the different dates shown. The Cheltenham and Great Western Union Railway was a Broad gauge railway that linked the Great Western Railway at Swindon, Wiltshire, with "July 1st" redirects here For the Ayumi Hamasaki song see H (song. Year 1843 ( MDCCCXLIII) was a Common year starting on Sunday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian Calendar (or a Common History In 1844 the GWR proposed a Broad gauge branch line from Pangbourne railway station to Newbury while the LSWR was promoting an alternative standard The Wilts Somerset and Weymouth Railway was a Broad gauge railway that linked the Great Western Railway at Chippenham Wiltshire with Weymouth Events 1489 - The Queen of Cyprus, Catherine Cornaro, sells her kingdom to Venice. For the game see 1850 (board game. 1850 ( MDCCCL) was a Common year starting on Tuesday (link The Shrewsbury and Birmingham Railway opened on 12 November 1849. Events 462 - Possible start of first Byzantine indiction cycle. Year 1854 ( MDCCCLIV) was a Common year starting on Sunday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian Calendar (or a Common year Events 462 - Possible start of first Byzantine indiction cycle. Year 1854 ( MDCCCLIV) was a Common year starting on Sunday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian Calendar (or a Common year The Chester and Birkenhead Railway ran from Birkenhead to Chester. New Year See also New Year The Ancient Romans began their consular year on January 1st since 153 BC Year 1860 ( MDCCLX) was a Leap year starting on Sunday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian Calendar (or a Leap year starting The South Wales Railway was a Broad gauge railway that linked the Gloucester and Dean Forest Railway with Neyland in Wales. New Year See also New Year The Ancient Romans began their consular year on January 1st since 153 BC Year 1862 was a Common year starting on Wednesday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Common year starting on Monday The West Midlands Railway was an early British Railway company Events 30 BC - Octavian (later known as Augustus enters Alexandria, Egypt, bringing it under the control of the Roman Year 1863 ( MDCCCLXIII) was a Common year starting on Thursday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Common 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 The Oxford Worcester and Wolverhampton railway was a company authorised on 4th August 1845 to construct a railway line from the Oxford and Rugby Railway at Wolvercot Junction The Vale of Neath Railway was a Broad gauge railway line from Neath to Merthyr Tydfil, in Glamorgan, Wales, and also operated Events 1327 - Teenaged Edward III is crowned King of England, but the country is ruled by his mother Queen Year 1865 ( MDCCCLXV) was a Common year starting on Sunday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Common year The Wycombe Railway was opened for passenger services in 1854 from Maidenhead to High Wycombe, and later extended to Princes Risborough, and then Events 1327 - Teenaged Edward III is crowned King of England, but the country is ruled by his mother Queen Year 1870 ( MDCCCLXX) was a Common year starting on Saturday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Common The Llanelly Railway was a Welsh railway system that became the basis of the present Heart of Wales Line. Year 1873 ( MDCCCLXXIII) was a Common year starting on Wednesday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Common The Llynvi and Ogmore Railway was formed by the merger on 1 July 1866 of the broad-gauge Llynvi Valley Railway and the standard-gauge "July 1st" redirects here For the Ayumi Hamasaki song see H (song. Year 1873 ( MDCCCLXXIII) was a Common year starting on Wednesday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Common The East Somerset Railway is a Heritage railway in Somerset, running between Cranmore and Mendip Vale. Events 30 BC - Octavian (later known as Augustus enters Alexandria, Egypt, bringing it under the control of the Roman Year 1875 ( MDCCCLXXV) was a Common year starting on Friday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Common The South Wales Railway was a Broad gauge railway that linked the Gloucester and Dean Forest Railway with Neyland in Wales. The Bristol & Exeter Railway was a railway company formed to connect Bristol and Exeter. New Year See also New Year The Ancient Romans began their consular year on January 1st since 153 BC Year 1876 ( MDCCCLXXVI) was a Leap year starting on Saturday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian Calendar (or a Leap year South Devon Railway could mean South Devon Railway (1846-1876 - company that built railway from Exeter to Plymouth South Devon Railway Trust Events 1327 - Teenaged Edward III is crowned King of England, but the country is ruled by his mother Queen Year 1876 ( MDCCCLXXVI) was a Leap year starting on Saturday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian Calendar (or a Leap year The Dartmouth and Torbay Railway was a Broad gauge railway linking the South Devon Railway branch at Torquay with Kingswear in Devon The South Devon and Tavistock Railway was a Broad gauge railway linking Plymouth with Tavistock in Devon, England. The Moretonhampstead and South Devon Railway was a Broad gauge railway which linked the South Devon Railway at Newton Abbot railway station with The South Devon and Tavistock Railway was a Broad gauge railway linking Plymouth with Tavistock in Devon, England. The West Cornwall Railway is a former railway company in Cornwall, United Kingdom. Events 1327 - Teenaged Edward III is crowned King of England, but the country is ruled by his mother Queen Year 1876 ( MDCCCLXXVI) was a Leap year starting on Saturday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian Calendar (or a Leap year The Hayle Railway (also known as the Hayle and Portreath Railway) was an early Cornish railway built to Standard gauge, and opened in 1837 Planning and Construction Receiving Royal Assent in 1873 construction started the next year The Carmarthen and Cardigan Railway was a Broad gauge railway from Carmarthen, Carmarthenshire, to Newcastle Emlyn, Wales. "July 1st" redirects here For the Ayumi Hamasaki song see H (song. Year 1882 ( MDCCCLXXXII) was a Common year starting on Sunday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Common History In 1844 the GWR proposed a Broad gauge branch line from Pangbourne railway station to Newbury while the LSWR was promoting an alternative standard The Torbay and Brixham Railway was a 7 ft 0¼ in Broad gauge railway which linked the Dartmouth and Torbay Railway at Churston railway station, Devon New Year See also New Year The Ancient Romans began their consular year on January 1st since 153 BC Year 1883 ( MDCCCLXXXIII) was a Common year starting on Monday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Common The Festiniog & Blaenau Railway was a Narrow gauge railway built in 1868 to connect the town of Blaenau Ffestiniog with the slate quarries around Tanymanod Events 506 - The Bishops of Visigothic Gaul meet in the Council of Agde. Year 1883 ( MDCCCLXXXIII) was a Common year starting on Monday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Common New Year See also New Year The Ancient Romans began their consular year on January 1st since 153 BC Year 1884 ( MDCCCLXXXIV) was a Leap year starting on Tuesday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Leap year Events 462 - Possible start of first Byzantine indiction cycle. Year 1886 ( MDCCCLXXXVI) was a Common year starting on Friday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Common The Cornwall Railway was a Broad gauge (7 feet 025 inch railway from Plymouth in Devon to Falmouth in Cornwall, United "July 1st" redirects here For the Ayumi Hamasaki song see H (song. Year 1889 ( MDCCCLXXXIX) was a Common year starting on Tuesday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Common History Authorisation The Cornwall Minerals Railway was authorised by Act of Parliament on 21 July 1873 and opened on 1 June 1874 "July 1st" redirects here For the Ayumi Hamasaki song see H (song. Year 1896 ( MDCCCXCVI) was a Leap year starting on Wednesday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian Calendar (or a Leap year 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 The Newquay and Cornwall Junction Railway was a Broad gauge railway intended to link the Cornwall Railway with the horse-worked Newquay Railway The Treffry Tramways were a disjoint network of Horse worked mineral tramways in Cornwall in the United Kingdom. Par is a Village and Fishing port situated about east of St Austell, on the south coast of Cornwall, in South West England, The route The cities towns and villages served by the route are listed below "July 1st" redirects here For the Ayumi Hamasaki song see H (song. Year 1896 ( MDCCCXCVI) was a Leap year starting on Wednesday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian Calendar (or a Leap year The Vale of Llangollen Railway was built as a spur from the Shrewsbury and Chester Railway at Ruabon to the town of Llangollen. The Buckfastleigh Totnes and South Devon Railway built the Broad gauge railway line from Totnes to Buckfastleigh and Ashburton in Devon "July 1st" redirects here For the Ayumi Hamasaki song see H (song. Year 1898 ( MDCCCXCVIII) was a Common year starting on Saturday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Common Events 305 - Diocletian and Maximian retire from the office of Roman Emperor. Year 1901 ( MCMI) was a Common year starting on Tuesday (link will display calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Common year starting The Line Today The station building from Bridport was moved to Beer Heights Light Railway near Seaton in Devon, and the station building from History The Act of Parliament that authorised the Devon and Somerset Railway received assent on 29 July 1864. Rolling stock Aelfred Chapman and Furneaux 0-6-0T built 1898 Eahlswith Chapman and Furneaux 0-6-0T built "July 1st" redirects here For the Ayumi Hamasaki song see H (song. Year 1906 ( MCMVI) was a Common year starting on Monday (link will display full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Common year starting "July 1st" redirects here For the Ayumi Hamasaki song see H (song. Year 1907 ( MCMVII) was a Common year starting on Tuesday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Common year The 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

References

See also


The "Big Four" pre-nationalisation British railway companies
v • d • e

█ Great Western • █ London Midland & Scottish • █ London & North Eastern • █ Southern

GWR constituents: Great Western Railway • Cambrian Railways • Taff Vale Railway
Barry Railway • Rhymney Railway • (Full list)
LNER constituents: Great Central • Great Eastern • Great Northern • Great North of Scotland
Hull & Barnsley • North British • North Eastern • (Full list)
LMS constituents: Caledonian • Furness • Glasgow & South Western • Highland
Lancashire & Yorkshire • London and North Western • Midland • North Staffordshire • (Full list)
SR constituents: London and South Western Railway • London, Brighton and South Coast Railway
South Eastern Railway • London, Chatham and Dover Railway • (Full list)

See also: History of rail transport in Great Britain 1923 - 1947 • List of companies involved in the grouping


This article is part of the History of rail transport by country series 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 See also Rail transport in Great Britain, National Rail, Network Rail This article is about the defunct entity "British Railways" The Great Western Railway ( GWR) was a British railway company and a notable example of Civil engineering, linking London with the West London Midland for the new (2007 railway company The London Midland and Scottish Railway ( LMS) was a British Railway company The The Southern Railway (SR was a British railway company established in the 1923 Grouping. The Great Western Railway ( GWR) was a British railway company and a notable example of Civil engineering, linking London with the West Cambrian Railways owned 230 miles of track over a large area of mid- 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 The Barry Railway Company was promoted by interests in coal mining and steel in the South Wales valleys as an alternative to the existing rail service to Cardiff docks in 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 The Great Central Railway ( GCR) was a railway company in England which came into being when the Manchester Sheffield and Lincolnshire Railway changed The Great Eastern Railway (GER was a pre-grouping British railway company whose main line linked London Liverpool The Great Northern Railway (GNR was a British railway company established by the London & York Railway Act of 1846 The Great North of Scotland Railway (GNSR/GNoSR was one of the smaller British railways before the grouping, operating in the far north-east of Scotland History The Hull and Barnsley Railway (H&BR was opened on 20 July 1885. The North British Railway was a Scottish railway company that was absorbed into the London and North Eastern Railway at the Grouping in 1923 The North Eastern Railway (NER unlike many other of the pre-Grouping companies had a relatively compact territory having the district it covered to itself The London and North Eastern Railway (LNER was formed out of a number of constituent railway companies at the grouping in 1923 The Caledonian Railway was a major Scottish Railway company operating in Scotland The Furness Railway (Furness was a railway company operating in the Furness area of north-west England. The Glasgow and South Western Railway (G&SWR one of the pre- grouping railway companies, served a triangular area of south-west Scotland, between Glasgow The Highland Railway (HR was one of the smaller British railways before the Railways Act 1921; it operated north of Perth railway station in The Lancashire and Yorkshire Railway (L&YR was a major British railway company before the 1923 Grouping. The London and North Western Railway (LNWR L&NWR was a Railway company of the United Kingdom which existed between 1846 and 1922 The Midland Railway (MR was a Railway company in the United Kingdom, which existed from 1844 to 1922 when it became part of the London Midland and Scottish The North Staffordshire Railway was a British Railway company formed in 1845 to promote a number of lines in the Staffordshire Potteries Constituent companies The following made up the London Midland and Scottish Railway as a result of the Railways Act 1921: Caledonian Railway The London and South Western Railway (L&SWR was a Railway company in England from 1838 to 1922 The London Brighton and South Coast Railway (LB&SCR (commonly known as "the Brighton line" was a Railway company in the United Kingdom from 1846 to 1923 For the railway in India see South Eastern Railway (India South Eastern Railway (SER was a railway company in the United Kingdom The London Chatham and Dover Railway (LCDR was a railway company in south-eastern England from 1859 until the 1923 grouping which united it with other companies The Southern Railway in the United Kingdom was one of the "Big Four" railway companies set up after the 1923 Grouping. This article is part of a series on the History of rail transport in Great Britain The history of rail transport in Great Britain 1923 - 1947 covers the period Under the Railways Act 1921 the majority of the railway companies in Great Britain (and few in Northern Ireland were grouped into four main companies often termed the Big Four
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