London and North Western Railway
The
London and North Western Railway (
LNWR) was formed in
1846 by the merger of three railway companies - the
Grand Junction Railway,
London and Birmingham and
Manchester and Birmingham. 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,
London,
Birmingham,
Manchester,
Liverpool,
Leeds, and (through co-operation with the Caledonian Railway)
Glasgow and
Edinburgh. It also handled the Irish Mail for the Government between
Euston and
Holyhead.
The LNWR formed the major constituent of the London, Midland and Scottish (LMS) railway when the railways of Great Britain were merged in the grouping of 1923.
See Also