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Encyclopaedia Of British Railway Companies By Christopher Awdry w dust jacket
Encyclopaedia Of British Railway Companies By Christopher Awdry
Hardbound With Dustjacket
288 Pages
Copyright 1990
Contents
Foreword
Acknowledgements
Introduction
Part 1: The Great Western Railway group
Part 2: The London, Midland & Scottish Railway group
Part 3: The London and North Eastern Railway group
Part 4: The Southern Railway group
Part 5: Independent and Joint railways, and London Passenger Transport
Board constituents
Appendix: 'Family tree' charts of constituent companies
1GWR: North of the Thames
2GWR: South and West England
3 GWR: South Wales
4GWR: North and Mid-Wales
5 LMS: CR and G&SWR
6 LMS: HR and L&YR
7LMS: CLC (LMS/LNER), FR, NSR, S&MJR and SUR&C
8 LMS: MR
9 LMS: L&NWR, England
10 LMS: L&NWR, North and Mid-Wales
11 LNER: GNSR
12 LNER: NBR
13 LNER: GNR and GCR
14 LNER: NER
15 LNER: GER and M&GNJR (LNER/LMS)
16 SR: LB&SCR, SER and LC&DR
17 SR: L&SWR
18 LPTB: LER and MetR
Bibliography
Index
Introduction
It is hoped that readers will find the layout of this volume easy to follow. Railways are listed alphabetically within the Group to which they were attached in 1923; a fifth section includes independent and Joint railways, and those lines that made up the LPTB in 1933.
I have tried to keep abbreviations to a minimum, though space limits demand that some companies be treated in this way - a list of these appears below. It may be taken for granted that there is an entry for each of these in the text, and in such cases the expression `qv' has also been dispensed with. Companies appearing more than once in the same entry are abbreviated also. Closure dates given, particularly those after 1923, should not be taken as exhaustive - I have used those readily available, but the subject is comprehensively covered elsewhere.
The Index lists, individually, all places which feature in a company name: ie the Manchester & Leeds Railway appears with the appropriate page number under both Manchester and Leeds, and it should be possible for a reader with an incomplete knowledge of the company name to find the railway he seeks with the minimum of trouble. It must also be said that no work of this kind can ever be entirely free of error, not only because of conflicting evidence arising from early railway records, but because research is making new discoveries daily. For any discrepancy herein I hold myself entirely responsible, and would ask any reader who can correct or supplement information, to write to me c/o the Publishers, including, if possible, details of the source of the new material.
Over the last 200 years, the railways of Britain have progressed from the few pioneering wagonways and plateways ofthe late eighteenth century, through the peak of prosperity and development in the years before the First World War, to today's much-trimmed and nationalized network. In 1914, there were just over 20,000 miles of line in Great Britain, but far from having been planned by a central authority with an overall scheme in mind, they had been pieced together mile by mile more or less haphazardly by - amazingly - over 1,000 separate companies, and it is these companies that are detailed in Christopher Awdry's remarkable Encyclopaedia.
Only a few of the thousand were major companies of the stature of for example, the London & North Western, the Great Western and the Midland railways. The majority were small concerns promoting and building only a few miles, or even only a few hundred yards, of line to link one town with another, or a town or a harbour with a main line, and were soon absorbed by or leased to the larger companies. So the thousand or so became, by the end of the Great War, about 150, and these, exhausted by the war effort, were grouped in 1923 into the 'Big Four' - the GWR, LMS, LNER and SR. These in turn were combined into one body - the nationalized British Railways - in 1948. However, one ofthe many fascinating facts to emerge from this book is that a surprising number of companies for one reason or another survived both the Grouping and nationalization to retain their independence to the end.
A unique and invaluable feature of this Encyclopaedia is the 'family trees' showing clearly and simply how the myriad companies, by acquisition, amalgamation and Grouping, became the 'Big Four, the London Passenger Transport Board and the independent and jointly owned concerns. In its five parts, dividing the companies into the Groups they eventually joined, the Encyclopaedia lists alphabetically every British railway whose projected line was at least partially opened, and gives details ofthe route and purpose, the promoters, dates ofauthorization, building, opening, amalgamation or closure.
This breadth of information has never before been available in a single volume, and Christopher Awdry's Encyclopaedia will become the definitive and indispensable book on the subject for all railway enthusiasts, historians and researchers.
The vast and complex railway network that once existed in Britain was promoted and built piecemeal over a period of more than a century by a huge number of separate companies, from impecunious local concerns operating a couple of miles of branch line with borrowed rolling-stock to giants like the Great Western, London & North Western and Midland railways.
In this remarkable Encyclopaedia, Christopher Awdry gives details of over 1,000 British railway companies which opened at least part of their projected lines, be it a few hundred yards or many hundreds of miles.
Information on the route and purpose, the promoters and the dates of authorization, building, opening, amalgamation or closure are supported by unique 'family trees' showing how every company, by acquisition, absorption or merger, found its way into the 'Big Four' of 1923 or the London Passenger Transport Board, or, in some cases, retained independence to the end.
It is the definitive work on the subject, and an invaluable reference source for every railway enthusiast, historian and researcher.
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