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

• British railway system
• UK topics