List of railway companies involved in the 1923 grouping.html



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. The grouping took effect from 1 January 1923.

The Big Four

The Big Four and their constituent companies, showing route mileage, were:

• Great Western Railway (GWR)
  • Great Western Railway 3005 miles
  • Alexandra (Newport & S Wales) Docks & Railway (ADR) 10.5 miles
  • Barry Railway (Barry) 68 miles
  • Cambrian Railways (Cambrian) 295.25 miles
  • Cardiff Railway (Cardiff) 11.75 miles
  • Rhymney Railway (RhyR) 51 miles
  • Taff Vale Railway (TVR) 124.5 miles
    • for the list of subsidiary companies and joint railways see List of constituents of the Great Western Railway
• London and North Eastern Railway(LNER)
  • Great Central Railway (GCR) 852.5 miles
  • Great Eastern Railway (GER) 1191.25 miles
  • Great Northern Railway (GNR) 1051.25 miles
  • Hull and Barnsley Railway 106.5 miles
  • North Eastern Railway 1757.75 miles
  • Great North of Scotland Railway 334.5 miles
  • North British Railway 1378 miles
    • for the list of subsidiary companies and joint railways see List of constituents of the London and North Eastern Railway
• London, Midland and Scottish Railway (LMSR)
  • London and North Western Railway (LNWR); 2667.5 miles (4268 km)
    • including Lancashire and Yorkshire Railway (L&YR) amalgamated from 1 January 1922
  • Furness Railway(Furness); 158 miles (253 km)
  • Midland Railway (MR) 2170.75 miles (3473 km)
  • North Staffordshire Railway(NSR) 220.75 miles (253 km)
  • Caledonian Railway (CalR) 1114.5 miles (1783 km)
  • Glasgow and South Western Railway (GSWR) 493.5 miles (790 km)
  • Highland Railway(HR) 506 miles (807 km)
    • for the list of subsidiary companies and joint railways see List of constituents of the London, Midland and Scottish Railway
    • Irish Lines absorbed by the LMSR were:
      • Dundalk, Newry and Greenore Railway(DNGR) 26.5 miles
      • Northern Counties Committee lines (NCC(I)) 265.25 miles
      • Joint Midland and Great Northern Railway (Ireland) lines (JtMGNR(I))
• Southern Railway (SR)
  • London, Brighton and South Coast Railway (LBSCR) 457.25 miles
  • London and South Western Railway (LSWR) 1020.5 miles
  • South Eastern and Chatham Railways' Managing Committee: a working union of the South Eastern Railway and the London, Chatham and Dover Railway 637.75 miles
    • for the list of subsidiary companies and joint railways see List of constituent companies of the Southern Railway

Companies not covered by the Grouping

Over fifty railway companies were not covered by the Grouping. Those in the following list were those organised on an independent basis, usually providing locomotives and rolling stock also. They are included under classification headings.

Joint Railways

Joint Lines in this respect were wholly owned by two or more other companies. If not all of the owning companies went into the same group then the joint company could not be grouped. Joint lines did not always operate any services: they owned the track, stations etc and the services were operated by one or more of the parent companies:

• These are those in which the Group companies only are concerned:
  • East London Railway: Great Eastern Railway, London, Brighton and South Coast Railway, Metropolitan (Met) and Metropolitan District Railway. Length 5 miles (8 km). Managed and operated by Met; goods traffic by LNER.
  • Cheshire Lines Committee: (GNR, Midland and GCR); now operated under direction of a board of directors appointed by LNER and LMSR. Length 142 miles (227 km) Rolling stock owned by CLC; locomotive power by LNER.
  • Manchester, South Junction and Altrincham Railway:
  • Midland and Great Northern Joint Railway: (Midland and GNR; subsequent to the Grouping the parent companies were the LMS and the LNER). Length 183 miles (293 km). This was the largest joint system in the UK, and many of the services were operated by the joint company itself. In addition, it received substantial traffic from the GNR and MR/LMS, but rather less post-Grouping from the LNER (which also owned the competing ex-GER system in East Anglia).
  • Somerset and Dorset Joint Railway: (Midland and LSWR) Length 105 miles (168 km)

Railways not included in Group Companies

Electric or electric and steam lines

• Railways associated with the Underground Electric Railways Company of London, Limited (the precursor of the London Passenger Transport Board (LPTB)):
  • Central London Railway: 7 miles (11 km). Trains worked through to Ealing over the Ealing and Shepherd's Bush Railway (GWR)
  • City & South London Railway: 7.25 miles (12 km)
  • London Electric Railway: 24 miles (38 km): amalgamation of the Baker Street and Waterloo and Great Northern and City Railways
  • Metropolitan District Railway 27.75 miles (44 km)
• Other electric/steam railways:
  • Liverpool Overhead Railway 6.5 miles (10 km)
  • Mersey Railway 4.75 miles (8 km)
  • Metropolitan Railway: steam and electric 65.75 miles (105 km)

Light and similar railways (standard gauge)

• Bideford, Westward Ho! and Appledore Railway 7 miles closed at time of Grouping
• Bishops Castle Railway 9.75 miles (16 km)
• Corringham Light Railway 2.75 miles (4 km)
• Derwent Valley Light Railway 16 miles (26 km)
• Easingwold Railway 2.5 miles (4 km)
• East Kent Railway: 48 miles (77 km)
• Glasgow (Cable) Subway: 6.75 miles (11 km)
• Hellingly Hospital Railway: {1.25 miles (2 km)
• Hundred of Manhood and Selsey Tramways 8 miles (13 km) *
• Kent & East Sussex Railway: 24 miles (38 km) *
• Mumbles Railway: 5.5 miles (9 km)
• Nidd Valley Light Railway: 6 miles (10 km) public; 7 miles (11 km) private
• North Sunderland Light Railway: 4 miles (6 km)
• Rowrah and Kelton Fell Railway: 3 miles (5 km)
• Shropshire and Montgomeryshire Railway 26 miles (42 km) *
• Stocksbridge Railway 2 miles (3 km)
• Swansea Improvements and Tramways Company 18 miles (29 km)
• Wantage Tramway
• Weston, Clevedon and Portishead Railway 14.5 miles (23 km)

Light railways (narrow gauge)

• Ashover Light Railway 2 ft (610 mm)
• Brighton Electric Railway; 2 feet 8.5 inches (825 mm); 1.75 miles (3 km)
• Camborne and Redruth Tramway; 3 ft 6 in (1,067 mm); 3.25 miles (5 km)
• Campbeltown and Machrihanish Railway; 2 ft 3 in (686 mm); 6 miles (10 km)
• Corris Railway; 2 ft 3 in (686 mm); 11 miles (18 km)
• Ravenglass and Eskdale Railway; 15 in (381 mm); 7.25 miles (12 km)
• Ffestiniog Railway; 1 ft 11½ in (597 mm); 14.5 miles (23 km)
• Glyn Valley Railway; 2 feet 4.5 inches (725 mm)
• North Wales Narrow Gauge Railways; 1 ft 11½ in (597 mm); 12.25 miles (20 km)
• Portmadoc, Beddgelert and South Snowdon Railway; 1 ft 11½ in (597 mm); 4.75 miles (8 km)
• Rye and Camber Tramway; 3 ft (914 mm); 3 miles (5 km)
• Snailbeach District Railways: 2 feet 4 inches (572 mm); 3.25 miles (5 km)
• Snowdon Mountain Tramroad; 800 mm (2 ft 7½ in); 5 miles (8 km); rack railway
• Southwold Railway; 3 ft (914 mm); 9 miles (14 km)
• Talyllyn Railway; 2 ft 3 in (686 mm); 6.75 miles (11 km)
• Wolverton and Stony Stratford Railway; 3 ft 6 in (1,067 mm); owned by LMSR

Railways outside the jurisdiction of the United Kingdom Parliament

• Isle of Man Railway; 3 feet (914 mm); 46.25 miles (74 km)
• Jersey Eastern Railway 6.25 miles (10 km)
• Jersey Railway and Tramways; 3.5 feet (1067 mm); 7.5 miles (12 km)
• Manx Electric Railway; 3 feet (914 mm); 18 miles (29 km); and 3.5 feet (1067 mm); 5 miles (8 km)

Miscellaneous railways

The railways included in this section were standard gauge, unless otherwise noted:

• Felixstowe Docks and Railway length of railway 0.5 mile (0.8 km)
• Manchester Ship Canal 156 miles (250 km)
• Mersey Docks and Harbour Board 104 miles (166 km)
• Milford Haven Dock and Railway 1.25 miles (2 km)
• Pentewan Railway 2.5 feet gauge (762 mm); 4 miles (6 km); temporarily closed 1923
• Trafford Park: 18 miles (29 km)

See also

• History of rail transport in Great Britain
• Rail transport in Great Britain