Bristol and Exeter Railway
The Bristol and Exeter Railway was a railway company in South West England .
The company was founded on May 19, 1836 to build a 137.6 kilometer long railway line with 2.14 meter broad gauge from Bristol to Exeter . The company, initiated by an Exeter businessman, soon ran into financial difficulties. The Great Western Railway (GWR) therefore leased the Bristol and Exeter Railway. On June 14, 1841, the line opened between Bristol and Bridgwater , on July 1, 1842 to Taunton and finally on May 1, 1844 to Exeter. In 1845 a purchase offer was made by the GWR, but this was rejected, so that the lease contract expired on April 30, 1849. In 1859 the company began producing its own locomotives in Bristol.
In the following years the company began to expand. In 1863 the Chard and Taunton Railway was taken over , the Cheddar Valley and Yatton Railway in 1865 and the Exe Valley Railway in 1875 . Ultimately, the Bristol and Exeter Railway operated a network of 353.5 kilometers of railway line, of which 223 kilometers were owned.
With effect from January 1, 1876, the company was leased again to the GWR, which took over the Bristol and Exeter Railway on August 1, 1876 finally.
literature
- Christopher Awdry: Encyclopaedia of British Railway Companies . Stephens, Wellingborough 1990, ISBN 1-85260-049-7 .
