London, Midland and Scottish Railway
The London, Midland and Scottish Railway ( LMS ) was a British railway company . It belonged to the so-called Big Four , which emerged as part of a reorganization of the British railway system, known as grouping , and existed from 1923 to 1947.
history
The LMS came into force when the Railways Act 1921 came into force on January 1, 1923. The first years of the new company were marked by clashes between the two largest original companies, the Midland Railway and the London and North Western Railway , which were bitter competitors before the merger were. Representatives from both camps were convinced that the business methods they had used so far were better suited to the LMS.
Over time, the corporate policy of the former Midland Railway prevailed. For example, the rolling stock was kept in the traditional Midland carmine red. The LMS, like the Midland Railway in the past, also relied on the use of smaller steam locomotives with lower consumption, which ran in multiple traction if required. It wasn't until William Stanier was hired as chief engineer in 1933 that tensions eased. Instead of going back to the concepts of the original companies, he introduced new ideas in locomotive construction.
The length of the LMS route network was 12,537 km when it was founded. Main routes were the West Coast Main Line and the Midland Main Line , which connected London with the Midlands, the north-west of England and Scotland. In London, the Euston and St. Pancras railway stations were served by the LMS.
The LMS was in competition with the LNER with its express trains between London and Scotland . In the mid-1930s, both companies introduced streamlined steam locomotives in order to reduce travel times. One of the most famous LMS trains on this route was the 'Coronation Scot', which competed with the LNER 's ' Flying Scotsman '.
After the enactment of the Transport Act 1947 , the LMS was dissolved on January 1, 1948 and incorporated into the newly established British Railways . From then on, the LMS route network formed the operating regions of London Midland Region and Scottish Region . The routes in Northern Ireland have been transferred to the Ulster Transport Authority.
Origin companies of the LMS
Main companies
The main companies that made up the LMS were (length of route network in brackets):
-
London and North Western Railway (LNWR) 4,293 km
- Including Lancashire and Yorkshire Railway (L&YR, merger on January 1, 1922)
- Furness Railway (FR) 254 km
- Midland Railway (MR) 3,493 km
- North Staffordshire Railway (NSR) 355 km
- Caledonian Railway (CalR) 1793 km
- Glasgow and South Western Railway (G & SWR) 802 km
- Highland Railway (HR) 814 km
Other companies
Another seven smaller companies ran their own businesses:
- Cleator and Workington Junction Railway (49 km)
- Knott End Railway (19 km)
- Maryport and Carlisle Railway
- North London Railway (26 km)
- Stratford-upon-Avon and Midland Junction Railway (109 km)
- Wirral Railway (22 km)
- Cockermouth, Keswick and Penrith Railway (49 km)
Subsidiaries
The other subsidiaries only existed by name, but were nevertheless mentioned in the Railways Act for legal reasons.
Original parent company LNWR:
- Charnwood Forest Railway (17 km)
- Dearne Valley Railway (34 km)
- Harborne Railway (4 km)
- Mold and Denbigh Junction Railway (24 km)
- Shropshire Union Railways and Canal Company (47 km, partly shared with the Great Western Railway )
Original parent company MR:
- Tottenham and Forest Gate Railway (10 km)
- Yorkshire Dales Railway (14 km)
Original parent company CalR:
- Arbroath and Forfar Railway (15 miles)
- Brechin and Edzell District Railway (10 km)
- Cathcart District Railway
- Callander and Oban Railway (161 km)
- Dundee and Newtyle Railway (23 km)
- Killin Railway (8 km)
- Lanarkshire and Ayrshire Railway (58 km)
- Solway Junction Railway (20 km)
Original parent company HR:
- Dornoch Light Railway (12 km)
- Wick and Lybster Light Railway (22 km)
Original parent company NSR:
- Leek and Manifold Valley Light Railway (13 km, narrow gauge)
Two or more original parent companies:
Joint venture of the LMS parent companies
Multiple Partners: Carlisle Citadel Station and Goods Traffic Joint Committees (multiple partners)
LNWR and MR
- Ashby and Nuneaton Railway (47 km)
- Enderby Railway (4 km)
LNWR and L&YR:
- Lancashire and Yorkshire and Lancashire Union Joint Railway (21 km)
- North Union Railway (10 km)
- Preston and Longridge Railway (8 miles)
- Preston and Wyre Railway (74 km)
FR and MR:
- Furness and Midland Railway (16 km)
FR and LNWR:
CalR and G & SWR:
Joint venture after 1923
Together with London and North Eastern Railway :
- Axholme Joint Railway (45 km)
- Cheshire Lines Committee (229 km)
- Dumbarton and Balloch Railway (11 km, including a boat trip on Loch Lomond )
- Dundee and Arbroath Railway (37 km)
- Great Central and Midland Joint Railway (65 km)
- Great Central, Hull & Barnsley and Midland Joint Railway (3.7 miles)
- Great Central and North Staffordshire Joint Railway (18 km)
- Great Northern and London and North Western Joint Railway (72 km)
- Halifax and Ovenden Railway (4 km)
- Halifax High Level (5 km)
- Manchester South Junction and Altrincham Railway (15 km)
- Methley Joint Line (10 km)
- Midland and Great Northern Joint Railway (295 km)
- Norfolk and Suffolk Joint Committee (36 km)
- Oldham, Ashton and Guide Bridge Railway (10 km)
- Otley and Ilkley Railway (10 km)
- Perth General Station Committee
- Prince's Dock, Glasgow (1.2 miles)
- South Yorkshire Joint Railway (33 km)
- Swinton and Knottingley Railway (31 km)
- Tottenham and Hampstead Railway (5 miles)
Together with Great Western Railway :
- Birkenhead Railway (91 km)
- Brecon and Merthyr Railway and London and North Western Joint Railway (10 km)
- Brynmawr and Western Valleys Railway (1.2 miles)
- Clee Hill Railway (10 km)
- Clifton Extension Railway (14 km)
- Halesowen Railway (10 km)
- Nantybwch and Rhymney Railway (3 miles)
- Quaker's Yard and Merthyr Railway (10 km)
- Severn and Wye Railway (63 km)
- Shrewsbury and Hereford Railway (133 km)
- Taff Bargoed Railway (18 km)
- Tenbury Railway (8 km)
- Vale of Towy Railway (18 km)
- West London Railway (4 km)
- Wrexham and Minera Railway (3 miles)
Together with Southern Railway
- Somerset and Dorset Joint Railway (169 km)
Together with Metropolitan District Railway :
- Whitechapel & Bow Railway (3 km)
Routes in Ireland
- Dundalk, Newry and Greenore Railway (43 km)
- Northern Counties Committee (422 km)
- Great Northern Railway (Ireland) (146 km)
- County Donegal Railways
See also
literature
- OS Nock: A History of the LMS. Vol. 1 The First Years, 1923-1930 . George Allen & Unwin, 1982. ISBN 0-04-385087-1 .
- OS Nock: A History of the LMS. Vol. 2 The Record Breaking Thirties, 1931-1939 . George Allen & Unwin, 1982. ISBN 0-04-385093-6 .