London and North Eastern Railway

The London and North Eastern Railway ( LNER ) was the second largest of the so-called "Big Four", the four British railway companies in 1923 as part of a restructuring of the railway system, the so-called Grouping created. The company existed from 1 January 1923 to the creation of British Railways on 1 January 1948.

Foundation

With the entry into force of the Railways Act 1921 on 1 January 1923, the LNER created by the merger of numerous railway companies. The route network had a total length of 6590 miles ( 10,606 km ). The biggest part of it, 1757 miles ( 2828 km ), came from the North Eastern Railway, followed by the North British Railway 1,378 miles ( 2218 km ).

The LNER was involved with the London, Midland and Scottish Railway (LMS ) on the Midland and Great Northern Joint Railway, which then completely went up in 1936 the LNER.

Route network

As the name suggests, the LNER London served starting the eastern and northern part of the country all the way up to Scotland. The largest part of England east of the Pennines belonged to the territory of the LNER, including the flatlands of East Anglia. The King's Cross Station in London was the main train station of the LNER. Here the central mainline East Coast Main Line begins on York and Newcastle upon Tyne to Edinburgh. Other major routes run from Edinburgh to Aberdeen and Inverness. The main workshops of the company were located in Doncaster.

Fleet and infrastructure

Typical of the LNER the express locomotives were with light green paint ( apple green, also Doncaster -green ) and that the teak -colored passenger cars.

After the merger had the LNER

  • 7,700 steam locomotives, 140 electric multiple units, 6 electric locomotives and 10 rail cars with a combustion engine
  • 20,000 coaches and 29,700 freight cars
  • 12 ocean-going as well as a larger number of barges
  • Docks, docks and piers at more than 20 different locations, including Harwich and London
  • 23 hotels

Senior engineers

Sir Nigel Gresley, one of the most famous locomotive designers in the world, was 1923-1941 senior engineer (Chief Mechanical Engineer, CME ) of the LNER, a position which he had filled already with the Great Northern Railway. His creations include the official fastest steam locomotive in the world, the " Mallard " ( Class A4 ) and the no less famous class A3 to which the locomotive shown above in the " Flying Scotsman " is one.

In 1941, Edward Thompson, who until 1946 was in office. Arthur Peppercorn worked only for 18 months, he designed, among other things, the LNER Class A1 Peppercorn.

Nationalization

The LNER was nationalized in 1948 and went on along with the other three of the "Big Four" in the British Railways. One reason for this merger was that he repair the war damage organizational simplified and accelerated. After the privatization of British Rail, the franchise went for the distance express trains on the East Coast Main Line to the train operating companies Great North Eastern Railway ( GNER ), whose name was deliberately chosen so that it is reminiscent of the LNER.

Originating companies of LNER

Main companies

The main companies that make up the LNER were created ( in parentheses length of the route network ):

Companies

Three other companies continued their operation independently by:

  • Colne Valley and Halstead Railway (31 miles)
  • East and West Yorkshire Union Railway (15 miles)
  • Mid- Suffolk Light Railway (31 miles)

Subsidiaries

The subsidiaries existed in name only, but were nevertheless called for legal reasons in the Railways Act.

Original parent company NER:

  • Brack Hill Light Railway
  • Forcett Railway (9 miles)
  • Great North of England, Clarence and Hartlepool Junction Railway (10 miles)

Original parent company GCR:

  • Humber Commercial Railway and Dock
  • Mansfield Railway (16 miles)
  • North Lindsey Light Railway (19 miles)
  • Seaforth and Sefton Junction Railway
  • Sheffield District Railway (7 miles)

Original parent company GER:

Original parent company GNR:

  • East Lincolnshire Railway (76 miles)
  • Horncastle Railway (12 miles)
  • Nottingham and Grantham Railway and Canal (37 miles)
  • Nottingham Suburban Railway (6 miles)
  • Stamford and Essendine Railway (20 miles)

Original parent company NBR:

  • Edinburgh and Bathgate Railway (16 miles)
  • Forth and Clyde Junction Railway (49 miles)
  • Gifford and Garvald Railway (15 miles)
  • Kilsyth and Bonnybridge Railway (14 miles)
  • Lauder Light Railway (16 miles)
  • Newburgh and North Fife Railway (21 miles)

Original parent company H & BR:

  • South Yorkshire Junction Railway (18 miles)

Two or more original parent companies:

  • Nottingham Joint Station Committee
  • West Riding Railway Committee ( 52 km)

Independently operated joint ventures

  • East London Railway: Together leased by LNER, Southern Railway, Metropolitan Railway ( MetR ) and Metropolitan District Railway. Passenger transport by MetR, freight transport by LNER
  • Cheshire Lines Committee: Joint operation of LNER and London, Midland and Scottish Railway ( LMSR ). LNER locomotives made ​​available to the rest of the CLC rolling stock.
  • Manchester, South Junction and Altrincham Railway: Joint operation by LNER and LMSR
North Yorkshire Moors Railway LNER Class A4 North Eastern Railway (United Kingdom) East London Line Metropolitan Line District Line
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