List of early British railway companies

The following list sets out to show all the railway companies set up by Acts of Parliament in the 19th century before 1860. Most of them became constituent parts of the emerging main-line railway companies, often immediately after being built. Some continued as independent companies until the 1923 Grouping; a few retained that independence until 1947. They have been listed under Scottish; and English and Welsh early railways; and under the later main line company which absorbed them.

Each of the main line companies after the Grouping has an article listing all companies who became part of, and jointly part of, individual companies. Many of those had been in separate existence since being set up in the 19th century, and were only in 1923 losing that individuality.

The list is by no means complete: in 1846 alone there were 272 railways agreed by Act of Parliament, although not all of those were built, since it was the time of the Railway Mania. In addition lines might be extensions to existing ones, but floated as a separate company to separate the risk, and to ring-fence subscriptions, or promoted by a company which was mostly financed by an existing company. An example is the Dore and Chinley Railway which was floated as a company and then adopted and largely financed by the Midland.

Scottish early railways

Caledonian Railway (incorporated 1845)

Caledonian Railway became part of the London, Midland and Scottish Railway on 1 July 1923 under the Railways Act 1921.
Aberdeen Railway opened in stages between 1848 and 1853
Brechin and Edzell District Railway
Cathcart District Railway
Crieff and Comrie Railway authorised 1890
Crieff and Methven Junction Railway opened 1867
Crieff Junction Railway opened 1856
Dunblane, Doune and Callander Railway incorporated in 1846
Dundee and Newtyle Railway opened 1841 (incorporated in Scottish Central Railway)
Glasgow and Paisley Joint Railway opened 12 August 1840.
York, Newcastle and Berwick Railway was York and Newcastle Railway (1846–1847) and Newcastle and Darlington Junction Railway (1842–1846)
Durham Junction Railway incorporated 1834, amalgamated with N&DJR in 1844
Brandling Junction Railway incorporated 1836, amalgamated with N&DJR in 1845
Durham and Sunderland Railway incorporated 1834, amalgamated with N&DJR in 1846
Pontop and South Shields Railway incorporated 1842, amalgamated with N&DJR in 1846
Stanhope and Tyne Railway incorporated 1834, amalgamated with P&SSR in 1842
Newcastle and Berwick Railway incorporated 1845, amalgamated with Y&NR in 1847
Newcastle and North Shields Railway incorporated 1836, amalgamated with N&BR in 1845
Great North of England Railway incorporated 1836, amalgamated with YN&BR in 1850
York and North Midland Railway incorporated 1836
Leeds and Selby Railway incorporated 1830, amalgamated with Y&NMR in 1844
Whitby and Pickering Railway incorporated 1833, amalgamated with Y&NMR in 1845
East and West Yorkshire Junction Railway incorporated 1846, amalgamated with Y&NMR in 1852
Leeds Northern Railway was Leeds and Thirsk Railway (1845–1849)
Malton and Driffield Railway incorporated 1846
Deerness Valley Railway incorporated 1855, amalgamated with NER in 1857
Hartlepool Dock and Railway incorporated 1832, amalgamated with NER in 1857
North Yorkshire and Cleveland Railway incorporated 1854, amalgamated with NER in 1858
Bedale and Leyburn Railway incorporated 1853, amalgamated with NER in 1859
Hull and Holderness Railway incorporated 1853, amalgamated with NER in 1862
Newcastle and Carlisle Railway incorporated 1829, amalgamated with NER in 1862
Blaydon, Gateshead and Hebburn Railway incorporated 1834, amalgamated with N&CR in 1839
Stockton and Darlington Railway incorporated 1821, amalgamated with NER in 1863
Darlington and Barnard Castle Railway incorporated 1854, amalgamated with S&DR in 1858
Middlesbrough and Guisborough Railway incorporated 1852, amalgamated with S&DR in 1858
Middlesbrough and Redcar Railway incorporated 1845, amalgamated with S&DR in 1858
Wear Valley Railway incorporated 1845, amalgamated with S&DR in 1858
Bishop Auckland and Weardale Railway incorporated 1837, amalgamated with WVR in 1847
Eden Valley Railway incorporated 1858, amalgamated with S&DR in 1862
Frosterley and Stanhope Railway incorporated 1861, amalgamated with S&DR in 1862
South Durham and Lancashire Union Railway incorporated 1857, amalgamated with S&DR in 1862
Cleveland Railway incorporated 1858, amalgamated with NER in 1865
West Hartlepool Harbour and Railway incorporated 1852, amalgamated with NER in 1865
Clarence Railway incorporated 1828, amalgamated with WHH&R in 1853
Stockton and Hartlepool Railway incorporated 1839, amalgamated with WHH&R in 1853
Hull and Hornsea Railway incorporated 1862, amalgamated with NER in 1866
West Durham Railway incorporated 1839, amalgamated with NER in 1870
Hull and Selby Railway incorporated 1836, amalgamated with NER in 1872
Blyth and Tyne Railway incorporated 1852, amalgamated with NER in 1874
Hexham and Allendale Railway incorporated 1865, amalgamated with NER in 1876
Leeds, Castleford and Pontefract Junction Railway incorporated 1873, amalgamated with NER in 1876
Tees Valley Railway incorporated 1865, amalgamated with NER in 1882
Hylton, Southwick and Monkwearmouth Railway incorporated 1871, amalgamated with NER in 1883
Scotswood, Newburn and Wylam Railway incorporated 1871, amalgamated with NER in 1883
Whitby, Redcar and Middlesbrough Union Railway incorporated 1866, amalgamated with NER in 1889
Wear Valley Extension Railway incorporated 1892, amalgamated with NER in 1893
Scarborough & Whitby Railway incorporated 1871, amalgamated with NER in 1898
Cawood, Wistow and Selby Light Railway incorporated 1896, amalgamated with NER in 1900
Scarborough, Bridlington and West Riding Junction Railway incorporated 1885, amalgamated with NER in 1914
Lancashire and Yorkshire Railway incorporated 1847. In 1846 the Liverpool and Bury Railway was amalgamated with the Manchester and Leeds Railway, which became known as The Lancashire and Yorkshire Railway in 1847
Manchester and Leeds Railway incorporated 1836
Manchester and Bolton Railway opened 1838
Ashton, Stalybridge and Liverpool Junction Railway 1844
Liverpool and Bury Railway 1845
East Lancashire Railway opened 1846: a section of this line is now a heritage railway
Wakefield, Pontefract and Goole Railway opened 1848
Liverpool, Crosby and Southport Railway opened 1848
London and North Western Railway (LNWR) formed by amalgamation in 1846, there were 45 formerly independent railways within the LNWR, including:
Liverpool and Manchester Railway opened 15 September 1830
London and Birmingham Railway (first section) opened 20 July 1837; opened throughout 17 September 1838
Grand Junction Railway opened 1837
Chester and Crewe Railway opened 1846
Chester and Holyhead Railway opened 1848 to Bangor 1850 to Holyhead
Manchester and Birmingham Railway
Lancaster and Carlisle Railway
Cromford and High Peak Railway
Kendal and Windermere Railway
Watford and Rickmansworth Railway opened 1 October 1862 closed 1998 possible reopening (see Watford tube station)

South

Isle of Wight Central Railway incorporated 1887, amalgamation of several smaller railways including:
Cowes and Newport Railway incorporated 1859
Ryde & Newport Railway opened 1875
Isle of Wight (Newport Junction) Railway completed 1879
London Brighton and South Coast Railway amalgamation of five railways August 1846:
London and Croydon Railway incorporated 1835 opened 1839
London and Brighton Railway incorporated 1837 opened 21 September 1841
Croydon and Epsom Railway incorporated 1844.
Brighton and Chichester Railway incorporated 1844.
Brighton Lewes and Hastings Railway incorporated 1844.
West End of London and Crystal Palace Railway opened 1856–8.
London, Chatham and Dover Railway
East Kent Railway incorporated 1853
Victoria Station and Pimlico Railway incorporated 1858.
Mid-Kent Railway incorporated 1855.
London and South Western Railway (LSWR)
London and Southampton Railway opened (first section) 21 May 1838; renamed LSWR 1838
Bodmin and Wadebridge Railway opened 23 May 1832, sold to LSWR autumn 1846 but not legally vested in that company until 1 July 1886
Richmond Railway opened 27 July 1846
Windsor, Staines and South Western Railway opened 1848–1849
Southampton and Dorchester Railway opened 1 June 1847; extended to Weymouth 20 June 1857
Staines, Wokingham and Woking Junction Railway opened 1856
Andover and Redbridge Railway opened 6 March 1865, closed 1967
Lymington Railway opened 12 July 1858
London, Tilbury and Southend Railway incorporated 1862 amalgamated with Midland Railway 1912
London and Blackwall Railway
Metropolitan Railway (MetR)
North Metropolitan Railway incorporated 1853; became MetrR 1854. Other sections followed in 1860–70
Midland and South Western Junction Railway: formed in 1884 by amalgamation of
Swindon, Marlborough and Andover Railway incorporated 1873
Swindon and Cheltenham Extension Railway incorporated 1881
North London Railway incorporated 1846 original name:
East and West India Docks and Birmingham Junction Railway
Pentewan Railway The railway from St Austell was complete by 22 June 1829 but not incorporated until 20 February 1873 as the Pentewan Railway and Harbour Company Limited. An Act of Parliament on 7 August 1874 authorised the use of locomotives. It was closed from 4 March 1918.
Redruth and Chasewater Railway This was opened on 30 January 1826 and was locomotive worked from 1 December 1864. It was closed from 27 September 1915.
Somerset and Dorset Joint Railway (S&DJR). An amalgamation of the:
Somerset Central Railway, first section opened on 1 November 1860, and
Dorset Central Railway, first section opened on 28 August 1854.
The S&D Joint Railway was jointly operated by the Midland Railway and the London and South Western Railway (L&SWR). After the 1 January 1923 Grouping, joint ownership of the S&DJR passed to the LMS and the Southern Railway.