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The Grouping - List of Railways

by Greg Martin

Rail Album for railway and other photographs

 
The Railways Act grouped together the major British railway companies into four organisations. This page lists which railway companies became part of each group on 1st January 1923.

 Some of the amalgamations were relatively straight-forward, but others were definitely not. For instance the powerful Midland Railway and the powerful London & North Western Railway both joined the same group and each attempted to control the new organisation and to get it to follow their traditions (design features, liveries, operating practices etc). No doubt similar "battles of wills" went on elsewhere too.

  
Great Western Railway Constituents

Alexandra (Newport & South Wales) Docks
Brecon & Merthyr
Burry Port & Gwendraeth Valley
Barry
Cambrian
Cardiff
Cleobury Mortimer & Ditton Priors Light
Great Western
Liskeard & Caradon
Liskeard & Looe
Llanelly & Mynydd Mawr
Mawddy Light
Midland & South Western Junction
Neath & Brecon
Port Talbot Railway & Docks
Rhymney
Rhondda & Swansea Bay
Taff Vale
Tanant Valley
Van Light
Vale of Rheidol
Welshpool & Llanfair Light
 

London, Midland & Scottish Railway Constituents

Caledonian
Cockermouth, Keswick & Penrith
Cleator & Workington Junction
Furness
Garstang & Knott End
Glasgow & South Western
Highland
London & North Western
London, Tilbury & Southend
Lancashire & Yorkshire
Maryport & Carlisle
Mersey
Midland
North London
North Staffordshire
Stratford-on-Avon & Midland Junction
Wirral
  

London & North Eastern Railway Constituents

Great Central Railway
Great Eastern Railway
Great Northern Railway
Great North of Scotland Railway
Hull & Barnsley
North British
North Eastern
Wisbech & Upwell Tramway
  

Joint Railways

Axholme Joint (L&Y and NE)
Birkenhead Joint (GW and L&NW)
Clifton Extension (GW and Midland)
Citadel Station Joint Committee (Caledonian and L&NW)
Cheshire Lines Committee (GC, GN and Midland)
Croydon & Oxted (LB&SC and SE&C)
Dundee & Arbroath Joint (Caledonian & NB
Dumbarton & Balloch Joint (Caledonian & NB)
Dentholme Joint Committee (G&SW, Midland and NB)
Easton & Church Hope (GW and L&SW)
East London (GE, LB&SC, Metropolitan, Metropolitan District and SE&C)
Forth Bridge (GN, Midland, NB and NE)
Glasgow, Barrhead & Kilmarnock Joint (Caledonian and G&SW)
Glasgow & Paisley Joint (Caledonian and G&SW)
Goods Traffic Committee (Caledonian, G&SW, L&NW and Midland)
Hammersmith & City (GW and Metropolitan)
Halifax High Level (GN and L&Y)
Halesowen Joint (GW and Midland)
Halifax & Ovenden Joint (GN & L&Y)
Kilsyth & Bonnybridge (Caledonian and NB)
Lancashire Union Joint (L&NWR and L&Y)
Midland & Great Northern Joint (Midland and GN)
Methley Joint (GN, L&Y and NE)
Manchester South Junction & Altrincham (GC and L&NW)
Norfolk & Suffolk Joint (GE and M&GN)
North & South Western Junction (L&NW, Midland & NL)
North Union Joint (L&NW and L&Y)
Oldham & Ashton-under-Lyne & Guide Bridge (GC and L&NW)
Oxford & Aylesbury Tramroad (Metropolitan & GC)
Otley & Ilkley Joint (Midland and NE)
Portpatrick & Wigtownshire Joint (Caledonian, G&SW, L&NW and Midland)
Preston & Longridge Joint (L&NW and L&Y)
Preston & Wyre (L&NW and L&Y)
Princes Dock Joint (Caledonian, G&SW and NB)
Quaker's Yard & Merthyr joint (GW and Rhymney)
Severn & wye Joint (GW and Midland)
Sheffield District (GC and Midland)
Shrewsbury & Hereford Joint (GW and L&NW)
Shrewsbury & Wellington Joint (GW and L&NW)
Shrewsbury & Welshpool Joint (GW and L&NW)
Somerset & Dorset Joint Committee (L&SW and Midland)
South Yorkshire Joint (GC, GN, L&Y, Midland and NE)
Swinton & Knottingley (Midland and NE)
Taff Bargoed Joint (GW and Rhymney)
Tottenham & Forest Gate (LT&S and Midland)
Tottenham & Hampstead Junction (GE and Midland)
Vale of Towy Joint (GW and L&NW)
Whitechapel & Bow Joint (LT&S and Metropolitan District)
Whitehaven, Cleator & Egremont Joint (Furness and L&NW)
Wath Curve Joint Committee (GC, Midland and NE)
West London Joint (GW and L&NW)
West London Extension Joint (GW, L&NW, LB&SC and L&SW)
West Riding & Grimsby Joint (GC and GN)
Weymouth & Portland Joint (GW and L&SW)
Woodside & South Croydon (LB&SC and SE&C)
Wrexham & Minera Joint (GW and L&NW)

Independent Railways

Bishop's Castle
Bideford, Westward Ho! & Appledore (closed before the grouping)
Campbletown & Machrihanish Light
Corris (later became part of GWR)
Derwent Valley Light
Easingwold
East Kent
Festiniog
Glyn Valley Tramway
Isle of Man
Metropolitan District
Kent & East Sussex (later to be nationalised)
Liverpool Overhead
Mersey Dock & Harbour Board
Metropolitan
Manx Electric
Nidd Valley (Bradford Corporation Waterworks)
North Sunderland Light
North Wales Narrow Gauge (Welsh Highland)
Portmadoc, Croesor & Beddgelert
Port of London Authority
Rye & Camber Tramway
Selsey Light (Hundred of Manhood & Selsey Tramway, West Sussex)
Shropshire & Montgomeryshire Light (later to be nationalised)
Snailbeach District
Snowdon Mountain
Swansea & Mumbles
South Shields, Marsden & Whitburn Colliery
Southwold
Talyllyn
Wantage Tramway
Weston, Clevedon & Portishead (later to be bought by the Great Western Railway)
  

The Webmaster Does Not Known Which Categories The Following Belong In

Colne Valley & Halstead
Dearne Valley
East & West Yorkshire Union
London Electric
Mid Suffolk Light
Rowrah & Kelton Fell
South Wales Mineral
 



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©  Greg Martin 2020