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1844 Railway Act
Required each company to run one passenger train daily at the cheap rate of one penny a mile (1.6 km) and provide carriage seats that offered protection from bad weather. Includes details.
Aberdeen
Seaport on the northeast coast of Scotland. Site of the Aberdeen Railway which opened in April, 1850. Includes brief history and excerpt from a work by Daniel Defoe.
Birmingham
Became one of the most important trade centers in Britain. One of the major cities of the London to Birmingham line completed in 1838.
Birmingham & Derby
Opened in 1839 but it was not a great financial success, Merged with other lines to form the Midland Railway.
Birmingham Station
Built in 1838 in the classical style with an Ionic portico. Departure point for north as well as the southbound trains. Includes illustration.
Blisworth Cutting
Near Northampton. Engineering project involving excavation of rock and clay. Estimated over a million cubic yards of material was dug, quarried or blasted out.
Bolton and Leigh
Line built by George Stephenson and opened in 1828.
Box Tunnel
Located on the London to Bristol line. Includes details of construction and a lithograph.
Bradford
Center for woolen and textile trades. Site of Leeds and Bradford Railway, which opened in 1846.
Brighton
Popular seaside resort in Britain, served by the London to Brighton Railway. Includes brief history, painting and selections from the works of various writers.
Brighton Station
Part of the London and Brighton Railway. Building was finished in September, 1841. Includes photo.
Bristol
Was a major wool-exporting port. Station for several railway lines including the Great Western Railway, Bristol and Exeter Railway, and the Bristol and Gloucester Railway. Includes brief history.
Bristol and Exeter
Completed in 1844. Includes brief history.
Caledonian Railway
Established in 1845 and went to Glasgow via Edinburgh. Includes brief history and illustration.
Canterbury and Whitstable
Railway line opened in 1830. Includes brief history and illustration.
Cardiff
Coastal town in Wales and a station on the Taff Vale Railway. Includes brief history.
Charles Vignoles
Surveyor and engineer. Worked on the Liverpool and Manchester Railway, St Helens and Runcorn Railway, Dublin and Kingstown, and the Midland Counties lines. Includes brief biography. (1793-1875)
Chat Moss
Peat bog which was part of the railway route between Liverpool and Manchester. Includes brief history of engineering project.
Chichester
In 1844 the London and Brighton Railway Company built a line to Chichester. By 1847 Chichester was also linked by rail to Portsmouth and Southampton.
Crewe
Originally, a small hamlet with only a wayside station beside a turnpike road. Became the junction of three lines. Includes brief summary of its railways.
Daniel Gooch
Superintendent of the Great Western Railway and was responsible for the Severn Tunnel project. Includes brief biography. (1816-1889)
David Octavius Hill
Artist who produced a set of engravings of the Garnkirk and Glasgow Railway in 1831 and photographed other railway scenes. Includes brief biography. (1802-1870)
Derby
Located on the River Derwent. Became the headquarters of the Midland Railway in the 19th century. Includes brief details of industries and history.
Dundee
Seaport in Scotland on the Firth of Tay. Location of he Dundee and Newryle line, the Dundee and Arbroath, and a line to Aberdeen. Includes notes about major industries and population figures.
Edinburgh
Capital city of Scotland. Location of the Edinburgh and Leith, and the Edinburgh and Glasgow lines. Includes history and selections from the works of several writers.
Edinburgh and Glasgow Railway
Opened in 1842. Includes brief history.
Edmund Denison
Appointed parliamentary counsel for the Great Northern Railway. Also involved in promoting the line that linked the Great Northern Railway with the Liverpool and Manchester Railway in 1865, and the GNR's Derbyshire and Staffordshire Bill in 1872. (1816-1905)
Edward Bury
Railway engineer whose design combined horizontal inside cylinders with a horizontal tubular boiler. Became general manager and engineer of the Great Northern Railway. He also advised on the building of three railway towns, Swindon, Wolverton and Doncaster. (1794-1858)
Edward Pease
Partner in company to manufacture locomotives. Includes brief biography. (1767-1858)
Euston Station
Built in 1838 for the London and Birmingham Railway. Includes brief details and illustration.
Exeter
Situated on the River Exe. Part of the Bristol and Exeter line, completed in 1844. Includes brief history.
First Class Travel
Early carriages were similar to traveling inside a stage coach but had provision for carrying luggage on the roofs. Includes brief details of design improvements made by Nathaniel Worsdell and a lithograph.
George Bidder
First person to design and build a railway swing bridge. Also one of the founders of the first company formed to provide telegraphic communication. (1806-1878)
George Bradshaw
Formed a company to publish railway timetables. The first issue of Bradshaw's Monthly Railway Guide appeared in 1838.(1801-1853)
George Hudson
Builder of railways. He controlled 1,016 miles of railway track and obtained the title, the Railway King. Includes brief biography. (1800-1871)
George Rennie
Engineer responsible for building Waterloo Bridge and Southwick Bridge in London. Established company that built sixteen locomotives. (1791-1866)
George Stephenson
Early railroad pioneer who, with his son Robert, became the world's first locomotive builder. Engineered many railways and worked to improve the quality of steam engines. Includes biography and selections from letters and other writings. (1781-1848)
George Walker
Artist who did a series of paintings for the book Costume of Yorkshire. Included the first ever painting of a locomotive, the Salamanca at Middleton Colliery. Includes brief biography. (1781-1856)
Glasgow
City in Scotland, known for its university and shipyards. Important lines included the Garnkirk and Glasgow, the Edinburgh and Glasgow, and the Caledonian Railway that linked the main industrial centers of England with Glasgow. Includes brief history and selections from works of several authors.
Gradient Profile
Includes sketch of Liverpool and Manchester Route.
Grand Junction Railway
Established in 1833. Includes brief history and illustration.
Great Northern Railway
Provided service between London and York. Includes brief history.
Great Western
Locomotive produced by Daniel Gooch in 1846. Includes brief details and illustration.
Great Western Railway
Linked London and Bristol and was completed in 1841. Includes brief history of the line and photo of the locomotive, The Great Western.
Henry Booth
Early advocate of railways. Worked for the Liverpool and Manchester Railway until the company was merged with the Grand Junction Railway in 1845. (1788-1869)
Iron Duke
Locomotive designed and built by Daniel Gooch in 1847. Includes description and drawing.
Isambard Kingdom Brunel
Brief life history of the 19th century engineer who worked on the Thames Tunnel and the Great Western Railway. (1806-1859)
J. M. W. Turner
One of Britain's leading topographical watercolorists who painted Rain, Steam and Speed - The Great Western Railway. Includes brief biography and illustration. (1775-1851)
James Wilson Carmichael
Artist who published a set of engravings entitled Views of the Newcastle and Carlisle Railway. Includes brief biography and illustration. (1800-1868)
Jenny Lind
Steam locomotive on the London and Brighton Railway. Includes brief description and illustration.
John Blenkinsop
Produced locomotives, including the Salamanca, which weighed five tons and was capable of hauling a load of ninety tons at four mph. Includes brief description.
John Cooke Bourne
Lithograph artist who produced the book, Drawings of the London and Birmingham Railway. Includes illustration. (1814-1896)
John Leech
Illlustrator who produced a series of cartoons attacking railway mania and warning of the dangers of rail transport. (1817-1864)
John Rastrick
Engineer of the Stratford and Moreton Railway, the London and Brighton, the Bolton and Preston, Gravesend and Rochester, and the Nottingham and Grantham line. Includes brief biography. (1780-1856)
Joseph Locke
Joint chief engineer of the Grand Junction Railway. Became first railway engineer to realize locomotives would gradually be able to overcome steep gradients. (1805-1860)
Joseph Sandars
Formed the Liverpool and Manchester Railway Company. Includes brief biography.
Kilsby Tunnel
Part of the London and Birmingham line. Was 2,400 yards long and took 1,250 men nearly two years to build. Includes brief history of engineering problems.
L & M Railway Company
Was 31 miles long and consisted of a double line of rails of the fish-bellied type and laid on stone or timber sleepers. Includes brief history and illustration.
Lancashire and Yorkshire Railway
Formed when the Manchester and Leeds Railway acquired eight smaller companies. Includes brief history of the line.
Lancashire Witch
Locomotive built by Robert Stephenson in 1828. Includes description and drawing.
Leeds
Wool center of England in the 16th century. Had the oldest horse-drawn railroad in the world, built in 1758. Was a station on the Manchester and Leeds Railway. Includes brief history and painting by Atkinson Grimshaw.
Leeds and Selby
Authorized by Parliament in 1830. Includes brief history of the line.
Leicester
Capital of Coritani in Roman Britain and became an important center of hosiery manufacture during the 18th century. Includes brief history of its railway lines.
Liverpool
Port on the north bank of the estuary of the Mersey. The Liverpool and Manchester railway opened in 1830 and was a great success. Includes brief history, painting by Atkinson Grimshaw and selections from various authors.
Liverpool Station
Served passengers as well as goods facilities and accommodation for coal merchants. Relegated to a goods and engineering maintenance depot in 1836. Includes painting by Thomas Bury.
Locomotion
First railway locomotive built in September, 1825. Includes brief history and illustration.
London
Settled by the Romans in the first century A.D. and known as Londinium. Includes brief history of its railway lines, a painting by Jan Griffier and selections from the writings of various authors.
London and Birmingham
Opened in stages and finally completed in 1838. Was 112 miles long and took 20,000 men nearly five years to build. Includes brief history and illustration.
London and Brighton Railway
Completed in September, 1841 and used over 3,500 men and 570 horses in its construction. Includes brief history and selections from various writers.
London and Croydon Railway
Opened in 1839. Merged later with the London and Brighton line. Includes brief history.
London and Greenwich
Opened in 1836. Includes brief history and illustration.
London and North Western Railway
Amalgamation of three companies, London and Birmingham, Grand Junction Railway, and Manchester and Birmingham in 1846. Includes brief history.
London Bridge Station
Designed by Thomas Turner and Henry Roberts and became the administrative headquarters of the London and Brighton Railway. Includes illustration.
Manchester
Situated on the east bank of the River Irwell and was noted for its cotton industry. Includes brief history of its railway lines and selections from the works of various writers.
Manchester and Leeds
Opened in 1839. Includes brief details of its construction.
Matthew Murray
Designed steam locomotives. Includes brief details of his work and a diagram. (1765-1826)
Merthyr Tydfil
Noted for its ironworks and part of the Taff Vale Railway Company. Includes brief history and illustration.
Middlesbrough
Situated on the south bank of the Tees estuary. Noted for its ironworks and railway line. Includes brief history.
Midland Counties Railway
Line was opened in 1836 and ran from Derby, Leicester, Rugby and Nottingham. Includes brief history.
Midland Railway
Formed by George Hudson with amalgamation of the York and North Midland, Midland Counties, North Midland Railway, and the Birmingham and Derby. Includes brief history and photo.
Moorish Arch
Was an ornate feature on the Stockton and Darlington line. Removed in the 1860s. Includes lithograph.
Newcastle
Situated on the River Tyne. Was a commercial and industrial center and location of Newcastle and Darlington Railway, Newcastle and Carlisle Railway, and the York and Newcastle Railway.
Newcastle Station
Built in 1848 and was the junction point of four routes in Newcastle. Includes illustration.
Nicholas Wood
Short biography of an early pioneer in steam locomotives. Includes selected writings and correspondence. (1795-1865)
North Eastern Railway
Formed in 1854 with merger of three companies, York and North Midland, Leeds Northern and the York, Newcastle and Berwick. Includes brief history of the line.
Northumbrian
Steam locomotive built in 1830. Includes brief description and illustration.
Norwich
Situated on the River Wensum and established as a major center of the wool trade during the Middle Ages. Includes brief history of the town's railways.
Novelty
Steam locomotive built by John Ericsson and John Braithwaite. Includes brief description and illustration.
Oldham
Center of woolen trade and later a site of cotton mills, with over 213 by 1838. Railways also helped its growth. Was a branch of the Lancashire and Yorkshire Railway. Includes photo and brief history.
Olive Mount
Location of rock cut project on the Liverpool and Manchester line. Includes brief details and painting by Thomas Bury.
Passenger Carriages
Looked very much like a stage coach carriage and were drawn by horses. Includes details and a drawing.
Penydarren
Locomotive built in 1803 by Richard Trevithick. Includes brief details and illustration.
Portsmouth
Was the main harbor used by the British Navy. Railway lines were built to Portsmouth from Chichester and Brighton. Includes short history.
Preston
Port at the head of the estuary of the River Ribble. Noted for its wool weaving industry and cotton mill. In 1838 the National Union Railway linked Preston to London, Liverpool and Manchester. Includes brief history.
Puffing Billy
Steam locomotive in use at the Wylam Colliery in 1860. Includes description and photo.
Rack Railways
Patented by John Blenkinsop in 1811 and involved the combination of a locomotive cogwheel and toothed rack rail. Includes brief description and illustration.
Railway Gauges
Included broad and standard measurement. Gives brief history.
Railway Post
First used by Grand Junction Railway in 1837. Includes details of a traveling post office carriage.
Rainhill Trials
Competition between stationary engines and locomotives held by the Liverpool and Manchester Company. Includes details of the event and a drawing.
Richard Trevithick
Builder of steam locomotives. Includes brief biography, illustrations and selections from various writers. (1771-1833)
Robert Stephenson
Founder of the first company in the world that built locomotives. Includes brief biography, photo and selections from the works of various writers. (1803-1859)
Samuel Laing
Law clerk who helped draft the 1844 Railway Act. Chairman of the London and Brighton Railway in 1848. Includes brief biography. (1812-1897)
Sankey Viaduct
Nine arch brick structure on the Liverpool and Manchester line. Includes building details and illustration.
Sans Pareil
Steam locomotive built by Timothy Hackworth. Includes description, history and a drawing.
Second Class Travel
Offered benches and were open at the sides. Includes brief details and lithograph.
Southampton
Seaport standing on the peninsula between the mouths of the rivers Test and Itchen. Served by the London and Southampton Railway Company which began transporting people and goods between Southampton and London in 1837. Includes brief history.
St Pancras Station
Designed by Gilbert Scott and built in 1868. Includes brief details and illustration.
Steam Circus
Circular railway in London where people paid to ride in a carriage pulled by a locomotive. Includes brief details and illustration.
Stockton and Darlington
Opened on September 27, 1825. Includes brief history, painting and selections from works of various writers.
Stoke
Became the center of the pottery industry. The North Staffordshire Railway opened its first line to Stoke in 1848. Includes brief history.
Swansea
Situated on the south coast of Wales. Served by the Swansea and Mumbles horse-drawn line along Swansea Bay, that served local quarries and coal mines. Includes brief history.
Swansea and Mumbles Railway
Opened for freight traffic in 1806 and transported passengers the following year. Became the first example of the regular conveyance of passengers by railway in the world. Includes brief history of the line.
Swindon
Small town until the coming of railways, located eighty miles from London. Station on the London to Bristol line and site of a locomotive works.
Taff Vale Railway
Completed in 1841, Transported goods from Merthyr Tydfil to Cardiff.
The Blutcher
Steam locomotive, named for the general in the Prussian Army, who helped Britain to defeat Napoleon. Built by George Stephenson. Includes details and illustration.
The Rocket
Locomotive built by Robert Stephenson in 1829. Includes description, history and a drawing.
Third Class Travel
Train carriages open at the sides and did not provide passengers with any protection from the weather or the pollution created by the locomotive.
Thomas Brassey
Builder of the Paris and Le Havre Railway in France, the Lancaster and Carlisle Railway, the Caledonian Railway, the Great Northern Railway, Tilbury and Southend Railway, Shrewsbury and Hereford Railway, and Grand Trunk Railway in Canada. (1805-1870)
Thomas Bury
Artist who produced a series of paintings of the Liverpool and Manchester Railway. Includes illustration of the Liverpool Crown Street Station. (1811-1877)
Thomas Creevey
In the House of Commons led the fight against railways. Includes brief biography. (1768-1838)
Timothy Hackworth
Designer of steam locomotives. Includes brief biography and a drawing of his six-wheel engine, the Royal George. (1786-1850)
Victoria
Locomotive designed by Edward Bury for the Lancashire and Yorkshire Railway. Includes brief description and photo.
William Arrol
Formed company that built a railway viaduct at Greenock and in 1878 secured the contract for the Caledonian Railway Bridge over the Clyde. Includes brief biography. (1839-1913)
William Hedley
Produced steam locomotives, including Puffing Billy and Wylam Dilly. Includes brief biography and photo. (1779-1843)
William Hulton
Between 1824 and 1828 was involved in the planning and construction of the Bolton and Leigh Railway. In 1830 the line was linked to the Manchester and Liverpool Railway at Kenyon Junction. Includes brief biography. (1787-1864)
William James
Involved in building of railways and produced his Preliminary Report on the Survey of Investigation for a Line of Engine Railroad from Liverpool to Manchester. Includes brief biography. (1771-1837)
William Jessop
Engineer involved in the Surrey Iron Railway project. Includes brief biography. (1745-1814)
William Powell Frith
Artist who painted The Railway Station in 1862. Includes brief biography and illustration. (1819-1909)
Wooden Wagonway
Horse-drawn railway used to transport coal. Includes brief history.
Wylam Locomotive
Built by Richard Trevithick in 1804. Includes brief description and drawing.
York
Became the most important junction on the east coast route to Scotland and eventually the main locomotive works for the North Eastern Railway.
York and North Midland Railway
Opened in 1839 and became part of the great trunk route from London to York via Rugby and Derby.
York Station
Built to accommodate trains on the York and Midland Railway, and the Great Northern Railway.