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Quainton Virtual Stockbook - Glossary

British Railway Companies

Throughout this stockbook the various railway companies names are often summarised with the dreaded three (or four) letter acronym. The following table is intended to provide an easy reference.

Abbreviation Railway Company Description
BR British Railways
BR(WR) British Railways (Western Region)
GCR Great Central Railway The Great Central Railway was formed when the Manchester, Sheffield and Lincolnshire Railway changed its name in 1897 in preparation for the opening in 1899 of its London Extension. In 1923 it formed part of the London and North Eastern Railway.
GER Great Eastern Railway The Great Eastern Railway linked London Liverpool Street to Norwich and other lines through East Anglia. The company became part of the London and North Eastern Railway on amalgamation in 1923.
GNR Great Northern Railway The Great Northern Railway was established in 1846. At amalgamation in 1923 it became part London and North Eastern Railway. The line ran from London King's Cross to York and branch lines to Sheffield and Wakefield.
GWR Great Western Railway The Great Western Railway linked London with the west and south-west of England and much of Wales. It was founded in 1833, running trains from 1838. It was engineered by Isambard Kingdom Brunel, who chose a broad gauge of 7ft. A series of amalgamations saw it also operate 4ft 8½in standard-gauge trains. The last broad-gauge operated in 1892. The GWR was the only company to keep its identity in the 1923 amalgamation, when it absorbed the remaining independent railways within its region.
LBSCR London, Brighton & South Coast Railway The London, Brighton and South Coast Railway was formed in 1846. It ran lines from London into Sussex and Surrey. At amalgamation in 1923 it formed part of the Southern Railway.
LCDR London, Chatham & Dover Railway Started operation as the East Kent Railway between Strood and Faversham in 1857; it became the LCDR in 1859, extending to London Victoria by 1862. Amalgamated with the South Eastern Railway in 1899.
LMS London Midland and Scottish The London, Midland and Scottish Railway was formed in the 1923 grouping of over 120 separate railway companies into just four. The companies merged into the LMS included the London and North Western Railway, the Midland Railway, and the Caledonian Railway.
LNER London and North Eastern Railway The London and North Eastern Railway was formed in the 1923 grouping of over 120 separate railway companies into just four.
LNWR London and North Western Railway The London and North Western Railway was created in 1846 by the merger of three companies – the Grand Junction Railway, the London and Birmingham Railway and the Manchester and Birmingham Railway. In 1923 it became part of the London, Midland and Scottish railway.
LSWR London and South Western Railway Starting as the London and Southampton Railway in 1834, the company changed its name to the LSWR in 1839. It operated London suburban services from Waterloo, with long distance services to Portsmouth, Exeter and beyond. The LSWR became part of the Southern Railway at grouping in 1923.
LT London Transport London Transport is used by London's public transport authorities. The brand was first used by the London Passenger Transport Board to unify the identity of the previously separately owned and managed London Underground, Metropolitan Railway, bus and tram services.
LYR Lancashire and Yorkshire Railway The Lancashire and Yorkshire Railway was formed in 1847 from several existing railways. At amalgamation it first became part of the London and North Western Railway and then in 1923 the London, Midland and Scottish Railway.
Met Metropolitan Railway The Metropolitan Railway served London from 1863 to 1933. Its main line headed north-west from the City of London to what became the Buckinghamshire and Middlesex suburbs. It opened to the public in 1863 as the world's first underground railway.
MR Midland Railway The Midland Railway was formed in 1844. At amalgamation it became part of the London, Midland and Scottish Railway.
MSLR Manchester, Sheffield & Lincolnshire Railway The Manchester, Sheffield and Lincolnshire Railway was formed in 1847 by amalgamation of a number of existing and proposed lines. The MS&LR became the Great Central Railway in 1897, prior to the opening in 1899 of the London Extension.
SECR South Eastern & Chatham Railway Formed on the 1st January 1899 by merger of the South Eastern Railway and the LCDR. At the Grouping of 1923 the SECR amalgamated with the London Brighton and South Coast Railway and LSWR to form the Southern Railway.
SR Southern Railway

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Page Updated: 15 October 2015