Opinion and Answer 23 Edition 46: Tracing the Path of the GNR to the Big 4

Hi Folks,

Good Sunday Afternoon everyone, It's time for another edition of Opinion & Answer. In today's edition, I wanted to trace the path of Great Northern Railway to the Big 4. So it will be covering the origin of the GNR and how it became part of the Big 4 Mergers in 1923.

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Great Northern Railway's Operation background:

The Great Northern Railway (GNR) was a British railway company incorporated in 1846 with the object of building a line from London to York. Nevertheless, it succeeded in reaching into the coalfields of Nottinghamshire, Derbyshire and Yorkshire, as well as establishing dominance in Lincolnshire and north London. Bringing coal south to London was dominant, but general agricultural business, and short- and long-distance passenger traffic, were important activities too. Its fast passenger express trains captured the public imagination, and its Chief Mechanical Engineer Nigel Gresley became a celebrity.

Great Northern Railway's Operation area: 1848-1922

Prior to 1848's operation start year, "The Great Northern Railway" was orginally named "London & York Railway" that was made up of York & North Midland (Y&NMR), the North Midland (NMR), the Birmingham and Derby (B&DR) and the London and Birmingham (L&BR) railways that merged together to formed "London & York Railway" with the name being changed to "The Great Northern Railway" after the proposed route was passed by parliament during 1840s.

During Great Northern Railway's operations, their railway, once completed, extended from its base in London from Kings Cross to Yorkshire; into much of Lincolnshire with extensive and important lines in Nottinghamshire and Derbyshire and further into Staffordshire and through its third share of the Cheshire lines, into that county and Lancashire. With its goals of shortest and quickest route from London to Yorkshire,high speed passenger service along with coal traffic brought into London from the Yorkshire-Nottinghamshire coal field.

Great Northern Railway's Grouping:

After 74 years of operating between 1848-1922, merged with other neighboring railways to form the London & North Eastern Railway in 1923 due to the 1921 Railway Act. Most of its routes were shut down under the LNER grouping.

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Thanks for joining us on this edition of Opinion & Answer number 46. Please join us again next Sunday May 28th for another edition. On Next Week edition, I'll be tracing another favorite Railway called the "Furness Railway". Do hope you enjoy this edition and if you do, below is two links for further reading.

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