British Rail

British Railways (BR) , whose mark was modified in 1965 in British Rail , was the operator for the British railway Système of the Nationalization of the four railway large companies in 1948 until privatization by stages between 1994 and 1997.

This period saw fundamental changes in the nature of the network of the railroad; the steam traction was eliminated in favor of those diesel and electric; freight lost its preponderance with the profit of the transport of the passengers and the network was severely rationalized in particular in the middle of the years 1960, with the closing of many rural lines.

History

The network was built at the beginning by the juxtaposition of local lines, exploited by private small companies. During the 19th century, and the beginning of XXe, they underwent a movement of concentration by successive repurchases, until being reduced to a handle large companies.

In January 1923, the remaining companies were joined together by the “ grouping act ” in four companies with public capital (the “ big furnace ”, that is to say the Great Western Railway, the London and North Eastern Railway, the London, Midland and Scottish Railway and the Southern Railway. At the conclusion of the war, they were at the edge of the bankruptcy and were amalgamated in December 1947.

The service was able of best as the formidable vapors whose Mallard which always has the record with more than 200 km/h, and later of the diesel very swift, but was very handicapped by the maintenance of out-of-date standards like the gauge.

The reform of the railroads which ended in the privatization of Br was launched under the government of Margaret Thatcher. The objective was double: to put an end to the financial drain which Br for the State represented, and to at the time improve quality of the service rendered with the travellers, rather lamentable.

British railroads of 1820 to 1996

The first companies (1820-1840)

Birmingham and Derby Junction Railway (BDJR)
Large Junction Railway (GJR)
Liverpool and Manchester Railway (LMR)
London and Birmingham Railway (L&BR)
North Midland Railway (NMR)
Midland Counties Railway (MCR)
Stockton and Darlington Railway (S&D)
Taff Vale Railway (TVR)

Before the phase of regrouping (1923)

Caledonian Railway (CalR)
Cambrian Railways (CamR)
Eastern Counties Railway (ECR)
Furness Railway (FurR)
Glasgow and South Western Railway (GSWR)
Central Great Railway (GCR)
Great Northern Railway (GNR)
Great Eastern Railway (GER)
Great Western Railway (GWR)
Highland Railway (HR)
Lancashire and Yorkshire Railway (L&YR)
London and North Western Railway (LNWR)
London and South Western Railway (LSWR)
London, Brighton, and South Coast Railway (LBSCR)
Manchester and Birmingham Railway (M&BR)
Manchester, Sheffield and Lincolnshire Railway (MSLR)
Midland Railway (MR.)
North British Railway (NBR)
North Eastern Railway (NER)
North Staffordshire Railway (NSR)
South Eastern and Chatham Railway (SECR)
Stratford-upon-Avon & Midland Junction Railway (SMJR)

Regrouping (grouping Act) (1923 - 1947)

The four large ones:

Great Western Railway (GWR)
London and North Eastern Railway (LNER)
London, Midland and Scottish Railway (LMS)
Southern Railway (SR)

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