The L&YR was incorporated in 1847 by the '''''' (
10 & 11 Vict. c. clxiii), being an amalgamation of several important lines, the chief of which was the
Manchester and Leeds Railway (itself having been incorporated in 1836).
Constituent companies The following companies, in order, were amalgamated into the L&YR. The dates shown are, in most cases, the acts of Parliament authorising the incorporation and amalgamation of each company. In a few instances the effective date is used. •
Manchester and Leeds Railway, 4 July 1836 – 9 July 1847 •
Manchester, Bolton & Bury Canal Navigation and Railway, 23 August 1831 – 18 July 1846 •
Huddersfield and Sheffield Junction Railway, 30 June 1845 – 27 July 1846, now the
Penistone Line. •
Liverpool and Bury Railway, 31 July 1845 – 27 July 1846 •
Preston and Wyre Railway, Harbour and Dock Company, 1 July 1839 – 3 August 1846 (joint
LNWR from 28 July 1849, in proportion two-thirds L&YR, one-third LNWR) •
Preston and Wyre Railway and Harbour Company, 3 July 1835 – 1 July 1839 •
West Riding Union Railways, 18 August 1846 – 17 November 1846 •
Ashton, Stalybridge and Liverpool Junction Railway, 19 July 1844 – 9 July 1847 • Wakefield, Pontefract and Goole Railway, 31 July 1845 – 9 July 1847 •
Manchester and Southport Railway, 22 July 1847 – 3 July 1854 (joint
ELR) •
Liverpool, Crosby and Southport Railway, 2 July 1847 – 14 June 1855 •
Blackburn Railway, 24 July 1851 – 12 July 1858 (joint
ELR) •
Bolton, Blackburn, Clitheroe and West Yorkshire Railway, 9 July 1847 – 24 July 1851 •
Blackburn, Darwen and Bolton Railway, 30 June 1845 – 9 July 1847 •
Blackburn, Clitheroe and North Western Junction Railway, 27 July 1846 – 9 July 1847 •
Sheffield, Rotherham, Barnsley, Wakefield, Huddersfield and Goole Railway, 7 August 1846 – 2 August 1858 (acquired northern half of line) •
East Lancashire Railway, 21 July 1845 – 13 May 1859 •
Manchester, Bury and Rossendale Railway, 4 July 1844 – 21 July 1845 •
Blackburn, Burnley, Accrington and Colne Extension Railway, 30 June 1845 – 21 July 1845 • Blackburn and Preston Railway, 6 June 1844 – 3 August 1846 •
Liverpool, Ormskirk and Preston Railway, 18 August 1846 – October 1846 •
Fleetwood, Preston and West Riding Junction Railway, 27 July 1846 – 17 June 1866 (joint
LNWR) •
Preston and Longridge Railway, 14 July 1836 – 23 June 1856 •
Blackpool and Lytham Railway, 17 May 1861 – 29 June 1871 (joint
LNWR) •
Lancashire Union Railway, 25 July 1864 – 16 July 1883 (joint
LNWR) •
North Union Railway, 22 May 1834 – 26 July 1889 (joint
LNWR) •
Wigan Branch Railway, 29 May 1830 – 22 May 1834 •
Preston and Wigan Railway, 22 April 1831 – 22 May 1834 •
Bolton and Preston Railway, 15 June 1837 – 10 May 1844 •
Bury and Tottington District Railway, 2 August 1877 – 24 July 1888 •
West Lancashire Railway, 14 August 1871 – 15 July 1897 •
Liverpool, Southport and Preston Junction Railway, 7 August 1884 – 15 July 1897
Joint lines The L&YR was a co-owner of several
joint railways and joint stations. Besides those listed above, they included: •
Axholme Joint Railway (L&YR,
NER) •
Halifax and Ovenden Junction Railway (GNR, L&YR) •
Halifax High Level Railway (
GNR, L&YR) •
Huddersfield railway station (LNWR, L&YR) •
Knottingley railway station (GNR, L&YR) •
Leeds Central railway station (GNR, LNWR, L&YR, NER) •
Methley Joint Railway (GNR, L&YR, NER) •
South Yorkshire Joint Railway (
GCR, GNR, L&YR,
MR, NER) •
Wakefield Kirkgate railway station (GNR, L&YR) Unless otherwise stated, the owning railways had equal shares. In addition, the L&YR had a one-third stake in the
Dearne Valley Railway, the remaining two-thirds of which was owned by private shareholders.
The system The system consisted of many branches and alternative routes, so that it is not easy to determine the location of its
main line. For working purposes the railway was split into three divisions: •
Western Division: •
Manchester to
Blackpool and
Fleetwood; • Manchester to
Bolton,
Wigan,
Southport and
Liverpool; and the direct line to Liverpool; •
East Lancashire or
Central Division • Manchester to
Oldham,
Bury,
Rochdale,
Todmorden,
Accrington,
Burnley and
Colne. It also included the connection to the LNWR at Stockport for through traffic to London. •
Eastern Division: • Todmorden to
Halifax,
Bradford,
Leeds,
Huddersfield,
Wakefield,
Normanton,
Goole, and
Doncaster. Whereas there were various lines split between the Central and Western Divisions there was only one route connecting the Eastern and Central Divisions. This line cut through the
Pennines between Lancashire and Yorkshire using a number of long tunnels, the longest of which was
Summit Tunnel ( in length) near
Rochdale. There were six other tunnels each more than long.
Manchester Victoria railway station Manchester Victoria railway station was one of the largest
railway stations in the country at the time. It occupied and had 17
platforms with a total length of . After the grouping, a structural change led platform 11 to run through and join with platform 3 in the
LNWR's adjacent
Exchange station; at between ramps it became the longest railway platform in Britain. Lately the station capacity has been reduced to two platforms for
Metrolink trams, two
bay platforms, and four
through platforms under
Manchester Arena, which now replaces a significant area once occupied by the station. The main façade and station building of the original Hunts Bank station still exist and are kept in relatively good condition.
Electrification The L&YR was the first in the country to electrify a mainline route. In
Liverpool, the
fourth rail system pioneered by
the tube railways in London was used at 600
V DC, although this was later converted to a
third rail system. Suburban lines in the Liverpool area were electrified to reach a total of . •
Liverpool Exchange – and : 22 March 1904 • Liverpool – (two routes): July and December 1906 • Southport – : 1909 • Aintree – : 1913 In 1912
Dick, Kerr & Co.'s
Preston factory was considering tendering for a Brazilian contract, and approached the L&YR to use the
Bury to Holcombe Brook Line for test purposes at Dick, Kerr's expense. The line from to was electrified with the
overhead 3.5 kV DC system; rolling stock was also supplied at their cost. After prolonged trials the trains entered public use on 29 July 1913. The L&YR purchased the equipment and stock on the successful completion of the trials in 1916. , 1915 In 1913 a decision was taken to electrify the
Manchester to Bury route at 1.2 kV DC in an attempt to overcome competition from electric
trams. Using the third rail system, trains powered by electric motor cars (or carriages) began running on 17 April 1916 but as
Horwich was by then involved in
war work, deliveries of the new electric stock were delayed and it was not until August 1916 that steam trains were withdrawn from the route. In 1920 the L&YR also considered electrifying the
Manchester–Oldham–Shaw and Royton lines, but no work was carried out. During 1917 work began to convert the Bury to Holcombe Brook line to a third rail system, matching the Manchester to Bury system. Third-rail trains started to run on 29 March 1918.
Livery 0-6-0 ST No. 752 at Rainhill in 1980 showing the LYR freight loco colours of black with red lining Locomotives of the Lancashire and Yorkshire Railway were originally painted dark green with ornate brasswork and copper-capped chimneys. Lining was black and white. In 1876 the dark green was changed to a light green and goods engines were painted plain black. 1878 saw the goods locomotives also appearing in light green. This livery was discontinued from 1883 when all locomotives were painted black. Lining was red and white for passenger locomotives and, if present, red only for goods locomotives. Passenger coaching stock was originally painted teak, changing in 1875 to an overall light brown. In 1879 a decision was made to use 'a little brighter shade'. Finally in June 1881 it was announced that the lower panels were to be painted 'lake colour'. Between 1896 and 1914 the upper panels became buff with the lower in purple-brown, ends were dark brown. Roofs were normally dark grey but some did appear in red oxide. Wagons were unpainted until 1902 except for the ironwork which was black. After 1902 it was painted dark grey. The graphical symbol of an inverted solid triangle within a circle was replaced in 1902–03 with the letters LY. Brake vans were black and special traffic wagons were painted in various colours, such as red for
gunpowder, white for fish, and pale blue for butter. The
football team of the L&YR Carriage and Wagon works at
Newton Heath, Manchester, evolved into
Manchester United F.C. Post-grouping history On 25 March 1921, the L&YR and LNWR agreed terms under which the two railways would amalgamate. Before this could occur, the
Railways Act 1921 became law on 19 August 1921, under which the L&YR and LNWR would be forced to amalgamate on 1 January 1923 with each other and with other railways, such as the
Midland Railway and the
Caledonian Railway. The Act included provisions for two or more railways to amalgamate voluntarily before 1923; and the L&YR and LNWR took the opportunity to implement their March 1921 agreement, and on 1 January 1922 both railways were dissolved and a new company was formed, which was also named the London and North Western Railway; its board of twenty directors included six from the former L&YR. The 1923 Grouping duly occurred one years later, which involved the expanded LNWR forming part of the new
London Midland and Scottish Railway (LMS). The general manager, secretary and chief mechanical engineer positions of the expanded company were taken by L&YR employees. Ex-L&YR lines formed the core of the LMS's Central Division. The LMS did little to develop the former L&YR routes, which in many places ran parallel to ex-LNWR or ex-Midland routes now forming part of the same network.
Nationalisation followed in 1948 followed by a period of rationalisation and modernisation. The L&YR system has survived largely intact, although the following routes have been closed, many within the L&YR's old East Lancashire division: • Bury to Manchester (converted to
Manchester Metrolink operation in 1992) •
Bury to Clifton Junction, closed 1966 •
Bury/Radcliffe to Bolton, closed 1970 • Bury to Rochdale, closed to regular passenger traffic 1970, but now partly preserved as the
East Lancashire Railway heritage railway line •
Bury to Accrington/Bacup, closed to regular passenger traffic in 1966, but now partly preserved as the
East Lancashire Railway heritage railway line •
Bury to Holcombe Brook, fully closed 1963 •
Rochdale to Bacup, fully closed 1967 •
Rochdale to Manchester via Oldham – The Oldham Loop, now converted to
Manchester Metrolink operation •
Blackburn to Burnley via Padiham – The North Lancs or Great Harwood Loop, closed 1964 •
Blackburn to Chorley, closed 1960 •
Preston to Southport, closed 1964 •
Preston to Longridge, closed 1930 •
Southport to Altcar, closed 1952
The routes today Most ex-L&YR routes are now operated by
Northern.
Manchester Victoria station has been rebuilt in a more modest form and retains the former terminal building. The
Caldervale Line, as named by
West Yorkshire Metro, is also operated by Northern and uses a large part of the former L&YR. ==Accidents and incidents==