| London and North Eastern Railway | |
|---|---|
| Dates of operation | 1923–1948 |
| Predecessor | Great Eastern Railway Great Central Railway Great Northern Railway Great North of Scotland Railway Hull and Barnsley Railway North British Railway North Eastern Railway and others |
| Successor | Eastern Region North Eastern Region Scottish Region |
| Track gauge | 4 ft 8 1⁄2 in (1,435 mm) |
| Length | 6,590 miles (10,610 km) |
The London and North Eastern Railway (LNER) was the second-largest of the "Big Four" railway companies created by the Railways Act 1921 in Britain. It existed from 1 January 1923 until nationalisation on 1 January 1948, when it was divided into the new British Railways' Eastern Region, North Eastern Region and partially the Scottish Region.
Sir Ralph Wedgwood was the Chief Officer of the LNER for its first 16 years.
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The LNER was formed out of a number of constituent railway companies, the principal of which were:
The total route mileage was 6,590 miles (10,610 km). The North Eastern Railway owned the largest route mileage, 1,757 miles (2,828 km) as compared with the Hull and Barnsley Railway, at just 106.5 miles (171.4 km).
The LNER also owned:
In partnership with the London, Midland and Scottish Railway (LMS), the LNER was co-owner of the Midland and Great Northern Joint Railway, the UK's biggest joint railway system, much of which competed with the LNER's own lines. The M&GNJR was wholly incorporated into the LNER system in 1936. In 1933, on the formation of the London Passenger Transport Board, the LNER acquired the remaining operations of the Metropolitan Railway Company.
The LNER was the majority partner in the Cheshire Lines Committee and the Forth Bridge Railway Company.
The LNER, as its name suggests, covered the arc of the country between north and east of London. It included the East Coast Main Line from London to Edinburgh via York and Newcastle upon Tyne and the routes from Edinburgh to Aberdeen and Inverness. Most of the country east of the Pennines was the LNER's purview, including the large, flat expanse of East Anglia. The LNER's main workshops were in Doncaster, with others at Darlington and Inverurie.[1]
The LNER inherited four of London's terminal stations: Fenchurch Street (ex-London and Blackwall Railway;[2] King's Cross (ex-Great Northern Railway); Liverpool Street (ex-Great Eastern Railway); and Marylebone (ex-Great Central Railway).[3] In addition, it ran London suburban services to Broad Street (London, Midland and Scottish Railway) and Moorgate (Metropolitan Railway, later London Transport).[4]
The LNER inherited:
It took shares in a large number of local bus companies, including for a time a majority stake in United Automobile Services Ltd. In Halifax and Sheffield, it participated in Joint Omnibus Committees with the LMS and the Corporation.[1]
In 1935, with the LMS, Wilson Line and others it formed the shipping company Associated Humber Lines Ltd.[1]
In 1938 it was reported that the LNER, with 800 mechanical horse tractors, was the world's largest owner of this vehicle type.[5]
The LNER operated a number of ships.
| Ship | Launched | Tonnage (GRT) | Notes and references |
|---|---|---|---|
| SS Accrington | 1910 | Built in 1910 for the Great Central Railway and served on the Grimsby–Hamburg, Germany route. Acquired by LNER in 1923 and passed to Associated Humber Lines in 1934. Used as a convoy rescue ship during the Second World War. Returned to LNER post-war and passed to British Railways in 1948. Served until scrapped in 1950.[6] | |
| Amsterdam | 1894 | 1,745 | Built in 1894 for the Great Eastern Railway. Served on the Harwich–Hook of Holland, Netherlands route. Acquired by LNER in 1923 and served until scrapped in 1928.[7] |
| Amsterdam | 1930 | 4,220 | Built in 1930 for use on the Harwich–Hook of Holland route. Sold in 1941 to the Ministry of War Transport and converted to a troopship. In 1944, she struck a mine and sank off Normandy, France.[8] |
| Antwerp | 1920 | 2,957 | Built in 1920 for the Great Eastern Railway. Acquired by LNER in 1923. Passed to British Railways in 1948 and served until scrapped in 1951.[7] |
| Archangel | 1910 | 2,570 | Built in 1910 as St. Petersburg for the Great Eastern Railway. Renamed Archangel in 1916 and acquired by LNER in 1923. Bombed and sunk in 1941 off the east coast of Scotland.[7] |
| Arnhem | 1947 | 4,891 | Built in 1947 for use on the Harwich–Hook of Holland route. Passed to British Railways in 1948 and served until scrapped in 1969.[8] |
| Bruges | 1920 | 2,949 | Built in 1920 for the Great Eastern Railway for service on the Harwich–Hook of Holland route. Acquired by LNER in 1923. Bombed and sunk in 1940 off Le Havre, Seine Maritime, France.[7] |
| City of Bradford | 1903 | 1,340 | Built in 1903 for the Great Central Railway for service on the Grimsby–Hamburg Route. Acquired by LNER in 1923. Sold in 1936 to the Near East Shipping Co, London and renamed Hanne. Scrapped later that year.[6] |
| City of Leeds | 1903 | 1,341 | Built in 1903 for the Great Central Railway for service on the Grimsby–Hamburg route. Acquired by LNER in 1923. Scrapped in 1936.[6] |
| Dewsbury | 1910 | Built in 1910 for the Great Central Railway for service on the Grimsby–Hamburg route. Acquired by LNER in 1923. Passed to Associated Humber Lines in 1934. Served until 1959 when scrapped.[6] | |
| SS Lutterworth | 1891 | 1,002 | Built in 1891 for the Great Central Railway. Acquired by LNER in 1923. Served until 1932 when scrapped.[6] |
| Macclesfield | 1914 | 1,018 | Built in 1914 for the Great Central Railway. Acquired by LNER in 1923. Passed to British Railways in 1948 and served until scrapped in 1958.[6] |
| Malines | 1921 | 2,969 | Built in 1921 for the Great Eastern Railway for service on the Harwich–Antwerp, Belgium service. Acquired by LNER in 1923 and served until laid up in 1945. Scrapped in 1948.[7] |
| Nottingham | 1893 | 1,033 | Built in 1894 for the Great Central Railway. Acquired by LNER in 1923 and served until scrapped in 1935.[6] |
| Prague | 1930 | 4,220 | Built in 1930 for use on the Harwich–Hook of Holland route. Sold in 1941 to the Ministry of War Transport and converted to a troopship. Returned to LNER in 1945, but gutted by fire and sank in 1947 whilst being refitted.[8] |
| Roulers | 1894 | 1,753 | Built in 1894 as Vienna for the Great Eastern Railway. Renamed Roulers in 1920. Acquired by LNER in 1923 and served on the Harwich–Zeebrugge route until scrapped in 1930.[7] |
| Staveley | 1891 | 1,034 | Built in 1891 for the Great Central Railway. Acquired by LNER in 1923. Served until scrapped in 1932.[6] |
| St Denis | 1908 | 2,570 | Built in 1908 as Munich for the Great Eastern Railway for service on the Harwich–Hook of Holland route. Requisitioned during the First World War for use as a hospital ship and renamed St Denis. Acquired by LNER in 1923. Scuttled at Amsterdam, Netherlands in 1940. Salvaged by the Germans and served until scrapped in 1950.[7] |
| Train Ferry No.1 | 1917 | 2,683 | Built in 1917 for use between Richborough, Kent and Dunquerque, Nord France. Laid up post-war. Acquired by LNER in 1923 and operated on the Harwich–Zeebrugge, Belgium route. Requisitioned in 1940 by the Royal Navy and renamed HMS Princess Iris and converted in 1941 to a Landing Craft carrier. Returned to LNER in 1946 and renamed Essex Ferry. Renamed Essex Ferry II in 1957 and scrapped at Grays, Essex in that year.[8] |
| Train Ferry No.2 | 1917 | 2,678 | Built in 1917 for use between Richborough, and Dunquerque. Laid up post-war. Acquired by LNER in 1923 and operated on the Harwich–Zeebrugge route. Requisitioned in 1940 by the Royal Navy. Lost on 13 June 1940 off Saint-Valery-en-Caux, Seine Maritime, France.[8] |
| Train Ferry No.3 | 1917 | 2,672 | Built in 1917 for use between Richborough, and Dunquerque. Laid up post-war. Acquired by LNER in 1923 and operated on the Harwich–Zeebrugge route. Requisitioned in 1940 by the Royal Navy. Renamed HMS Daffodil and converted in 1941 to a Landing Craft carrier. Lost off Dieppe, Seine-Maritime, on 18 March 1945.[8] |
| Vienna | 1929 | 4,227 | Built for the Harwich–Hook of Holland route. Sold in 1941 to the Ministry of War Transport and converted to a troopship.[8] |
The LNER used a number of liveries on its trains. Most common were lined apple green on its passenger locomotives (much lighter and brighter than the green used by the Great Western Railway) and unlined black on freight locomotives, both with gold lettering. Passenger carriages were generally varnished teak (wood) finish; the few metal-panelled coaches were painted to represent teak.
Some special trains and A4 Pacific locomotives were painted differently, including silver-grey and garter blue.
The LNER covered quite an extensive area of Britain, running trains from London to the north east of England and Scotland. The enforced re-grouping of the railway companies in 1923 meant that former rivals within the LNER, spread across England and Scotland, had to work together. The task of creating an instantly recognisable public image for the LNER went to William M. Teasdale, their first advertising manager. Teasdale was influenced by the philosophies and policies of Frank Pick, who controlled the style and content of the London Underground's widely-acclaimed poster advertising. Teasdale did not confine his artists within strict guidelines but allowed them a free hand. When Teasdale was promoted to Assistant General Manager of the LNER, this philosophy was carried on by Cecil Dandridge who succeeded him and was the LNER's Advertising Manager until nationalisation in 1948. Dandridge was largely responsible for the adoption of the Gill Sans typeface; it was later adopted by British Railways.
The LNER was a very industrial company: hauling more than one-third of Britain's coal, it derived two thirds of its income from freight. Despite this, the main image that the LNER presented of itself was one of glamour, of fast trains and sophisticated destinations. The LNER's advertising campaign was highly sophisticated and advanced compared to those of its rivals. Teasdale and Dandridge commissioned top graphic designers and poster artists such as Tom Purvis to promote its services and encourage the public to visit the holiday destinations of the east coast during the summer.
The public face of a railway system is in large part the locomotives and rolling stock in service upon it, and therefore the personalities of the Chief Mechanical Engineers of the LNER impressed their distinctive visions upon the railway. There were three CMEs of the LNER.
Sir Nigel Gresley was the first CME and held the post for most of the LNER's existence, and thus he had the greatest effect on the company. He came to the LNER via the Great Northern Railway, where he was CME. He was noted for his "Big Engine" policy, and is best remembered for his large express passenger locomotives, many times the holder of the world speed record for steam locomotives. LNER Class A4 4-6-2 Pacific locomotive Mallard holds the record to this day. Gresley died in office in 1941.
Edward Thompson's short reign (1941–1946) was a controversial one. A noted detractor of Gresley even before his elevation to the post of CME, there are those who interpret many of his actions as being motivated by dislike of his predecessor. Against this it must be said that Gresley's designs had their flaws as well as their brilliance. His record is best served by his solid and dependable freight and mixed-traffic locomotives built under and for wartime conditions. He retired in 1946.
Peppercorn's career was cut short by nationalisation and was CME for only 18 months. In this short period and in an atmosphere of reconstruction rather than great new endeavours, his only notable designs were his A1 and A2 Pacific express passenger locomotives, most of which were completed after nationalisation. Peppercorn was a student and admirer of Gresley and his locomotives combined the classic lines of Gresley's with the reliability and solidity Gresley's locomotives never quite achieved.
The company was nationalised in 1948 along with the rest of the railway companies of Great Britain. The London & North Eastern Railway Company continued to exist as a legal entity for nearly two more years, being formally wound up on 23 December 1949.[9]
On the privatisation of BR in 1996, the franchise to run long distance express trains on the East Coast Main Line was initially won by Sea Containers Ltd, who named the new operating company Great North Eastern Railway (GNER), a name and initials deliberately chosen to echo the former LNER.
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