The London and Birmingham Railway (L&BR) was an early railway company in the United Kingdom from 1833 until 1846, at which date it became a constituent part of the London and North Western Railway. The 112 mile (180km) long railway line that the company built between London and Birmingham was, when it opened in 1838, one of the first intercity railway lines in the world, and the first railway line to be built into London. It survives to the present today, as the southern section of the West Coast Main Line. 1833 was a common year starting on Tuesday (see link for calendar). ... 1846 was a common year starting on Thursday (see link for calendar). ... The London and North Western Railway (LNWR) was formed in 1846 by the merger of three railway companies - the Grand Junction Railway, London and Birmingham and Manchester and Birmingham. ... London (pronounced ) is the capital city of the United Kingdom and the largest city of England (strangely, England has no constitutional existence within the United Kingdom, and therefore cannot be said to have a capital). ... The city from above Centenary Square. ... | Jöns Jakob Berzelius, discoverer of protein 1838 was a common year starting on Monday (see link for calendar). ... The WCML running alongside the M1 motorway at Watford Gap in Northamptonshire A Virgin Pendolino and freight train on the WCML The West Coast Main Line (WCML) is one of the most important intercity railway lines in the United Kingdom, part of the British railway system. ...

The line was engineered by Robert Stephenson. It started at Euston Station in London, and travelled north-north-westward until reaching Rugby, where it turned west to Coventry and thence to Birmingham. Statue of Robert Stephenson at Euston Station, London Robert Stephenson FRS (October 16, 1803–October 12, 1859) was an English civil engineer. ... Facade of Euston Station, London Euston Arch: the original Euston Station, as enlarged, ca 1851 Euston station concourse Euston station (also known as London Euston), is a large railway station in Central London. ... Rugby is a market town in the county of Warwickshire in the West Midlands region of England on the River Avon. ... The Precinct in Coventry city centre. ...

Curzon Street Station. The Birmingham terminus of the line

In Birmingham the line terminated at Curzon Street Station, which it shared with the Grand Junction Railway (GJR), whose platforms were adjacent, thus providing a link to the Liverpool and Manchester Railway (L&MR), and allowing onward travel by rail from London to those cities. Image File history File linksMetadata Download high-resolution version (1000x750, 235 KB)The frontage of Curzon Street Station in Birmingham. ... Image File history File linksMetadata Download high-resolution version (1000x750, 235 KB)The frontage of Curzon Street Station in Birmingham. ... Curzon Street Station was the train station which was at the end of the first line connecting Birmingham to London in the 1800s. ... The Grand Junction Railway (GJR) was an early railway company in the United Kingdom which existed between 1833 and 1846. ... The Liverpool and Manchester Railway (L&MR) was the worlds first intercity passenger railway in which all the trains were timetabled and operated for most of the distance solely by steam locomotives. ...

History

The idea of building a railway line from London to Birmingham had been mooted as early as 1823 when a company was formed by John Rennie to build such a line. Rennie proposed to build a line between the two cities via Oxford and Banbury (the route later used by the Great Western Railway). 1823 was a common year starting on Wednesday (see link for calendar). ... Categories: Stub | 1794 births | 1874 deaths ... Oxford is a city and local government district in Oxfordshire, England, with a population of 134,248 (2001 census). ... The modern Castle Quay Shopping Centre in Banbury alongside the Oxford Canal, with Banbury Museum in the background Banbury is a market town on the River Cherwell in Oxfordshire, England. ... The original Bristol Temple Meads station, first terminus of the GWR, is the building to the left of this picture The Great Western Railway (GWR) was a British railway company, linking South West England, the West Country and South Wales with London. ...

Soon afterwards another rival company was formed by Francis Giles who proposed to build a line via the Watford Gap and Coventry. The two companies were unsuccessful in achieving backing for their schemes, and in the autumn of 1830 the two companies decided to combine their efforts. Francis Giles 1787 - 1847 Bibliography Engineer and surveyor who worked under John Rennie Surveyed the Bull Wall, RIVER IVEL NAVIGATION Reference: Engineers on Easynet Bull Wall RIVER IVEL NAVIGATION Categories: Engineer stubs ... Watford Gap and the small village of Watford, is the traditional crossing point on the old east-west coaching route across England. ... The Precinct in Coventry city centre. ... Liberty Leading the People by Eugène Delacroix commemorates the July Revolution 1830 (MDCCCXXX) was a common year starting on Friday (see link for calendar). ...

The joint company appointed Robert Stephenson as chief engineer, and he soon decided in favour of the route through Coventry, largely because he feared flooding from the River Thames at Oxford. Statue of Robert Stephenson at Euston Station, London Robert Stephenson FRS (October 16, 1803–October 12, 1859) was an English civil engineer. ... The Thames (pronounced []) is a river flowing through southern England, in its lower reaches flowing through London into the sea. ...

The prospectus for the London and Birmingham Railway offered the following inducements to potential investors:

First, the opening of new and distant sources of supply of provisions to the metropolis; Second, Easy, cheap and expeditious travelling; Third; The rapid and economical interchange of the great articles of consumption and of commerce, both internal and external; and Lastly, the connexion by railways, of London with Liverpool, the rich pastures of the centre of England, and the greatest manufacturing districts; and, through the port of Liverpool, to afford a most expeditious communication with Ireland.

The Company's first application for an Act of Parliament to construct the line was rejected in 1832, largely due to pressure from landowners and road and canal interests. However in May the following year, a second act was approved and the line received royal assent. Construction began in November of the same year. 1832 was a leap year starting on Sunday (see link for calendar). ...

The line was initially supposed to open at the same time as the Grand Junction Railway which entered Birmingham from the north. However enormous troubles with the construction of the Kilsby Tunnel in Northamptonshire delayed the opening. The Grand Junction Railway (GJR) was an early railway company in the United Kingdom which existed between 1833 and 1846. ... The Kilsby Tunnel is a railway tunnel on the West Coast Main Line railway in England. ... Northamptonshire (abbreviated Northants or Nhants) is a landlocked county in central England with a population of 629,676 (2001 census). ...

Plaque at Curzon Street Station commemorating the arrival of the first train from London to Birmingham

The first part of the line between Euston Station and Boxmoor (Hemel Hempstead) was opened on 20 July 1837. The line was not finished in time for the coronation of Queen Victoria on June 28 1838, but realising the potentially lucrative traffic this would generate, the company opened the line between Birmingham and Rugby to the north, and London to Bletchley to the south, and a stagecoach shuttle service was introduced linking the two, allowing people to complete the journey to London. The line was officially opened to all traffic throughout, on September 17, 1838. Image File history File linksMetadata Download high-resolution version (2592x1944, 1214 KB) Created by Erebus555. ... Image File history File linksMetadata Download high-resolution version (2592x1944, 1214 KB) Created by Erebus555. ... Boxmoor is a small suburb of Hemel Hempstead in Hertfordshire, England. ... Statistics Population: 81,143 Ordnance Survey OS grid reference: TL056071 Administration District: Dacorum Shire county: Hertfordshire Region: East of England Constituent country: England Sovereign state: United Kingdom Other Ceremonial county: Hertfordshire Historic county: Hertfordshire Services Police force: Hertfordshire Constabulary Fire and rescue: {{{Fire}}} Ambulance: East of England Post office and... Queen Victoria, Queen of the United Kingdom (1837 - 1901) 1837 (MDCCCXXXVII) was a common year starting on Sunday (see link for calendar). ... Victoria (Alexandrina Victoria; 24 May 1819 – 22 January 1901) was the Queen of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland from 20 June 1837, and the first Empress of India from 1 May 1876, until her death on 22 January 1901. ... June 28 is the 179th day of the year (180th in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar, with 186 days remaining. ... Bletchley is a town in what is now Milton Keynes new city. ... Buffalo soldiers guard a Concord style stagecoach somewhere in the American West, ca. ... September 17 is the 260th day of the year (261st in leap years). ... | Jöns Jakob Berzelius, discoverer of protein 1838 was a common year starting on Monday (see link for calendar). ...

Initially, owing to the lack of power available to early locomotives, trains from Euston were cable-hauled up the relatively steep incline to Camden by a stationary steam engine. The original engine shed, a roundhouse, still stands at Camden, having been, for most of its life, a warehouse, and more recently an arts centre, The Roundhouse. The main works, initially at Edge Hill, near Liverpool, quickly moved to Wolverton. Camden Town is a place in the London Borough of Camden, England. ... // The term steam engine may also refer to an entire railroad steam locomotive. ... Engine shed may refer to: Engine shed, also called a Motive Power Depot, a structure used for the maintenance of railway locomotives. ... Roundhouse in 1909, turntable in the front Steam locomotives sit in the Chicago and Northwestern roundhouse at the Chicago, Illinois freight yards, December 1942. ... The Roundhouse was built in 1847 as a turntable engine shed for the London and Birmingham Railway at Chalk Farm (near Camden Town), in London, England. ... Edge Hill railway works was built by the Liverpool and Manchester Railway around 1830 at Edge Hill, Liverpool. ... Wolverton railway works was set up in the 1830s by the London and Birmingham Railway at the midpoint of their 112 mile-long line. ...

From 1840, when the Midland Counties Railway made a junction to its line at Rugby, the L&BR also provided through connections from London to the East Midlands and the North East. It also made connections to the Birmingham and Derby Junction Railway at Hampton-in-Arden between Coventry and Birmingham. 1840 is a leap year starting on Wednesday (link will take you to calendar). ... The Midland Counties Railway (MCR) was an early railway company in the United Kingdom which existed between 1832 and 1844, connecting Nottingham, Leicester and Derby with Rugby and thence to London. ... The Birmingham and Derby Junction Railway was a British railway company. ... Hampton-in-Arden is a small village in the metropolitan borough of Solihull, in the West Midlands of England, although previously it was in Warwickshire. ...

In 1846 the L&BR merged with the Grand Junction Railway and a few other companies, to form the London and North Western Railway, which in turn was later absorbed into the London Midland and Scottish Railway, before finally passing into the hands of the nationalised British Rail in 1948 to become part of the West Coast Main Line as it is known today. The Grand Junction Railway (GJR) was an early railway company in the United Kingdom which existed between 1833 and 1846. ... The London and North Western Railway (LNWR) was formed in 1846 by the merger of three railway companies - the Grand Junction Railway, London and Birmingham and Manchester and Birmingham. ... The London, Midland and Scottish Railway (LMS1) was a British railway company. ... Logo of British Rail British Railways (BR), later rebranded as British Rail, ran the British railway system from the nationalisation of the Big Four British railway companies in 1948 until its privatisation in stages between 1994 and 1997. ... To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article or section may require cleanup. ...

Neither of the L&BR's original termini, both designed by Philip Hardwick have survived in their original form. Curzon Street station in Birmingham closed to passenger traffic in 1854, having long been replaced by New Street station, whilst the original Euston station in London was demolished in 1962 to make way for the present structure which opened in 1968. Philip Hardwick (1792-1870) was an eminent English architect (son of architect Thomas Hardwick (junior) (1752-1829), and grandson of Thomas Hardwick Senior (1725-1798)). He is particularly associated with transport-related buildings (eg: railway stations, warehouses) in London and elsewhere. ... 1854 (MDCCCLIV) was a common year starting on Sunday (see link for calendar). ... 1962 (MCMLXII) was a common year starting on Monday (the link is to a full 1962 calendar). ... 1968 (MCMLXVIII) was a leap year starting on Monday (the link is to a full 1968 calendar). ...

Construction parallels

Peter Le Count, the first Assistant Secretary of the London Birmingham railway, produced a number of - possibly hyperbolic - comparisons in an effort to demonstrate that the London and Birmingham Railway was "the greatest public work ever executed either in ancient or modern times".[1] In particular, he suggested that the effort to build the Great Pyramid of Giza amounted to the lifting of 15,733,000,000 cubic feet of stone by 1 foot. The railway, excluding a long string of tasks - drainage, ballasting &c - involved the lifting of 25,000,000,000 cubic feet of material reduced to the weight of stone used in the pyramid. The pyramid involved, he says, the effort ot 300,000 men (according to Diodorus Siculus) or 100,000 (according to Heroditus) for twenty years. The railway involved 20,000 men for five years. In passing, he also noted that the cost of the railway in penny pieces, was enough to more than form a belt of pennies around the equator; and the amount of material moved would be enough to build a wall one foot high by one foot wide, more than three times around the equator. Great Pyramid of Giza from a 19th century stereopticon card photo. ... Diodorus Siculus (c. ... Bust of Herodotus Herodotus of Halicarnassus (in Greek, , Herodotos Halikarnasseus) was a Dorian Greek historian who lived in the 5th century BC (484 BC–ca. ...

References

• Rugby's Railway Heritage by Peter H Elliot (1985) ISBN 0-907917-06-2
• The London & Birmingham Railway 150 Years on, by David Gould (1987) ISBN 0-7153-8968-8
• Our Iron Roads: Their History, Construction and Social Influences, by Frederick S. Williams (1852), pp128-129. Available from Google Book Search