LMS

Resource Type: Image | Posted on 10th May 2011 by Jenny Porter

A locomotive marked “LMS” (London, Midland and Scottish Railway) is just outside the shed. It appers to be coupled, back to back, to anther locomotive: a third locomotive, marked LMS on its tender, is seen in the background. The LMS was created in 1923 as a result of the Railways Act of 1921, which forced the over 120 railway companies in the UK to merge into the so-called “Big Four” - the other three being the Great Western Railway (GWR, which already existed), London and North Eastern Railway (LNER) and Southern Railway (SR) - which all existed until the railways were nationalised in 1948. The LMS was the largest of the Big Four, and the only one to service all four constituent countries of the United Kingdom. It operated in London, the Midlands, the North West, mid/north Wales and Scotland, as well as a separate service in Northern Ireland. The LMS was the only one of the Big Four to operate in Northern Ireland, under the name Northern Counties Committee. Services in what became Northern Ireland had previously been operated by Midland Railway since 1903, as Midland Railway (Northern Counties Committee), following Midland’s takeover of the Belfast and Northern Counties Railway. LMS’s two principal lines were the West Coast and Midland Main Lines. It was the largest commercial venture in the British Empire, also having interests in canals, shipping, road haulage and hotels, Britain’s second largest employer (after the Post Office) and, so it claimed, the world’s largest joint stock organisation.

Tagged under: steam locomotives, british rail, london midland and scottish railway, great western railway, london and north eastern railway, midland railway, southern railway, northern counties committee, big four, west coast main line

Categorised under: Landmarks, Landscapes & Locomotives