Lancashire and Yorkshire Railway

The Lancashire and Yorkshire Railway (L&YR) was a major British railway company before the 1923 Grouping. It was incorporated in 1847 from an amalgamation of several existing railways. It was the third-largest railway system based in Northern England (after the Midland and North Eastern Railways) and the largest whose network was entirely within Northern England.

The intensity of its service was reflected in the 1,650 locomotives it owned –  it was by far the most densely trafficked system in the British Isles with more locomotives per mile than any other company – and that one third of its 738 signal boxes controlled junctions averaging one every 3.5 mi. No two stations were more than 5.5 mi apart and its 1,904 passenger services occupied 57 pages in Bradshaw, a number exceeded only by the Great Western Railway, the London and North Western Railway, and the Midland Railway. It was the first mainline railway to introduce electrification of some of its lines, and it also ran steamboat services across the Irish Sea and North Sea, being a bigger shipowner than any other British railway company.

It amalgamated with the London and North Western Railway on 1 January 1922. One year later, the merged company became the largest constituent of the London, Midland and Scottish Railway.

Pre-grouping history
The L&YR was incorporated in 1847, 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 and 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)
 * Preston and Wyre Railway and Harbour Company, 3 July 1835 – 1 July 1839
 * West Riding Union Railway, 18 August 1846 – 17 November 1846
 * West Yorkshire Railway, 1845 – 18 August 1846
 * Leeds and West Riding Junction Railway, ? – 18 August 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 West Junction Railway, 27 July 1846 – 9 July 1847
 * Sheffield, Rotherham, Barnsley, Wakefield, Huddersfield and Goole Railway, 7 August 1846 – 2 August 1858
 * 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

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: Whereas there were various lines between the Central and Western Divisions there was only one route between 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 (2885 yd in length) near Rochdale. There were six other tunnels each more than 1000 yd long.
 * 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.

Manchester Victoria railway station
Victoria railway station was one of the largest railway stations in the country at the time, and was the first of four stations to be named Victoria, pre-dating those in London, Sheffield and Nottingham. It occupied 13.5 acre and had 17 platforms with a total length of 9332 ft. After the grouping, a structural change led No. 11 platform to run through and join with No. 3 platform in the adjacent Manchester Exchange railway station, at 2238 ft between ramps becoming 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 the Manchester Evening News Arena, which now replaces a significant area once occupied by the station. The main facade and station building of the original Hunts Bank station still exist and are kept in relatively good condition.

Electrification
The L&Y was the first in the country to electrify a mainline route. In Liverpool, the Fourth Rail system 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 37 route miles.
 * Liverpool Exchange – Southport and Crossens: 22 March 1904
 * Liverpool – Aintree (two routes): July and December 1906
 * Southport – Meols Cop railway station: 1909
 * Aintree – Ormskirk: 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 Bury Bolton Street Station to Holcombe Brook 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.

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 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
Locomotives of the Lancashire and Yorkshire Railway were originally painted dark green with ornate brass work 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 illiterate symbol of an inverted solid triangle within a circle was replaced from 1902–3 with the letters LY. Brake vans were black and special traffic wagons were painted in various colours e.g. Gunpowder- red, Fish – white, Butter – pale blue etc.

The football team of the L&YR Carriage and Wagon works at Newton Heath, Manchester, evolved into Manchester United F.C..

Shipping
The L&YR had the largest fleet of all the pre-grouping railway companies. In 1902 the assets of the Drogheda Steam Packet Company were acquired for the sum of £80,000 (£0 as of 2024).

By 1913 they owned twenty six vessels, with another two under construction, plus a further five under joint ownership with the London and North Western Railway. The L&YR ran steamers between Liverpool and Drogheda, Hull and Zeebrugge, and between Goole and many continental ports including Amsterdam, Copenhagen, Hamburg, and Rotterdam. The jointly owned vessels provided services between Fleetwood, Belfast and Derry.

Ships operated by the L&YR.

Ships jointly operated with the London and North Western Railway

Accidents
The Burscough Junction Station Crash occurred on 15 January 1880 at the Burscough Junction station on the Liverpool to Preston section of the Lancashire & Yorkshire Railway line.

Post-grouping history
The L&YR amalgamated with the London and North Western Railway on 1 January 1922, prior to the 1923 Grouping, which involved the expanded LNWR forming part of the new London Midland and Scottish Railway. 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. 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
 * [[East Lancashire Railway 1844–1859#Clifton Junction|Bury to Clifton Junction