Expansion and impact of the railways on Victorian Britain
Growth of the railways: Part 2
The growth of the railways after the Liverpool to Manchester railway can be seen in a number of ways.
Growth of the railways up to 1855 is shown in the following scene:
STORY: Constructing the railway system
SCENE: The growth of railways in England and Wales, 1778 to 1855
Open question
Explore the rich media scene and using the information describe the growth of the pattern of railways until 1855. How far had the process gone by 1845?
Look at the following graphs to see the continued development of rail in the UK.
ACTIVITY
Maps showing patterns of growth of the railway system in the UK from 1850 to 1986-7.
Open question
For the later growth we can compare the situation at around 1890. In what ways has the pattern of railways changed between 1850 and 1890? Look at the situation around 1986-7 after the line closures of the 1960s. How has this pattern changed since the 1890s? Which does this look more like: the situation in 1890 or that in 1850?
Now look at the following data on railway construction.
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Figures for quinquennial years only
Source: From Mathias, P., The first industrial nation, Methuen, 1969.
The first two figures are derived from Lewin, H.G., Early British Railways (1928) and The Railway Mania and its Aftermath (1936). The remainder from Mitchell, B.R., and Deane, P., Abstract of British Historical Statistics, 1962. There is a slight discrepancy between the two sets of figures: for 1845: 2530 miles (Lewin) and 2441 miles (Mitchell and Deane).
Open question
Describe the chronology of railway construction between 1830 and 1914. Which were the periods of greatest activity?
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The growth of the railways: Key dates and developments
1825
Opening of the Stockton and Darlington Railway. Mainly for coal, but passengers also carried, initially in horse-drawn carriages
1829
The Rainhill trials for steam locomotives. The line itself built by George Stephenson (the father of the Liverpool to Manchester railway). Won by Robert Stephenson’s Rocket.
1830
The opening of the Liverpool and Manchester railway.
1835
Railway ‘mania’ on a small scale, with large number of proposals for new railways submitted to parliament. Series of major lines begun, particularly major routes from provinces to London.
1837
Opening of Grand Junction Railway (joining Birmingham and Liverpool-Manchester railway), the work of Joseph Locke and London and Birmingham railway, the work of Robert Stephenson.
1841
Brunel’s Great Western Railway (broad gauge) from London to Bristol opened. Completion railway from London to Southampton, work of Locke.
1844-7
Period of peak activity: 442 railway acts passed by parliament and 7,2000 miles of track laid.
1844
Parliamentary trains: Parliament required the provision of one stopping train a day at no more than a penny a mile in enclosed vehicles (not the open waggons previously used for cheap traffic. This encouraged the early development of covered sealed passenger transport, with the railways becoming more widely accessible to a wider part of the population.
1844
Midland railway formed from amalgamation of three other railways.
1845
The Woodhead tunnel on the Sheffield, Ashton and Manchester line, through Pennines. Longest tunnel yet constructed.
1846
The height of the railway mania. 272 Acts of Parliament passed, many others failed. London and North Western railway formed.
1849
Fall of George Hudson; completion of through route from London to Glasgow.
1854
North Eastern railway formed from amalgamation.
1857
First use of steel rails.
1863
The Metropolitan railway, first underground railway opened in London.
1876
The Settle and Carlisle railway is opened, giving Midland Railway its own west route to Scotland, from Leeds.
1878
Tay bridge opened in May, collapsed in December, replaced 1887.
1886
Severn tunnel opened.
1890
The Forth Bridge is opened.
1892
Final end of the Great Western Railway (GWR) broad gauge with the conversion to standard gauge of the Bristol to Paddington line.
1899
The Great Central Railway (Sheffield to London) is opened.
Notice that there were times when it seemed to be assumed that building railways gave the investor guaranteed financial rewards and when much money was sunk into unwise investments. During these periods, particularly in the 1840s, there were also many company takeovers. Investigate this further in the following scene:
STORY: Constructing the railway system
SCENE: A mania for growth
Notice also that what was impressive about this period was not just the building of the railway lines themselves but the improved technical performance of the locomotives. The newer engines could produce faster speeds. Perhaps more importantly, they could pull greater weights, whether of goods or passengers, and so made the unit cost of travel cheaper.
STORY: Constructing the railway system
SCENE: New lines - a global view
The growth of the railways was not just the story of more railway lines. It also the enormous changes in the speed and power of railways, and thus in their capacity to move large numbers of people and goods.
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The growth of the railways
Growth of the railways: Part 2
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