BW131

Lancashire and Yorkshire Railway Company

Records of the Lancashire and Yorkshire Railway Company: records of the railway company 1904, records relating to the Manchester, Bolton and Bury Canal 1859-1904.

1859-1904

BW131

These records are available immediately for research

The Lancashire and Yorkshire Railway Company was created in 1847 when the Manchester & Leeds Railway amalgamated with several smaller railway companies including the West Riding Union Railway and the Manchester, Bolton & Bury Canal Navigation and Railway. Eventually it expanded even further, taking over the East Lancashire Railway and the Manchester & Southport Railway, amongst others. From 1855, the company had the largest share, 73 per cent, in the 21-year lease of the Rochdale Canal with three other railways. This arrangement actually lasted until 1890. Very little of the 580 miles of track was on level ground, necessitating the construction of many viaducts and tunnels. Despite this, and the under-investment in its trains, the company was very successful. Its profits could rival those of much larger companies. Passenger traffic only really became significant with the development of coastal holiday resorts, the most notable being Blackpool. In 1921 the company merged with the London & North Western Railway, retaining the latter's name.

It has not been possible to ascertain the original structure of record-keeping from the records held for this company. The fonds has been arranged into two series by subject, which is how some of the records may have originally been kept. The railway company's records relating to the railway have been placed first, followed by records relating to the Manchester, Bolton and Bury Canal. The records within these series have been arranged chronologically while keeping records relating to each other together. This means that some records may fall slightly out of the chronological sequence.

[See also: BW71 for records of the Manchester, Bolton and Bury Canal during other periods of ownership]