The Main Works of the Former LNER

Abstract

The London & North-Eastern Railway (LNER) and some of its predecessors enjoyed the great distinction of having started the railways of Britain. The Stockton & Darlington Railway, built mainly for carrying coal, was opened in 1825. By the early nineteenth century there were already more than 1500 miles of primitive railways, largely concentrated in the industrial north, especially in Durham and Northumberland, conveying coal from local collieries for shipment. The north-east of England had pre-eminence in the development of the steam locomotive, and many thousands of its products have been supplied to countries all over the world.