Editing West Coast Main Line (section)

=== Pre-grouping, 1837–1923===

The early history of the WCML is complex, as it was not originally conceived as a single trunk route, but was built as a patchwork of separate lines by different companies, mostly during the 1830s and 1840s, but some parts were opened as late as the 1880s. After the completion of the pioneering [[Liverpool and Manchester Railway]] in 1830, schemes were mooted to build more inter-city lines. The business practice of the [[History of rail transport in Great Britain 1830–1922|early railway era]] was for companies to promote individual lines between two destinations, rather than to plan grand networks of lines, as it was considered easier to obtain backing from investors.
[[File:HLB Lok 2.jpg|thumb|[[LNWR 2-2-2 3020 Cornwall|3020 Cornwall]], an early LNWR express locomotive (built 1847, as pictured circa 1890)]]
The first stretch of what is now the WCML was the [[Grand Junction Railway]] connecting the Liverpool and Manchester Railway to Birmingham, via {{rws|Warrington|Bank Quay}}, {{rws|Crewe}}, {{rws|Stafford}} and {{rws|Wolverhampton}}, opening in 1837. The following year the [[London and Birmingham Railway]] was completed, connecting to the capital via {{rws|Coventry}}, {{rws|Rugby}} and the [[Watford Gap]]. The Grand Junction and London and Birmingham railways shared a Birmingham terminus at [[Birmingham Curzon Street railway station (1838-1966)|Curzon Street station]], so that it was now possible to travel by train between London, Birmingham, Manchester and Liverpool.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://virgintrainsmediaroom.com/media/adobepdf/3%20Grand%20Junction%20D.pdf |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060622194148/http://virgintrainsmediaroom.com/media/adobepdf/3%20Grand%20Junction%20D.pdf |title=Grand Junction Railway: History of the West Coast Main line |publisher=Virgin Trains |date=2004 |archive-date=22 June 2006 |url-status=dead}}</ref><ref name="web.archive.org">{{cite web |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060622194141/http://virgintrainsmediaroom.com/media/adobepdf/2%20LondonBirmingham%20D.pdf |title=London and Birmingham Railway: History of the West Coast Main line |publisher=Virgin Trains |date=2004 |url=http://virgintrainsmediaroom.com/media/adobepdf/2%20LondonBirmingham%20D.pdf |archive-date=22 June 2006}}</ref> These lines, together with the [[Trent Valley Railway]] (between Rugby and Stafford, avoiding Birmingham) and the [[Manchester and Birmingham Railway]] (Crewe–Manchester), amalgamated operations in [[1846 in rail transport|1846]] to form the [[London and North Western Railway]] (LNWR). Three other companies, the [[North Union Railway]] ([[Parkside railway station (Merseyside)|Parkside]]–Wigan–Preston), the [[Lancaster and Preston Junction Railway]] and the [[Lancaster and Carlisle Railway]], completed a through route to {{rws|Carlisle}} by the end of 1846, these were later absorbed by the LNWR.<ref name="Talbot 7-9">{{cite book |last1=Talbot |first1=Edward |title=The London & North Western Railway |date=1996 |publisher=Silver Link Publishing Ltd |isbn=1-85794-086-5 |pages=7–9}}</ref>

North of Carlisle, the [[Caledonian Railway]] remained independent, and opened [[Caledonian Main Line|its main line]] from Carlisle to {{rws|Beattock}} on 10 September 1847, connecting to Edinburgh in February 1848, and to Glasgow in November 1849.<ref name="Awdry">{{cite book |last=Awdry |first=Christopher |year=1990 |title=Encyclopaedia of British Railway Companies |location=Sparkford |publisher=Patrick Stephens Ltd |isbn=1-85260-049-7 |oclc=19514063}}</ref> The route to Scotland was marketed by the LNWR as 'The Premier Line'. Because the cross-border trains ran over the LNWR and Caledonian Railway, through trains consisted of jointly owned "West Coast Joint Stock" to simplify operations.<ref>{{cite web |title=West Coast Joint Stock Railway |url=https://collection.sciencemuseumgroup.org.uk/people/cp32125/west-coast-joint-stock-railway |publisher=Science Museum Group |access-date=29 April 2024}}</ref> The first direct London to Glasgow trains in the 1850s took 12.5{{nbsp}}hours to complete the {{convert|400|mi|km|adj=on}} journey.<ref>{{cite book |first=John |last=Thomas |year=1971 |title=A Regional History of the Railways of Great Britain. Volume VI Scotland: The Lowlands and the Borders (1st ed.) |location= Newton Abbot |publisher= David & Charles |oclc=650446341}}</ref>

Another important section, the [[North Staffordshire Railway]] (NSR), which opened [[Stafford to Manchester Line|its route]] in 1848 from {{rws|Macclesfield}} (connecting with the LNWR from Manchester) to Stafford and [[Colwich Junction]] via {{rws|Stoke-on-Trent}}, also remained independent. The NSR provided a useful alternative route to Manchester, however poor relations between the LNWR and the NSR meant that through trains did not run until 1867.<ref>{{cite web |url= http://virgintrainsmediaroom.com/media/adobepdf/4%20Manchester%20D.pdf |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20060622194051/http://virgintrainsmediaroom.com/media/adobepdf/4%20Manchester%20D.pdf |title=The Manchester Lines: History of the West Coast Main line |publisher= Virgin Trains |year=2004 |archive-date=22 June 2006 |access-date=22 June 2006 |url-status=dead}}</ref>

The final sections of what is now the WCML were put in place over the following decades. A direct branch to {{rws|Liverpool|Lime Street}}, bypassing the earlier Liverpool and Manchester line, was opened in 1869, from [[Weaver Junction]] north of {{rws|Crewe}} to [[Ditton Junction]] via the [[Runcorn Railway Bridge]] over the [[River Mersey]].<ref>{{cite web |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060622194103/http://virgintrainsmediaroom.com/media/adobepdf/5%20Lancashire%20D.pdf |url=http://virgintrainsmediaroom.com/media/adobepdf/5%20Lancashire%20D.pdf |title=Lines in Lancashire: History of the West Coast Main line |publisher=Virgin Trains |year=2004 |archive-date=22 June 2006 |url-status=dead}}</ref>

At the northern end, the Caledonian replaced its original {{rws|Southside}} terminus in Glasgow, with the much larger and better located {{rws|Glasgow Central}} in 1879.<ref name="Awdry"/>

To expand capacity, the line between London and Rugby was widened to four tracks in the 1870s. As part of this work, a new line, the [[Northampton Loop Line|Northampton Loop]], was built, opening in 1881, connecting {{rws|Northampton}} before rejoining the main line at Rugby.<ref name="web.archive.org" />