List of constituents of the Great Western Railway

Great Western Railway

Logo of the Great Western Railway, incorporating the shields, crests and mottoes of the cities of London (left) and Bristol (right)
Map of the railway pre-grouping (1920)
Map of the railway post-grouping (1926)
History
1835	Act of incorporation
1838	First train ran
1869–92	7 ft 1⁄4 in (2,140 mm) Brunel gauge changed to 4 ft 8+1⁄2 in (1,435 mm) standard gauge
1903	Start of road motor services
1923	Keeps identity though the Grouping
1935	Centenary
1948	Nationalised
Successor organisation
1948	British Rail, Western Region
Constituent companies See full list of constituents of the GWR 1854 Shrewsbury and Birmingham Railway Shrewsbury and Chester Railway 1862 South Wales Railway 1863 West Midland Railway 1876 Bristol and Exeter Railway South Devon Railway 1889 Cornwall Railway 1922 Rhymney Railway Taff Vale Railway Cambrian Railways 1923 Midland & S W Junction Railway
Key locations
Headquarters	Paddington station, London
Locale	England; Wales
Workshops	Swindon Wolverhampton
Major stations	Birmingham Snow Hill Bristol Temple Meads Cardiff General London Paddington Reading General
Route mileage Mileage shown as at end of year stated[1][2][3][4][5] 1841 171 miles (275 km) 1863 1,106 miles (1,780 km) 1876 2,023 miles (3,256 km) 1899 2,504 miles (4,030 km) 1919 2,996 miles 68 chains (4,823.0 km) 1921 3,005 miles (4,836 km) 1924 3,797 miles (6,111 km) 1925 3,819 miles 69 chains (6,147.5 km)
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The Great Western Railway (GWR) was incorporated by an act of Parliament in 1835 and nationalised on 1 January 1948. During this time it amalgamated with, or purchased outright, many other railway companies. These are listed here in two groups. The early amalgamations (mostly between 1843 and 1900) often involved railway companies that were already being financially supported by the GWR. The Railways Act 1921 brought many new companies into the fold including many successful Welsh lines.