Bridport Railway opened 12 November 1857, bought by GWR 1 July 1901, closed 5 May 1975 Liskeard and Looe Railway, railway opened 11 May 1858, vested in GWR 1 January 1923 East Somerset Railway first stage opened 9 November 1858, completed 1 March 1862 Great Western and Brentford Railway opened 18 July 1858 Cornwall Railway opened to Truro 4 May 1859, extended to Falmouth 21 August 1863, amalgamated with GWR 1 July 1889 West Midland Railway formed 1 July 1860, amalgamated with GWR 1 August 1863 Oxford, Worcester and Wolverhampton Railway opened at Worcester 5 October 1850, completed from Wolverhampton to Oxford in stages by April 1854 Newport, Abergavenny and Hereford Railway opened 2 January 1851 Worcester and Hereford Railway opened 25 July 1859 Severn Valley Railway opened 1 February 1862 Ely Valley Railway opened 1 August 1860 Midlands Manchester, Sheffield and Lincolnshire Railway (became Great Central Railway 1897) Great Central Railway incorporated 1897 Manchester, Sheffield and Lincolnshire Railway: formed by an amalgamation of: Sheffield, Ashton-under-Lyne and Manchester Railway Sheffield and Lincolnshire Junction Railway Great Grimsby and Sheffield Junction Railway including Grimsby Docks Company. South Yorkshire Railway opened 9 September 1854, merged with GCR 1 August 1864 Including southern part of Sheffield, Rotherham, Barnsley, Wakefield, Huddersfield and Goole Railway Company Wigan Junction Railway Wrexham, Mold and Connah's Quay Railway North Wales and Liverpool Railway Liverpool, St Helens and South Lancashire Railway Lancashire, Derbyshire and East Coast Railway acquired in 1907 Midland Railway: formed 1844 by amalgamation: North Midland Railway Midland Counties Railway Birmingham and Derby Junction Railway Later acquired: Leicester and Swannington Railway opened 14 July 1832 Sheffield and Rotherham Railway 1838 Birmingham and Gloucester Railway opened 17 December 1840 "Little" North Western Railway (Skipton – Lancaster) opened 1 June 1850 Manchester, Buxton, Matlock and Midlands Junction Railway () North Staffordshire Railway incorporated in 1845 to promote three railway schemes. Three Acts of Parliament on 26 June 1846 were given to the one company. Main line opened in 1848. Further Acts were all granted to the NSR Co. which remained independent until the 1923 Grouping. North Maryport and Carlisle Railway (first section) opened 1845. Remained independent until the 1923 Grouping Furness Railway (Furness) (first section) opened 11 August 1846 Ulverston and Lancaster Railway opened 1857 amalgamated with Furness in 1862 Great Northern Railway incorporated 1846 Edgware, Highgate and London Railway incorporated 1862 London and York Railway Direct Northern Railway North