Great Western Railway Logo - Pre Grouping The Great Western Railway Great Western Railway Logo - Post Grouping

GWR 'cut off' routes completed 1903-10

Route Powers first taken for any part Completed Old Distance (miles) New distance (miles) Distance by rival line (miles) New construction (miles)
London-
Cardiff
1896 1903 170 via Gloucester
155 via Bath
145 none 30
London-
Exeter
1883 1906 194 174 172
(LSWR)
33
London-
Birmingham
1897 1910 129 111 113
(LNWR)
58

After the 1923 grouping The Western Group (Great Western Railway) consisted of the following constituent companies :-

Crest

Company Name

Code
Alexandra (Newport & South Wales) Docks & Railway ADR
Barry Railway BRY

Cambrian Railway Badge

Cambrian Railway Cam
Cardiff Railway Car

Great Western Railway Logo - Pre Grouping

Great Western Railway GWR
Rhymney Railway Rhy
Taff Vale Railway TVR

The Great Western Railway was also made up of the following subsidiary companies :-

Crest

Company Name

Code
Brecon & Merthyr Tydfil Junction Railway BM
Bristol & Exeter Railway B&E
Bristol & Gloucester Railway B&GL
Burry Port & Gwendraeth Valley Railway BPGV
Carmarthenshire Railway CR
Cornwall Railway Crn

Corris Railway Logo

Corris Railway

Cor
Cleobury Mortimer & Ditton Priors Light Railway CMDP
Didcot, Newbury & Southampton Railway DNS
Exeter Railway Ex
Fishguard & Rosslare Railways & Harbour Company FRR&H
Forest of Dean Central Railway FOD
Golden Valley Railway GoVR
Gwendraeth Valleys Railway GV
Lampeter, Aberayron & New Quay Light Railway LANQ

Liskeard & Caradon Railway

LC

Liskeard & Looe Railway

L&L

Llanelli & Mynydd Mawr Railway

L&MM

Mawddwy Light Railway (Cambrian)

Mawd

Midland & South Western Junction Railway

MSW

Neath & Brecon Railway

N&B
Penarth Extension Railway (TVR) PE
Penarth Harbour, Dock & Railway (TVR) PHD
Pontypridd, Caerphilly & Newport Railway PC&N

Port Talbot Railway & Docks

PT&D
Princetown Railway PtR

Rhondda & Swansea Bay Railway

RSB
Ross & Monmouth Railway R&M

South Wales Mineral Railway

SWM
Teign Valley Railway TeV
Vale of Glamorgan Railway VOG
Van Light Railway (Cambrian) Van

Welshpool & Llanfair Light Railway

W&L
West Somerset Railway WSR
Wrexham & Ellesmere Railway W&E

Connecting the various companies together was the infrastructure, namely the branches and lines serving all areas of the country. The following link contains the full listing of GWR line & branch names at 1966.

Great Western Railway Main & Branch Lines

Great Western Railway 150 Year Anniversary BadgeGreat Western Railway Badge