London Midland and Scottish Railway Collection
Comprising over 1,600 glass plate negatives from the archive of the London Midland and Scottish railway, this collection dates from the 1880s to the 1930s.
The London Midland and Scottish Railway Ltd was formed in 1923 as a result of the 1921 Railways Act which saw the grouping of 115 railway companies into just four. Emerging as the largest of these four, by 1938 LMS reportedly operated almost 7,000 miles of railway line, running through 32 of the 40 English counties.
The company had interests all over the country and, at one time, was considered the largest joint stock company in the world. With the 1947 Transport Act the railways were nationalised and the LMS became part of British Railways.
The photographs in the collection were taken for advertising and marketing purposes by both the LMS and its constituent companies. They showcase the towns, cities and countryside served by their railways. The shots range from interior views of railway depots in Liverpool to panoramic scenes in the Derbyshire Dales; from busy street scenes in Manchester to golf courses in Somerset; and from grand cathedrals to ramshackle thatched cottages.
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