The Rail Chronology section

Chronology: Defined by The Shorter Oxford English Dictionary (third edition) (with the earliest appearence they have traced quoted in parentheses) as:

  • 1. The science of computing time or periods of time, and of assigning events to their true dates (1593).
  • 2. A chronological table, list or treatise (1614).

    • A chronology is no substitute for a history - it gives the "what" and "when" (and sometimes "where") but not the "who" and "why". Nevertheless, it should certainly form the skeleton on which the flesh of a story can sensibly be hung. There seems little market, these days, for rail chronology as such - presumably because publishers find picture books easier to sell - so a tentative listing of British publications which are essentially railway "chronologies" rather than rounded "histories" is one of the resources at this site.

    It is also a truism that as soon as a chronology (or history) is committed to print a date (or some data) that has eluded the compiler will emerge - or some element of the published material will be questioned (with or without substantiated provenance!). And once in print, a "fact" which subsequently becomes discredited also becomes exceedingly difficult to dislodge as it gets picked up and retailed by others. This site provides opportunity to publish shorter pieces of chronological research which debunk 'established fact' and provides a platform for chronological "work in progress" before committing to the definitive version.

    There is no copyright in information - only in the form in which it is expressed. The material on the associated web pages is made freely available for personal use, in the furtherance of the interest in railway history and also in the hope that it may encourage others to contribute similar material. No authority to republish the information is implied and any rights which may subsist in any of the material are fully reserved by the various authors/compilers/cartographers and webmasters.

    Page last updated: 31 May 2024

    The date of the most recent up-date of each item is shown in parentheses. Each opens in a new window.

    You can email the compiler at: psul@branchline.uk Please include 'Rail Chronology' as the message heading.

    If you have bookmarked - or come across - Rail Chronology webpages with URL starting www.railchronology.free-online.co.uk/ please note that they are no longer being up-dated; please refer instead to the links below.

    Some internal links are to Adobe Acrobat pdf files: you can download Get Adobe Reader if you do not have it already.

    Great Britain (including international services):

    A Bibliography: a list of publications (not periodicals) which have been principally (or exclusively) chronologies of some aspect of railways (13 March 2023)

    Bletchley's "Worcester curve": the history of this abandoned link line between the main and Oxford lines (19 October 2023)

    Channel Tunnel Train Services: a chronology of the introduction of the various services through the Channel Tunnel (17 August 2023)

    Eurostar services: a chronology of the introduction of Eurostar's passenger services (2 September 2023)

    Sheepcote Lane curve, London: a chronology of the introduction and withdrawal of passenger services over this reopened curve (28 December 2015)

    Croxley Green L.N.W.R. branch: a chronology of its passenger closure (11 April 2006)

    Allington - Barkston: a record of the changes effected from 3 October 2005 between Allington Jn, Barkston South Jn and Barkston East Jn and of its abortive 1958 precursor (5 April 2006)

    Maindee curve: a chronology of its passenger closure (17 August 2023)

    Ecclesbourne Valley Railway opening: a record of the reopening of passenger services at Wirksworth (21 January 2006)

    Sinfin branch passenger service: a chronology of its passenger service (19 April 2022)

    Wimborne - Bailey Gate (Corfe Mullen Junction): withdrawal date of its passenger service (23 September 2015)

    The demise of "Halts" and "Platforms" on British Rail: a note of the withdrawal and reappearance of these suffixes (21 March 2023)

    Definition of "Railway Passenger Station": a proposed definition (31 March 2017)

    Eardington station (Severn Valley Railway) : a chronology of its career in the preservation era (29 July 2023)

    Obligatory station stops: the abolition in 1963 of the British Railways Board's obligations to stop trains at specified stations (24 December 2006)

    Beckenham Junction - New Beckenham: a chronology of it passenger closures (15 December 2014)

    East of Mansfield: a study of the Nottinghamshire colliery branches immediately to the east of Mansfield - serving Rufford, Clipstone, Blidworth, Bilsthorpe and Mansfield collieries (30 May 2024)

    GNR & LNWR joint lines: a chronology of the closure of the joint lines (and associated GNR branches) in Leicestershire and south Nottinghamshire (12 February 2021)

    Nottingham - Worksop: a chronology of the restoration of passenger services (30 November 2007)

    Llanberis branch passenger services from 1930 to 1962: a chronology of the regular excursion services which ran on this "closed" line (9 December 2015)

    Welsh Highland Railway:

      Welsh Highland Railway in Archives: listings of material in publicly accessible archives or available on-line about the original Welsh Highland Railway and its predecessors (22 September 2023)

      Station Chronology: [note: opens a PDF file] chronological list of stations of the original Welsh Highland Railway and its predecessors (13 November 2022)

      Operational chronology: [note: opens a PDF file] chronology of train services of the original Welsh Highland Railway (23 November 2017)

      Chronicles of Croesor Crossing: [note: opens a PDF file] history of the flat crossing at Porthmadog/Portmadoc between the Croesor Tramway/Welsh Highland Railway and the Aberystwith & Welsh Coast Railway/Cambrian Railways/Great Western Railway (14 November 2023)

    Temporary rail replacement service between Bideford and Torrington: [note: opens a PDF file] a chronology of the service between Bideford and Torrington in consequence of Bideford road bridge collapse in January 1968 (26 June 2016)

    Moorthorpe Junction - South Kirkby Junction: a chronology of the regular passenger services over this Yorkshire curve (8 August 2015)

    Chester Northgate avoiding line: a chronology of the regular (but short-lived) summer passenger service over this Cheshire curve (20 December 2012)

    Bathgate's early railway history: a chronology establishing the passenger services' and early stations' history (29 December 2012)

    Tonteg and St-y-Nyll halts, Barry Railway: a note about two very short-lived passenger halts of 1905 (29 January 2014)

    Passenger closure of Pannal Junction - Starbeck South Junction direct line - North Eastern Railway: a chronology of the limited passenger service over this original main line in its later life (29 January 2014)

    Shropshire & Montgomeryshire Light Railway and its predecessors: [note: opens a PDF file] a chronology from primary and secondary sources (3 May 2024)

    Clinker’s Register of Closed Passenger Stations and Goods Depots in England, Scotland and Wales 1830 – 1977: Corrections to goods station closure details: [note: opens a PDF file] a compilation of corrections for goods station closure data from primary sources (14 November 2023)

    Isle of Man Railway - A chronology [note: opens a PDF file] a chronology of the IoMR and its predecessors and successors (2 February 2022)

    Ellesmere Loop - Wrexham & Ellesmere Railway: a chronology of the short life of this link line with the Cambrian main line, and of the limited through passenger services over it, with a critique of previously published histories' telling of the story (6 March 2022)

    By-passed terminal passenger stations [note: opens a PDF file] a listing of stations by-passed by an extension or diversion of the line, shewing which involved closure of a section of line (30 May 2024)

    Halts on the Rowington Junction to Henley in Arden branch line?: a critical examination of the claims that two halts existed on the Great Western's branch line from Rowington Junction to Henley in Arden (13 November 2016)

    Pre-nationalisation rail passenger service withdrawal process: a note of legality and process for withdrawal of a rail passenger service prior to 1948 (3 January 2016)

    The Coast Lines of the Cambrian Railways: [note: opens a PDF file] a list of comments and corrections to C C Green's worthy two volume compilation (of 1993 and 1996) about the history and geography of the Cambrian's lines between Aberystwyth and Dolgelley/Dolgellau (24 January 2024)


    Great Britain : Timetable topics

    Bradshaw's Railway Guide: an analysis of its title changes and the availability of publicly accessible copies for researchers. (covering text 3 February 2021; detailed data 19 October 2023)

    The National Rail timetable and its predecessors: a brief history (29 May 2024)

    The National Railway Museum's timetable collection: an explanatory blog - "How we expanded our timetable collection". The timetable catalogue can be found here. (12 July 2022)

    Timetable start dates: a list of the start dates of British Railways (and successor) timetables since 1948 (30 May 2024)

    Train Operating Company (TOC) codes: a de-coder for the two-character codes used in Great Britain Passenger Railway / National Rail Timetables and chronology of privatisation and transfer/re-branding of Great Britain's passenger railway franchises
    This information has been overhauled and transferred to Phil Deaves's Railway Codes and other data website - follow this link for the chronology of privatisation and transfer/re-branding of Great Britain's passenger railway franchises and this link for a de-coder for the two-character codes used in Great Britain Passenger Railway / National Rail Timetables.

    Ireland:

    Ennis - Limerick: a chronology of the resumption of passenger services (29 January 2014)


    United States of America:

    The El Paso & Southwestern Railroad: Tucson, AZ - Benson, AZ - Douglas, AZ - Hermanas, NM - El Paso, TX - Santa Rosa, NM and branches (9 April 2011)


    Two societies in particular which promote interest in the study of railway history in the British Isles

    The Railway & Canal Historical Society
    Look particularly at their Railway Chronology special interest group and Railways History Research special interest group pages.

    The Irish Railway Record Society

    Links to a couple of other sites with chronological content

    This Stephenson Locomotive Society page gives a chronology (time line) of "pre-railway" developments leading to the birth of the modern railway in 1825 - 1830

    Railway Codes is more than just codes - see, for example, under "Legal/financial" lists.


    Bob Ayres's Irish Railway Station Dates is a chronology of opening and closing dates for stations throughout Ireland. Although a worthy effort, this cannot, alas, be regarded as 'definitive'.