Big Four (British railway companies)

E88871

The Big Four were the four major private railway companies that dominated rail transport in Great Britain between the 1923 Grouping and nationalisation in 1948.


Statements (38)
Predicate Object
instanceOf group of railway companies
alsoKnownAs Big Four
appliesToJurisdiction Great Britain
consistsOf Great Western Railway
London and North Eastern Railway NERFINISHED
London, Midland and Scottish Railway NERFINISHED
Southern Railway (UK)
country United Kingdom
endCause nationalisation of British railways
endTime 1948
followedBy British Railways
follows pre‑Grouping British railway companies
hasPart Great Western Railway
London and North Eastern Railway NERFINISHED
London, Midland and Scottish Railway NERFINISHED
Southern Railway (UK)
headquartersLocation London
historicalPeriod 20th century
inceptionCause Railways Act 1921
industry rail transport
languageOfWorkOrName English
legalForm private company
location Great Britain NERFINISHED
mainFunction operation of mainline railways in Great Britain
numberOfComponents 4
operated freight rail services in Great Britain
passenger rail services in Great Britain
owned railway infrastructure in Great Britain
partOf history of rail transport in Great Britain
precededBy numerous small and medium‑sized British railway companies
railGauge standard gauge
regulatingAct Transport Act 1947
replacedBy state‑owned British Railways
significantEvent Railways Act 1921
nationalisation of British railways
startTime 1923
timePeriod Second World War
interwar period

Referenced by (5)
Subject (surface form when different) Predicate
Francis Thompson ("British railway companies")
employer
London and North Eastern Railway ("Big Four railway companies")
partOf
London, Midland and Scottish Railway
partOfGrouping
British Transport Commission ("Big Four railway companies")
replaced
LMS ("Big Four British railway companies")
wasOneOf

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