Recent content by Grinner

Aye, that's what I was thinking. Probably the Highland is a step too far (no direct link to the G&SWR), so just the Midland, G&SWR, Hull and Barnsley and the Furness Railway. Maybe the North Staffs too to give it a proper heartland in the northern Midlands. But yes I think it's clear that it...

They could reach Glasgow if the grouping also included the route via Dumfries on the G&SWR. The G&SWR and the Midland had a long history of co-operation, and so any group with the one would be likely to include the other. I have wondered whether it would have been possible to make a viable...

One idea that was proposed at the grouping was a single, separate Scottish company. This was largely opposed by Scottish MPs I believe, as they wanted to avoid a monopoly, and so Scotland was split between LNER & LMS. But it is interesting to consider how that might have planned out. The...

I don't think you've got it right about the GCR. It was always in fierce competition with the Midland. By putting it into the LNER at grouping it gave LNER traffic from places in the East Midlands and northwest that it wouldn't otherwise have served. The rundown of the GCR mainline started under...

I suspect that even with no '45 the era of the clans was coming to an end: after all what is the point in a chief being able to call on the services of his clansman if not for battle. The system would fade away as economics took over. On the clearances, this was often actually a two-stage...

Yes, also you have things like various detached parts of counties being tidied up over the years. Of course, the people who are most concerned by historical county boundaries tend to be Traditional County enthusiasts, who like to suggest that their chosen boundaries (basically the 1890-1974...