North Central Railway

The **North Central Railway** (abbreviated NCR) is a railway that was opened in 1919 by Mr. Nicholas Bosely along the North, North East and East Midland area of the England with some parts of Mid/North-Wales. The railway also adopted the Thurleigh to Birkerhead Line although it wasn't apart of the constituents. This line helps get into the West Midlands and North West England. The Crossgates to Crewe Line also links the North West with Wales. The North of England Main Line, which is the primary line throughout the NCR, starts off at Whitehall Place in London to Aberdeen, also stopping at Edinburgh as a part time terminal. There is also branch lines that serve the railway.

## Description

The North Central Railway was opened in 1919 after amalgamation of the previous railways. This railway ran alongside other railways, meeting the North Eastern Railway at York and North British Railway at Edinburgh Waverly. Soon after the Railways Act 1921, the railways was really a major railway, along with the London, North Eastern Railway, the London, Midland and Scottish Railway, the North Western Railway, the Great Western Railway and the Southern Railway. In the mid 1920s, the NCR expanded to Mid-Wales, opening the Mid-Wales Main Line in 1925. Revenue came about in the 1920s but soon dropped due to the Great Depression during the 1930s. During the Great Depression, the NCR opened some lines to create jobs but it didn't really work. By 1939, the railway was running properly again but World War II begins. The railway was used for munitions trains. Soon a little after 1945, the war was over and the railway was left in debt. The Transport Act of 1947 was leased and by 1 January 1948, the days of British Railways came into vision. All the railways across the United Kingdom, with the exception of the North Central and North Western Railways, were known as the Big Four. The NCR has become the North of England Region of British Railways but they were pre-absorbed into the LNER and LMS. And like the NWR, it kept an amount of it's operating independence. British Railways also picked up the NCR tradition, creating new lines in Mid-Wales. Even though the first diesel on the NCR was a Class 11 named Bryan, the NCR started experiencing dieselization from the 1955 Modernisation Plan. BR closed down many NCR lines in the '60s but kept all the Welsh lines open.

By the early 1970s, the NCR started experiencing electrification and from then on, there was a combined fleet of steam, diesels and electric engines. By 1980, suburban services from the Western Region has been going on until privatization in the 1990s. In 1989, the North Central Heritage Railway was opened, allowing engines to run heritage trains along The Main Line of the North Central. By 1997, the NCR became the **First North Central** and it's infrastructure and track was handed over to Railtrack. By the early 2000s, Network Rail took it's track and infrastructure and by 2004, the railway became known as **North Central Trains**. In 2003, the NCR purchased 4 BR Class 390 *Pendolino* class, whose names were Dudley, Raven, Pendolino and Donald. Revenue has been coming ever since.

## Railway Lines

* The Main Line From Aberdeen to London Whitehall Place or London Whitehall
* Pivinue Loop Line
* St. Schaeffer Branch Line From St. Schaeffer to Aberdeen
* St. Monans Branch Line From St. Monans to Kilconquhar
* River Wansbeck Branch Line From River Wansbeck to Pegswood
* Rayleigh Branch Line From Rayleigh to Wallsend
* Fulford Branch Line From Fulford or Addesleigh to York
* Babtech Branch Line From Babtech to Waddingham
* Bletsoe Branch Line From Bletsoe to Thurleigh
* Ringwald Electric Branch Line From Ringwald to Warden Street
* Shanebury Branch Line From Shanebury to Dumbarton
* Nulberry Vale Branch Line From Nulberry Vale to Trotters Bottom Lake
* Eastwick Branch Line From Eastwick to Ewelle Centre
* Scottish Coast Line From Craigie to Cloverhill
* Cedar Line From Seinfeld - Cleadon
* English Country Line From Titchmarsh to Covington
* North England Line From Northumbrian Rd to Exeter Rd
* West Park Line From London Lancaster to Golden Jubilee Bridges
* Abberwick Main Line From Abberwick to Luffness
* Holy Island Line From Lindisfarne Castle to Gostfield
* Thurleigh to Birkerhead Line From Thurleigh to Birkerhead
* Orkney Island Line From Laurencekirk to Birsay (on one of the Orkney Islands in Scotland)

**Welsh Lines**

* Mid-Wales Main Line From Abergwesyn to London Brookes College
* Abergwesyn to Pennal Line From Abergwesyn to Pennal
* Abbeycwmhir Line From Abbeycymhir to Llanfaredd
* Llangullno Branch Line From Llangullno to Whitney-on-Wye
* Crossgates to Crewe Line From Crossgates to Crewe
* Southport to Swansea Line From Southport to Swansea
* Peninsula Line From Uwchmynydd to Pennal

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             - Bardsey Island Line From Uwchmynydd to Bardsey Isl. Station
             - Edern Branch Line From Uwchmynydd to Edern
             - Garnfadryn Branch Line From Rhydolion to Garnfadryn
             - Glyn Branch Line From Harlech to Glyn Seastation

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