London and Birmingham Railway

The London and Birmingham Railway (L&BR) was an early railway company in the United Kingdom, which existed between 1833 and 1846 when it becam a constituent part of the London and North Western Railway. The railway line that the company built and owned between London and Birmingham, which opened in 1838, was one of the first intercity railway lines in the world and the first railway line to be built into London.

The line was engineered by Robert Stephenson. It started at Euston station in London, and traveled north until it reached Rugby, where it turned west through Coventry and then to Birmingham.

The opening of the line was delayed by troubles with construction of the Kilsby Tunnel in Northamptonshire. Initially, due to the lack of power of early locomotives. Trains from Euston were cable-hauled up the relatively steep incline to Camden, where a stationary steam engine was attached to haul the trains. The original engine shed, a roundhouse, still stands at Camden, having been, for most of its life, a warehouse and more recently an arts centre.

The Birmingham end of the line terminated at Curzon Street Station, which it effectively shared with the Grand Junction Railway (GJR), whose platfoms were adjacent, providing a link to the Liverpool and Manchester Railway (L&MR), and thus through travel from London to those cities.

From 1840 onwards, the L&BR conencted to the Midland Counties Railway at Rugby, which served the East Midlands and the North East.

In 1846 the L&BR merged with the Grand Junction Railway and a few other companies, to form the London and North Western Railway.

The line is still operating as a major part of the West Coast Main Line.