Private company

Lancaster and Preston Junction Railway

British railway company (1840–1859)

The Lancaster and Preston Junction Railway opened its twenty-mile line in 1840 in Lancashire, England. The company was not commercially successful. When the Lancaster and Carlisle Railway opened in 1846, the L&PJR became part of a busy trunk railway.2 Wikipedia text CC BY-SA 4.0

Last updated Oct 20, 2026.

Overview

1837Founded1

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The Lancaster and Preston Junction Railway opened its twenty-mile line in 1840 in Lancashire, England. The company was not commercially successful. When the Lancaster and Carlisle Railway opened in 1846, the L&PJR became part of a busy trunk railway. It had never had the money to provide substantial track equipment or proper signalling arrangements. Most of the line is in use today as part of the West Coast Main Line railway and has been electrified. None of the L&PJR stations are still in use.2

Acquisitions

  1. Succeeded by Lancaster and Carlisle Railway1

The grievous scandal motivated a change of management, and yet progress was slow. At last, on 13 November 1848, agreement was reached for the L&CR to take over the management of the Lancaster Canal including the L&PJR, confirmed by the Lancaster and Preston Junction Railway Amendment Act 1849 (12 & 13 Vict. c. lxxxvii) of 1 August 1849. The outstanding toll payments for the L&CR trains having run over the Lancaster-Preston line from 22 September 1846 to 31 July 1849, which had been retained but not handed over, amounted to £83,616.

The end of the L&PJR as a legal entity came when the Lancaster and Carlisle Railway Act 1859 (22 & 23 Vict. c. cxxiv) sanctioning amalgamation with the L&CR was passed on 13 August 1859. L&PJR shareholders received nearly £102 of L&CR ordinary stock for each £100 of L&PJR.

With effect from 1 August 1859 the LNWR took a 900-year lease of the L&CR, guaranteeing a minimum dividend of 8%; thus the L&PJR system passed to the LNWR.

From Wikipedia’s article on Lancaster and Preston Junction Railway, shared under CC BY-SA 4.0.3

Timeline

  1. 1837Founded Founded1

Sources

The numbers on this page point here. Each one links to the record it came from.

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