Exploring the Archives
Searching for Documents and Drawings in the L & NWR Society Archives can be now be done using the National Archives catalogue search engine “Discovery”.
https://discovery.nationalarchives.gov.uk/
In the search result generated by Discovery, there are hyperlinks against each entry – clicking the link will take you directly to the entry in our digital archive where society members can see more information and a scanned version (where available) of the document.
With the catalogue now easily searchable through Discovery we have withdrawn the previous PDF listings as these rapidly go out of date and are difficult to keep current.
Research Themes
Within the catalogue record for each document or drawing we have added a “Research Theme” to aid understanding what the item refers to. These categories are as follows: –
Making of the Company
Acts of Parliament, Constituent and Joint Company material, Half-Yearly Directors Reports and Accounts, Shareholder documents, Company statistics, and Company history.
Maps and Plans
Maps include Ordnance Survey maps and maps produced by the railway and other organisations for various purposes.
Plans were produced for various purposes:
Estate plans, usually 2 chains:1in, recorded land ownership and leases showing considerable detail of stations.
Rating plans, usually 40ft:1in, show the areas of railway land and again show much detail including signal post and lamp post positions.
Maintenance Diagrams and Private Siding Diagrams to define the limits and responsibilities for maintenance of track between companies, LNWR Divisions and private siding owners.
Track plans produced for other purposes.
An example of an Estate plan for Sandbach Archive Reference DPLAN0402 is show below.
Company Organisation and Management
Agreements, Legal documents and cases, relations with the GPO, Tenders for contracts, Company Circulars and Correspondence, Operating Rules & Regulations, Operating Instructions of all types and reference information for staff, and stationery and rubber stamp impressions.
Running the Trains
Working and Public Timetables.
Weekly Notices for Train alterations, Excursion Booking notices, Holiday Train Arrangements, Permanent Way Notices, Special Train Notices, BR Signalling notices.
Working Diagrams for locomotives showing the trains hauled, shunting and light engine trips allocated to a steam shed.
Passenger train marshalling showing the formation of the trains and Carriage Working Diagrams showing the services worked by each carriage set.
Royal Train arrangements, War work, Official visits by VIPs and organisations.
Operating paperwork and forms, LNWR, LMS and BR forms.
Foreign railway (other UK railways) documents of LNWR interest.
LNWR and constituents’ tickets of all types.
Railway Accidents
Board of Trade Accident Reports and reports by the railway and others.
Publications and Publicity
The LNWR produced publicity material such as commemorative publications, calendars given to business customers, golf cards, and postcards for general advertising.
Other material advertised specific services or holiday destinations including posters, handbills, leaflets and booklets.
In 1920, the company produced a Roll of Honour listing the employees lost in WW1, those awarded military honours and those mentioned in dispatches. A personalised copy was given to the next of kin of those killed in the war. A copy of one of these can be found here
From 1911, the employees produced a staff magazine reporting on the sporting and leisure activities organised by the staff, promotions and retirements, ambulance classes and competitions, and articles on aspects of the company’s activities.
Commercial publishers produced official and souvenir guides to LNWR routes.
Infrastructure
Infrastructure covers Buildings, Bridges, Viaducts, Tunnels and other structures, Track and Formation (cuttings and embankments), Lineside items such as platform furniture and platform barrows, signalling equipment and layout plans, and Company works – Crewe, Wolverton and Earlestown.
Locomotives, Rolling Stock, Road Vehicles and Shipping
Material relating to Locomotives, Carriages, Goods Wagons, Road Vehicles (both horse drawn and motor vehicles) and Ships (passenger, goods and dredgers, and canal boats).
Staff
Documents relating to the railway’s employees and directors: –
Pension and insurance Societies – Rules and documentation, Staff agreements with the Company, Staff Records and Biographical material.
For LNW Staff magazines (LNW Gazette) see Publications and Publicity section.
LMS and BR staff magazines are held in the Society Library.
Research Notes and Aids
Notes and private correspondence collected by members in their research.
Lists of documents, drawings and photographs produced by the LNWR and other organisations.
Contemporary magazine copies are held in the Society Library.
