Formed in 1846 by the amalgamation of the Grand Junction Railway, London and Birmingham Railway and the Manchester and Birmingham Railway. It was always know as the Premier Line, and was famous for making as much as possible of its equipment in-house. Its locomotive were regarded as tough and dependable – and cheap!

The LNWR joined forces with the LYR in 1922, shortly before becoming part of the LMS group in 1923.