Last Day of Independent Railway Companies Before the UK Grouping

31 December 1922 marked the final operational day of Britain’s fragmented pre‑Grouping railway system. More than 120 private companies—including major networks such as the London & North Western Railway, Great Western Railway, Midland Railway, Great Northern Railway, and many others—ran their last services before being merged into four large regional systems under the Railways Act 1921. The Act, intended to stabilize an industry weakened by World War I, took effect on 1 January 1923 and reorganized the British network into the GWR, LMS, LNER, and SR. This restructuring fundamentally reshaped British rail transport, consolidating management, standardizing equipment, and influencing the country’s rail identity for decades.