The Branch Line Society

Railway Rights of Way


Abbreviations

The following list is an explanation of the abbreviations contained in the second, sixth and seventh columns of the lists, being, respectively, the type of route, the former railway company or undertaking that once owned the line in question, and the information source. The abbreviated initials may not always be taken as an exact guide to the correct name of each line concerned; hence this list of abbreviations with the correct name following. Abbreviations in the seventh column denote the source of the information shown in that particular entry, by way of crediting the sources for their help, and relate more fully to the sources of the information shown on the Acknowledgements and Local Authority Sources pages.

Column 2 entries:

      FPPublic footpath or footpath with concessionary unrestricted access available to the public.
      CPCycle route available to the public on the same basis as FP.
      HPBridleway available to the public on the same basis as FP.
      RPublic highway or section of motorway. Note that where the route is a section of motorway, access is restricted solely to those classes of motor vehicle permitted to use it under the motorway regulations.
      OSPublic open space occupying the site of a disused railway.
      InfPInformal or unofficial path used regularly by the public; these are only shown where they have been advised by the relevant authority, and are not public rights of way at all. There are explanatory notes relevant to each of these in the lists.

Column 6 entries:
Names of the former Pre-Grouping railway companies, in alphabetical order of the initials as they appear in the lists, generally omitting the word ‘railway’.

A&DWBAbertillery & District Water Board.
A&GAvon & Gloucestershire Tramroad.
ADRAlexandra (Newport & South Wales) Docks & Railway.
ARCAmalgamated Roadstone Corporation Ltd.
B&CDRBelfast & County Down.
B&ERBristol & Exeter.
B&GRBristol & Gloucestershire.
B&MRBrecon & Merthyr Tydfil Junction.
B&M & LNW JtBrecon & Merthyr and London & North Western Joint.
Ballochney RBallochney.
Barry RBarry.
BCRBishop’s Castle.
Bevan’s Tmd.Bevan’s Tramroad.
B F Tmd.Brecon Forest Tramroad.
B’ham Corp’nBirmingham Corporation Reservoir Railways
BHC RysBelfast Harbour Commissioners’ Railways.
Blaenavon Stoneroad Blaenavon Stoneroad.
BN CoBrookwood Necropolis Co.
BP&GVRBurry Port & Gwendraeth Valley.
BR(ER)British Railways (Eastern Region).
Brackenhills LRBrackenhills Light.
Brit. AluminiumBritish Aluminium Co. Ltd.
Brookes & BrookesBrookes & Brookes.
Brynoer TmdBrynoer (Brinore) Tramroad.
Buckley R.Buckley.
Butterley Co.The Butterley Company.
Cam RCambrian Railways.
Carm RCarmarthenshire.
C&HPRCromford & High Peak.
C&LRCavan & Leitrim.
C&ML (1)Campbeltown & Machrihanish Light.
C&MLR (II)Cork & Muskerry Light.
C&WRCanterbury & Whitstable.
C&WJRCleator & Workington Junction.
Car RCardiff.
CCRCork City.
CD&VB TmyCastlederg & Victoria Bridge Tramway.
CDRJCCounty Donegal Railways Joint Committee.
CEGBCentral Electricity Generating Board.
CHTConstitution Hill Tramway (Swansea).
CK&PRCockermouth, Keswick & Penrith.
Claypons TmdClaypon’s Tramroad.
CLCCheshire Lines Committee (GCR, GNR, MR Joint).
ClogherVRClogher Valley.
Clydach Iron CoClydach Iron Co.
Clydach RrdClydach Rail Road.
CMRCornwall Mineral Railways.
CM&GIRCroydon, Merstham & Godstone Iron Railway.
Congleton RCongleton.
Corris RCorris.
CRCaledonian.
Croesor TCroesor Tramway.
CR&NBR JtKilsyth & Bonnybridge Joint; Carmyllie Light &c.
CV&HRColne Valley & Halstead.
Cwm Gwrelych TCwm Gwrelych Tramway.
D&B TmyDublin & Blessington Tramway.
D&L TmyDublin & Lucan Tramway.
D&SERDublin & South Eastern.
DHMDETDouglas Head Marine Drive Electric Tramway.
Dinorwic RDinorwic Railway (1824 route).
DN&GRDundalk, Newry & Greenore.
DVLRDerwent Valley Light.
DVRDearne Valley.
E&WYUREast & West Yorkshire Union
ECMREast Cornwall Minerals.
ELJREast London Joint (MetR,MDR,GER,SE&CR,LB&SCR).
Far RFaringdon.
Ff RFfestiniog.
FHCFenit Harbour Commissioners.
Fin RFindhorn.
Fo. RFordell.
Foleshill RFoleshill.
FR&LNWR JtWhitehaven, Cleator & Egremont Joint Line.
Fur RFurness.
FY&NRFreshwater, Yarmouth & Newport.
F&RR&HFishguard & Rosslare Rlys & Harbours
G&KERGarstang & Knott End
G&SWRGlasgow & South Western.
GCRGreat Central.
GC&H&B JtGreat Central and Hull & Barnsley Joint
GC&NSR JtGreat Central and North Staffordshire Joint.
GERGreat Eastern.
GGRGroudle Glen.
GNOSRGreat North of Scotland.
GNRGreat Northern.
GN & GE JtGreat Northern & Great Eastern Joint.
GN & L&Y JtHalifax & Ovenden Joint Line; etc.
GN & LNWR JtGreat Northern and London & North Western Joint.
GNR(I)Great Northern Railway (Ireland).
GNR(I)(HoHT)Great Northern Railway (Ireland)(Hill of Howth Tramway)
Gor & PJRGorsedda & Portmadoc Junction.
GRCGuernsey Railway Co.
Gros RGrosmont.
GS&WRGreat Southern & Western.
GVRGwendraeth Valleys.
GVTGlyn Valley Tramway.
GWRGreat Western.
GWR & LNWR JtBirkenhead Joint; Shrewsbury & Hereford &c.
GWR & LSWR JtEaston & Church Hope, &c.
GWR & MR JtSevern & Wye Joint; Halesowen Joint &c.
GWR & Rhy R JtQuaker’s Yard & Merthyr Joint.
Halbeath TmyHalbeath Tramway.
H&BRHull, Barnsley & West Riding Junction Railway & Dock Co.
Hay RHay Railway.
Hendre Ddu THendre Ddu Tramway.
Hereford RHereford Railway.
HM&STHundred of Manhood & Selsey Tramway.
HRHighland.
HTGTHay Tor Granite Tramway.
IMRIsle of Man.
IOAJIsle of Axholme Joint Line (L&YR & NER Joint).
IOWRIsle of Wight.
IOWCRIsle of Wight Central.
J&C Bailey’s TdJ & C Bailey’s Tramroad.
JERJersey Eastern.
JR&TJersey Railway & Tramway.
K&TRKilmarnock & Troon.
Lancaster CanalLancaster Canal Company.
L&BRLynton & Barnstaple.
L&CRLondonderry & Coleraine.
L&LSRLondonderry & Lough Swilly.
L&MVLRLeek & Manifold Valley Light
L&NWRLondon & North Western.
L&SRLeicester & Swannington.
L&SW & LB&SC JtEast Southsea.
L&SWRLondon & South Western.
L&YRLancashire & Yorkshire.
L&YR & LNWR JtPreston & Longridge; Preston & Wyre, &c.
LB&SCRLondon, Brighton & South Coast.
LBSCR & LSWR JtTooting, Merton & Wimbledon.
LBSCR & SECR JtWoodside & South Croydon.
LC&DRLondon, Chatham & Dover.
LCaRLiskeard & Caradon.
LCCTLondon County Council Tramways.
LCR(B)Lord Carlisle’s Railway (Brampton).
LD&ECRLancashire, Derbyshire & East Coast.
Lee Mr TLee Moor Tramway.
LHCLondonderry Harbour Commisiioners.
Llammarch R’rdLlammarch Rail Road.
Ll & MM RLlanelly & Mynydd Mawr.
LM&SLondon, Midland & Scottish..
Lowca Lt RLowca Light.
LUJRLancashire & Yorkshire and Lancashire Union Joint (L&YR and L&NWR Joint).
Llanv RLlanvihangel Railway.
M&CRMaryport & Carlisle.
M&GNJRMidland & Great Northern Joint.
M&MRManchester & Milford.
M&SWJMidland & South Western Junction.
MD&HBMersey, Dock & Harbour Board.
Met RMetropolitan.
MGWRMidland Great Western
MMMRMartin Mill Military Railway
MNRManx Northern
MoDAD & MoDNDMinistry of Defence - Army Department/Navy Department
MoD(LMR)Ministry of Defence - Longmoor Military Railway
Monkland RysMonkland
MRMidland.
MR & GCR JtMidland & Great Central Joint.
MR & L&NWR JtAshby & Nuneaton Joint,
MR - NCCMidland Railway - Northern Counties Committee.
MSCRManchester Ship Canal Railways.
N&BRNeath & Brecon
N&SJRNorfolk & Suffolk Joint (GER & M&GNJR Joint).
N&SWJRNorth & South Western Junction.
Nantlle RNantlle.
NBRNorth British.
NCBNational Coal Board.
NCB, Bowes RyNational Coal Board, Bowes Railway.
NCBOENational Coal Board, Opencast Executive
NERNorth Eastern.
NLRNorth London.
NSRNorth Staffordshire.
NSR & GCR JtMacclesfield Committee, Great Central & North Staffs. Joint.
NSunRNorth Sunderland Light.
NVLRNidd Valley Light.
NWNGR(WHR)North Wales Narrow Gauge Railway(Welsh Highland Rly).
OA&GBJROldham, Ashton & Guide Bridge Junction (GC & L&NWR Joint).
O&IJROtley & Ilkey Joint. (Midland & NER Joint).
OICo.Oxfordshire Ironstone Co.
Organisation Todt.Organisation Todt (Channel Islands).
P&D TmdPlymouth & Dartmoor Tramroad.
P&SSRPontop & South Shields.
PB&GC TmyPortrush, Bushmills & Giant’s Causeway Tramway.
P&TRPembroke & Tenby.
Penclawdd CanalPenclawdd Canal Co.
Penrhyn RPenrhyn.
Pensnett RPensnett.
Pent RPentewan.
Penydarran TmdPenydarran Tramroad.
PF TmyPeak Forest Tramway.
Portreath TmdPortreath Tramroad.
Poynton CollsPoynton Colliery Railways.
PTD&RPort Talbot Dock & Railway.
PP&WJRPortpatrick & Wigtownshire Joint (CR, G&SWR, MR & L&NWR Joint).
PS&NWRPotteries, Shrewsbury & North Wales.
QY&M JtQuakers Yard & Merthyr Jt(GWR & Rhy R Joint).
R&CRRedruth & Chasewater Rly.
R&C TmyRye & Camber Tramway.
R&ERRavenglass & Eskdale.
R&KFRRowrah & Kelton Fell.
R&SBRRhondda & Swansea Bay.
Rhy R.Rhymney.
Rochdale & Oldham
Corp’ns Reservoir Rly.
Rochdale & Oldham Corporations’ Reservoir Railway.
RPTmyRyde Pier Tramway.
S&MRSwansea & Mumbles.
S&MJRStratford-on-Avon & Midland Junction.
S&MLRShropshire & Montgomeryshire light.
S&SRSchull & Skibbereen.
S&WJRSevern & Wye Joint (GWR & MR Joint).
S&W TmdSevern & Wye Tramroad.
SE&CRSouth Eastern & Chatham Joint Managing Committee.
SERSouth Eastern.
S’foot RSaundersfoot.
SHRSpurn Head.
SIRSurrey Iron.
SL&NCRSligo, Leitrim & Northern Counties.
SnDRSnailbeach District Railways.
St RStafford Railway.
Surtees RSurtees Railway.
SWMRSouth Wales Mineral.
S’wold RSouthwold.
SYJRSouth Yorkshire Joint (GC, GN, L&Y, Mid, NE Joint).
Tal RTal-y-llyn.
T&CRTimoleague & Courtmacsherry Light.
TGRTrentham Gardens Rly.
Tranent & Cockenzie WagonwayTranent & Cockenzie Wagonway.
Treffry’s TmdsTreffry’s Tramroads
Townhill TmdTownhill Tramroad (Dunfermline).
TVRTaff Vale.
VoCRVale of Clwyd.
V of RVale of Rheidol.
W&PRWhitby & Pickering.
W&R TmyWarrenpoint & Rostrevor Tramway.
W&TRWaterford & Tramore.
W&UTWisbech & Upwell Tramway
W&WRWells & Walsingham.
WC&EJtRWhitehaven, Cleator and Egremont Joint (LNWR & FR).
WC&PRWeston, Clevedon & Portishead.
WHRWelsh Highland.
Wirral RWirral.
WM&CQRWrexham, Mold & Connah’s Quay.
WPRWemyss Private.
WR&GJtWest Riding & Grimsby Joint (Great Northern & Great Central Jt).
WSMRWest Somerset Mineral.
WTCWantage Tramway Co.

Column 7 entries:

BLN                   Branch Line News. The newsletter of the Branch Line Society.
BLS Branch Line Society.
IRS Industrial Railway Society.
RO Railway Observer. The magazine of the Railway Correspondence and Travel Society. (RCTS).
RR Railway Ramblers. The magazine of the Railway Ramblers Association.
SEG Southern Electric Group


Edition 2.12 - 1 Jan 2021