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 1903
- The Mersey railway became the first railway in Britain to
convert to full electric operation.
1904 - The first electric suburban railway was
brought into operation on Tyneside in the North East of
England.
Pictured left is a South Tyneside suburban train of the
1920's.
1921 - The Railway Act stated that most of Britain's railway
companies should be merged to form four larger companies.
London, Midland and Scottish (LMS), London and North Eastern
(LNER), Great Western (GWR) and Southern were in operation
by 1923.
1928 - On May 1st, LNER prepared to run two non -stop
trains from London to Edinburgh. Engines 4472 'Flying
Scotsman', pictured right, and 2580 'Shotover' departed at
10:00am from London Kings Cross and Edinburgh Waverley. With
No. 4472 pulling the northbound express and No. 2580 pulling
the southbound both trains passed at 2:02pm at Alne just
north of York. Both trains achieved this amazing first and
arrived at their destinations ahead of schedule.
Pictured right is 'Flying Scotsman' and 'Shotover' at London
Kings Cross
1931 - The first diesel locomotive was brought into
regular service. The engine was rebuilt from an O-6-O tank
engine.
 1933
- Southern Railway introduces Britain's first electric
mainline service between London and Brighton.
Electrification of the line took place between 1932 and 1935
using the 660v third rail pick -up system.
Pictured left is unit No. 3002 with Pullman and pantry car
en route to the South East Coast of England.
 1938
- LNER No.4468 'Mallard' achieved the world speed record for
steam traction. A speed 125mph was reached between Grantham
and Peterborough on July 3rd.
Pictured right is LNER No. 4468 'Mallard' waiting at London
Kings Cross ready to depart on another non-stop run to
Edinburgh.
Not only did 'Mallard' hold the fastest steam train record
but she also held the record for the longest non -stop
journey for a steam locomotive.
1947 - LMS introduces the first main-line diesel
-electric locomotive.
Pictured left is engine No. 10000 and sister engine No.
10001 leaving London Euston on the first diesel hauled,
non-stop run to Glasgow in June 1949.
1948 - After Royal Assent of the Transport Act of
1947, British Railways is nationalized on January 1st.
 1954 - Between Manchester and Sheffield, Britain's
first fully operational electric main line was opened and
British Rail introduces the first Diesel Multiple Units (DMU).
1955 - The English Electric Co. of Lancashire builds
the 'Deltic' diesel locomotive which could reach a
maximum speed of 100mph.
The Class 55, 'Deltic' locomotive (pictured right), was used
in regular service for nearly 30 years, mostly along the
East Coast line between London Kings Cross and Scotland.
1959 - Locomotive, 'Evening Star' (pictured right), became
the last steam engine built for British Railways.
1961 - Dr Richard Beeching became chairman of the British
Transport Commission which was set up to investigate why
some railway lines were running at a financial loss.
Beeching became chairman of the new British Railway Board on
January 1st 1963.
1963 - The 'Beeching Report' on Britain's railway
network recommended that loss-making lines should be closed.
As a result, hundreds of lines and thousand of stations were
shut down. The B.R. network was reduced from 18,771 miles in
1960 to just 13,261 miles in 1969.
 1975
- British Rail builds the experimental Advanced Passenger
Train (APT-E), pictured right, which boasted a high-tech
tilting system, which enabled the train to take corners at a
much higher speeds.
Powered by gas-turbines, the train reached a top speed of
152 mph on the line between Swindon and Reading. After
testing was finished, the APT-E was presented to the
National Railway Museum in York.
The APT-E can be seen at Locomotion at Shildon.
1973 - A high speed diesel train reached a speed of 143 mph
between Darlington and York, making it the fastest ever
speed to be reached by a diesel locomotive.
1976 - The 'Intercity 125' (pictured left) High Speed Train
was introduced on the London to Bristol route.
1978 - High Speed Trains were introduced to the 'East Coast
Main-Line'.
 1979
- British Rail's Advanced Passenger Train (APT-P), pictured
right, reached a top speed of 160mph between Glasgow and
Carlisle during tests.
1984 - The APT-P successfully ran from London to
Glasgow in 3 hrs 52 mins at an average speed of 103mph.
However, after years of tests and countless problems, the
APT-P project was scrapped.
 1987
-After the failure of the Advanced Passenger Train, British
Rail required a new generation of electric locomotives. The
Class 89, 90 and 91 locomotives were built at Crewe works
and are still fully operational on the East and West Coast
Mainlines.
Pictured right is the Class 91 electric locomotive at
Newcastle Station. The Intercity 125 locomotive achieved
the world diesel traction speed record of 148mph between
Northallerton and Thirsk.
1993 - In November, the British Rail Privatization
Bill received Royal Assent.
1994 - As privation of the network began, 'Railtrack',
a government-owned organisation, became responsible for the
management of stations, track and signalling. The old
British Rail network was divided into 25 sections, each one
being offered as a franchise. Each franchise would pay a fee
to Railtrack in order for them to operate their trains.
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