Chester and Holyhead Railway
Encyclopedia
The Chester and Holyhead Railway was incorporated out of a proposal to link Holyhead
, the traditional port for the Irish Mail, with London
by way of the existing Chester and Crewe Railway
, and what is now the West Coast Main Line
. Indeed the carriage of the Irish Mail was always the primary objective of the founding Directors.
The weekly post was sufficient when there was an English or British Parliament in London and an Irish Parliament, with urgent messages carried by civil servants, usually on horseback. The post improved slowly, and by 1784 the Turnpike Acts had resulted in improved roads on which a mail coach operated almost daily from London to Holyhead, taking 45 hours to make the journey.
With the passing of the Act of Union
in 1800, creating the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland
, elected Irish members of the new United Kingdom Parliament sought the same quality of travel and postal facilities as their fellow members from England, Wales and Scotland. Improvements continued slowly, and by the time Thomas Telford
had completed his A5 road with improvements through Shrewsbury
, Llangollen
, Betws-y-coed
, Bangor
and his Menai Suspension Bridge
in 1826, the London to Holyhead journey was down to under 30 hours. The first steam packet boats had entered service between Holyhead and Dublin in 1819 and soon they were operating out of Liverpool as well.
With the coming of the railways, the Liverpool and Manchester Railway
, the London and Birmingham Railway
and their combination to form the Grand Junction Railway
, there were fast trains from London to Liverpool and fast steam packets from Liverpool to Kingstown (as Dun Laoghaire
was then known) with a journey time of 22.5 hours from London to Dublin. From 24 January 1839 the Irish Mail contract was switched to Liverpool.
Even before this date the search was on for the shortest route from Dublin to London and this was clearly via Porth Dinllaen on the Llŷn Peninsula
. But survey engineers quickly found difficulties in the terrain that might have outweighed any advantages of distance, however they saw this simply as a challenge to be overcome. The great advocate of Porth Dinllaen was Henry Archer
, Secretary of the Ffestiniog Railway
Company, who engaged the services of Charles Vignoles to survey the route in 1835, although Vignoles produced three alternative routes.
Isambard Kingdom Brunel
chose quite a different route and was actively surveying via Gloucester
and New Quay
in Cardigan Bay
. Others promoted the merits of the proposed St George's Harbour constructed with a large stone breakwater between the Great Orme
Head and the Little Orme
Head in Ormes Bay at Llandudno
and they were the first to petition Parliament, in 1837, with their St George's Harbour and Railway Bill, which failed.
It was against this background that plans for a Chester and Holyhead Railway were prepared and canvassed between 1838 and 1842, almost scuppered in 1843, and eventually given Royal Assent on 4 July 1844 (7 & 8 Vic. cap. lxv).
The Company was empowered to raise £2,100,000 in shares, of which the London and Birmingham Railway
might contribute £1,000,000. Powers to construct the main line did not include bridging the Menai Strait
. A station was to be built at Flint
. Cuts through the ancient walls at Chester and Conwy
were to be made in an approved manner and the bridge at Conwy was to give the same clearance as Telford's suspension bridge with which the new structure was to be in harmony. A sea wall was to be built at Abergele. Penmaenbach was to be tunnelled.
The Company had 18 directors. Nine were nominated by the London and Birmingham Railway, three were nominated by the Chester and Birkenhead Railway
and six were nominated by the original proposers who themselves were originally nominees of the Chester and Crewe Railway
, which had become part of the Grand Junction Railway in 1840.
The Board had been much exercised during the eight months before the granting of the Act in establishing a working relationship with its neighbour the Grand Junction Railway, which was showing resentment at having been excluded from the formulation of the Chester and Holyhead Railway's plans. Likewise the Board had been finding the Treasury difficult to deal with in obtaining a satisfactory mail contract.
By the end of 1844, the Board, meeting as usual in London, had severed its connections with George Stephenson
and appointed his son Robert Stephenson
as engineer-in-chief and Captain Moorsom
as resident Director in Chester. It had submitted a Bill to Parliament for the line between Ogwen and Llanfair PG including the bridging of the Menai Strait. Land acquisition was in progress but proving expensive and tenders were being prepared for the construction. The contract was eventually won by Thomas Brassey
in partnership with William McKenzie Ross and Robert Stephenson.
The section between Chester and Saltney was causing problems even before construction started owing to the need to accommodate the Shrewsbury and Chester Railway (and the income it would generate), which was seeking to save costs by entering Chester over the Chester and Holyhead Railway.
The first sod was cut and the first blasting shot fired at Conwy tunnel on Saint David's Day, 1 March 1845. By the end of that year, some 5,000 men and 500 horses were engaged in the construction. In the same year work had started on several tunnels, Llandegai, Conwy, Belmont and Bangor. Penmaenbach tunnel was opened in November 1846 amid local celebration. Earlier in October 1846, the sea defences had been breached at Penmaenmawr tunnel entrances and the formation washed away even before completion.
By May 1844, the Board had agreed to 14 intermediate stations at: Queensferry, Fflint, Holywell, Mostyn Quay, Rhyl, Abergele, Colwyn, Conwy, Aber, Bangor, Menai Bridge, Llanfair PG, Bodorgan and Ty Croes. A station was provided at 'The Valley' as a result of a successful petition in 1846. The stations were architect designed by Francis Thompson who also designed the fine buildings for the Chester joint station. The need for several others including Bagillt and Prestatyn was recognised by Stephenson but deferred along with Colwyn and Aber on account of financial stringency.
In total 85 miles of double track railway were under construction during a four year period including two large and most impressive bridges at technically very demanding locations. The pioneering design of the Conwy railway bridge
and Britannia Tubular Bridges occupied much of Stephenson's personal attention and his work with William Fairbairn
pushed forward the boundaries of railway engineering. The concept was not lasting however, owing to the cost of such tubular bridge
s.
Yet it was another far less demanding bridge that almost brought about Stephenson's downfall. It was the River Dee Bridge at Chester, that had been brought into use early in November 1846 for the accommodation of the Shrewsbury and Chester Railway (Shrewsbury to Chester Line
). One of its three 98 foot cast iron spans collapsed on 24 May 1847 just as a passenger train was passing over at about 30 mph. The engine and its tender got across but the coaches fell with the girders into the river. The fireman and four passengers were killed and eight injured. The Dee bridge disaster
was a traumatic event which led to the demise of cast iron
beam bridges reinforced by wrought iron
tie bars.
The Chester and Holyhead Railway was incorporated in the LNWR on 1 January 1859.
It is now known as the North Wales Coast Line
and it still connects with sea ferries
to Dublin.
and Dun Laoghaire
. Later further ships were acquired. From 1861 the service moved to Dublin.
Holyhead
Holyhead is the largest town in the county of Anglesey in the North Wales. It is also a major port adjacent to the Irish Sea serving Ireland....
, the traditional port for the Irish Mail, with London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
by way of the existing Chester and Crewe Railway
Chester and Crewe Railway
The Chester and Crewe Railway was an early British railway company absorbed by the Grand Junction Railway in 1840. The line was 11 miles in length, the engineer was Robert Stephenson and the contractor for the work was Thomas Brassey...
, and what is now the West Coast Main Line
West Coast Main Line
The West Coast Main Line is the busiest mixed-traffic railway route in Britain, being the country's most important rail backbone in terms of population served. Fast, long-distance inter-city passenger services are provided between London, the West Midlands, the North West, North Wales and the...
. Indeed the carriage of the Irish Mail was always the primary objective of the founding Directors.
The Irish Mail
When Queen Elizabeth I decided to establish a weekly post to Ireland in 1572, the route via Chester and Liverpool was chosen, before being switched four years later to Holyhead, which represented a shorter sea crossing.The weekly post was sufficient when there was an English or British Parliament in London and an Irish Parliament, with urgent messages carried by civil servants, usually on horseback. The post improved slowly, and by 1784 the Turnpike Acts had resulted in improved roads on which a mail coach operated almost daily from London to Holyhead, taking 45 hours to make the journey.
With the passing of the Act of Union
Act of Union 1800
The Acts of Union 1800 describe two complementary Acts, namely:* the Union with Ireland Act 1800 , an Act of the Parliament of Great Britain, and...
in 1800, creating the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland
United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland was the formal name of the United Kingdom during the period when what is now the Republic of Ireland formed a part of it....
, elected Irish members of the new United Kingdom Parliament sought the same quality of travel and postal facilities as their fellow members from England, Wales and Scotland. Improvements continued slowly, and by the time Thomas Telford
Thomas Telford
Thomas Telford FRS, FRSE was a Scottish civil engineer, architect and stonemason, and a noted road, bridge and canal builder.-Early career:...
had completed his A5 road with improvements through Shrewsbury
Shrewsbury
Shrewsbury is the county town of Shropshire, in the West Midlands region of England. Lying on the River Severn, it is a civil parish home to some 70,000 inhabitants, and is the primary settlement and headquarters of Shropshire Council...
, Llangollen
Llangollen
Llangollen is a small town and community in Denbighshire, north-east Wales, situated on the River Dee and on the edge of the Berwyn mountains. It has a population of 3,412.-History:...
, Betws-y-coed
Betws-y-Coed
Betws-y-Coed is a village and community in the Conwy valley in Conwy County Borough, Wales. It has a population of 534. The name Betws or Bettws is generally thought to be derived from the Anglo-Saxon Old English 'bed-hus' - i.e. a bead-house - a house of prayer, or oratory...
, Bangor
Bangor, Gwynedd
Bangor is a city in Gwynedd, north west Wales, and one of the smallest cities in Britain. It is a university city with a population of 13,725 at the 2001 census, not including around 10,000 students at Bangor University. Including nearby Menai Bridge on Anglesey, which does not however form part of...
and his Menai Suspension Bridge
Menai Suspension Bridge
The Menai Suspension Bridge is a suspension bridge between the island of Anglesey and the mainland of Wales. Designed by Thomas Telford and completed in 1826, it was the first modern suspension bridge in the world.-Construction:...
in 1826, the London to Holyhead journey was down to under 30 hours. The first steam packet boats had entered service between Holyhead and Dublin in 1819 and soon they were operating out of Liverpool as well.
With the coming of the railways, the Liverpool and Manchester Railway
Liverpool and Manchester Railway
The Liverpool and Manchester Railway was the world's first inter-city passenger railway in which all the trains were timetabled and were hauled for most of the distance solely by steam locomotives. The line opened on 15 September 1830 and ran between the cities of Liverpool and Manchester in North...
, the London and Birmingham Railway
London and Birmingham Railway
The London and Birmingham Railway was an early railway company in the United Kingdom from 1833 to 1846, when it became part of the London and North Western Railway ....
and their combination to form the Grand Junction Railway
Grand Junction Railway
The Grand Junction Railway was an early railway company in the United Kingdom, which existed between 1833 and 1846 when it was merged into the London and North Western Railway...
, there were fast trains from London to Liverpool and fast steam packets from Liverpool to Kingstown (as Dun Laoghaire
Dún Laoghaire
Dún Laoghaire or Dún Laoire , sometimes anglicised as "Dunleary" , is a suburban seaside town in County Dublin, Ireland, about twelve kilometres south of Dublin city centre. It is the county town of Dun Laoghaire-Rathdown County and a major port of entry from Great Britain...
was then known) with a journey time of 22.5 hours from London to Dublin. From 24 January 1839 the Irish Mail contract was switched to Liverpool.
Even before this date the search was on for the shortest route from Dublin to London and this was clearly via Porth Dinllaen on the Llŷn Peninsula
Llŷn Peninsula
The Llŷn Peninsula extends into the Irish Sea from north west Wales, south west of the Isle of Anglesey. It is part of the modern county and historic region of Gwynedd. The name is thought to be of Irish origin, and to have the same root Laigin in Irish as the word Leinster...
. But survey engineers quickly found difficulties in the terrain that might have outweighed any advantages of distance, however they saw this simply as a challenge to be overcome. The great advocate of Porth Dinllaen was Henry Archer
Henry Archer
Henry Archer was the son of an Irish landowner and was educated at Trinity College, Dublin. He was called to the Irish Bar and spent most of his time between North Wales and London.- Ffestiniog Railway :...
, Secretary of the Ffestiniog Railway
Ffestiniog Railway
The Ffestiniog Railway is a narrow gauge heritage railway, located in Gwynedd, Wales. It is a major tourist attraction located mainly within the Snowdonia National Park....
Company, who engaged the services of Charles Vignoles to survey the route in 1835, although Vignoles produced three alternative routes.
Isambard Kingdom Brunel
Isambard Kingdom Brunel
Isambard Kingdom Brunel, FRS , was a British civil engineer who built bridges and dockyards including the construction of the first major British railway, the Great Western Railway; a series of steamships, including the first propeller-driven transatlantic steamship; and numerous important bridges...
chose quite a different route and was actively surveying via Gloucester
Gloucester
Gloucester is a city, district and county town of Gloucestershire in the South West region of England. Gloucester lies close to the Welsh border, and on the River Severn, approximately north-east of Bristol, and south-southwest of Birmingham....
and New Quay
New Quay
New Quay is a seaside town in Ceredigion, West Wales with a resident population of around 1,200 people. Located on Cardigan Bay with a harbour and large sandy beaches, it remains a popular seaside resort and traditional fishing town.-History:...
in Cardigan Bay
Cardigan Bay
Cardigan Bay is a large inlet of the Irish Sea, indenting the west coast of Wales between Bardsey Island, Gwynedd in the north, and Strumble Head, Pembrokeshire at its southern end. It is the largest bay in Wales....
. Others promoted the merits of the proposed St George's Harbour constructed with a large stone breakwater between the Great Orme
Great Orme
The Great Orme is a prominent limestone headland on the north coast of Wales situated in Llandudno. It is referred to as Cyngreawdr Fynydd in a poem by the 12th century poet Gwalchmai ap Meilyr...
Head and the Little Orme
Little Orme
The Little Orme is in height. It is one of two headlands that are situated at either end of Llandudno Bay, in Conwy County Borough, Wales. The other, larger, headland is the Great Orme.-Uses:...
Head in Ormes Bay at Llandudno
Llandudno
Llandudno is a seaside resort and town in Conwy County Borough, Wales. In the 2001 UK census it had a population of 20,090 including that of Penrhyn Bay and Penrhynside, which are within the Llandudno Community...
and they were the first to petition Parliament, in 1837, with their St George's Harbour and Railway Bill, which failed.
It was against this background that plans for a Chester and Holyhead Railway were prepared and canvassed between 1838 and 1842, almost scuppered in 1843, and eventually given Royal Assent on 4 July 1844 (7 & 8 Vic. cap. lxv).
The Chester and Holyhead Railway Act 1844
London and Birmingham Railway
The London and Birmingham Railway was an early railway company in the United Kingdom from 1833 to 1846, when it became part of the London and North Western Railway ....
might contribute £1,000,000. Powers to construct the main line did not include bridging the Menai Strait
Menai Strait
The Menai Strait is a narrow stretch of shallow tidal water about long, which separates the island of Anglesey from the mainland of Wales.The strait is bridged in two places - the main A5 road is carried over the strait by Thomas Telford's elegant iron suspension bridge, the first of its kind,...
. A station was to be built at Flint
Flint
Flint is a hard, sedimentary cryptocrystalline form of the mineral quartz, categorized as a variety of chert. It occurs chiefly as nodules and masses in sedimentary rocks, such as chalks and limestones. Inside the nodule, flint is usually dark grey, black, green, white, or brown in colour, and...
. Cuts through the ancient walls at Chester and Conwy
Conwy
Conwy is a walled market town and community in Conwy County Borough on the north coast of Wales. The town, which faces Deganwy across the River Conwy, formerly lay in Gwynedd and prior to that in Caernarfonshire. Conwy has a population of 14,208...
were to be made in an approved manner and the bridge at Conwy was to give the same clearance as Telford's suspension bridge with which the new structure was to be in harmony. A sea wall was to be built at Abergele. Penmaenbach was to be tunnelled.
The Company had 18 directors. Nine were nominated by the London and Birmingham Railway, three were nominated by the Chester and Birkenhead Railway
Chester and Birkenhead Railway
The Chester and Birkenhead Railway ran from Birkenhead to Chester. It opened on 23 September 1838. On the 22 July 1847 it merged with the Birkenhead, Lancaster and Cheshire Junction Railway to become the Birkenhead Railway.-Currently Working:...
and six were nominated by the original proposers who themselves were originally nominees of the Chester and Crewe Railway
Chester and Crewe Railway
The Chester and Crewe Railway was an early British railway company absorbed by the Grand Junction Railway in 1840. The line was 11 miles in length, the engineer was Robert Stephenson and the contractor for the work was Thomas Brassey...
, which had become part of the Grand Junction Railway in 1840.
The Board had been much exercised during the eight months before the granting of the Act in establishing a working relationship with its neighbour the Grand Junction Railway, which was showing resentment at having been excluded from the formulation of the Chester and Holyhead Railway's plans. Likewise the Board had been finding the Treasury difficult to deal with in obtaining a satisfactory mail contract.
By the end of 1844, the Board, meeting as usual in London, had severed its connections with George Stephenson
George Stephenson
George Stephenson was an English civil engineer and mechanical engineer who built the first public railway line in the world to use steam locomotives...
and appointed his son Robert Stephenson
Robert Stephenson
Robert Stephenson FRS was an English civil engineer. He was the only son of George Stephenson, the famed locomotive builder and railway engineer; many of the achievements popularly credited to his father were actually the joint efforts of father and son.-Early life :He was born on the 16th of...
as engineer-in-chief and Captain Moorsom
William Moorsom
Captain William Scarth Moorsom was an English soldier and engineer. He was born in Whitby to a military family, being the son of an admiral, and trained at Sandhurst, becoming a captain in the 52nd regiment...
as resident Director in Chester. It had submitted a Bill to Parliament for the line between Ogwen and Llanfair PG including the bridging of the Menai Strait. Land acquisition was in progress but proving expensive and tenders were being prepared for the construction. The contract was eventually won by Thomas Brassey
Thomas Brassey
Thomas Brassey was an English civil engineering contractor and manufacturer of building materials who was responsible for building much of the world's railways in the 19th century. By 1847, he had built about one-third of the railways in Britain, and by time of his death in 1870 he had built one...
in partnership with William McKenzie Ross and Robert Stephenson.
The section between Chester and Saltney was causing problems even before construction started owing to the need to accommodate the Shrewsbury and Chester Railway (and the income it would generate), which was seeking to save costs by entering Chester over the Chester and Holyhead Railway.
Engineering Works
By May 1844, the Board had agreed to 14 intermediate stations at: Queensferry, Fflint, Holywell, Mostyn Quay, Rhyl, Abergele, Colwyn, Conwy, Aber, Bangor, Menai Bridge, Llanfair PG, Bodorgan and Ty Croes. A station was provided at 'The Valley' as a result of a successful petition in 1846. The stations were architect designed by Francis Thompson who also designed the fine buildings for the Chester joint station. The need for several others including Bagillt and Prestatyn was recognised by Stephenson but deferred along with Colwyn and Aber on account of financial stringency.
In total 85 miles of double track railway were under construction during a four year period including two large and most impressive bridges at technically very demanding locations. The pioneering design of the Conwy railway bridge
Conwy Railway Bridge
Conwy railway bridge carries the North Wales coast railway line across the River Conwy between Llandudno Junction and the town of Conwy. The wrought iron tubular bridge was built by Robert Stephenson to a design by William Fairbairn, and is similar in construction to Stephenson's other famous...
and Britannia Tubular Bridges occupied much of Stephenson's personal attention and his work with William Fairbairn
William Fairbairn
Sir William Fairbairn, 1st Baronet was a Scottish civil engineer, structural engineer and shipbuilder.-Early career:...
pushed forward the boundaries of railway engineering. The concept was not lasting however, owing to the cost of such tubular bridge
Tubular bridge
A tubular bridge is a bridge built as a rigid box girder section within which the traffic is carried. Famous examples include the original Britannia Bridge over the Menai Strait and the Conwy railway bridge over the River Conwy, designed and tested by William Fairbairn and built by Robert...
s.
Yet it was another far less demanding bridge that almost brought about Stephenson's downfall. It was the River Dee Bridge at Chester, that had been brought into use early in November 1846 for the accommodation of the Shrewsbury and Chester Railway (Shrewsbury to Chester Line
Shrewsbury to Chester Line
The Shrewsbury to Chester Line, also known as the Severn–Dee Line , was built in 1846 as the Shrewsbury and Chester Railway...
). One of its three 98 foot cast iron spans collapsed on 24 May 1847 just as a passenger train was passing over at about 30 mph. The engine and its tender got across but the coaches fell with the girders into the river. The fireman and four passengers were killed and eight injured. The Dee bridge disaster
Dee bridge disaster
The Dee bridge disaster was a rail accident that occurred on 24 May 1847 in Chester with five fatalities.A new bridge across the River Dee was needed for the Chester and Holyhead Railway, a project planned in the 1840s for the expanding British railway system. It was built using cast iron girders,...
was a traumatic event which led to the demise of cast iron
Cast iron
Cast iron is derived from pig iron, and while it usually refers to gray iron, it also identifies a large group of ferrous alloys which solidify with a eutectic. The color of a fractured surface can be used to identify an alloy. White cast iron is named after its white surface when fractured, due...
beam bridges reinforced by wrought iron
Wrought iron
thumb|The [[Eiffel tower]] is constructed from [[puddle iron]], a form of wrought ironWrought iron is an iron alloy with a very low carbon...
tie bars.
Operating the Line
Notwithstanding the setback with the Dee Bridge, passenger trains operated throughout from Chester to Bangor, almost sixty miles, from 1 May 1848 and across the Britannia Bridge to Holyhead from 18 March 1850.The Chester and Holyhead Railway was incorporated in the LNWR on 1 January 1859.
It is now known as the North Wales Coast Line
North Wales Coast Line
The North Wales Coast Line is the railway line from Crewe to Holyhead. Virgin Trains consider their services along it to be a spur of the West Coast Main Line. The first section from Crewe to Chester was built by the Chester and Crewe Railway and absorbed by the Grand Junction Railway shortly...
and it still connects with sea ferries
Ferry
A ferry is a form of transportation, usually a boat, but sometimes a ship, used to carry primarily passengers, and sometimes vehicles and cargo as well, across a body of water. Most ferries operate on regular, frequent, return services...
to Dublin.
Chester and Holyhead Railway Company Ships
The company commissioned four new ships to operate between HolyheadHolyhead
Holyhead is the largest town in the county of Anglesey in the North Wales. It is also a major port adjacent to the Irish Sea serving Ireland....
and Dun Laoghaire
Dún Laoghaire
Dún Laoghaire or Dún Laoire , sometimes anglicised as "Dunleary" , is a suburban seaside town in County Dublin, Ireland, about twelve kilometres south of Dublin city centre. It is the county town of Dun Laoghaire-Rathdown County and a major port of entry from Great Britain...
. Later further ships were acquired. From 1861 the service moved to Dublin.
- PS HiberniaPS Hibernia (1847)PS Hibernia was a paddle steamer passenger vessel operated by the Chester and Holyhead Railway from 1847 to 1859 and the London and North Western Railway from 1859 to 1877.-History:...
. Commissioned in 1847. Broken up in 1897. - PS ScotiaSS Scotia (1847)PS Scotia was a paddle steamer passenger vessel operated by the Chester and Holyhead Railway from 1847 to 1858, and the London and North Western Railway from 1859 to 1861.-History:...
. Commissioned in 1847. Captured as a blockade runner in October 1862. Became the General Banks in 1863. - PS AngliaPS Anglia (1847)PS Anglia was a paddle steamer passenger vessel operated by the Chester and Holyhead Railway from 1847 to 1859 and the London and North Western Railway from 1859 to 1861.-History:...
. Commissioned in 1847. Captured as a blockade runner in October 1862. Became the Admiral Dupont in 1863. - PS CambriaPS Cambria (1848)PS Cambria was a paddle steamer passenger vessel operated by the Chester and Holyhead Railway from 1848 to 1859 and the London and North Western Railway from 1859 to 1861.-History:...
. Commissioned in 1848. - PS OceanPS Ocean (1836)PS Ocean was a paddle steamer vessel operated by the St. George Steam Packet Company from 1836, then the Cork Steamship Company and then the Chester and Holyhead Railway from 1853 to 1859 and the London and North Western Railway from 1859 to 1862....
, purchased in 1853. Built in 1836 for the St. George Steam Packet Company, and transferred to the Cork Steamship Company. - PS HerculesPS Hercules (1838)PS Hercules was a paddle steamer vessel operated by the St. George Steam Packet Company from 1836, and then the Chester and Holyhead Railway from 1853 to 1859 and the London and North Western Railway from 1859 to 1862.-History:...
, purchased in 1853. Built in 1838 for the St. George Steam Packet Company - PS Queen, purchased in 1853
- PS Sea NymphPS Sea Nymph (1845)PS Sea Nymph was a paddle steamer passenger vessel operated by the London and North Western Railway from 1856 to 1876.-History:She was built by Caird & Company of Greenock for the North West of Ireland Union Steam Company and launched in 1845...
, purchased second hand in November 1856 from the Belfast Steamship CompanyBelfast Steamship CompanyThe Belfast Steamship Company provided shipping services between Belfast and Liverpool from 1852 to 1975.-History:The company started life in 1824 as the Liverpool and Belfast Steam Packet Company. operated by Langtry & Herdman. They began a steam ship service from Belfast to Liverpool... - PS TelegraphPS Telegraph (1853)PS Telegraph was a paddle steamer passenger vessel operated by the London and North Western Railway from 1859 to 1874.-History:She was built by J & G Thomson of Govan for the Belfast Steamship Company, and in 1856 passed to the Chester and Holyhead Railway, which was taken over by the London and...
, purchased second hand in November 1856 from the Belfast Steamship CompanyBelfast Steamship CompanyThe Belfast Steamship Company provided shipping services between Belfast and Liverpool from 1852 to 1975.-History:The company started life in 1824 as the Liverpool and Belfast Steam Packet Company. operated by Langtry & Herdman. They began a steam ship service from Belfast to Liverpool...