Irish railway company formed in 1876 by the merger of the Irish North Western Railway (INW), Northern Railway of Ireland, and Ulster Railway. In 1958, under the Great Northern Railway Act, which became operative on 1st October 1958, the Great Northern Railway rail and road services within Eire were amalgamated with Coras Iompair Eireann.

The Midland Railway was formed in 1844 from the merger of the Midland Counties Railway, the North Midland Railway and Birmingham and Derby Junction Railway wit its headquarters in Derby. It expanded its operational territory by acquisition (e.g. railways in the Erewash valley, to Sheffield, serving the Leicestershire coalfields and the route from Birmingham to Bristol), and by construction of new railways and extensions to existing lines, including lines to Peterborough and Lincoln, towards Manchester and, most notably the Settle to Carlisle route. It expanded into the South Wales coalfields, and acquired railways not connected to its main routes: the London, Tilbury and Southend Railway and, in Ireland, the Belfast and Northern Counties Railways. Much of this activity was driven by competition with its geographical rivals, the London and North Western Railway to the west and the Great Northern Railway to the east. Where its interests were better served by co-operation, it tried to reach agreements with those same companies to share routes and traffic receipts. The most famous of these is the Euston Square Confederation, an agreement between the Midland Railway, the London and North Western Railway and the Manchester, Sheffield and Lincolnshire Railway. Other such arrangements were the Cheshire Lines Committee and the right to run over the Great Northern Railway into King’s Cross station. The arrangements for through running and sharing of London termini with its competitors proved unsatisfactory. As a consequence the Midland Railway eventually built its own connection to London. The line ran from Bedford on the Midland’s existing Leicester to Hitchin line, to a terminus at St Pancras. It was opened in 1868. The Midland Railway was a partner in several joint railways e.g. the Somerset and Dorset Joint Railway (with the London and South Western Railway), and the Midland and Great Northern Joint Railway (the Great Northern Railway). The Midland Railway came under the control of the Railway Executive during the First World War and ended its independent existence in 1923 under Grouping when it was merged with, amongst other railway companies, its great rival the London and North Western Railway to form the London, Midland and Scottish Railway Company.

The London and South Western Railway Company (LSWR) opened their first line in stages in from London to Southampton in 1838 under the name London and Southampton Railway Company. A year later the company name was changed to the LSWR. By the early 1900s, the line had been extended and ran from London to Plymouth via Yeovil, Exeter and Southampton. Some of the branch lines of the LSWR, further into Southern counties, were in direct competition with the Great Western Railway Company and others were worked in partnership with other railway companies such as the Somerset and Dorset Joint Railway. Nine Elms in London was the main depot of the LSWR, until Waterloo Station was opened by the company in 1848. Nine Elms became the goods depot for the London and South Western Railway Company and Waterloo became one of the biggest passenger stations in the country. The main LSWR engineering works was transferred from Nine Elms to Eastleigh by 1909. Sir Herbert Walker was General Manager of the London and South Western Railway Company from 1912, when he instituted the third-rail electrification programme, and was appointed General Manager of the Southern Railway Company in 1923, until his retirement in 1937. There were a number of notable engineers attached to the LSWR including John Viret Gooch, brother of Sir Daniel Gooch who was Locomotive Superintendent from 1841 to 1850. Dugald Drummond was the Chief Mechanical Engineer from 1895 to 1912; he facilitated moving the Works from Nine Elms to Eastleigh and their subsequent expansion and modernisation. Alfred Szlumper, appointed Chief Engineer in 1914 was key to the expansion and redesign of Waterloo Station, completed by 1922 The LSWR began electrification of its suburban lines from Waterloo in 1913. The first section was opened in 1915, and almost all the other planned routes were opened before the First World War curtailed the project. The London and South Western Railway Company was very prominent in handling all types of traffic during the First World War, due to it’s position serving London and the ports on the South Coast. The LSWR also had an ocean-going port at Southampton, which was a growing rival to Liverpool and Glasgow for transatlantic travel. The purchase of Southampton docks by the LSWR in 1892, alongside their expansion and modernisation, was organised by Sir Charles Scotter, the General Manager from 1885 to 1898. Scotter then became Chairmen of the Company from 1904 to 1910. The LSWR also ran steamer services from Southampton to the Channel Islands and France. In 1923, the LSWR was grouped into the Southern Railway Company by the Railways Act of 1921.

The Cape Government Railways (CGR) was the government-owned railway operator in the Cape Colony, South Africa, from 1874 until the creation of the South African Railways (SAR) in 1910.

Railway company managing the line ran from Smallbrook Junction to Newport, which opened in 1875. In 1887, the company merged with the Cowes and Newport Railway and the Isle of Wight (Newport Junction) Railway to form the Isle of Wight Central Railway (IoWCR)

Australian Coal mining company, known to have been active in 1875.

Australian railway company in New South Wales. The line between Deniliquin and Moama officially opened on 4 July 1876.

Swedish railway company established in 1872

The Metropolitan Railway Co was a passenger and goods railway that served London from 1863 to 1933. The line connected the main railway stations of Paddington, Euston and King’s Cross with the City of London. Sections of the line had to be constructed beneath the ground and used the ‘cut and cover’ method of constructing tunnels as well as digging tunnels in later sections of the line. The railway line opened in 1863 and consisted of wooden carriages hauled by steam locomotives. It was the world’s first underground railway to carry passengers. The original line was extended, reaching Hammersmith in 1864, Richmond in 1877. The building of the line northwards to Harrow encouraged the development of the new suburb in 1880. Electricity was introduced in 1905 and by 1907 multiple electrically powered units operated across the line. Outlying districts did have to wait to be electrified. The company developed land for housing along the length of the line, resulting in increased passenger numbers. In 1933, the company amalgamated with the Underground Electric Railways Company of London and the city’s tram and bus operators to form the London Passenger Transport Board.

Swedish railway company, active in 1876

The New South Wales Government Railways (NSWGR) were operated by the New South Wales Government from 1855 who administered all the railway lines in the New South Wales area from headquarters in Sydney. The lines ranged from Brisbane (Queensland) and Broken Hill (South Australian Frontier) to Albury (Victorian Frontier). Between 1855 and 1932 the operation of NSWGR changed many times, altering between a Chief Commissioner with sole authority and groups of commissioners who shared responsibility. After the 1932 amendment of the Railways Act by the Transport (Division of Factions) Act, NSWGR was replaced by the Department of Railways New South Wales.

Railway incorporated in 1860, opening in 1864. The railway was absorbed into Southern Railway in 1923

State owned railway company that operated most of the railway network in Norway.