EARLY DAYS OF RA IL WA YS. 427 



followed very closely upon the opening of the Liver- 

 pool and Manchester line ; but the making the 

 surveys and plans, and various other details, in- 

 cluding getting the requisite amounts of capital sub- 

 scribed before Acts of Parliament could be obtained, 

 occupied a considerable time ; thus we find that the 

 earliest of them was passed in 1833, and the others 

 at varying intervals, as will be seen by the dates 

 below — the London and Birmingham and the 

 London and Greenwich following each other within 

 a few days, though the preparations for the former 

 were of course much the more extensive. 

 The London lines were passed in this order : 



London and Birmingham - May 6, 1833. 



London and Greenwich - May 17, 1833. 



London and Southampton - - 1834. 



London and Great Western 1835. 



London and Croydon - - 1835. 



London and Eastern Counties - 1836. 



London, Northern and Eastern- 1836. 



London and South Eastern 1836. 



London and Brighton - 1837. 



The Great Northern was not passed until some 

 years afterwards. It met with a most strenuous 

 opposition from a rival company. Originally the two 

 companies competing for this line were called the 

 ' London and York ' and the ' Great Northern,' and 

 the line was not opened until after the year 1848. 



At the end of the year 1839 the whole amount 



