ABSTRACT
After the opening of the Liverpool & Manchester Railway thoughts began to turn more seriously towards the idea of a national system of railways using locomotives. The broader perspective has tended to diminish the significance of short lines like the Glasgow & Garnkirk (which was authorized in 1826 and opened in 1831) and the Leicester & Swannington (with corresponding dates of 1830 and 1833) which were built with steam traction in mind, following the success of the Stockton & Darlington.' The completions of 1834 induded the Leeds & Selby which connected Leeds with shipping on the Ouse and was important in the triumph of the locomotive over stationery engines.2 Quite apart from the improved efficiency and re!iability of the locomotive was the need to equip an entire line with stationary engines at the out set before a single train could run (an impossible burden for a relatively modest concern like the Leeds & Selby): with the locomotive the motive power could be built up in accordance with traffic levels. Another achievement of 1834 was the Bodmin & Wadebridge which was needed to carry china day from Wenford Bridge to the harbour at Wadebridge (with some distribution of sea sand in the opposite direction).3 Although designed for horse traction the gauge was set at 4 feet 8.5 inches (in contrast to local horse railways which used 4 feet or 4 feet 6 inches) and so it was easy for the development of the locomotive to provoke a change of traction policy by the time the line opened. This pioneering line retained a pronounced locallindustrial character (even after a physicallink with the London & South Western Railway - its owner from 1846 - secured in 1895) by refraining from offering any regular passenger service on the Wenford Bridge section.
