West Midland Railway
The West Midland Railway (WMR) was formed on 1 July 1860 with the merger of three companies - the Oxford Worcester and Wolverhampton Railway (OW&W), the Newport, Abergavenny & Hereford Railway and the Worcester & Hereford Railway[1]. The OW&W was heavily involved in the early history of the Severn Valley Railway, officially leasing the line on 14 June 1860, the lease passing to the WMR.
As a result of the merger, by the time the SVR opened on on 1 February 1862, the WMR were responsible for operating the former OWW line from Worcester through Hartlebury which formed the SVR's southern connection. An article in the Worcester Journal in 1863 entitled 'Excursions by Railway' noted "We commence our journey on the Severn Valley line at Hartlebury, where it joins the West Midland..."
The WMR was taken over by the GWR in August 1873, including the lease of the SVR, which was fully amalgamated on 1 July 1872.