NWRBR (North Western Region of British Railways)

The North Western Region Of British Railways (abbreviated as NWRBR) is the main standard gauge rail network on the Island of Sodor. It is the North Western Region of British Railways, and formerly the NWR.

History
The North Western Railway was formed in 1914 by the Government sponsored amalgamation of the three standard gauge railways on the island - The Sodor and Mainland, the Wellsworth and Suddery and the Tidmouth, Knapford &amp; Elsbridge Light, the latter two already in the process of amalgamation - as a strategic railway for coastal defense against possible danger from Ireland.

In 1923 came the Grouping, and the NWR was threatened with either closure or absorption into the LMS system. The NWR Board, however, led by their Chairman Lord Harwick believed in the Railway’s future and fought off the plans. In this they were ably backed by the new General Manager, Topham Hatt, and to such good purpose that by 1925 the LMS had been brought to terms, and the NWR was enabled to maintain its identity. The agreement with the LMS granted the NWR Running Powers across the Vicarstown Bridge into Barrow-in-Furness, and also began a joint suburban service between Barrow and Norramby, at the cost of the NWR curtailing a steamer service between Kirk Ronan and Dublin it had launched in 1920. But the LMS never gave up. For the next 20 or so years, they would put constant threaths on the NWR to be incorporated into their rail network.

Formation
After World War II, after all the "Big Four" were bankrupt, British Railways was formed. They dissolved all of the railways of Britain, except Sodor which claimed it wasn't part of mainland Britain. In the following six years, BR would pressure Sodor into joining. Also in the following 6 years, bus and lorries would take most of the NWR traffic. In 1954, the NWR would make one last desperate move by selling the Norramby Branch off as a private railway. In 1955, the NWR had no choice but to join BR

Modernisation
In 1955, shortly after the NWRBR was formed, a lone diesel engine was sent to Sodor, but met with much criticism that BR didn't dare send another one.