THEWORLD’SFIRSTRAILWAYSYSTEMThispageintentionallyleftblankTheWorld’sFirstRailwaySystemEnterprise,Competition,andRegulationontheRailwayNetworkinVictorianBritainMARKCASSON13GreatClarendonStreet,Oxfordox26dpOxfordUniversityPressisadepartmentoftheUniversityofOxford.ItfurtherstheUniversity’sobjectiveofexcellenceinresearch,scholarship,andeducationbypublishingworldwideinOxfordNewYorkAucklandCapeTownDaresSalaamHongKongKarachiKualaLumpurMadridMelbourneMexicoCityNairobiNewDelhiShanghaiTaipeiTorontoWithoYcesinArgentinaAustriaBrazilChileCzechRepublicFranceGreeceGuatemalaHungaryItalyJapanPolandPortugalSingaporeSouthKoreaSwitzerlandThailandTurkeyUkraineVietnamOxfordisaregisteredtrademarkofOxfordUniversityPressintheUKandincertainothercountriesPublishedintheUnitedStatesbyOxfordUniversityPressInc.,NewYorkqMarkCasson2009ThemoralrightsoftheauthorhavebeenassertedDatabaserightOxfordUniversityPress(maker)Firstpublished2009Allrightsreserved.Nopartofthispublicationmaybereproduced,storedinaretrievalsystem,ortransmitted,inanyformorbyanymeans,withoutthepriorpermissioninwritingofOxfordUniversityPress,orasexpresslypermittedbylaw,orundertermsagreedwiththeappropriatereprographicsrightsorganization.EnquiriesconcerningreproductionoutsidethescopeoftheaboveshouldbesenttotheRightsDepartment,OxfordUniversityPress,attheaddressaboveYoumustnotcirculatethisbookinanyotherbindingorcoverandyoumustimposethesameconditiononanyacquirerBritishLibraryCataloguinginPublicationDataDataavailableLibraryofCongressCataloginginPublicationDataDataavailableTypesetbySPIPublisherServices,Pondicherry,IndiaPrintedinGreatBritainonacidfreepaperbyMPGBiddles,KingsLynn,NorfolkISBN978–0–19–921397–913579108642InmemoryofJohnDunning,whogavememyWrst(andonly)job,andprovidedmewithadviceandsupportthroughoutmycareerThispageintentionallyleftblankContentsPrefaceandAcknowledgementsviiiListofIllustrationsxListofFiguresxiListofTablesxiiiListofAbbreviationsxv1.IntroductionandSu