A key part of the Great Western Railway's network was the main line to the North through Birmingham. From London, this route including the Princes Risborough cut-off joined Didcot, Oxford, Banbury and Birmingham, and then Wolverhampton, Chester and Shrewsbury, opening up destinations in the North and North West. The GWR also ran services on its joint lines with the London & North Western Railway and the Great Central Railway, to reach Birkenhead and...