The name of the man who founded the celebrated guide was George Bradshaw. He was a Quaker, and a map-maker by calling. Before the days of railways he employed himself on maps showing the canals of Lancashire and Yorkshire. But by 1839 the kingdom was rapidly becoming intersected by that astonishing—but, when one comes to think of it, very simple—invention, the steel rail. The iron horse of Stephenson was prancing stertorously about between Manchester and Liverpool and Manchester and London and other cities. Passengers—who had hardly been taken into Stephenson's calculations at all when he inaugurated the first railway in 1825—were clamouring for transportation. A knowledge of train arrivals and departures was imperative.
"THE BRADSHAW RAILWAY GUIDE: OR, AIDS TO BEDLAM."
From an Old Print.
In the year of Queen Victoria's accession the only "guide" available for the patrons of the Birmingham and Liverpool—or, as it was called, the Grand Junction Railway—took the singular form of a large pewter medal, which the traveller could carry in his pocket. On the obverse of this metallic guide was inscribed:—
Grand Junction Railway. Opened July 4, 1837.
The trains leave:—
Birmingham.
| Hour. | Min. |
|---|---|
| VII. | 0 |
| VIII. | 30 |
| XI. | 30 |
| II. | 30 |
| IV. | 30 |
| VII. | 0 |
Liverpool & Manchester.
| Hour. | Min. |
|---|---|
| VI. | 30 |
| VIII. | 30 |
| XI. | 30 |
| II. | 30 |
| IV. | 30 |
| VI. | 30 |