The history of the LMRCA is, by it’s very nature, deeply entwined with the history of the railways.
The London, Midland and Scottish Railway (LMS) was a British railway company that was formed in 1923 under the Railways Act of 1921, which required the amalgamation of many separate railway companies. The companies merged into the LMS included the London and North Western Railway, Midland Railway, several Scottish railway companies (including the Caledonian Railway), and numerous other, smaller ventures.
The LMS was the largest of the Big Four railway companies serving routes in England, Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales. In 1938, the LMS operated 6,870 miles of railway. The lines ran from Wick in Northern Scotland, through the Midlands and on down to London.
Under the Transport Act of 1947, along with the other members of the “Big Four” British railway companies (GWR, LNER and SR), the LMS was nationalised on 1st January 1948, becoming part of the state-owned British Railways.
Originally part of British Rail Social Clubs (BRSA), the LMRCA became an autonomous Association in 1993 when British Rail was privatised.