The title "Lancashire and Yorkshire Railway" was adopted by the Manchester & Leeds Railway in July, 1847 following its absorption of a number of earlier local railways, the largest of which was the Manchester and Leeds Railway.

1922, Lancashire and Yorkshire Railway amalgamated with London and North Western Railways; the expanded LNWR subsequently formed part of the London and North Western Railway.

In 1921 the London & North Western Railway with which the L&Y had good relations, appointed the L&Y General Manager, Arthur Watson, to the same post on the LNW while retaining his L&Y post. It was then announced that the two lines would merge on 1st January 1922. Whilst the LNW was a much bigger company and its name was applied to the new organisation it was L&Y men who took most of the top jobs including George Hughes as CME. When the LMS was formed a year later, both Watson and Hughes took the same jobs in the new group.