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The Southern Railway was created in 1923 by the government-directed grouping of railways into the 'Big Four' (L.M.S., G.W.R., L.N.E.R. and S.R.). The Southern Railway brought together the London and South Western Railway, the London Brighton and South Coast Railway and the South Eastern and Chatham Railway.
Upon Nationalisation in 1948, the Southern Region of British Railways absorbed the assets of the Southern Railway.
There's a brief history of the London and South Western Railway here.
There's a brief history of the South East and Chatham Railway here.
Brief early history of the London, Brighton and South Coast Railway
The Royal Pavilion, also known as the 'Brighton Pavilion' was completed by the architect John Nash in 1822. The popularity of Brighton with Royalty made the town a fashionable location, attracting the attention of railway builders keen to improve communications with London.
Engineer John Rennie brought forward a series of plans for the London and Brighton Railway in the early 1830s. These plans were reviewed unfavourably by Robert Stephenson who had his own scheme for the line rejected by the Lords in 1836. In 1837, a revised scheme by Rennie passed in the Lords, subject to review by a Military Engineer, resulting in approval of the main line from Croydon to Brighton, with branches to Newhaven and Shoreham.
A proposal to construct a line from London to Dover by the South Eastern Railway had already obtained parliamentary approval in 1836.
Meanwhile, the first passenger railway to actually operate in London was the London and Greenwich Railway which opened in stages between 1836 and 1838. It was elevated on brick arches throughout its length with the London terminus in Tooley Street.
In 1839 the London and Croydon Railway opened, running from a terminus near the present West Croydon station to join the London and Greenwich railway at a point about halfway to Greenwich which became Corbett's Lane Junction. The London and Greenwich Railway levied a toll on the London and Croydon for use of the shared line. The London and Greenwich Railway land in Tooley Street was sufficient for a station which could be used by a number of companies. In 1844 the joint terminal opened, part paid for by the London and Croydon Railway and the station acquired the name 'London Bridge'.
The approvals for the South Eastern Railway line to Dover and London & Brighton Railway to Brighton required both railways to use the existing route of the London & Croydon Railway from Croydon and then the route of the London & Greenwich Railway for the last 1.75 miles to reach a joint terminus at London Bridge. The South Eastern Railway was to share the lines of the London & Brighton Railway as far as Purley. In addition, the London & Brighton Railway was then to build, at cost, the line on behalf of the South Eastern Railway from its junction with the London & Brighton Railway near Purley to Redhill. This line stayed quite close to the London and Brighton line and crossed under it to reach Redhill. Subsequently, the South Eastern Railway re-imbursed the London & Brighton Railway for the construction costs.
1905 Railway Clearing House Map showing the L.B.S.C.R. line (coloured green) and the S.E.R. line (coloured pink) south of Purley.
Click on the map for a larger view.
The first section of the London and Brighton line to open was the branch from Brighton to Shoreham in 1840. The scale of the engineering works on the main line, involving tunnels, cuttings and the Ouse Viaduct delayed the opening of the main line to London until 1841.
In 1846, in response to shareholder pressure following disappointing results, the London and Croydon Railway and the London and Brighton Railway amalgamated, together with the Brighton and Chichester Railway and the Brighton Lewes and Hastings Railway, to form the London, Brighton and South Coast Railway. This amalgamation provided excellent connections to the south coast around Brighton and Eastbourne. The LBSCR was flanked to the east by the South Eastern Railway which later became the South Eastern and Chatham Railway(see article Origins of the Southern Railway: Part 3 - S.E.C.R.) who were not well-liked and constantly feuded with the LBSCR) and to the west by the London and South Western Railway (see article Origins of the Southern Railway: Part 1 - L.S.W.R.).
Click for larger image
1908 Railway Clearing House Map showing lines in the vicinity of London Bridge. London Bridge Station is top left.
In a joint venture with the Great Western Railway, the London & North Western Railway and the London Chatham and Dover Railway called the 'Victoria Station and Pimlico Railway' (VS&PR) the LBSCR provided significant backing for the construction of a new bridge over the Thames leading to a new terminus called Victoria, first opened in 1860 as a joint station. The station was very successful so, by 1862, the bridge over the Thames was extended to carry more tracks and a second, separate terminus had been built to the east, purely for the LCDR, after which the LBSCR solely used the western station. The two stations at Victoria were well-situated on the north bank of the Thames for West End passengers, although departing trains were immediately faced with a climb leading to Grosvenor Bridge over the River Thames.
Under an agreement between the London Chatham and Dover and the South Eastern Railway in 1899, the two railways traded together as the 'South Eastern and Chatham Railway' (SECR). The former South Eastern Railway was now 'next door' to the LBSCR at Victoria but this didn't reduce its agressive behaviour. When the two stations were rebuilt (the Chatham in 1906, the Brighton in 1908) it was in notably contrasting styles.
London Victoria: Approaching Victoria on the Up Brighton Fast. Today the 'Brighton' platforms (on the left) are buried and gloomy beneath a modern shopping centre, but the arched roof over the Chatham platforms (on the right) is still in place.
Click for larger image.
Details of the junctions between the L.B.S.C.R. (green) and other railways in the vicinity of Clapham Junction. Victoria Station is just off the map, top right. This map (and the two above) are from a series prepared by the Railway Clearing House in 1914 which appear in the reprint 'Pre-Grouping Railway Junction Diagrams 1914', published by Ian Allen (ISBN 0 7110 1256 3).
Book references
[1] 'The London Brighton and South Coast Railway' by C. Hamilton Ellis, 1971 edition by Ian Allen (SBN 7110 0269 X).
[2] 'The London to Brighton Line 1841 - 1977' by Adrian Gray, The Oakwood Press.
[3] 'Stroudley Locomotives' by Brian Haresnape, Ian Allen (0 7110 1391 8).
[4] 'History of the Southern Railway' by C. F. Dendy Marshall, revised by R. W. Kidner reprinted 1982 by Ian Allen (ISBN 0 7110 0059 X).
[5] 'Great Locomotives of the Southern Railway' by O. S. Nock, Guild Publishing, 1987 edition by Book Club Associates.
[6] 'Southern Steam' by O. S. Nock, published by David & Charles (ISBN 0 7153 5235 0).
[7] 'London's Termini' by Alan A. Jackson, published by David & Charles (0 330 02746 6).
[8] 'London Brighton & South Coast Railway: Signal Boxes in 1920-1922: Part 1 - London to Brighton', from the J. M. Wagstaff Collection, Signalling Record Society (1 873228 08 2).
[9] ‘A Regional History of the Railways of Great Britain: Volume 2 Southern England’ by H. P. White, 4th edition published by David & Charles (ISBN: 0-7153-8365-5).
Maps
Details of what remains of the L.B.S.C.R. today are shown in the 'Quail Track Diagrams':-
'Railway Track Diagrams Book 5: Southern and TfL' Third Edition, published by TRACKmaps (ISBN 978-0-9549866-4-3).
Related articles on other web sites
London, Brighton and South Coast Railway (Wikipedia).
Related articles on this web site
Origins of the Southern Railway: Part 1 - L.S.W.R..
Origins of the Southern Railway: Part 3 - S.E.C.R..
Victoria Station, London.
My Pictures
There are sets which include pictures taken in recent times showing former L.B.S.C.R. infrastructure:-
Clapham Junction.
London: former 'Southern' lines.
London's Railways.
London: Victoria Station.
The Southern Railway had been created in 1923 by the government-directed grouping of railways into the 'Big Four' (L.M.S., G.W.R., L.N.E.R. and S.R.). The Southern Railway brought together the London and South Western Railway (LSWR), the London Brighton and South Coast Railway (LBSCR) and the South Eastern and Chatham Railway (SECR).
Upon Nationalisation in 1948, the Southern Region of British Railways absorbed the assets of the Southern Railway.
There's a brief history of the London and South Western Railway here.
Brief early history of the South Eastern and Chatham Railway
Originally called the South Eastern Railway, parliamentary approval for a line from London to Dover was obtained in 1836, based on sharing the lines of other companies near London. The London & Greenwich Railway opened throughout in 1838 with its London terminus at Tooley Street (now London Bridge). The following year, the London & Croydon Railway opened from West Croydon to a junction with the London & Greenwich Railway, sharing the Tooley Street terminus. In turn, the London & Brighton Railway opened throughout in 1841 from Brighton to a junction with the London and Croydon Railway, then sharing their lines to Tooley Street.
The South Eastern Railway was to share the lines of the London & Greenwich Railway, the London and Croydon Railway and the London & Brighton Railway as far as Purley. In addition, the London & Brighton Railway was then to build, at cost, the line on behalf of the South Eastern Railway from its junction with the London & Brighton Railway near Purley to Redhill. This line stayed quite close to the London and Brighton line and crossed under it to reach Redhill. Subsequently, the South Eastern Railway re-imbursed the London & Brighton Railway for the construction costs.
After this rather tedious route out of London, William Cubitt then provided the South Eastern Railway with an almost dead straight main line from Redhill to Folkestone and Dover, with major intermediate stations provided with through lines for fast trains and platform loops for stopping trains. Construction started in 1838 and the line to Dover was completed in 1844.
1905 Railway Clearing House Map showing S.E.C.R. line (coloured pink) in between Purley and Redhill.
Click on the map for a larger view.
The railway was not well-liked and constantly feuded with neighbouring railways. Dissatisfaction with the services provided by the South Eastern Railway in North Kent led to the bill for the East Kent Railway being introduced into parliament in 1853. This line would provide much shorter journeys to the coast and, for the first time, bring important towns like Chatham and Rochester onto the railway system. In 1859, the East Kent Railway was renamed the London Chatham and Dover Railway (LCDR). Although funding was a perpetual problem, the railway managed to provide a service to Blackfriars and link up with the Metropolitan Railway (on the north bank of the Thames) before collapsing into bankruptcy. The LCDR somehow managed to carry on.
In a joint venture with the London Brighton & South Coast Railway, the Great Western Railway and London & North Western Railway called the 'Victoria Station and Pimlico Railway' (VS&PR) the London Chatham and Dover Railway participated in the construction of a new bridge over the Thames leading to a new terminus called Victoria, first opened in 1860 as a joint station. The station was very successful so, by 1862, the bridge over the Thames carried more tracks and a second, separate terminus had been built to the east, purely for the LCDR, after which the LBSCR solely used the western station. The two stations at Victoria were well-situated on the north bank of the Thames for West End passengers, although departing trains were immediately faced with a climb leading to Grosvenor Bridge over the River Thames.
The London Chatham and Dover continued to face financial difficulties and finally, in 1899, came to an agreement with its erstwhile enemy the South Eastern Railway. Under this agreement, the railways would operate jointly, trading as the 'South Eastern and Chatham Railway' (SECR). However, the two railways remained legally distinct (until 1923 when both, and the VS&PR, were absorbed into the Southern Railway by the Grouping).
The 1899 changes didn't stop the feuding between the former South Eastern Railway and the London Brighton and South Coast Railway, even after the railways occupied two termini side-by-side at Victoria. The eastern station now served the South Eastern and Chatham Railway and was called 'The Chatham' whilst the western station served the London Brighton and South Coast Railway and was thus called 'The Brighton'. Even when the both side-by-side stations were rebuilt (the Chatham in 1906, the Brighton in 1908) it was in notably contrasting styles.
The 'Chatham' platforms at Victoria remain light and airy, thanks to the simple, arched roof. Unfortunately, all the clutter at platform level largely destroys the sense of space.
Click for larger image.
Details of the junctions between the S.E.C.R. (coloured pink) and other railways in the vicinity of Clapham Junction. Victoria Station is just off the map, top right. This map (and the one above) are from a series prepared by the Railway Clearing House in 1914 which appear in the reprint 'Pre-Grouping Railway Junction Diagrams 1914', published by Ian Allen (ISBN 0 7110 1256 3).
Book References
[1] 'The South Eastern and Chatham Railway' by O. S. Nock, 1971 edition Ian Allen (SBN 7110 0268 1).
[2] 'The Locomotives of the South Eastern Railway' by D. L. Bradley, 1963 The Railway Correspondence and Travel Society.
[3] ‘A Regional History of the Railways of Great Britain: Volume 2 Southern England’ by H. P. White, 4th edition published by David & Charles (ISBN: 0-7153-8365-5).
[4] 'History of the Southern Railway' by C. F. Dendy Marshall, revised by R. W. Kidner reprinted 1982 by Ian Allen (ISBN 0 7110 0059 X).
[5] 'Great Locomotives of the Southern Railway' by O. S. Nock, Guild Publishing, 1987 edition by Book Club Associates.
[6] 'Southern Steam' by O. S. Nock, published by David & Charles (ISBN 0 7153 5235 0).
[7] 'London's Termini' by Alan A. Jackson, published by David & Charles (0 330 02746 6).
Maps
Details of what remains of the S.E.C.R. today are shown in the 'Quail Track Diagrams':-
'Railway Track Diagrams Book 5: Southern and TfL' Third Edition, published by TRACKmaps (ISBN 978-0-9549866-4-3).
Related articles on other web sites
South Eastern Railway (Wikipedia).
London, Chatham and Dover Railway (Wikipedia).
South Eastern and Chatham Railway (Wikipedia).
Related articles on this web site
Origins of the Southern Railway: Part 1 - L.S.W.R..
Origins of the Southern Railway: Part 2: L.B.S.C.R..
Victoria Station, London.
My Pictures
Various albums which include pictures taken in recent times showing former S.E.C.R. infrastructure:-
London: former 'Southern' lines.
London's Railways.
London: Victoria Station.
The Surrey Iron Railway
The Surrey Iron Railway, extending from the Thames to Croydon, was the first public railway in England, authorised by an Act of Parliament in 1801. Horses provided the motive power to haul trains of wagons. A further act of 1803 authorised the Croydon, Martsham and Godstone Railway. The line to Martsham opened in 1805, similarly using horses, but the extension to Godstone was never constructed.
There's a more detailed account of this pioneer railway by Peter Mcgow here, on the Wandle Industrial Museum site.
A contemporary watercolour of the Surrey Iron Railway.
The Stockton and Darlington Railway
The Stockton and Darlington Railway opened in 1825 but, although steam locomotives were used for the goods trains, passenger trains remained horsedrawn until around 1834. There's a Wikipedia article here.
The Canterbury and Whitstable Railway
The Canterbury and Whitstable Railway was authorised by an Act in 1825 and started using its steam locomotive 'Invicta' for hauling goods trains in 1830, a few months before the Liverpool and Manchester Railway inaugurated its steam-hauled passenger services.
There's a 'Wikipedia' article on 'Invicta' here.
The Liverpool and Manchester Railway
The Liverpool and Manchester Railway opened in 1830. The first Parliamentary Bill to authorise the railway was rejected in 1825 but a revised Bill passed the following year. There's a Wikipedia article here.
The London and Southampton Railway
The London and Southampton Railway was promoted in 1831 and by 1838 ran from Nine Elms to Woking, reaching Southampton in 1840. As the system expanded, the name was changed to the London and South Western Railway. See the article Origins of the Southern Railway: Part 1 - L.S.W.R.
The Bodmin and Wadebridge Railway
The Bodmin and Wadebridge Railway was authorised by an Act in 1832 and opened in September 1834 with a single locomotive 'Camel', a single passenger coach and not many goods wagons. The railway struggled for funds and 'Camel' was not joined by the second locomotive, 'Elephant', until 1836. See the Wikipedia article Bodmin and Wadebridge Railway.
The London and Greenwich Railway
The London and Greenwich Railway was sanctioned in 1833 and starting running part of the line in 1836. By 1838, it was carrying passengers between its London terminus at Tooley Street (now London Bridge) and a temporary terminus at Greenwich. The final terminus in Greenwich opened the following year. The London & Croydon Railway (below) opened sharing the first 1.75 miles of the London and Greenwich on the approach to Tooley Street, as did the London & Brighton Railway (below). The South Eastern Railway approval also mandated sharing of the 1.75 miles from London Bridge.
The Grand Junction Railway
The Grand Junction Railway was authorised in 1833 and opened to passengers in 1837. It ran from a junction with the Liverpool and Manchester Railway at Earlstown to a terminus at Curzon Street, Birmingham, adjacent to the terminus of the London and Birmingham Railway. See the Wikipedia article here.
The London and Birmingham Railway
The London and Birmingham Railway encountered significant opposition from landowners along the route. The first Parliamentary Bill seeking to authorise the railway's construction was thrown-out in 1832, but a revised Bill in 1833 was passed. The railway was opened to passengers in 1838. There's a short article here.
The London and Croydon Railway
The London and Croydon Railway received consent in 1835 and by 1839 was running between its own station at London Bridge and West Croydon. To do this, it shared the first 1.75 miles of the route from London Bridge with the London and Greenwich. For a time, the railway used the Atmospheric System of propulsion.
The South Eastern Railway
The South Eastern Railway was initially sanctioned in 1836. Its final approval resulted in sharing the 1.75 miles of the London & Greenwich from London Bridge, then following the route of the London & Croydon and finally the route of the London and Brighton Railway as far as Purley. In 1864, it extended to Cannon Street and Charing Cross.
The London and Brighton Railway
The London and Brighton Railway, later renamed the London Brighton & South Coast Railway (LBSCR) was authorised by an Act in 1837 and started running in 1841, sharing the first 1.75 miles of the route from London Bridge with the London and Greenwich and then using the route of the London and Croydon Railway.
Later Railways
The trickle of new railways rapidly turned into a flood in the 1840s. Shareholders in some of the earliest railways earned large dividends, turning all railway shares into "hot stocks" encouraging investors and leading to the period of 'Railway Mania' when the most improbable routes were promoted and dubious operators like George Hudson (the so-called 'Railway King') made fortunes for themselves, if not their shareholders. Wikipedia discusses Railway Mania here and the notorious George Hudson here.
One of these 'Later Railways' was East Kent Railway, which I outline below because of its interactions with earlier lines. Dissatisfaction with the services provided by the South Eastern Railway in North Kent led to the bill for the East Kent Railway being introduced into parliament in 1853. In 1859, the railway was renamed the London Chatham and Dover Railway (LCDR). Although funding was a perpetual problem, the railway managed reach to Blackfriars and link up with the Metropolitan Railway before collapsing into bankruptcy. The LCDR somehow managed to carry on and, in a joint venture with the London Brighton & South Coast Railway, Great Western Railway and London & North Western Railway called the 'Victoria Station and Pimlico Railway' (VS&PR) participated in the construction of Victoria Station, first opened in 1860. A parallel station to the east, purely for the LCDR, opened in 1862. Faced with continuing financial difficulties, in 1899 The LCDR made an agreement with the South Eastern Railway to operate and market jointly, trading as the 'South Eastern and Chatham Railway'. However, the two railways remained legally distinct until 1923 when both, and the VS&PR, were absorbed into the Southern Railway by the Grouping.
Book References
[1] 'Views on the Liverpool and Manchester Railway Taken on the Spot by Mr. A. B. Clayton', reprinted by Frank Graham 1970 (SBN 900409 29 0).
[2] 'Views of the Most Interesting Scenery on the Line of the Liverpool and Manchester Railway', I. Shaw 1831, facsimile published by Hugh Broadbent 1980 (ISBN 0-904848-05-1).
[3] 'British Railway History 1877 - 1947', Hamilton Ellis, published 1959 by George Allen and Unwin.
[4] 'The Stockton and Darlington Railway 1825 - 1975', P. J. Holmes, published by First Avenue Publishing Company.
[5] 'The Liverpool & Manchester Railway', R. H. G. Thomas, published 1980 by B. T. Batsford (ISBN 0 7134 0537 6.
[6] 'The Railway Mania and Its Aftermath 1845 - 1852', Henry Grote Lewin 1936, reprinted 1968 by David and Charles (7153 4262 2).
[7] 'Drake's Road Book of the Grand Junction Railway', 2nd edition 1838, reprinted 1974 by Moorland Publishing (ISBN 0 903485 25 7).
[8] 'Britain's First Trunk Line - The Grand Junction Railway', Norman W. Webster, published 1972 by Adams & Dart (SBN 239 00105 2).
[9] 'Oldest in the World - The Story of Liverpool Road Station, Manchester 1830 - 1980', edited by C. E. Makepeace, published by Liverpool Road Station Society/Manchester Region Industrial Archaeological Society (ISBN 0 907172 01 6).
[10] 'History of the Southern Railway' by C. F. Dendy Marshall, revised by R. W. Kidner reprinted 1982 by Ian Allen (ISBN 0 7110 0059 X).
[11] 'The London & South Western Railway' O.S. Nock, published by Ian Allen.
[12] 'The South Western Railway' by Hamilton Ellis, published 1956 by George Allen and Unwin.
[13] 'The London Brighton and South Coast Railway' by C. Hamilton Ellis, 1971 edition by Ian Allen (SBN 7110 0269 X).
[14] 'The London to Brighton Line 1841 - 1977' by Adrian Gray, The Oakwood Press.
[15] 'The South Eastern and Chatham Railway' by O. S. Nock, 1971 edition Ian Allen (SBN 7110 0268 1).
[16] 'London's First Railway - The London & Greenwich' by R.H.G. Thomas, published by Batsford Paperbacks (ISBN 0 7134 5414 8).
[17] 'The Railway Companion, Describing an Excursion along the Liverpool Line' by A Tourist, published 1833, reprinted by Deanprint Ltd. in 1980 and published on their behalf by Liverpool Road Station Society (ISBN 0 907172 00 8).
[18] ‘A Regional History of the Railways of Great Britain: Volume 2 Southern England’ by H. P. White, 4th edition published by David & Charles (ISBN: 0-7153-8365-5).
[19] ‘A Regional History of the Railways of Great Britain: Volume 10 The North West’ by G. O. Holt, revised Gordon Biddle published by David & Charles (ISBN: 0946537 34 8).
[20] ‘A Regional History of the Railways of Great Britain: Volume 11 North and Mid Wales’ by Peter E Baughan, published by David & Charles (ISBN 0-9153-7850-3).
[21] ‘A Regional History of the Railways of Great Britain: Volume 12 South Wales by D. S. M. Barrie, published by David & Charles (ISBN 0-7153-7970-4).
[22] ‘Atmospheric Railways – A Victorian Venture in Silent Speed’ by Charles Hadfield (David and Charles, 1967).
Click for larger image.
