Southern Railway (Great Britain)
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The Southern Railway in the United Kingdom was geographically the smallest of the four railway systems created in the Grouping ordered by the Railways Act 1921. Confined to the south of England, it owned no track north of London. In the area south and south-east of London the Southern Railway had a virtual monopoly, while some of its lines to the south-west were in competition with the Great Western Railway.
Unlike the three other railway systems established by the Grouping (the London, Midland and Scottish Railway, the London and North Eastern Railway and the Great Western Railway), the Southern Railway was predominantly a passenger railway. Despite its small size it carried more than a quarter of the UK's total passenger traffic: this is because the area covered by the railway included many of the dense commuter lines around London, as well as serving some of the most densely populated parts of the country.
The Southern Railway was particularly successful at promoting itself to the public. Following poor publicity in 1924, John Elliot was appointed as the company's public relations manager. He was instrumental in creating the strongly positive image that the railway enjoyed prior to World War II. The campaign was built upon increasing publicity for the modernisation programmes which the company instituted, coupled with the promotion of the benefits of the south and south -west as holiday destinations. "Sunny South Sam" became a character fixed firmly in the public mind as embodying the service of the railway, whilst slogans such as "live in Kent and be content" encouraged commuters to move out from London, and thus further patronise the services offered by the railway.
During World War II, the Southern found itself at the front line. Before hostilities, 75% of SR traffic was passenger with just 25% being freight; during the War, roughly the same number of passengers was carried but it only made up 40% of total traffic - freight traffic had grown to such an extent that it made up 60% of total traffic. A desperate shortage of freight locomotives was remedied by Chief Engineer Oliver Bulleid who designed a remarkable 0-6-0 locomotive, the SR Class Q1, which was the most powerful such engine ever to operate in Britain. Forty of these machines transformed the Southern's ability to haul heavy freight and, in retrospect, the sheer volume of military freight and Allied soldiers moved by this primarily commuter railway was a breathtaking feat.
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[edit] Constituent companies
The major constituents of the Southern Railway were:
- The London and South Western Railway (LSWR) route mileage 1020.5 miles (1642 km); and six railways leased or worked by LSWR
- The London, Brighton and South Coast Railway (LBSCR) 457.25 miles (736 km); two railways leased or worked by LBSCR; and also the Victoria Station and Pimlico Railway
- The combined systems of the South Eastern Railway and the London, Chatham and Dover Railway, under the South Eastern & Chatham Railways' Managing Committee (SECR) 637.75 miles (1026 km). These concerns had amalgamated on 1 January 1922.
- In addition there were the three Isle of Wight railways [a total of 55.75 miles (90 km)]; and railways leased or worked by the constituent companies.
Together, the Southern had 2,186 route miles (3518 km).
For the complete list, see List of constituent companies of the Southern Railway
[edit] Other assets
- Locomotives: 2390; coaching vehicles: 10,800; freight vehicles: 37,500; electric vehicles 460; rail motor cars: 14
- 38 large turbine or other steamers; and a number of other vessels
- 3.5 miles of canals
- docks, harbours etc at Southampton, Newhaven, Plymouth, Folkestone, Dover, Littlehampton, Whitstable, Strood, Rye, Queenborough, Port Victoria
- ten large hotels
- a large number of London terminus stations, including Waterloo (the largest London railway station), Victoria, Charing Cross, Cannon Street and London Bridge .
[edit] Electrification
- See also: Railway electrification in Great Britain
The Southern Railway was probably the most innovative of the Big Four companies, and the main evidence of that is its commitment to electrification - compare the Southern's legacy with the absence from the Great Western Railway of even a single electrified route.
Certainly, the intensively used commuter system in a relatively small geographical area made the Southern a natural candidate for electrification - and two of its predecessor companies (the LSWR and the LBSCR) had already introduced it for some of their lines in the London area before the grouping. However, the two schemes were incompatible, with the Brighton adopting a 6600 V AC overhead system (very similar to that used by the Midland Railway for their Lancaster to Morecambe trial section). After the Grouping a comparison of the two systems was made and the LSWR's 660 V DC third rail standard (similar to that used by London Underground) was adopted for the whole system.
Most of the area immediately south of London was converted, together with the long-distance lines to Brighton, Eastbourne and Portsmouth (starting in 1931, this was one of the world's first modern mainline electrification schemes). Only the London suburban part of the former SECR routes was electrified by the Southern Railway, although the long-distance Kent routes were next in line for electrification, which would have been followed by the electrification of the Southampton/Bournemouth route; World War II interrupted these plans, and these lines were electrified only in the late 1950s and late 1960s. Originally, only electric multiple unit trains were used, but later electric locomotives and electro-diesel hybrids were developed.
[edit] Nationalisation
The war-devastated company was nationalised along with the rest of the British railway network in 1948. Many of its lines in London and Kent had been damaged during World War II and much of the rolling stock was either damaged or badly in need of replacement, although at the time of nationalisation the Southern had started a vigorous programme of rebuilding and renewal.
[edit] Other notes
- Chief Mechanical Engineers of the Southern Railway, responsible for locomotives and rolling stock, were R. E. L. Maunsell from 1922 to 1937, and then O. V. S. Bulleid until nationalisation. Bulleid in particular was an engineering genius, designing the SR Merchant Navy Class, SR West Country Class ("Bulleid Light Pacifics"), the SR Class Q1 and the experimental Leader, as well as a host of innovative electrical units and locomotives.
- The first general manager of the Southern Railway was Sir Herbert Walker.
- The Southern Railway adopted an olive-green livery. From mid 1938, this was replaced by a livery dominated by a striking Malachite green colour, often matched with sunshine yellow lining. Stations were painted in green and cream. The post-nationalisation Southern Region of British Railways retained green as its main livery colour, but in a rather more sombre shade.
- The name Southern has been revived as a rebranding of South Central, which operates a significant portion of the former Southern Railway routes to South London, Surrey and Sussex from Victoria and London Bridge.
- The name "Southern Railway" can still be seen above the eastern entrance to London Victoria Station.
- The Southern operated a number of famous "named train" services, including the Brighton Belle, the Bournemouth Belle, the Golden Arrow (London-Paris, which, for the French part of its route, became the Fleche d'Or), and the Night Ferry (London - Paris and Brussels). Part of its route stretched into Devon and Cornwall (known as the "withered arm"), and this route was dominated by lucrative summer holiday traffic including named trains such as the Atlantic Coast Express.
- Main routes of the Southern Railway include the Brighton main line, Portsmouth Direct Line, South Western Main Line, West of England Main Line, Chatham Main Line, Hastings Line, West Coastway Line, Kent Coast Line and the North Downs Line.
[edit] See also
- Locomotives of the Southern Railway
- SR locomotive numbering and classification
- SR multiple unit numbering and classification
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The "Big Four" pre-nationalisation British railway companies
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Great Western • London Midland & Scottish • London & North Eastern • Southern |
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GWR constituents: Great Western Railway • Cambrian Railways • Taff Vale Railway |
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See also: History of rail transport in Great Britain 1923 - 1947 • List of companies involved in the grouping |
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[edit] External links
- Southern E-Group - extensive source of information concerning the Southern Railway, its predecessors and successors
