Southern Railway (Great Britain)

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Southern Railway
Coat-of-arms of the Southern Railway
History
1923	Grouping; Southern Railway is created
1929	Phase one of electrification scheme complete
1930	Richard Maunsell's SR V "Schools" class introduced
1937	Oliver Bulleid becomes Chief Mechanical Engineer
1941	First SR Merchant Navy Class Pacific unveiled
1948	Nationalised
Constituent companies
London, Brighton and South Coast Railway
London & South Western Railway
South Eastern and Chatham Railway
See full List of constituent companies of the Southern Railway
Successor organisation
1948	Southern Region of British Railways
Key locations
Headquarters	Waterloo station, London
Workshops	Ashford;
	Brighton;
	Eastleigh
Major stations	Waterloo station Victoria Charing Cross
Inherited route mileage
1923	2,186 miles (3,518 km)
Mileage shown as at end of year stated. Source: Whitehouse, Patrick & Thomas, David St.John: SR 150, Introduction

The Southern Railway (SR), was a British railway company established in the 1923 Grouping. It contained notable examples of civil engineering, linking London with the Channel ports, South West England and Kent. The railway was formed by the amalgamation of smaller companies, the largest of which were the London & South Western Railway, the London, Brighton and South Coast Railway, and the South Eastern and Chatham Railway.^[1] Construction of what was to become the Southern began in 1838 with the opening of the London and Southampton Railway, which was renamed the London & South Western Railway.

The railway was noted for its public relations and for management headed by Sir Herbert Walker.^[2] At 2,186 miles (3,518km), the Southern was the smallest of the Big Four companies, which was conducive to electrification on London's suburban railway network. The Southern played a role in the Second World War during the Dunkirk operations, as well as supplying Operation Overlord in 1944. The railway was primarily a passenger line, hauling holidaymakers and commuters. To maintain these services, the chief mechanical engineers, Richard Maunsell and Oliver Bulleid, designed locomotives and rolling stock to replace those inherited in 1923.

The Southern operated named trains, including the Brighton Belle, the Bournemouth Belle, the Golden Arrow, and the Night Ferry (London - Paris and Brussels). The West Country services were dominated by lucrative summer holiday traffic and included named trains such as the Atlantic Coast Express and the Devon Belle. The company's best-known livery was distinctive: locomotives and carriages were painted in a bright Malachite green above plain black frames, with bright yellow lettering. The Southern was nationalised in 1948, becoming the Southern Region of British Railways.

Contents 1 History 1.1 Constituent companies and formation in 1923 1.2 Electrification 1.3 Economic crisis of the 1930s 1.4 Second World War 1.5 Nationalisation 1.6 Revival in the privatised network 2 Geography 2.1 Key locations 2.2 Engineering 3 Operations 3.1 Passenger operations 3.1.1 Pullman services 3.1.2 Ordinary services 3.2 Freight operations 3.3 Ancillary operations 3.3.1 Shipping 3.3.2 Ships 3.3.3 Hotels 3.3.4 Road transport 3.3.5 Air transport 4 Traction and rolling stock 4.1 Locomotives 4.1.1 Maunsell 4.1.2 Bulleid 4.1.3 Electric Multiple Units (EMUs) and locomotives 4.2 Carriages 4.3 Wagons 5 Cultural impact 5.1 Tourism 5.2 Heritage 6 Other assets 7 Notable people 7.1 Chairmen of the Board of Directors 7.2 General Managers 7.3 Chief Mechanical Engineers 8 Footnotes 9 Bibliography 10 See also 11 External links

[edit] History

[edit] Constituent companies and formation in 1923

See also: List of constituent companies of the Southern Railway

The three major companies that along the south coast of England – the London & South Western Railway (LSWR), the London, Brighton and South Coast Railway (LBSCR), and the South Eastern and Chatham Railway (SECR) – amalgamated to form the Southern Railway in 1923, which operated 2186 route miles (3518km) of railway.^[3] The progenitor of the Southern was the London and Southampton Railway, renamed the LSWR in 1838 when the railway branched out to destinations including Portsmouth and Salisbury.^[4] Traditions developed by the LSWR set the standard in the rest of the Southern after 1923.^[5] The LBSCR was smaller than its neighbour, though it served many holiday resorts on the south coast and operated much of the south London suburban network. This ensured that services were well run, to the extent that electrification was begun to increase efficiency.^[6] Finally, the SECR was a managing committee of two cash-strapped railways; the South Eastern and the London, Chatham and Dover.^[7] The organisation suffered from poor, over-abundant infrastructure and internal conflicts of interest, and was ripe for amalgamation in 1923.^[8]

The formation of the Southern was rooted in the outbreak of the First World War, when railways were taken into government control. Many staff joined the forces and it was not possible to build and maintain equipment as in peacetime. After the war the government considered permanent nationalisation but instead decided on amalgamation of railways into four large groups through the 1921 Railways Act, known as the Grouping.^[9] The amalgamation of the three south-coast railways to form the Southern meant several duplicate routes and management structures. Rationalisation led to downgrading some routes in favour of more direct lines to the Channel ports, and the creation of a coordinated management at the former LSWR headquarters in Waterloo station.^[10]

Along with the railway, the Southern inherited harbours including Southampton, Portsmouth and Dover. These had come into being for handling ocean-going and cross-channel passenger traffic, and the size of the railway-owned installations reflected the prosperity the industry generated. This traffic ensured the Southern would be a predominantly passenger-orientated railway.

[edit] Electrification

See also: Railway electrification in Great Britain and SR multiple unit numbering and classification

In 1929 the third-rail electrification of the London suburban network was completed. The introduction of electric multiple units (EMUs) on principal suburban routes ensured fast, efficient commuter services into London, and increased commuter traffic. The Southern's commitment to electrification made the railway more innovative than rivals - compare the Southern's legacy with the absence from the Great Western Railway of an electrified route.

The already intensive commuter system in a small area made the Southern a candidate for electrification - the LSWR and the LBSCR had already introduced it for some lines in the London area before the Grouping. However, the two schemes were incompatible, the LBSCR adopting a 6600 V AC overhead system (similar to that used by the Midland for ther Lancaster to Morecambe trial section), and the LSWR a 660V DC third-rail standard. After Grouping a comparison made and the LSWR standard adopted for the whole system, with the advantage that it was cheaper to install, with no catenary equipment required.

Most of the area immediately south of London was converted, together with lines to Brighton, Eastbourne and Portsmouth. Starting in 1931, this was one of the world's first modern mainline electrifications. Only the suburban part of the former SECR routes was electrified by the Southern, although Kent routes were next in line. They would have been followed by the Southampton/Bournemouth route but the Second World War delayed the plans until the late 1950s and late 1960s respectively.

[edit] Economic crisis of the 1930s

The post-Wall Street Crash era halted electrification but the investment the company had already made ensured the Southern remained in good financial health despite the Depression. However, this marked the end of the first period under Richard Maunsell when the Southern led in steam locomotive design, as the lack of funds affected development of standardised motive power. It would take the Second World War for the Southern to take the initiative in steam locomotive design again.

[edit] Second World War

Holidaymakers for the Channel and the West Country were replaced with troops, especially with the threat of invasion in 1940.^[11] Before hostilities, 75% of traffic was passenger, 25% freight; during the war roughly the same number of passengers was carried, but freight grew to 60% of traffic. A shortage of freight locomotives was remedied by Oliver Bulleid, while the volume of military freight and soldiers moved by a commuter and holiday railway was breathtaking.

When the threat of invasion receded, the region became the marshalling area for troops preparing to invade Normandy in Operation Overlord, and again the railway played its part.^[11] This came at a cost, as the Southern's location around London and the Channel meant bombing. Track, locomotive, carriage and wagon maintenance was deferred until peace.^[12]

[edit] Nationalisation

After slow recovery in the late 1940s, the war-devastated company was nationalised with the rest of the network in 1948 and incorporated into the British Railways.^[13] The Southern retained an identity as the Southern Region of British Railways. Many lines in London and Kent had been damaged and much rolling stock was damaged or in need of replacement. At nationalisation the Southern had started rebuilding and renewing, and this was continued throughout the early 1950s.^[14]

[edit] Revival in the privatised network

See: Southern (train operating company)

The name Southern has been revived as a rebranding of South Central, which operates former LBSCR routes to South London, Surrey and Sussex from Victoria and London Bridge. Southern is owned by Govia — a joint venture between transport groups Go-Ahead Group and Keolis — which also owns the neighbouring Southeastern. Officially named New Southern Railway Ltd, it was branded Southern on 30 May 2004 in a recall of the Southern Railway, with a green roundel logo with "Southern" written in yellow in a green bar.

[edit] Geography

The majority of territory the railway served was centred on lines between London, Southampton, Weymouth, Plymouth, Salisbury and Exeter, some in competition with the Great Western Railway (GWR). East of the capital the Southern held a monopoly to Dover and Brighton. Generally confined to south of the River Thames, the Southern owned no track north of London. In addition to these were secondary routes intertwining mainlines and providing inter-company services, an example being the line from the GWR at Reading to Guildford.

Unlike the London, Midland and Scottish Railway, the London and North Eastern Railway and the Great Western Railway, the Southern was a passenger railway. Despite small size it carried more than a quarter of the UK's passenger traffic because its area included many commuter lines around London. In addition, because South London's geology (unlike the rest of the capital) was unsuitable for underground railways the Southern Railway faced little competition from underground lines, encouraging a denser network.

[edit] Key locations

The headquarters of the Southern was in the former LSWR offices at Waterloo station. Locomotives were constructed and maintained at works inherited from constituent companies at Eastleigh, Ashford and Brighton. The largest was Eastleigh, which was built by the LSWR in 1909 to replace Nine Elms works in South London. Brighton had been constructing locomotives since 1840 for the LBSCR, and turned out 104 of 110 Bulleid Light Pacifics between 1945 and 1951. Ashford was inherited from the SECR, and had been built in 1847, and introduced the Q1 class. Ashford constructed its final locomotive in March 1944, a War Department contract for Stanier 8F 2-8-0 number 8764.

Carriage and wagon works had also also been inherited at Eastleigh, along with Lancing carriage works, which had been built in 1888 on the LBSCR. During the Second World War, both turned to wartime production such as Horsa and Hamilcar gliders. Freight workshops were at Ashford and Eastleigh. A concrete works near Exmouth Junction locomotive shed was responsible for platform seat fittings, pre-cast concrete fencing and lamp posts.

[edit] Engineering

The South Western Main Line of the former LSWR between London and Southampton was completed by Joseph Locke with easy gradients, leading to several cuttings, tunnels and embankments across the Loddon, Test and Itchen Valleys, with brick arches constructed across South London to the site of Waterloo station. Such was the emphasis on minimising gradients that the stretch between Micheldever and Winchester has the longest constant gradient of any British main line. Tunnels and viaducts were also common features in the south-east, with several examples to be found on the former LBSCR and SECR netwroks, the most famous being Shakespeare Cliff and Clayton tunnels.

[edit] Operations

The running of the Southern was undertaken by the directors, the first chairman of whom was Sir Hugh Drummond, appointed in 1923. There were originally three general managers: Sir Herbert Walker, Percy Tempest and William Forbes, although Walker was the sole occupant in the post within a year.^[2] The chief mechanical engineer was a former employee of the SECR, Richard Maunsell. For administration, lines inherited in 1923 were divided into three geographical sections with a traffic department for each, loosely based upon the areas covered by the amalgamated companies:

• The Western Section (former LSWR routes) included the South Western Main Line(the oldest part of the Southern network, having been constructed in 1838), the West Coastway Line, and the West of England Main Line, both serving destinations popular with holidaymakers. It stretched into Devon and Cornwall, and this circuitous route was known as the Withered Arm because the GWR had a greater presence.
• The Central Section (former LB&SCR routes) included the Brighton Main Line and the Portsmouth Direct Line.
• The Eastern Section (former SECR routes) included the Chatham Main Line, the Hastings Line, the Kent Coast Line and the North Downs Line.^[1]

Operational and commercial aspects were under traffic managers, which let the general manager make policy decisions.^[15] Superintendents served the traffic manager, breaking down the tasks of operating their respective sections.^[2] The Southern had centralised and decentralised operation.

[edit] Passenger operations

See also Named trains: UK

Passenger services provided media attention. This meant that the Southern was to operate named trains, which provided another source of publicity for John Elliot. The Eastern and Central sections served the Channel, while the Western catered for holiday traffic to the West Country. Passenger services consisted of Pullman dining trains, and everyday passenger services, which gave the railway a high total number of carriages at 10,800.

[edit] Pullman services

Pullman services were the premier trains, reflecting the pride felt towards the railway. These services included boat trains including the Golden Arrow (London-Paris, translated as Flèche d'Or for the French part of its route), The Cunarder (London - Southampton Ocean Liner service) and the Night Ferry (London - Paris and Brussels). The Western also featured the Bournemouth Belle and Devon Belle Pullmans.

The Golden Arrow was introduced on 15 May 1929. The train consisted of Pullmans and luggage vans, linking London Victoria to Dover, with transfer to at Calais. Other Pullmans included the Brighton Belle, which had its origins in 1881 with the London, Brighton and South Coast Railway, which named the service the Southern Belle in 1908. The train was steam-hauled until 1933 when electric units were introduced after electrification. On 29 June 1934 the train was renamed Brighton Belle and continued until withdrawal in 1972.

[edit] Ordinary services

The remainder of passenger operations were non-Pullman. West Country services were dominated by holiday traffic and passengers to the Isle of Wight and further afield. In winter, the western extremity saw little local use, as the railway linked sparsely populated communities. Competition with the Great Western diluted traffic. Passenger services in the east were gradually turned over to electric traction, especially around London.^[16]

Passenger services on secondary routes were given elderly locomotives to provide a local service to the major mainline stations such as Basingstoke. This was to prolong locomotives that would otherwise be scrapped. However in some cases, the route was such that some newer classes were excluded because of restrictions in loading gauge, the Lyme Regis branch from Axminster providing an example.

The Southern operated push-pull trains of up to two carriages in commuter areas. Push-pull operations did not need a turntable or run-around at the end of a suburban branch line, and enabled the driver to use a cab in the end coach to drive the locomotive in reverse. Such operations were similar to the autotrains, with a Drummond M7 providing the power. The electrification of the former LB&SCR and suburban networks meant withdrawal of steam-hauled commuter services. These were replaced by EMUs of lengths according to demand, which had the advantage of rapid acceleration and braking.

The Southern also operated titled express trains such as the Atlantic Coast Express. With holiday destinations including Bude, Exmouth, Ilfracombe, Padstow, Plymouth, Seaton, Sidmouth and Torrington, the 11am ACE from Waterloo, as the Atlantic Coast Express became known, was the most multi-portioned train in the UK from its introduction in 1926. This was due to sections of the train splitting at junctions for onward journey to destinations in the West Country. Padstow station in Cornwall was the westernmost point and the end or beginning of the ACE, which was the longest timetabled journey on the network.

The importance of the destination dictated the power to haul each portion. Through carriages to East Devon and North Cornwall were hauled by diminutive Drummond M7 tank locomotives, and from 1952, BR standard class 3 tanks; the rest of the train continued behind a Bulleid Light Pacific to Plymouth. The final ACE was hauled on 5 September 1964 when the Western Section of the former Southern network was absorbed into the Western Region of British Railways.

[edit] Freight operations

Goods such as milk and cattle from the West Country provided regular freight traffic, while imports from the south coast ports also required carriage to freight terminals. From these terminals, freight could be sorted for onward travel. As locomotives increased in size so did the trains, from 40 to 100 four-wheeled wagons. The vacuum brake, standard on passenger trains, was fitted to a number of ordinary goods wagons, allowing trains to run faster than 40 mph (64km/h). While typical goods wagons could carry 8, 10 or later 12 tons, the load placed in a wagon could be as little as 1 ton, as the railway was a common carrier that could not choose what goods it carried.

[edit] Ancillary operations

[edit] Shipping

The Southern inherited docks at Southampton, Newhaven, Plymouth, Folkestone, Dover, Littlehampton, Whitstable, Strood, Rye, Queenborough, Port Victoria and Padstow. The Southern continued to invest in these facilities, and Southampton overtook Liverpool as the main port for Trans-Atlantic liners. The Southern inherited 38 large turbine or other steamers and a number of other vessels branded under Channel Packet, the maritime arm of the railway, which passed to British Railways after nationalisation in 1948.

[edit] Ships

The Southern inherited ships, some of which were converted to car ferries. Such conversions were needed on French routes, where holidays by car were beginning to become popular. Services to the Channel Islands began in 1924, with services to Brittany in 1933 and finally Normandy just prior to nationalisation in 1947.^[17]

ex-LSWR ships

SS Alberta, SS Ardena, SS Brittany, SS Caesarea, SS Cherbourg, SS Hantonia, SS Laura, SS Lorina, SS Normannia, SS Princess Ena, SS Vera.^[17]

ex-LBSC ships

SS Arundel, SS Brighton, SS Dieppe, SS La France, SS Newhaven, SS Paris, SS Rouen, SS Versailles.^[18]

ex-SECR ships

SS Biarritz, SS Canterbury, SS Empress, SS Engadine, SS Invicta, SS Maid of Orleans, SS Riviera, SS Victoria.^[19]

Ships built for the SR

SS Arromanches, SS Autocarrier, SS Brighton, SS Brittany, SS Canterbury, SS Dinard, SS Falaise, PS Freshwater, SS Hampton Ferry, SS Invicta, SS Isle of Guernsey, SS Isle of Jersey, SS Isle of Sark,SS Isle of Thanet, SS Londres, SS Maid of Kent, PS Merstone, PS Portsdown, PS Ryde, SS Shepperton Ferry, PS Shanklin, PS Southsea, SS St Briac, SS Twickenham Ferry, SS Worthing, PS Whippingham.^{[20][21][22][23]}

Ships managed by SR

During the Second World War and afterwards, Southern managed a number of ships for the Ministry of War Transport.

Empire Alde.

[edit] Hotels

Ten large hotels were owned by the company, at the London termini and at the coast.

[edit] Road transport

From 1929 the Southern invested in bus companies providing services to its trains. The brand names Southern National (a joint venture with the National Omnibus & Transport Co. Ltd.) and Southern Vectis have outlived the railway.^[24]

[edit] Air transport

In conjunction with other Big Four companies the Southern also invested in air services, notably to the Channel Islands and Isle of Wight, complementing the shipping operations.

[edit] Traction and rolling stock

[edit] Locomotives

Main article: Locomotives of the Southern Railway

For most of its existence the Southern painted its 2390 locomotives olive green, with plain black frames and wheels. Name and number plates were polished brass with a red background. In later years, the livery changed to Malachite green with bright yellow lettering. Most locomotives were inherited but from 1924 a programme of standardisation was begun by Maunsell.

[edit] Maunsell

The first locomotives constructed for the Southern were to designs inherited from the pre-Grouping companies, such as the N15 class and H15 class, both modified by Maunsell.^[25] These were interim solutions, since several designs on the Southern were obsolete. The 1920s proved the era of standardisation.^[26]

In 1926, the first Southern-designed and built locomotives emerged from Eastleigh, the Maunsell Lord Nelson class reputedly the most powerful 4-6-0 in Britain at the time.^[27] So successful was the class that the Royal Scot class had its origins in the design.^[28] However, the Depression precluded further technology, apart from the V "Schools" class 4-4-0 and various electric designs.^[29] Maunsell also designed locomotives for use in freight yards such as Feltham, the final example of which was the Q class. The design of the Q class coincided with Maunsell's ill health, which resulted in a conservative approach. The first examples were in 1937, the year in which Maunsell retired as CM .

[edit] Bulleid

Maunsell was succeeded in 1937 by Oliver Vaughan Snell Bulleid, who brought experience gained under Sir Nigel Gresley at the LNER. He designed the Bulleid chain-driven valve gear that was compact enough to fit within the restrictions of his Pacific designs, the Merchant Navy class of 1941, and the Light Pacific design of 1945. Bulleid introduced welded steel boilers and steel fireboxes which were easier to repair than copper, with a new emphasis on cab ergonomics.^[30] Established locomotive design practices were altered, with the wheels changed from spoked to the boxpok design, which gave better all-round support to the tyre.^[31]

Bulleid advocated continental numbering, based on experiences at the French branch of Westinghouse Electric before the First World War. The Southern number adapted the UIC classification system where "2" and "1" refer to the number of un-powered leading and trailing axles respectively, and "A", "B" and "C" to the number of driving axles. As an example, the first Merchant Navy locomotive was 21C1.^[32]

Visually, the most unusual designs was a small, heavy freight locomotive, the most powerful 0-6-0 to operate in Britain.^[29] This Q1 class eliminated anything unnecessary including wheel splashers.^[29] With innovative lagging that dictated the boiler cladding, the Q1 was regarded as the ugliest locomotive ever.^[33] The 40 engines required the material needed for 38 conventional machines, justifying the economies.^[34]

Bulleid's innovation stemmed from a belief in the continued development of steam traction, and culminated in the Leader class of 1946, an 0-6-6-0 design that had two cabs, negating the use of a turntable.^[35] The locomotive was on two bogies, enabling tight curves, while the slab-sided body could use a carriage washer.^[36]

Despite success of the Pacifics and the 0-6-0 Q1 freight locomotive, the Pacifics were difficult to maintain and harboured enough eccentricities to justify rebuilding in the mid-1950s. Bulleid also designed several electric and diesel-electric locomotives. The innovations ensured the Southern led in locomotive design, and earned Bulleid the title "last giant of steam".^[37]

[edit] Electric Multiple Units (EMUs) and locomotives

With the completion of the 660V DC third rail conversion, investment was made in modernising the electrical locomotive and Electrical Multiple Unit (EMU) fleet inherited from the pre-Grouping companies. The early AC overhead electric multiple unit types were referred to by a two-letter code, which was then adapted for the DC third-rail system, with designs coming from both Southern CMEs and their electrical engineers.^[38] The classification meant the unit type was given a three-letter code (sometimes two letters), prefixed by the number of carriages within each unit, eg4SUB for a 4-car suburban set, constructed between 1925 and 1937. Another example was the series of 2Bil units (2-car Bi-Lavatory stock) constructed from 1938, so-called because each set had two lavatories, one in each car.^[38] The EMUs consisted of two driving units at both ends of the train, and could have varying numbers of carriages in between, as indicated in the classification. Variants of the Southern's electric stock included Pullman carriages or wagons for the parcels and newspapers, allowing flexibility on London suburban lines and the Eastern Section of the network.^[16]

The Southern also built two mixed-traffic electric locomotives, numbered CC1 and CC2. They were designed by Bulleid and Alfred Raworth and renumbered 20001 and 20002 after nationalisation. At this time a third locomotive was constructed and numbered 20003 in 1948.^[39] The locomotives were later classified as British Rail Class 70. These incorporated a cab similar to that of the 2HAL (2-car Half Lavatory electric stock) design constructed from 1938. This was due to ease of construction by welding, which allowed cheap and speedy construction. With the war in 1939, most new locomotive construction projects were put on hold in favour of the war effort, although construction of CC1 and CC2 was exempted because of promised savings in labour and fuel over steam.^[40]

[edit] Carriages

The Southern inherited wooden-bodied carriages However, standardisation led Maunsell to design new carriages. These were classified between 0 and 4, so that an 8' 0¾" wide carriage was "Restriction 0". The restrictions related to the Southern's composite loading gauge, so that some more restricted routes could be catered for. The new carriages comprised First and Third Class compartments, each of which contained a corridor and doors for each compartment, enabling quick egress on commuter services. Similar principles were also applied to electric train sets to ensure punctual service.

The Southern was one of the few railways to marshal carriages in fixed numbered sets. This made maintenance easier, as the location of a set would be known through its number, painted on the ends of the set. A pool of loose carriages was kept for train strengthening on summer Saturdays and to replace faulty stock.

The second phase of carriage construction began towards the end of the Southern's existence. Bulleid had experience in carriage design from the LNER, and he applied this knowledge to a new fleet of carriages (see picture). Some of his more unusual projects were his Tavern Cars, carriages that were to represent a country tavern, with a bar and seating. The outsides were partially painted in mock-Tudor style and given pub names. Poor ventilation from small windows made Tavern Cars unpopular, several being converted to ordinary use during the 1950s.

The Southern was the only major British railway company not to operate sleeping cars apart from those on the Night Train, as distances meant provision was not viable.

Another unusual project was to address overcrowding on suburban services by Britain's first double-deck carriages. Two sets saw use until the 1970s, but further orders were not placed due to cramped conditions inside the carriages dictated by the loading gauge.

[edit] Wagons

Southern wagons were dark brown. Most were four-wheeled with "SR" in white, although six-wheeled milk tankers were frequent on the South Western line to United Dairies in London. Little investment in freight wagons was made except for general utility vans for both freight and luggage, especially on boat trains. These consisted of bogie and four-wheel designs. At its peak, the Southern owned 37,500 freight wagons, a small number when one considers 500,000 private-owner wagons from collieries were brought under the Railway Executive Committee during war.

[edit] Cultural impact

The Southern was successful at promoting itself. The downgrading of the Mid-Sussex line via Horsham that served Portsmouth was met with hostility by the general public, causing a public relations disaster.^[41] This stimulated the creation of the first modern public relations department with the appointment of John Elliot (later Sir John Elliot) in 1925. Elliot created the image that the Southern enjoyed prior to the war, building a publicity for its modernisation, especially electrification, marketed as the World's Greatest Suburban Electric.^[8]

[edit] Tourism

The image of progress was enhanced by the promotion of the south and south-west as holiday destinations. "Sunny South Sam" became a character embodying the railway, while slogans such as "Live in Kent and be content" encouraged commuters to move from London and patronise the Southern.^[42] Posters advertised services from Ocean Terminal in Southampton and the docks at Dover. These also incorporated rail connections with London, such as "The Cunarder" and the "Golden Arrow".^[8]

[edit] Heritage

The Southern's memory lives on at preserved railways including the Watercress Line, Swanage Railway, Spa Valley Railway, and Bluebell Railway. Other remnants include Eastleigh works and the London termini, including Waterloo (the largest London railway station), Victoria, Charing Cross, Cannon Street and London Bridge (the oldest London terminus). Several societies specialise in the Southern, including Southern Railways Group and Southern Electric Group. Both promote continued interest in the Southern and have newsletters.

[edit] Other assets

• Locomotives: 2390; coaching vehicles: 10,800; freight vehicles: 37,500; electric vehicles: 460; rail motor cars: 14

[edit] Notable people

[edit] Chairmen of the Board of Directors

• Sir Hugh Drummond (1923–1 August 1924).^[43] Drummond had been Chairman of the London and South Western Railway since 1911. Died in office.
• The Hon. Everard Baring (1924–7 May 1932).^[44] Died in Office.
• Gerald Loder (1932–December 1934).^[45] Became Lord Wakehurst in June 1934, resigned at the end of the year.
• Robert Holland-Martin (1935–26 January 1944).^[45] Died in office.^[46]
• Col. Eric Gore-Brown (February 1944–nationalisation).^[46]

[edit] General Managers

Sir Herbert Ashcombe Walker, KCB General Manager (1923-1937). Walker was an astute administrator of railways, having gained experience as General Manager of the LSWR from 1912. After retiring in 1937 he was a director of the Southern until the end of its existence in 1947. Three significant events occurred under Walker's tenure as General Manager: the rebuilding of Waterloo station, completed in 1922; electrification in mid-1920s; and the appointment of Bulleid as CME in 1937.

Gilbert S. Szlumper, TD, CBE General Manager (1937–1939). Trained as a civil engineer and became Docks and Marine Manager at Southampton, before becoming Assistant General Manager in 1925. In 1939 he was recalled by the War Office as a Major-General to sort out the military movements at Southampton Docks. He was ousted from the General Managership, after the Traffic Manager, Eustace Missenden, refused to become Acting General Manager, and threatened to resign if not confirmed as GM proper.

Sir Eustace Missenden General Manager (1939–Nationalisation); Chairman, Railway Executive (1947–1951). Missenden had been Traffic Manager before becoming the GM in 1939. From the latter half of 1947, he was largely absent from the Southern Railway as Chairman of the Railway Executive.

Sir John Elliot Acting General Manager (1947); Assistant General Manager (1933 to nationalisation); Public Relations Assistant (1925 until 1933). Noted for being Britain's first expert in public relations, Elliot was brought in by Sir Herbert Walker after the bad press received following service delays and consolidation of the newly created company. It was at the suggestion of Elliot that the Southern's express passenger locomotives should be named, representing positive publicity for the railway, whilst distinctive locomotive liveries and well-known posters were created under his direction. He continued to serve the railways after nationalisation in 1948, and was created Chairman of London Transport in 1953.

[edit] Chief Mechanical Engineers

R. E. L. Maunsell, the Southern's first Chief Mechanical Engineer (1922 to 1937). Maunsell was responsible for initial attempts at locomotive standardisation on the Southern, as well as overseeing the introduction of electric traction. Among his many achievements was the introduction of the 4-6-0 SR Lord Nelson Class locomotives and also the SR Class V or "Schools" class, which were the ultimate and very successful development of the British 4-4-0 express passenger type. He also introduced new, standardised rolling stock designs for use on the Southern network, which were based upon the railway's composite loading gauge.

O. V. S. Bulleid (CME 1937 to nationalisation). Bulleid moved to the Southern from the LNER, bringing several ideas for improving the efficiency of steam locomotives. Such innovations were used on the Merchant Navy class, West Country and Battle of Britain classes ("Bulleid Light Pacifics"), Q1 and experimental Leader designs. He also developed a host of innovative electric units and locomotives.

[edit] Footnotes

[edit] Bibliography

• Bonavia, Michael R. (1987). The History of the Southern Railway. London: Unwin Hyman. ISBN 0-04-385107-X. 
• Thomas, David St John; Whitehouse, Patrick (1988). SR150: A century and a half of the Southern Railway. Newton Abbot: David and Charles Publishers plc. 

[edit] See also

• Locomotives of the Southern Railway
• SR locomotive numbering and classification
• SR multiple unit numbering and classification
• Southern Railway routes west of Salisbury

v • d • e The "Big Four" pre-nationalisation British railway companies █ Great Western · █ London Midland & Scottish · █ London & North Eastern · █ Southern GWR constituents Great Western Railway · Cambrian Railways · Taff Vale Railway · Barry Railway · Rhymney Railway · (Full list) LNER constituents Great Central · Great Eastern · Great Northern · Great North of Scotland · Hull & Barnsley · North British · North Eastern · (Full list) LMS constituents Caledonian · Furness · Glasgow & South Western · Highland · Lancashire & Yorkshire · London and North Western · Midland · North Staffordshire · (Full list) SR constituents London and South Western Railway · London, Brighton and South Coast Railway · South Eastern Railway · London, Chatham and Dover Railway · (Full list) See also: History of rail transport in Great Britain 1923–1947 · List of companies involved in the grouping

[edit] External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Southern Railway (Great Britain)

• Southern E-mail Group - extensive source of information concerning the Southern Railway, its predecessors and successors
• Southern Posters - collection of Southern Railway promotional material
• Works by or about Southern Railway (Great Britain) in libraries (WorldCat catalog)