Southern Electric


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Origins of the Southern Electric network:

In the early 20th century, the spread of tramway networks in South London brought new opportunities and convenience of travel and more door to door than was possible with suburban railways. The LBSCR's South London Line from London Bridge to London Victoria via Peckham Rye was badly hit by this competition and saw bookings fall from 8 million in 1903 to 3 million 5 years later. As a result the LBSCR decided that electrification for them was the only way forward. It would reduce train crews from three to two, give greater crew productivity in terms of train miles and save fuel. It obtained powers to electrify the South London Line in 1904, and after consulting an eminent electrical engineer, Sir Philip Dawson, decided that single phase alternating current at 6600v 25Hz, with overhead wires was the way forward. This despite the single phase series traction motor still being at the development stage. Electric trains on the South London Line came into service in December 1909. The resulting traffic growth due to a faster more frequent and cleaner service quickly demanded longer trains. By 1912 the overhead electrification had reached Crystal Palace and Selhurst, but the First World War interrupted further work. After the war electrification continued and reached Coulsdon North, and Sutton via West Croydon, in spring 1925, by then under the auspices of the Southern Railway.

Tramways had also spread into the LSWR territory and so they were forced to electrify as well. The first line was from Waterloo to Wimbledon via East Putney in October 1915. By November 1916 electrification had reached Shepperton. But the electrification by the LBSCR and LSWR led to two systems and it was rapidly clear that standardisation was required.

Southern Railway and the creation of the Southern Electric network:

In 1923 the Grouping occurred and the Southern Railway was formed. Sir Herbert A. Walker became its first general manager. As an LSWR man he decided in 1926 that the third rail electrification would become universal and three years later overhead electrification was no more.

Soon third rail electrification was applied energetically by the Southern Railway as they embarked on one of the most ambitious electrification schemes in the world. Orpington and Dartford in 1926, Epsom in 1929, Windsor and Gravesend in 1930. In 1929 Walker announced that he was to electrify to Brighton. The process was aided by the development of mercury arc rectifiers to produce the dc current; and they could be installed in unmanned sub stations, remotely controlled. This spelt the end for rotary converters in manned sub stations. Brighton was completed in 1932 and Worthing in 1933. July 1935 saw Eastbourne, Hastings and Seaford electrified and two years later the third rail was extended to Working and Haslemere to Portsmouth. In July 1938 it reached Bognor and Littlehampton. In 1939 the last suburban infills were completed to Reading in January, Maidstone, Gillingham and Rochester in July. Sadly the Second World War disrupted any further progress with electrification for the time being and it would have to wait until nationalisation and British Rail for it to resume. But the Southern Railway still made its plans.

In June 1939 the SR board had approved electrification from South Croydon to Horsted Keynes but work had not commenced when war broke out. In July 1946 it was announced that the work would be carried out when resources became available. In March 1942 Sir Herbert Walker proposed to the Board that plans should be prepared for the electrification of the whole Central and Eastern sections after the war. The Southern Railway also planned that this electrification and their moves towards dieselisation would have eliminated steam from these areas in the postwar period.

The success of the electric locomotives CC1 and CC2 would now enable freight traffic, boat trains and cross country services to be electrically hauled and this could lead to the elimination of steam traction from Kent and Sussex. Plans were finalised in 1946 and diesel traction was explored but with nationalisation it had to wait until the 1955 Modernisation Plan in the 1950s and 60s until it was realised in the Kent Coast electrification. The first stage comprised the former Chatham lines from Gillingham to Ramsgate and Dover, where eventual electrification in 1959 also included the Sheerness branch. The second stage comprised the routes from Sevenoaks and Maidstone via Ashford to Dover and Ramsgate and also the Medway Valley Line which was completed in sections in 1961. The third and last stage covered the lines from Tonbridge to Hastings and Bexhill West, from South Croydon to Horsted Keynes and from Christ's Hospital to Shoreham. However the urgent need for new stock on the Hastings Line brought diesel electric multiple units in 1957-8 and electrification only took place in May 1986 after the restricted tunnels had been singled. October 1987 at last saw electrification to East Grinstead but the lines to Horsted Keynes and Bexhill West had long been closed.

So the Southern Railway was very forward thinking in terms of electrification and dieselisation. In 1948 the railways were nationalised and the Chatham mainline to Margate and Dover was electrified in 1959 as Phase 1 of the Kent Coast electrification. Phase 2 in 1961 resulted in the mainline beyond Sevenoaks being electrified. Last of the major schemes was the Bournemouth line completed in July 1967. For this service special provision was needed to retain through coach working to Weymouth, which was not yet electrified. After extensive 100mph testing  to prove the suitability of push-pull working, the solution was adopted of forming 12-car trains of two 4-car driving trailer sets, with a high power 4-car "pusher" set at the London end. At Bournemouth the driver trailer sets were hauled to Weymouth by diesel locomotives, the pusher sets being left behind to haul the next return service. The driving trailer sets were then propelled back from Weymouth by the diesel locomotive and then atttached behind another powered 4-car set. But with the electrification to Weymouth in 1988 this was no longer needed. Thus it was left for BR to complete what the Southern Railway had started, but the Southern had laid the foundations of Southern England's electrified rail network.

Electrification Dates:

1st December 1909 London Victoria to London Bridge (via South London Line)
12th May 1911 Battersea Park to Crystal Palace (Low Level) via Clapham Junction and Streatham Hill
1st June 1912 Crystal Palace - Norwood Junction - Selhurst
1st June 1912 Peckham Rye - West Norwood
25th October 1915 London Waterloo to East Putney
30th January 1916 Point Pleasant Junction to Clapham Junction via Kingston including the Shepperton Branch
30th January 1916 Clapham Junction to Wimbledon to Strawberry Hill
12th March 1916 Hounslow Loop
18th June 1916 Malden to Hampton Court
20th November 1916 Hampton Court Junction to Claygate

1st April 1925 Balham to Coulsdon North
1st April 1925 Sutton via West Croydon
12th July 1925 London Victoria to Orpington via Penge East
12th July 1925 Raynes Park to Dorking North
12th July 1925 Nunhead to Crystal Palace (High Level)
12th July 1925 Leatherhead to Effingham Junction
12th July 1925 Holborn Viaduct to Orpington via Nunhead
12th July 1925 Claygate to Guildford via Cobham
21st September 1925 Hayes to Elmers End
28th February 1926 London Charing Cross / Cannon Street to Orpington
28th February 1926 London Charing Cross / Cannon Street to Bromley North
28th February 1926 London Charing Cross / Cannon Street to Addiscombe and Hayes
19th July 1926 London Charing Cross / Cannon Street to Dartford via Greenwich, Blackheath, Bexleyheath and Sidcup
19th July 1926 London Bridge to Crystal Palace (Low Level)
25th March 1928 London Charing Cross to Caterham and Tadworth (extended to Tattenham Corner)
17th June 1928 London Bridge to London Victoria (via South London Line) - overhead wires replaced by third rail
17th June 1928 Streatham Hill to London Bridge (via Tulse Hill)
17th June 1928 London Bridge to Coulsdon North via Streatham and Streatham Common also via Norwood Junction
17th June 1928 London Bridge to London Bridge via Norwood Junction and Selhurst
17th June 1928 London Bridge to Epsom Downs via Streatham and via Norwood Junction
17th June 1928 London Bridge to Crystal Palace (Low Level)
3rd March 1929 London Bridge to Dorking North and Effingham Junction via Tulse Hill and Mitcham Junction
3rd March 1929 London Victoria to Epsom via Mitcham Junction
3rd March 1929 London Victoria to Beckenham Junction via Crystal Palace - overhead wires replaced between Victoria and Crystal Palace Low Level by third rail
3rd March 1929 London Victoria to Holborn Viaduct and Wimbledon via Tulse Hill and Haydons Road
7th July 1929 Wimbledon to South Merton
22nd September 1929 London Victoria to Coulsdon North and Sutton - overhead wires replaced by third rail
5th January 1930 South Merton to Sutton via St Helier
6th July 1930 Whitton Junction and Hounslow Junction to Windsor
6th July 1930 Dartford to Gravesend Central
6th July 1930 Wimbledon to West Croydon via Mitcham
17th July 1932 Purley to Three Bridges and Reigate via Redhill
1st January 1933 Three Bridges to Brighton, Hove and Worthing
16th July 1933 Lewisham to Hither Green
1st May 1934 Bickley to St Mary Cray
6th January 1935 Orpington to Sevenoaks (Tubs Hill)
6th January 1935 Bickely and Chislehurst to Sevenoaks (Tubs Hill) via Swanley and Otford
7th July 1935 Brighton and Haywards Heath to Eastbourne
7th July 1935 Brighton etc to Hastings and Ore
7th July 1935 Haywards Heath to Horsted Keynes
7th July 1935 Brighton to Seaford
30th September 1935 Nunhead to Lewisham
30th September 1935 Woodside to Sanderstead
3rd January 1937 Hampton Court Junction to Chertsey and Staines
3rd January 1937 Hampton Court Junction to Guildford
4th July 1937 London Waterloo to Portsmouth via Woking and Haslemere
3rd January 1937 Woking to Farnham
4th July 1937 Woking to Alton
22nd May 1938 West Worthing to Bognor Regis
29th March 1938 Motspur Park to Tolworth
3rd July 1938 Dorking North to Havant via Horsham and Arundel
3rd July 1938 Three Bridges to Horsham
3rd July 1938 Littlehampton branch
1st January 1939 Virginia Water to Ash Vale via Ascot
1st January 1939 Ascot to Reading South
28th May 1939 Tolworth to Chessington South
1st January 1939 Frimley Junction to Sturt Lane Junction
1st January 1939 Aldershot to Guildford
2nd July 1939 Otford to Maidstone East
2nd July 1939 Swanley to Gillingham (Kent)
2nd July 1939 Gravesend to Maidstone West and Rochester via Strood

15th June 1959 Gillingham to Margate and Ramsgate via Herne Bay
15th June 1959 Sittingbourne to Sheerness
15th June 1959 Faversham to Dover Marine via Canterbury
2nd January 1961 Buckland Junction to Ramsgate including the Minster triangle
12th June 1961 Sevenoaks to Dover Priory
12th June 1961 Paddock Wood to Maidstone West
9th October 1961 Maidstone East to Ashford
9th October 1961 Ashford to Minster via Canterbury West
2nd January 1967 Brookwood to Basingstoke
20th March 1967 Ryde Pier Head to Shanklin (Iow)
3rd April 1967 Basingstoke to Bournemouth
2nd June 1967 Brockenhurst to Lymington Pier
10th July 1967 Brookwood to Branksome
12th May 1986 Tonbridge to Hastings
5th October 1987 East Grinstead to South Croydon
May 1988 Branksome to Weymouth

Southern Electric and its Rolling Stock:

The Southern were famous for making do and mend. The suburban electfications of the 1920s and 30s mainly used coaches from existing stock with old bodies mounted on new standard 62ft underframes. Electrification to Brighton in 1932 brought about a need for better class accommodation and indeed a distinct division of electric stock into three categories: suburban, semi fast and express. Most of the suburban stock was created from conversions but the semi fast and express were entirely new build. For the express services on Brighton, Eastbourne, Hastings and Worthing lines, six-coach trains were built with an open saloon motor brake third at each end having end doors, with one third class and two first and third class side corridor trailers, together with a first and third class Pullman car which provided a wide range of Pullman refreshments. For the electric successor to the Southern Belle pullman service, the Southern accepted three five-car Pullman multiple units including two motor brake parlour thirds, a trailer parlour third and two kitchen firsts. Normally two units were in service and the third spare. For many years the Brighton Belle worked three return services on weekdays and two on Sundays. Although the Brighton Belle often worked in pairs and the ordinary trains rainas two 6-coach sets to form 12 coaches on peak services, there was no access between the units since the motor coaches were not gangwayed at their outer ends; neither wre later six-coach units with an ordinary pantry coach instead of the Pullman built for the Eastbourne electrification.

file:///C:/Documents%20and%20Settings/ALEX%20NAUGHTON.OWNER-2TYZC0SV7/My%20Documents/My%20Postcard%20Collection/My%20Postcard%20Collection3%20-%20Railways/SR%20Brighton%20Belle.JPG
Photo: SR 5-BEL "Brighton Belle" electric multiple unit introduced 1932

For the Portsmouth electrification of 1937 and 38, the express units were marshalled in four-coach units, fully gangwayed so that in the usual peak 12 coach formation passengers had acceess right through the train to the restaurant car normally included in the centre unit. The Portsmouth line did not have Pullmans and normal restaurant car facilities were provided. For the Bognor line it was felt that a full meal service was not required and refreshments were served from a new style art-nouveau buffet car marshalled in one of the 4-car units of each train. These buffet cars soon became known as Bognor Buffets and marked the beginning of a trend that saw the move away from full set or a la carte meals provided in restaurant cars to snacks and fast food provided in buffet cars on board Britain's trains.

For semi fast services the Southern opted for the traditional style of vehicle for th elonger cross country or main line stopping services which was the non gangwayed lavatory carraige. The Southern's version included a full length internal corridor so that the whole coach had access to toilet facilities. For the Brighton line semi fast and stopping services, the 4-car units included three non corridor compartment coaches, the outer ones being motor brake thirds, plus one of these corridor non-gangwayed composite coaches.

For the other 1930s main line electrification conversions of the Sussex coastal services, the Portsmouth routes, Reading, Camberley and Medway lines, three types of semi fast stock were produced - all tw-car trains with a third class motor coach and a driving trailer composite. As a result the Southern had lots of variations in semi fast stock and its electric stock it coined short descriptions for each type of carriage. It adopted a code made up of a figure (for the number of coaches in the set) and three letters denoting its make up or duty. Hence suburban electric sets in three-car units had the designation 3-SUB. 6-car express sets with Pullman car were designated 6-PUL. The 5-car Brighton Belle sets were designated 5-BEL. The 6-car pantry car units as 6-PAN, and the Portsmouth / Bognor 4-car ordinary corridor units were 4-COR, with restaurant car then 4-RES and with buffet car then 4-BUF. For the semi fast sets they were 4-LAV, 2-BIL (bi- or both with lavatories) and 2-HAL (half th eunit, that is one coach with lavatory) and 2-NOL (no lavatories). In BR days these designatiions were developed further to denote units fitted with electro-pneumatic brake such as 2-HAP or 4-EPB (four coach suburban unit with EP brake) and the 4-car corridor express units as 4-CEP. While a BR 4-RES included a refreshment car, it was not a straight replacement for a 4-RES, for it was applied to the Bournemouth motor units which were twice as powerful as most other SR electric units.

With Second World War, the Southern had reached its zenith in terms of devleopment of semi-fast and express units and electrification had to wait until well into BR days before it continued once more. Technology for the Southern Electric trains also improved over the years. The electro-pneumatic brake was standardised in the 1940s, In the 1980s the ultra reliable camshaft operated power controller has been supplanted by thyristors. The passengers enjoyed quicker and cleaner journeys on the new electric trains and electrification unleashed suburban development on an unprecedented scale.

Stock after the war for electric lines were purely BR  in concept even though internal layouts sometimes owned something to the Southern practices. However development of suburban electric units in Southern days did continue as overcrowding was getting acute. Until the early 1940s surburban electric units were usually 3-car with two units coupled together at peak hours. In 1941 Bulleid produced a 4-SUB suburban electric unit with the highest seating capacity ever seeen in Britain, 468 in 4 coaches. The trains were very modern and had 9ft wide bodies with a noticeable curve from top to bottom, with steel body frames and external panels. Distinguishing features were well rounded window corners and toplights in doors. Eventually after the war more sets were built but slightly roomier. Domed roof ends over the drivers cab were abandoned and the cab fronts were taken right up to the top of the roof line. Body side panels were also taken up to the roof so that there was no obvious cantrail join between roof and side. Gradually in the 1940s more wide body Bullied surburban stock was produced and in due course were fitted with electro-pneumatic brakes to replace older pre-grouping coaches. But while the old bodies from the 1920s were discarded, the underframes were reused and had new Bullied wide bodies placed on them. Yet another case of Southern make to and mend. The 4-SUB was produced under BR in large numbers 1948-1951 and by 1962 the last wooden bodied prewar units were withdrawn.

file:///C:/Documents%20and%20Settings/ALEX%20NAUGHTON.OWNER-2TYZC0SV7/My%20Documents/My%20Postcard%20Collection/My%20Postcard%20Collection3%20-%20Railways/SR%204-SUB%20Bullied%20electric%20multiple%20unit%201946.jpg
Photo: SR 4-SUB electric multiple unit designed by Bullied and introduced from 1946 on the Southern Electric network

In the late 1940s Bullied had one last attempt to increase capacity with his ingenious double deck suburban train. Only two 4-car units were built and they remained unique. They were designated 4-DD. They were not true double deckers but the upper compartments were interlaced between the lower deck. Sadly the double deck train took too long to load and were restricted in the routes they could operate on. In the end BR opted for longer trains and lengthening of platforms and signalling alterations to cope with increasing traffic. Bullied's double decker was a one off experiment which was not successful.

From 1952 onwards BR switched suburban electric unit construction from the 4-SUB to the EPB design, a close successor to it. These were concentrated on the South Eastern division. Prototype sliding door stock appeared on the South Western division in 1979 and more generally later and then on the Central division in 1985, EPBs remained the norm on the South Eastern division until the 1990s when BR Network Southeast's new Networker EMUs appeared.

1982 saw the introduction of new suburban units for the Southern and these new 4 car units class 455 quickly replaced the remaining 4 Sub and 4 EPB units and allowed the on-loan class 508 to be moved to Merseyside. In the 1980s the Bournemouth Line stock from the late 1960s were becoming old and so were replaced by the BR Class 442 Wessex Electrics from 1987 following electrification to Weymouth.

SR Electric Train Stock Codes

Units with Westinghouse brakes and screw coupled at outer ends.

3-SUB Three car suburban unit
4-SUB Four car suburban unit
4-LAV Four car semi fast unit with one corridor lavatory coach
2-BIL Two car semi fast unit with both corridor lavatory coaches
2-HAL Two car semi fast unit with one corridor lavatory coach
2-NOL Two car semi fast unit with no lavatory facilities
6-PUL Six car corridor express unit with one Pullman car (no gangways at outer ends)
6-PAN Six car corridor express unit with pantry car (no gangways at outer ends)
5-BEL Five car Brighton Belle all-Pullman unit (no gangways at outer ends)
6-CIT Six car City Limited unit with higher proportion of first class and Pullman car (no gangways at outer ends)
4-COR Four car corridor express unit, gangwayed throughout
4-RES Four car corridor express unit, with restaurant car, gangwayed throughout
4-BUF Four car corridor express unit, with buffet car, gangwayed throughout
4-GRI Four car corridor express unit with griddle car, gangwayed throughout

Units with electro-pneumatic brakes and buckeye couplers (from late 1940s)

4-EPB Four car suburban unit
2-EPB Two car suburban unit
4-DD Four car suburban double deck unit
4-PEP Four car suburban unit with sliding doors (1970s) - prototype of Class 508
4-PEP Two car suburban unit with sliding doors (1970s)
2-HAP Two car semi fast unit with one corridor lavatory coach
2-SAP Two car semi fast unit with one lavatory coach, converted two second class only
4-CEP Four car corridor express unit, gangwayed throughout
4-BEP Four car corridor express unit with buffet car, gangwayed throughout
4-CIG Four car corridor express unit, gangwayed throughout (The IG in the code is the old LBSC telegraphic code for Brighton, for which line these units were built)
4-BIG Four car corridor express unit with buffet car, gangwayed throughout
4-REP Four car corridor express unit, double powered for Bournemouth line, with restaurant car, gangwayed throughout. To with with TC units
4-VEP Four car semi fast unit, open suburban type seating, with two lavatory coaches, gangwayed thoughout (the V indicating vestibuled)
4-VEG As 4-VEP but adapted for Gatwick Airport to London Victoria service and fitted with extra luggage racks
4-TC Four car unpowered corridor express unit for Bournemouth line (to work with 4-REP or locomotive, push pull)
MLV Single motor luggage van
4-VEC Four car ex-London Transport Underground unit for Isle of Wight
3-TIS Three ex-London Transport Underground unit for Isle of Wight (Vectis is the Latin name for the Isle of Wight)

South West Trains
www.southwesttrains.co.uk

Southern Railway
www.southernrailway.com

South Eastern
www.southeasternrailway.co.uk

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