London, Brighton and South Coast Railway
Encyclopedia
The London, Brighton and South Coast Railway (LB&SCR) (known also as "the Brighton line" or "the Brighton Railway") was a railway company in the United Kingdom from 1846 to 1922. Its territory formed a rough triangle, with London at its apex, practically the whole coastline of Sussex
as its base, and a large part of Surrey
. It was bounded on its western side by the lines of the London and South Western Railway
(L&SWR), which provided an alternative route to Portsmouth
in Hampshire
. On its eastern side the railway was bounded by the South Eastern Railway
(SER) - later one component of the South Eastern and Chatham Railway
(SE&CR) – which provided an alternative route to Bexhill
, St Leonards-on-Sea
, and Hastings
. The LB&SCR supplied the most direct routes from London to the South Coast seaside resort
s of Brighton
, Eastbourne
, Worthing
, Littlehampton
and Bognor Regis
, and to the ports of Newhaven
and Shoreham-by-Sea
. In addition, the company served the inland towns/cities of Chichester
, Horsham
, East Grinstead
and Lewes
, and jointly served Croydon
, Tunbridge Wells, Dorking
and Guildford
. At the London end was a complicated suburban and outer-suburban network of lines, emanating from London Bridge
and Victoria stations, as well as shared interests in two cross-London lines.
The company was formed by a merger of five pre-existing companies in 1846, and was in turn merged with the L&SWR, the SE&CR and several minor railway companies in southern England, as a result of the Railways Act 1921
grouping, to form the Southern Railway
as from 1 January 1923.
on 27 July 1846, through the amalgamation of a number of pre-existing railway companies. These were:
(Only the first two of these were independent operating railways. The 'Brighton and Chichester' and the 'Brighton Lewes and Hastings' had both been purchased by the L&BR in 1845, and the 'Croydon and Epsom,' was largely owned by the L&CR.)
The amalgamation was brought about, against the wishes of the Boards of Directors of the Companies, by shareholders in the L&CR and L&BR who were dissatisfied with the early returns from their investment.
Thereafter the company was in existence for 76 years until 31 December 1922, when it was wound up as a result of the Railways Act 1921
and its lines and assets merged with those of the London and South Western Railway
and the South Eastern and Chatham Railway
to form a new company, the Southern Railway
.
The main line to Brighton
from London Bridge was opened in 1841. Two sections of this line (between Corbett's Lane (New Cross
) and London Bridge and between Croydon and Redhill
) were shared with the South Eastern Railway
. There were also two branch lines under construction at the time of the amalgamation: the first from Croydon to Epsom
, and the second
from to .
The West Sussex coast line
originated with a branch line from Brighton to Shoreham
which opened in 1840. This was extended to become a through route as far as Chichester
by the time of the amalgamation, and a further extension to Havant
and Portsmouth was also under construction.
The East Sussex coast line
from Brighton to Lewes
and St Leonards-on-Sea
, together with running powers over the SER line to Hastings
, was opened in 1846 one month before the amalgamation. There were also branches to Newhaven, Eastbourne
and Hailsham
. A connecting spur from the Brighton main line at Keymer Junction near Haywards Heath
to the Brighton-Lewes line was under construction at the time of amalgamation.
A further short line from New Cross
to Deptford Dockyard, proposed by the L&CR, was approved in July 1846, shortly before the amalgamation. This was built and opened by the LB&SCR in July 1849. The use of this line for passenger traffic would have contravened the recently negotiated agreement with the SER whereby the LB&SCR would not operate lines to the east of its existing main line. The new branch was therefore restricted to freight only. A short branch from this line to the nearby Surrey Commercial Docks
in Rotherhithe
opened in July 1855.
(L&GR) in 1836, and exchanged for the original L&CR station in 1842). For the first few years of its existence, LB&SCR trains used the former L&GR lines from Corbett’s Lane into London, but by 1849 the viaducts
had been widened sufficiently to allow the company its own dedicated tracks to approach the station.
The company also inherited from the L&CR running powers to use a smaller passenger terminus at Bricklayers' Arms
which was owned by the SER. However, this terminus was poorly sited for passenger traffic and was closed in 1852 and converted into a freight station.
The railway owned two stations at Croydon, later renamed East Croydon
(former L&BR) and West Croydon
(former L&CR) respectively.
between Croydon
and Forest Hill
, as the first phase of a scheme to use this mode of operation between London and Epsom
. However, following a number of technical problems, the board of the new railway abandoned atmospheric operation in May 1847. The abandonment of the plans for atmospheric working into London enabled the new company to build its own separate lines into London Bridge, and have its own independent station there, by 1849.
The subsequent seventy-six year history of the company can best be studied in five distinct periods.
investment bubble and so it found raising capital for expansion extremely difficult during the first years of its operation, other than to complete those projects that were already in hand. The London and Brighton Railway had also experienced difficult relations with the South Eastern Railway at those locations where the companies shared facilities (notably at Redhill
and Hastings
and on the approaches to London Bridge). In October 1849 the SER acquired the newly completed Reading, Guildford and Reigate Railway (RG&RR) line
, which the LB&SCR regarded as a major incursion into its territory. However, the LB&SCR now had one important playing card not previously available to the London and Brighton Railway – control of the SER main line between New Cross and Croydon. In 1849 the LB&SCR appointed a new and capable chairman Samuel Laing
who negotiated a formal agreement with the SER which would resolve their difficulties (for the time being) and would define the future territories of the two railways. Under this agreement the LB&SCR would have free access to London Bridge station, Bricklayers' Arms station and goods yard, and Hastings. The SER would have free use of the New Cross to Croydon line, and receive revenues from passengers at intermediate stations, but would not make or work competing lines to Brighton, Horsham, Chichester or Portsmouth. Laing also approved a modest degree of expansion, most notably by the acquisition of a branch line
from the main line at Three Bridges to the market town of East Grinstead
in July 1855.
after the completion of The Great Exhibition
in October 1851 and arranged for its removal to a site on Sydenham Hill
(close to the London Brighton main line), where it became a major tourist attraction. The railway therefore encouraged the West End of London and Crystal Palace Railway
to build a branch line between its own station at Sydenham and the new site, which opened in June 1854. The new railway was afterwards extended in a wide arc round south London to Wandsworth
in 1856 and Battersea
Pier in 1858. Shortly after this line was completed, the LB&SCR leased the new route and incorpporated it into its system.
The West Croydon to Wimbledon Line was built as an independent line joining the LB&SCR and the L&SWR main lines, and opened in October 1855. For a few months the railway was operated under contract by its engineer George Parker Bidder
but in 1856 it was leased to the LB&SCR and then purchased outright in 1858.
Between 1858 and 1860 the company joined with the London, Chatham and Dover Railway
(LC&DR), the Great Western Railway
(GWR) and the London & North Western Railway (LNWR) to form the Victoria Station & Pimlico Railway Company, which constructed a new bridge over
the River Thames
at Battersea and an important new terminus in the west end of London at Victoria
. This project was connected with the West London Extension Joint Railway
, a joint railway financed by the LB&SCR, L&SWR, GWR, and the L&NWR, allowing freight transfers between the companies as well as some cross-London passenger trains. This line was opened in 1863, and the LB&SCR operated passenger trains between Clapham Junction and Kensington
.
Following the acquisition of the West End of London and Crystal Palace Railway, a new 'cut-off' main line between Windmill Bridge Junction (Norwood)
and Balham
was constructed during 1861 and 1862 which shortened the route from East Croydon to Victoria. At the same time, the LB&SCR was co-operating with the LC&DR to create the South London Line between London Bridge and Victoria. The LC&DR was used from Victoria to Brixton
, followed by new construction by the LB&SCR through Denmark Hill
, and Peckham
to join their main line to London Bridge at South Bermondsey
.
was built from Lewes to Uckfield
, which was also extended to Groombridge and thus to Tunbridge Wells in 1868. In 1864 the Newhaven branch line was extended to Seaford
. The East Grinstead line was extended in 1866 to reach Groombridge
and Tunbridge Wells. A large area in East Sussex between Tunbridge Wells and Eastbourne remained without any railways, and the LB&SCR was anxious in case the SER should again venture into this territory. As a result in 1864 it sought powers to build a line between these two towns. It also obtained powers for the construction of the Ouse Valley Railway
, a project to build a line from Balcombe railway station
on the Brighton main line to Uckfield and Hailsham
. An extension of this line to St Leonards was also approved in May 1865. However, having obtained these powers, comparatively little work on either line had been carried out by the end of 1866.
In West Sussex the Horsham branch
was extended to Pulborough
and Petworth
in 1859. In 1863 a new line was built from near Pulborough to a junction with the West Sussex coast line
near Ford railway station
. Similarly, in 1861 a line was built from near Horsham to Shoreham
, providing a direct link to Brighton. Branches were also built from the West Sussex coast line to the village of Littlehampton
in 1863 (to connect to a newly established cross-channel ferry service), to Bognor Regis
in 1864, and to Hayling Island
in 1867.
towards Guildford
. The LB&SCR entered into an agreement with this company to share its existing station at Epsom and to use the line as far as Leatherhead. The new line opened in August 1859 and in 1860 this portion of the line was transferred to the joint ownership of the LB&SCR and the L&SWR. The LB&SCR then amalgamated with the Banstead and Epsom Downs Railway, which was building a branch line from Sutton
to Epsom Downs
for the racecourse
traffic. This line opened in May 1865.
The LB&SCR also wished to connect Horsham
with significant towns in Surrey. Thus in 1865 it opened a line between West Horsham and the L&SWR line near Guildford, giving access to that town. It also constructed a line from Leatherhead to Dorking
in March 1867, which was then continued to Horsham
two months later. This line completed a final link to provide an alternative LB&SCR route from London to Brighton and the West Sussex coast.
The company also supported the independent Surrey and Sussex Junction Railway
, which obtained powers in July 1865 to build a new line from Croydon to Tunbridge Wells via Oxted
, to be worked by the LB&SCR. The involvement of LB&SCR directors in this scheme was interpreted by the SER as a breach of the 1849 agreement, and in retaliation the SER joined with the LC&DR and obtained Parliamentary approval to build a rival 'London, Lewes and Brighton Railway', which would undermine the profitable LB&SCR monopoly in that town. In the event neither scheme was proceeded with.
Following the opening of the branch line from Lewes
to Newhaven, the railway sought to develop a new shorter Continental route from London to Paris, via Dieppe
, in competition to the South Eastern Railway
routes from Dover
to Calais
and Folkestone
to Boulogne. The railway built its own wharf and warehousing facilities on the east side of the river, and opened the Newhaven harbour railway station
. The company also funded the dredging of the channel and other improvements to the harbour between 1850 and 1878, to enable it to be used by larger cross-chanel ferries, and in 1863 the LB&SCR and the Chemins de Fer de l'Ouest
introduced the Newhaven-Dieppe passenger service.
Largely as a result of the existence of the new railway, the rural area between New Cross
and Croydon rapidly became built up, and the population of Croydon increased 14-fold (from 16,700 to 233,000) during the years that the company was in existence. During the 1860s the LB&SCR therefore began to develop a new traffic among the growing number of middle-class commuters who were beginning to live in the south London suburbs and working in central London.
As part of its suburban expansion programme, the company built a line from Peckham Rye
running roughly parallel to the main line, through East Dulwich
, Tulse Hill
, Streatham
and Mitcham to Sutton and Epsom Downs
, which opened in October 1868. From Sutton, a line was constructed jointly with the L&SWR to Wimbledon.
, allowing the LC&DR to use its lines to London Victoria railway station, a proposed LB&SCR branch to Bromley
, a proposed agreement by the LB&SCR to work the Catherham branch, the new LB&SCR line to Dorking
, LB&SCR opposition to the SER attempts at building a line to the West End of London
, the LB&SCR agreement to let the LC&DR use its freight facilities at Bricklayers' Arms
, and the perennial problem of the shared main line between Redhill
and Croydon
.
The collapse of the bankers Overend, Gurney and Company
in 1866 and the subsequent financial crisis the following year, brought the railway to the brink of bankruptcy. A special meeting of shareholders was adjourned, and the powers of the Board of Directors were suspended pending receipt of a report into the financial affairs of the company and its prospects. The report made clear that the railway had over-extended itself with large capital projects sustained by profits from its passenger traffic, which suddenly declined as a result of the crisis. Several of the country lines were losing money - most notably between Horsham and Guildford, East Grinstead and Tunbridge Wells, and Banstead and Epsom - and the railway was committed to building or acquiring others with equally poor prospects. The report was extremely critical of the policies of Schuster and the Company Secretary, Frederick Slight, both of whom resigned. It did however point out that these lines had been built or acquired as a means for preventing competition from neighbouring railways. The committee recommended the abandonment of several projects, and that the railway should enter into a working co-operation negotiated with the South Eastern Railway
.
The revised Board of Directors accepted many of these recommendations, and they managed to persuade Samuel Laing
to return as Chairman. It was through his business acumen and that of the new Secretary/General Manager J.P. Knight, that the company gradually recovered its financial health during the early 1870s.
As a result all work on the construction of new lines was suspended. Three important projects then under construction were abandoned: namely, the Ouse Valley Railway
, its extension to St Leonards, and the Surrey and Sussex Junction Railway
. A fourth project - the line
between Tunbridge Wells and Eastbourne - was shelved until the financial situation improved. For the next decade, building projects were limited to additional spurs or junctions in London and Brighton to enhance the operation of the existing network, or else small-scale ventures in conjunction with other railway companies. The latter included a short line from Streatham
through Tooting
to Wimbledon
in 1868, and a connection from Portsmouth Town
to Portsmouth Harbour
in 1876, both jointly with the L&SWR.
The 'working co-operation' with the SER proposed in 1867 never took effect but remained under active consideration by both parties, and also later involved the LC&DR. It was not until 1875 that the idea was eventually dropped, after the SER pulled out of negotiations due to the conditions imposed by Parliament on the proposed merger. The LB&SCR continued as an independent railway but the SER and LCDR did eventually succeed in forming a working relationship in 1899 with the formation of the South Eastern and Chatham Railway
.
One new line to which the railway was committed, however, was the East London Railway, a consortium of six railway companies: the Great Eastern Railway (GER); the LB&SCR; the LC&DR; the SER; the Metropolitan Railway; and the Metropolitan District Railway. It sought to re-use the existing Thames Tunnel
built by Marc and Isambard Kingdom Brunel
between 1825 and 1843. A new line was therefore built between the LB&SCR at New Cross
and Wapping
with a link to the GER main line, in March 1869. It was primarily intended for freight transfer between these railways, but the LB&SCR introduced a new passenger service between Liverpool Street Station
and Croydon.
The main reason for the financial recovery lay in the exploitation of its London suburban traffic. By the late 1880s the LB&SCR had developed the largest suburban network of any British railway with 68 route miles in the London suburbs in addition to its main lines, in three routes radiating between London Bridge and Victoria. These were the Inner South London Line, the Outer South London Line and the Crystal Palace lines
, and the railway was then earning more from season tickets than any other British railway.
. The link was completed the following September with the opening of the line from Heathfield to Eridge
, and later became known as the Cuckoo Line
.
Likewise in 1877 authority was granted to the Lewes and East Grinstead Railway (L&EGR) for the construction of a line between these towns, roughly parallel to the ‘Cuckoo Line’. This line ran, and was sponsored by a number of local landowners, including the Earl of Sheffield, and also included a branch from Horsted Keynes
to Haywards Heath
on the Brighton main line. A year later an Act of 1878 enabled the LB&SCR to acquire and operate the new lines which opened in August 1882 and September 1883. The East Grinstead-Lewes line subsequently became known as the “Bluebell line” and following its closure in 1958, the section between and was taken over by the Bluebell Railway
Preservation Society.
The LB&SCR system in West Sussex was largely completed by 1870 except for a link between Midhurst
and Chichester
, which had been delayed by the financial crisis of 1867; this was revived and opened in 1881. Minor improvements around Littlehampton
were made, and a branch to Devil's Dyke
opened in 1887. The latter was built by and owned by an independent company but operated by the LB&SCR. In Hampshire the railway leased the existing Hayling Island Branch Line from 1874. This had been opened in 1865 and originally operated as an independent concern. The LB&SCR and the L&SWR also jointly built a branch from Fratton to Southsea
in Hampshire in 1887.
Although the proposed Surrey and Sussex Junction Railway had been abandoned in 1867, there remained a demand from the citizens of the rapidly growing town of Croydon for a rail link to the South East to towns such as East Grinstead, Tunbridge Wells, and the East Sussex coast. Likewise, the SER was looking for an additional relief route in the same general direction for its Tonbridge
and Hastings
services. The two railways therefore collaborated with a proposal for a joint line between South Croydon
, on the main Brighton line, and Oxted
. Beyond Oxted, the LB&SCR would build its own lines to link with the "Bluebell line" at East Grinstead, and its existing line to Tunbridge Wells. The SER trains would join the former main line between Redhill and Tonbridge. Authority for the construction of these lines was granted in 1878 and they were opened for traffic in 1884.
Brighton railway station
was entirely rebuilt and extended in 1882/3, with a new single roof, and Eastbourne
was likewise rebuilt in 1886, to cope with the additional traffic generated.
With the growth of traffic during the 1880s and early 1890s, the LB&SCR began to be the subject of press criticism for poor timekeeping and slow trains, although it was never subjected to the levels of press and public obloquy accorded to the SER. One of the main reasons for poor timekeeping was congestion at the SER station at Redhill
(where the SER lines to Tonbridge
and Guildford
diverged) from the main line to Brighton. LB&SCR express trains might find themselves delayed behind SER stopping services over the eight-and-a-quarter miles of shared track between Redhill and Stoats Nest (Coulsdon). Parliamentary insistence meant this part was actually owned by the South Eastern, which naturally gave its own trains precedence through the junctions at Redhill. Eventually, the LB&SCR decided to build a new line between Coulsdon North
and Earlswood
which became known as the Quarry Line, and which is still used by fast trains avoiding Redhill. It was opened on 8 November 1899 (1 April 1900 for passenger traffic).
Following the completion of the Quarry line the bottle-neck on the heavily used main line
moved further south. Plans were drawn up for the quadrupling of the tracks throughout, but only the sixteen miles from Earlswood to Three Bridges
were ever completed, between 1906 and 1909. A fifth track was laid between Norwood Junction and South Croydon railway station
in 1907/8. Further extension beyond Three Bridges would have involved heavy engineering at the Balcombe tunnel
, over the Ouse Valley Viaduct
, and through the South downs. The required capital expenditure was rather diverted to extending the electrification programme.
Unlike other main-line railway companies, the LB&SCR never had exclusive use of a London terminus, but had to share both of its main London stations with one of its rivals. London Bridge railway station was shared with the SER and Victoria with the LCDR. The rapid increase in commuting from the London suburbs towards the end of the nineteenth century created an urgent need to expand the cramped and limited facilities at Victoria. During the first decade of the new century the line between Grosvenor Bridge
and Victoria was widened and the station rebuilt on a much larger scale. A new turntable and locomotive servicing facilities also enabled the use of more powerful locomotives. During the same period the LB&SCR facilities at London Bridge were again enlarged, but since the station had been rebuilt so many times it remained a ‘’sprawling confusion’’.
to keep pace with the volume of repairs and new construction required. By 1910 30% of the locomotive stock was unusable due to delays and inefficiencies at Brighton works, leading to the sickness and retirement of the Locomotive, Carriage and Wagon Superintendent D.E. Marsh. The problem was ultimately solved by the establishment of Lancing Carriage Works
and the re-organisation of Brighton Works by Marsh's successor L.B. Billinton.
delivered to the British troops on the continent, principally through its ports of Newhaven and (to a lesser degree) Littlehampton
. This included nearly 7 million tons of freight, including 2.7 million tons of explosives. It necessitated an additional 53,376 freight trains over the four years of the war, as well as an additional 27,366 troop trains.
This additional traffic required substantial improvements to the railway infrastructure, notably at Newhaven harbour, where electric lighting was installed, but also at Three Bridges, where a new freight marshalling yard
was established, and at Gatwick and Haywards Heath
, where passing sidings were constructed so that the frequent passenger trains would not be impeded by the slower-moving freight. Some munitions trains were routed to Newhaven via the Steyning Line
to Brighton so as to avoid congesting that part of the Brighton main line which had only two tracks.
, Crawley
and Haywards Heath
. This also applied to Sussex
and Surrey
market towns such as Lewes
, Horsham
, East Grinstead
and Dorking
as soon as these were connected to the network. The development of Newhaven harbour was also a stimulus to the development of both categories of traffic.
The main London goods depot was at 'Willow Walk', part of the Bricklayers Arms railway complex, where the railway established its own independent facilities in 1849. These were enlarged in 1854 after the Brighton company entered into an agreement with the London Chatham and Dover Railway to handle its goods traffic at the Depot. Further extensions were built in 1865 and 1902. Other goods facilities in London existed at Battersea
and Deptford Wharf. There was also a separate goods station at Brighton
, adjacent to the passenger station.
business services were among "the heaviest express services in the world" in the 1880s, with loads of 360 tons.
Express passenger services ran to the most important coastal destinations from both London Bridge and Victoria stations. Slower passenger services to London from these and other destinations would often divide at East Croydon in order to serve both London termini, and would also combine there for down trains. Thus East Croydon had an important nodal function in the system. After 1867, following the opening of the direct line to Horsham, Sutton acted as a similarly important node for passenger trains between London and Portsmouth.
The speed and punctuality of many LB&SCR passenger services was the subject of widespread criticism in the technical and popular press during the 1890s. This was in part due in part to the complexity of the system and the large number of signals and junctions between London and Croydon, the sharing of stretches of line with the SER (itself also the subject of widespread criticism), and the relatively short routes giving little opportunity to make up for lost time. The railway gradually began to rebuild its reputation during the twentieth century through improvements to its main line and electrification of its suburban services.
The LB&SCR appears to have invented the practice of "slipping
" coaches from the rear of express trains, at intermediate junctions, for onward transmission to smaller stations. The earliest recorded example was at Haywards Heath
in February 1858, where coaches for Hastings
were slipped from a London-Brighton express. Thereafter the practice was used by other railways. Before 1914, twenty-one coaches were slipped each day on the Brighton main line. Coaches were slipped at Horley
and Three Bridges
for stations to East Grinstead
, Forest Row
or Horsham
, or else at Haywards Heath
for stations to Brighton
or Eastbourne
. The practice continued until the electrification of the main line in 1932.
for manual workers in 1870. This ultimately changed the character of the railway and had a profound influence upon its motive power
policy and passenger train services. In the 1870s it led to the introduction of new standard tank engine classes such as the Terrier
and D1
classes under William Stroudley
, both of which were originally designed for the London suburban services. When these locomotives became unable to cope with the increased traffic and competition from electric trams in the early twentieth century, it resulted in the electrification of the London suburban network.
s from London to the South Coast or the Sussex countryside had been introduced by the London and Brighton Railway in 1844, and were always a feature of the LB&SCR throughout its existence. However, after 1870 the company sought to develop this trade and market the south coast resorts, Hayling Island
and the Isle of Wight
as holiday destinations, by publishing a range of attractive posters. On the Isle of Wight the LB&SCR and the L&SWR jointly took over the ferry service from Portsmouth harbour and built new pier facilities at Ryde
, together with a short railway line from the pier to the existing station at St John's Road
in 1880.
train in England. Pullman cars had been introduced on the Midland Railway
in 1874, followed by the Great Northern Railway
soon after, and the LB&SCR itself in 1875.
, to investigate the possible use of either steam or petrol railcar
s on the lightly used services. Billinton died before examples could be acquired, but in 1905 his successor Douglas Earle Marsh
acquired two steam railcars from Beyer, Peacock and Company
, and two petrol railcars from Dick, Kerr & Co.
. These were compared with traditional small steam locomotives of the Stroudley A1
and D1
classes fitted for "motor train" or "push-pull
" working. Neither type of railcar was successful, being inadequate to cope with traffic fluctuations between winter and summer, but the "motor trains" could be adapted by the addition or removal of extra coaches. As a result, the experiment provided a new lease of life for the Stroudley tank classes, which continued to be used on branch lines for many years after their withdrawal from suburban services. The steam railcars were sold off after a few years, and the petrol railcars were used for departmental (non-revenue earning) purposes during the erection of the catenary for the overhead electrification
of the London suburban lines.
During the experiments relating to the use of railcars and motor trains, the railway constructed a number of additional unmanned halts between existing country stations, such as Lyons Crossing Halt
, or Littlehaven Halt
on the Arun Valley Line
, in an attempt to increase passenger revenues.
of its lines. Because of the nature of its traffic with a very large number of commuter journeys over relatively short distances, the railway was an obvious candidate for electrification, and sought powers to adapt its suburban lines in 1903. Although the Midland Railway
lines from Lancaster to Morecambe
and Heysham
had been the first to be converted, the LB&SCR was equally a pioneer in the use of this form of traction in Britain and its lines eventually covered a far greater length of electrified track.
Third-rail direct current
electrification systems were usually preferable for suburban schemes, but the LB&SCR board foresaw the future electrification of its main line, and ultimately its routes to Portsmouth and Hastings, and therefore decided on a high-tension overhead supply system at 6600 volts AC
. This system was of German origin and the main contractor was Allgemeine Elektricitäts Gesellschaft
of Berlin, but some work was sub-contracted to British companies. Power supply was from the London Electric Supply Corporation (LESCo) at Deptford
.
The first section of LB&SCR to be electrified was the South London Line connecting London Bridge with Victoria via Denmark Hill
, which was opened on 1 December 1909. The new service was marketed as 'The Elevated Electric' and was an immediate success. Other routes followed: on 12 May 1911 Victoria–Crystal Palace
via Balham and West Norwood
were opened, followed on 3 March 1912 by the line from Peckham Rye
to West Norwood. Repair shops for the growing electric fleet were established at Peckham Rye, and carriage sheds at Norwood Junction
.
The continued success and profitability of its earliest projects caused the railway to decide to electrify all remaining London suburban lines in 1913. However, the outbreak of war
the following year interrupted and ultimately delayed what was planned to have been considerable further mileage of electrified line. By 1921 most of the inner London suburban lines were electrified, and during 1922 lines to Coulsdon
and Sutton, which were opened on 1 April 1925. During 1920 plans were drawn up to extend the 'Elevated Electric' on the main lines to Brighton, Worthing, Eastbourne, Newhaven and Seaford, and also to Epsom and Oxted, but these were overtaken by the Grouping.
The 'Elevated Electric' proved to be a technical and financial success, but was to be short-lived, since the London and South Western Railway
had adopted the third-rail system; and, after grouping, its mileage far exceeded that of the LB&SCR. In 1926 the Southern Railway announced that, as part of a huge electrification project, all overhead lines were to be converted to third rail
operation, thus bringing all lines into a common system. The last overhead electric train ran on 22 September 1929.
and signal boxes
were both first introduced on the L&CR and had also been adopted by the L&BR prior to the amalgamation. Nevertheless there were a number of serious accidents in the early years of the LB&SCR some of which were due to failures in communication. The company began to improve its safety record in the 1860s with the introduction of interlocking
, and the early introduction of Westinghouse air brakes
. Given the large number of junctions and the intensive use of its system, the LB&SCR maintained a good safety record during the last half century of its existence.
The most notable accidents are as follows
The company was using primitive interlocking between signals at some junctions by 1844. However, in 1856, John Saxby a carpenter working for the company, invented and patented a form of manual interlocking
of the points and signals, which was first tried out at Bricklayers' Arms
in that year. The first fully interlocking frame was installed by Saxby at Keymer Junction near Haywards Heath
in 1860, where he built a small workshop to undertake private work. He later left the company and in 1862 formed Saxby and Farmer signalling contractors. Thereafter the LB&SC patronised Saxby & Farmer for most of their signalling control until circa 1880.
The company also inherited the world's first signal boxes sited at Bricklayer's Arms Junction and Brighton Junction (Norwood). After 1880 the LB&SCR gradually developed its own architecture for signal boxes, but used a mixture of home-produced and contractor-built frames.
In addition to both Saxby and Farmer (formerly a traffic manager with the LB&SCR), J.E. Annett, the inventor of Annett's key
, 1875 (which functioned as a portable form of interlocking) was also a former LB&SCR employee.
Rolling stock
For the greater part of its existence the railway relied upon steam locomotives for motive power
, and it owned no diesel
or electric
locomotives. The electrified lines were worked by electric multiple units for passenger traffic and by steam for freight. The railway did however experiment with the use of two petrol railcar
s in 1906 and 1907, but these proved to be underpowered and highly unreliable and so were soon taken out of traffic.
The LB&SCR under Stroudley was one of the first railways in Britain to adopt the Westinghouse
railway air brake on its rolling stock after 1877 in preference to the far less effective vacuum brakes employed by its neighbours.
The LB&SCR achieved early fame as the first railway to make use of the Jenny Lind
2-2-2
locomotive in 1847, designed by David Joy
, the Chief Draughtsman of the E.B.Wilson and Company of Leeds
, which was later widely used by other railways. The policy of John Chester Craven
, Locomotive Superintendent from 1847 to 1869, was to design locomotives for each task or type of traffic hauled by the railway. Many of his designs were capable locomotives, but with 72 different classes in use at the time of William Stroudley
's appointment in 1870, the policy was hopelessly uneconomic.
Stroudley had reduced this number to twelve main classes, many of which had interchangeable parts, by 1888. He introduced a number of extremely successful and long-lived designs, notably the A1 class
0-6-0
and D1 class
0-4-2
tank engines and the B1 class
0-4-2
express passenger locomotives. His locomotives were all limited to six-wheels, and he never used bogie
s on his designs largely because of the limitations imposed by the LB&SCR turntables, notably at London Victoria.
The high price of coal supplies paid by the railway also encouraged Stroudley to experiment with condensing apparatus
.
Stroudley’s successor R. J. Billinton
continued the process of standardisation of locomotive parts until his death in 1904, thereby reducing maintenance costs. He also introduced 8-wheeled designs in the form of 4-4-0
express locomotives and a very successful series of 0-6-2
tank engines with radial axle
s. Thereafter D.E. Marsh continued the process of building larger locomotives with two classes of 4-4-2
express passenger locomotives, four classes of 4-4-2 tank engines, and two classes of 4-6-2
tank engines.
The last Chief Mechanical Engineer
of the railway was L.B. Billinton who designed the K class
2-6-0
of 1913, and the L class
4-6-4
tanks of 1914. However, his career was cut short by the advent of the First World War and the subsequent grouping of British railways. According to D.L. Bradley, the railway handed over "a nicely balanced stock of locomotives well-suited to the demands of the Brighton section" to the Southern Railway
at the time of the grouping in 1923.
LB&SCR designs had little impact on the locomotive policy of the Southern Railway after 1923 because they were built to a more generous loading gauge
and were fitted with Westinghouse air brakes unlike the two other main constituent companies. The designs used by the company were not perpetuated.
. New classes of multiple unit were developed for each new electrified line, known as the South London stock
and the Crystal Palace) stock
. A third type, the Coulsdon and Wallington stock
was planned by the LB&SCR but introduced by the Southern Railway.
carriages for the main business trains. Stroudley was also a pioneer in the introduction of dynamo
-driven electric lighting and communication cords. The railway also introduced "breakfast cars" to its main business trains.
The appointment of Alfred Panter as Carriage and Wagon Works Manager under Robert Billinton in 1898 (and Carriage and Wagon Superintendent from 1912) led to the introduction of standard bogie
carriages for mainline trains in 1905, but the suburban services were operated by 6-wheeled "block trains" with solid wooden buffers
and the carriages permanently tight coupled in sets of ten or twelve. Many of these were still in use at 'Grouping' in 1923. Better vehicles did however appear early in the 20th century with the 'Balloon stock' and also the 'electric stock'.
Sixteen carriages of LB&SCR origin have been preserved including one luxurious "Directors' saloon" of 1914: these are principally to be found on the Bluebell Railway
and the Isle of Wight Steam Railway
. In addition a number of grounded carriage bodies, used as holiday homes still survive.
, where they remained in use until the 1960s.
Between 1846 and 1870 passenger locomotives were painted 'hunter green' with some engines being finished with black lining. Frames were painted red, and wheels were black. Buffer beams were painted the regulation 'signal red'. Goods locomotives were black with red and white lining, except those operating on routes taking them into Brighton
or London Bridge railway station, in which cases they were painted in passenger livery. Some engines had boiler
s lagged with wooden strips. These were either highly polished mahogany
with brass
fixings or were painted in alternating stripes of dark green and vermillion
. The main shade of green used gradually became darker. By the time William Stroudley
became Locomotive Superintendent the colour had become a variant of the common Brunswick Green used by many other companies. Carriage
s were either painted sea green or were left as varnished wood (the latter mainly being applied to first class stock).
From 1870 to 1905 the livery used was Stroudley's 'Improved Engine Green', which was actually a golden ochre
colour. The colour was very similar to that used by Stroudley's former employer, the Highland Railway
. On passenger locomotives Improved Engine Green was finished with olive green borders lined with black, red and white. Frames and buffer beams were painted carmine
red, lined with yellow and black. The wheels were Improved Engine Green with red lining. Cab roofs were painted white. Goods engines were painted all-over olive green with black borders, similar to the pre-1870 colours. If fitted with Westinghouse
brakes the black borders were edged with red lines. Locomotives with names had the name applied in gold leaf
to the tank side (on tank locomotives) or to a wheel splasher on tender locomotives. The letters were edged with a thin red line and given depth with black shading. This livery was one of the most ornate and distinctive ever used on British locomotives, and is still remembered with nostalgia. Carriages were all mahogany
in colour, with white roofs and black chassis gear. Initially the actual wood of the body was varnished. Over the years it became harder to maintain a high-quality varnish finish and so at this point in the carriage's life it would be painted in a similar-coloured paint
. Panel lining and other details were picked out with gold leaf
.
During the period from 1905-1923 front-line express locomotives were painted a dark shade of umber
. Lining was black with a gilt
line either side. Cab roofs remained white. Frames were painted black, wheels were umber, and buffer beams returned to signal red. The company's initials were painted on the tender- or tank-sides (initially 'L.B.& S.C.R.', but after 1911 the ampersand
was left out and the R removed) in gilt. Secondary passenger locomotives had the same livery, but instead of gilt lining chrome yellow
paint was used. Goods engines were painted gloss black with double vermillion
lining. Names and numbers were painted in white letters with red shading. Carriages were initially all olive green with white lining and detailing. From 1911 this was changed to plain umber
with black lettering picked out with gold shading.
in 1847, the company improved the harbour there, building its own wharf and dredging the channel. A Newhaven-Dieppe service was established in 1847, but discontinued soon afterwards. In 1850 it established a Newhaven-Jersey
ferry service, and in 1853 it re-instated the Dieppe service. An Act of 1862 gave the LBSCR power to own and operate its own steam vessels, and in 1863 the French Western Railway (Chemins de Fer de l'Ouest
) agreed to operate the Newhaven-Dieppe passenger service jointly. This service was advertised as the "shortest and cheapest" route to Paris, although it was never the quickest because of the much longer time taken at sea than the rival Dover
to Calais
route. (Newhaven harbour was taken over by the military authorities and the ferries requisitioned for the duration of the First World War.)
In 1863, the company transferred its Jersey service to Littlehampton and soon afterwards established another between Littlehampton and Honfleur
.
By 1880 railway lines connected to both the Ryde
Pier and the Portsmouth Harbour ferry terminals. It was therefore a natural progression for the railway companies to acquire the ferry routes themselves. In order to do this the LB&SCR and the L&SWR together formed the South Western and Brighton Railway Companies Steam Packet Service (SW&BRCSPS) which bought out the existing operators.
In 1884 the Isle of Wight Marine Transit Company started a rail freight ferry link between the Hayling Island Branch Line at Langstone
and the Bembridge branch line at St Helens
quay. To provide the link the rail ferry PS Carrier, designed to carry railway trucks, was moved from Scotland. The project was unsuccessful and, despite being acquired in full by the LB&SCR in 1886, it ended in 1888.
The railway operated a significant number of ships in its own right, jointly with Chemins de Fer de l'Ouest
, and as a part of the SW&BRCSPS. See List of LB&SCR ships
and Eastbourne
. LB&SCR stations at major junctions on the system included Clapham Junction
, , , Horsham
, and .
The use of David Mocatta's modular station designs for the Brighton main line, was not perpetuated by the LB&SCR. During the 1850s and 1860s most stations were constructed according to one or two stock designs prepared by the railway's engineers R. Jacomb-Hood or F.D. Banister. However, during the 1880s the railway produced elaborate decorated architecture of many of its country stations, notably on the Bluebell and Cuckoo Lines.
in 1840. Between 1852 and 1957 more than 1,200 steam locomotives as well as prototype diesel electric and electric locomotives were constructed there, before the eventual closure of the facility in 1962. In addition it also maintained a small locomotive repair facilities at the New Cross and Battersea Park
Depots in London.
By the first decade of the twentieth century Brighton works could no longer cope with the repair and building of both locomotives and rolling stock. In 1911 the railway therefore built a carriage and wagon works in the village of Lancing
which operated until 1965. A marine engineering workshop was established in the mid 1870s at Newhaven, East Sussex
.
The railway had motive power depot
s at Battersea Park
, Brighton
, Bognor
, Coulsdon
, Croydon, Eastbourne
, Epsom
, Fratton
(joint) Horsham
, Littlehampton
, Midhurst
, New Cross, Newhaven
, St Leonards
, Three Bridges
and Tunbridge Wells
.
The headquarters and main offices of the railway were at Brighton railway station
from 1846 until 1892, when they were transferred to the former Terminus Hotel at London Bridge railway station
and the Grosvenor Hotel at Victoria both in 1861. The first of these was not successful due to its site on the south bank and so was turned into offices for the railway in 1892. It was destroyed by bombing in 1941. The Grosvenor Hotel was rebuilt and enlarged in 1901. The railway also acquired the Terminus Hotel next to Brighton station in 1877, and operated the London and Paris Hotel at Newhaven.
, William Ramage Lawson conducted a detailed analysis of the financial performance and prospects of the LB&SCR, comparing it with the performance of the other British railways. He concluded that the Brighton Deferred stock 'combined the highest return on investment, with the best prospect of future appreciation and the smallest risk of retrogression.’ Among the reasons given for this opinion were:
From 1870 until the end of its existence, there is little doubt that the LB&SCR was a well-run, enterprising and profitable railway for its shareholders.
involving the drivers and firemen
employed by the company over their working hours which was resolved by negotiation. In 1872 a superannuation fund was established for higher grades of staff, which was extended to become a pension
fund for all staff in 1899.
Sussex
Sussex , from the Old English Sūþsēaxe , is an historic county in South East England corresponding roughly in area to the ancient Kingdom of Sussex. It is bounded on the north by Surrey, east by Kent, south by the English Channel, and west by Hampshire, and is divided for local government into West...
as its base, and a large part of Surrey
Surrey
Surrey is a county in the South East of England and is one of the Home Counties. The county borders Greater London, Kent, East Sussex, West Sussex, Hampshire and Berkshire. The historic county town is Guildford. Surrey County Council sits at Kingston upon Thames, although this has been part of...
. It was bounded on its western side by the lines of the London and South Western Railway
London and South Western Railway
The London and South Western Railway was a railway company in England from 1838 to 1922. Its network extended from London to Plymouth via Salisbury and Exeter, with branches to Ilfracombe and Padstow and via Southampton to Bournemouth and Weymouth. It also had many routes connecting towns in...
(L&SWR), which provided an alternative route to Portsmouth
Portsmouth
Portsmouth is the second largest city in the ceremonial county of Hampshire on the south coast of England. Portsmouth is notable for being the United Kingdom's only island city; it is located mainly on Portsea Island...
in Hampshire
Hampshire
Hampshire is a county on the southern coast of England in the United Kingdom. The county town of Hampshire is Winchester, a historic cathedral city that was once the capital of England. Hampshire is notable for housing the original birthplaces of the Royal Navy, British Army, and Royal Air Force...
. On its eastern side the railway was bounded by the South Eastern Railway
South Eastern Railway (UK)
The South Eastern Railway was a railway company in south-eastern England from 1836 until 1922. The company was formed to construct a route from London to Dover. Branch lines were later opened to Tunbridge Wells, Hastings, Canterbury and other places in Kent...
(SER) - later one component of the South Eastern and Chatham Railway
South Eastern and Chatham Railway
The South Eastern and Chatham Railway Companies Joint Management Committee , known by its shorter name of the South Eastern and Chatham Railway was a working union of two neighbouring rival railways, the South Eastern Railway and London, Chatham and Dover Railway , that operated services between...
(SE&CR) – which provided an alternative route to Bexhill
Bexhill-on-Sea
Bexhill-on-Sea is a town and seaside resort in the county of East Sussex, in the south of England, within the District of Rother. It has a population of approximately 40,000...
, St Leonards-on-Sea
St Leonards-on-Sea
St Leonards-on-Sea is part of Hastings, East Sussex, England, lying immediately to the west of the centre. The original part of the settlement was laid out in the early 19th century as a new town: a place of elegant houses designed for the well-off; it also included a central public garden, a...
, and Hastings
Hastings
Hastings is a town and borough in the county of East Sussex on the south coast of England. The town is located east of the county town of Lewes and south east of London, and has an estimated population of 86,900....
. The LB&SCR supplied the most direct routes from London to the South Coast seaside resort
Seaside resort
A seaside resort is a resort, or resort town, located on the coast. Where a beach is the primary focus for tourists, it may be called a beach resort.- Overview :...
s of Brighton
Brighton
Brighton is the major part of the city of Brighton and Hove in East Sussex, England on the south coast of Great Britain...
, Eastbourne
Eastbourne
Eastbourne is a large town and borough in East Sussex, on the south coast of England between Brighton and Hastings. The town is situated at the eastern end of the chalk South Downs alongside the high cliff at Beachy Head...
, Worthing
Worthing
Worthing is a large seaside town with borough status in West Sussex, within the historic County of Sussex, forming part of the Brighton/Worthing/Littlehampton conurbation. It is situated at the foot of the South Downs, west of Brighton, and east of the county town of Chichester...
, Littlehampton
Littlehampton
Littlehampton is a seaside resort town and civil parish in the Arun District of West Sussex, England, on the east bank at the mouth of the River Arun. It lies south southwest of London, west of Brighton and east of the county town of Chichester....
and Bognor Regis
Bognor Regis
Bognor Regis is a seaside resort town and civil parish in the Arun district of West Sussex, on the south coast of England. It is south-south-west of London, west of Brighton, and south-east of the city of Chichester. Other nearby towns include Littlehampton east-north-east and Selsey to the...
, and to the ports of Newhaven
Newhaven, East Sussex
Newhaven is a town in the Lewes District of East Sussex in England. It lies at the mouth of the River Ouse, on the English Channel coast, and is a ferry port for services to France.-Origins:...
and Shoreham-by-Sea
Shoreham-by-Sea
Shoreham-by-Sea is a small town, port and seaside resort in West Sussex, England. Shoreham-by-Sea railway station is located less than a mile from the town centre and London Gatwick Airport is away...
. In addition, the company served the inland towns/cities of Chichester
Chichester
Chichester is a cathedral city in West Sussex, within the historic County of Sussex, South-East England. It has a long history as a settlement; its Roman past and its subsequent importance in Anglo-Saxon times are only its beginnings...
, Horsham
Horsham
Horsham is a market town with a population of 55,657 on the upper reaches of the River Arun in the centre of the Weald, West Sussex, in the historic County of Sussex, England. The town is south south-west of London, north-west of Brighton and north-east of the county town of Chichester...
, East Grinstead
East Grinstead
East Grinstead is a town and civil parish in the northeastern corner of Mid Sussex, West Sussex in England near the East Sussex, Surrey, and Kent borders. It lies south of London, north northeast of Brighton, and east northeast of the county town of Chichester...
and Lewes
Lewes
Lewes is the county town of East Sussex, England and historically of all of Sussex. It is a civil parish and is the centre of the Lewes local government district. The settlement has a history as a bridging point and as a market town, and today as a communications hub and tourist-oriented town...
, and jointly served Croydon
Croydon
Croydon is a town in South London, England, located within the London Borough of Croydon to which it gives its name. It is situated south of Charing Cross...
, Tunbridge Wells, Dorking
Dorking
Dorking is a historic market town at the foot of the North Downs approximately south of London, in Surrey, England.- History and development :...
and Guildford
Guildford
Guildford is the county town of Surrey. England, as well as the seat for the borough of Guildford and the administrative headquarters of the South East England region...
. At the London end was a complicated suburban and outer-suburban network of lines, emanating from London Bridge
London Bridge station
London Bridge railway station is a central London railway terminus and London Underground complex in the London Borough of Southwark, occupying a large area on two levels immediately south-east of London Bridge and 1.6 miles east of Charing Cross. It is one of the oldest railway stations in the...
and Victoria stations, as well as shared interests in two cross-London lines.
The company was formed by a merger of five pre-existing companies in 1846, and was in turn merged with the L&SWR, the SE&CR and several minor railway companies in southern England, as a result of the Railways Act 1921
Railways Act 1921
The Railways Act 1921, also known as the Grouping Act, was an enactment by the British government of David Lloyd George intended to stem the losses being made by many of the country's 120 railway companies, move the railways away from internal competition, and to retain some of the benefits which...
grouping, to form the Southern Railway
Southern Railway (Great Britain)
The Southern Railway was a British railway company established in the 1923 Grouping. It linked London with the Channel ports, South West England, South coast resorts and Kent...
as from 1 January 1923.
Origins of the company
The London, Brighton and South Coast Railway (LB&SCR) was formed by Act of ParliamentAct of Parliament
An Act of Parliament is a statute enacted as primary legislation by a national or sub-national parliament. In the Republic of Ireland the term Act of the Oireachtas is used, and in the United States the term Act of Congress is used.In Commonwealth countries, the term is used both in a narrow...
on 27 July 1846, through the amalgamation of a number of pre-existing railway companies. These were:
- The London and Croydon RailwayLondon and Croydon RailwayThe London and Croydon Railway was an early railway which operated between London and Croydon in England. It was opened in 1839 and in July 1846 it merged with other railways to form a part of the London Brighton and South Coast Railway ....
(L&CR) created in 1836 and opened in 1839. - The London and Brighton RailwayLondon and Brighton RailwayThe London and Brighton Railway was a railway company in England which was incorporated in 1837 and survived until 1846. Its railway runs from a junction with the London & Croydon Railway at Norwood - which gives it access from London Bridge, just south of the River Thames in central London...
(L&BR) created in 1837 and opened in 1841. - The Brighton and Chichester RailwayBrighton and Chichester RailwayThe Brighton and Chichester Railway was an early railway in southern England running between the towns of Shoreham and Chichester in Sussex, which operated between 1845 and 1846.-History:...
created in 1844 and opened in stages between November 1845 and June 1846, with an extension to HavantHavantHavant is a town in south east Hampshire on the South coast of England, between Portsmouth and Chichester. It gives its name to the borough comprising the town and the surrounding area. The town has rapidly grown since the end of the Second World War.It has good railway connections to London,...
and PortsmouthPortsmouthPortsmouth is the second largest city in the ceremonial county of Hampshire on the south coast of England. Portsmouth is notable for being the United Kingdom's only island city; it is located mainly on Portsea Island...
under construction at the time of amalgamation. - The Brighton Lewes and Hastings RailwayBrighton Lewes and Hastings RailwayThe Brighton Lewes and Hastings Railway was an early railway in southern England running between the three East Sussex towns mentioned in its name...
, created February 1844, opened in June 1846. - The Croydon and Epsom RailwayCroydon and Epsom RailwayThe Croydon and Epsom Railway was an early railway in southern England running between the two Surrey towns mentioned in its name. The company was formed March 1844 to operate a new line using the atmospheric principle...
, created in July 1844, under construction at the time of amalgamation.
(Only the first two of these were independent operating railways. The 'Brighton and Chichester' and the 'Brighton Lewes and Hastings' had both been purchased by the L&BR in 1845, and the 'Croydon and Epsom,' was largely owned by the L&CR.)
The amalgamation was brought about, against the wishes of the Boards of Directors of the Companies, by shareholders in the L&CR and L&BR who were dissatisfied with the early returns from their investment.
Thereafter the company was in existence for 76 years until 31 December 1922, when it was wound up as a result of the Railways Act 1921
Railways Act 1921
The Railways Act 1921, also known as the Grouping Act, was an enactment by the British government of David Lloyd George intended to stem the losses being made by many of the country's 120 railway companies, move the railways away from internal competition, and to retain some of the benefits which...
and its lines and assets merged with those of the London and South Western Railway
London and South Western Railway
The London and South Western Railway was a railway company in England from 1838 to 1922. Its network extended from London to Plymouth via Salisbury and Exeter, with branches to Ilfracombe and Padstow and via Southampton to Bournemouth and Weymouth. It also had many routes connecting towns in...
and the South Eastern and Chatham Railway
South Eastern and Chatham Railway
The South Eastern and Chatham Railway Companies Joint Management Committee , known by its shorter name of the South Eastern and Chatham Railway was a working union of two neighbouring rival railways, the South Eastern Railway and London, Chatham and Dover Railway , that operated services between...
to form a new company, the Southern Railway
Southern Railway (Great Britain)
The Southern Railway was a British railway company established in the 1923 Grouping. It linked London with the Channel ports, South West England, South coast resorts and Kent...
.
Original routes
At the time of its creation the LB&SCR had around 170 rtmi in existence or under construction, represented by three main routes and a number of branches.The main line to Brighton
Brighton Main Line
The Brighton Main Line is a British railway line from London Victoria and London Bridge to Brighton. It is about 50 miles long, and is electrified throughout. Trains are operated by Southern, First Capital Connect, and Gatwick Express, now part of Southern.-Original proposals:There were no fewer...
from London Bridge was opened in 1841. Two sections of this line (between Corbett's Lane (New Cross
New Cross
New Cross is a district and ward of the London Borough of Lewisham, England. It is situated 4 miles south-east of Charing Cross. The ward covered by London post town and the SE 14 postcode district. New Cross is near St Johns, Telegraph Hill, Nunhead, Peckham, Brockley, Deptford and Greenwich...
) and London Bridge and between Croydon and Redhill
Redhill railway station
Redhill railway station serves the town of Redhill, Surrey, England. The station is a major interchange point on the Brighton Main Line 21 miles south of London Victoria...
) were shared with the South Eastern Railway
South Eastern Railway (UK)
The South Eastern Railway was a railway company in south-eastern England from 1836 until 1922. The company was formed to construct a route from London to Dover. Branch lines were later opened to Tunbridge Wells, Hastings, Canterbury and other places in Kent...
. There were also two branch lines under construction at the time of the amalgamation: the first from Croydon to Epsom
Epsom railway station
Epsom railway station is the main railway station for Epsom in the county of Surrey. It is located off Waterloo Road, near to the High Street....
, and the second
Arun Valley Line
The Arun Valley Line, also known as the Mid Sussex Line, is part of the Southern-operated railway services. For the initial part of the route trains follow the Brighton Main Line, and at a junction south of Three Bridges the route turns westwards...
from to .
The West Sussex coast line
West Coastway Line
The West Coastway Line is a railway line in England, along the south coast of West Sussex and Hampshire, between Brighton and Southampton, plus the short branches to Littlehampton and Bognor Regis....
originated with a branch line from Brighton to Shoreham
Shoreham-by-Sea
Shoreham-by-Sea is a small town, port and seaside resort in West Sussex, England. Shoreham-by-Sea railway station is located less than a mile from the town centre and London Gatwick Airport is away...
which opened in 1840. This was extended to become a through route as far as Chichester
Chichester
Chichester is a cathedral city in West Sussex, within the historic County of Sussex, South-East England. It has a long history as a settlement; its Roman past and its subsequent importance in Anglo-Saxon times are only its beginnings...
by the time of the amalgamation, and a further extension to Havant
Havant
Havant is a town in south east Hampshire on the South coast of England, between Portsmouth and Chichester. It gives its name to the borough comprising the town and the surrounding area. The town has rapidly grown since the end of the Second World War.It has good railway connections to London,...
and Portsmouth was also under construction.
The East Sussex coast line
East Coastway Line
East Coastway is the name used by the train operating company, Southern , for the routes it operates along the south coast of Sussex and Kent to the east of Brighton, England. Those to the West of Brighton are named the West Coastway Line...
from Brighton to Lewes
Lewes
Lewes is the county town of East Sussex, England and historically of all of Sussex. It is a civil parish and is the centre of the Lewes local government district. The settlement has a history as a bridging point and as a market town, and today as a communications hub and tourist-oriented town...
and St Leonards-on-Sea
St Leonards-on-Sea
St Leonards-on-Sea is part of Hastings, East Sussex, England, lying immediately to the west of the centre. The original part of the settlement was laid out in the early 19th century as a new town: a place of elegant houses designed for the well-off; it also included a central public garden, a...
, together with running powers over the SER line to Hastings
Hastings
Hastings is a town and borough in the county of East Sussex on the south coast of England. The town is located east of the county town of Lewes and south east of London, and has an estimated population of 86,900....
, was opened in 1846 one month before the amalgamation. There were also branches to Newhaven, Eastbourne
Eastbourne
Eastbourne is a large town and borough in East Sussex, on the south coast of England between Brighton and Hastings. The town is situated at the eastern end of the chalk South Downs alongside the high cliff at Beachy Head...
and Hailsham
Hailsham
Hailsham is a civil parish and the largest of the five main towns in the Wealden district of East Sussex, England. Mentioned in the Domesday Book, the town of Hailsham has had a long history of industry and agriculture...
. A connecting spur from the Brighton main line at Keymer Junction near Haywards Heath
Haywards Heath
-Climate:Haywards Heath experiences an oceanic climate similar to almost all of the United Kingdom.-Rail:Haywards Heath railway station is a major station on the Brighton Main Line...
to the Brighton-Lewes line was under construction at the time of amalgamation.
New Cross
New Cross is a district and ward of the London Borough of Lewisham, England. It is situated 4 miles south-east of Charing Cross. The ward covered by London post town and the SE 14 postcode district. New Cross is near St Johns, Telegraph Hill, Nunhead, Peckham, Brockley, Deptford and Greenwich...
to Deptford Dockyard, proposed by the L&CR, was approved in July 1846, shortly before the amalgamation. This was built and opened by the LB&SCR in July 1849. The use of this line for passenger traffic would have contravened the recently negotiated agreement with the SER whereby the LB&SCR would not operate lines to the east of its existing main line. The new branch was therefore restricted to freight only. A short branch from this line to the nearby Surrey Commercial Docks
Surrey Commercial Docks
The Surrey Commercial Docks were a large group of docks in Rotherhithe on the south bank of the Thames in South East London. The docks operated in one form or another from 1696 to 1969...
in Rotherhithe
Rotherhithe
Rotherhithe is a residential district in inner southeast London, England and part of the London Borough of Southwark. It is located on a peninsula on the south bank of the Thames, facing Wapping and the Isle of Dogs on the north bank, and is a part of the Docklands area...
opened in July 1855.
London stations
The main London terminus of the new railway was the former L&CR station at London Bridge (which had been built by the London and Greenwich RailwayLondon and Greenwich Railway
The London and Greenwich Railway was opened in London between 1836 and 1838. It was the first steam railway to have a terminus in the capital, the first of any to be built specifically for passenger service, and the first example of an elevated railway....
(L&GR) in 1836, and exchanged for the original L&CR station in 1842). For the first few years of its existence, LB&SCR trains used the former L&GR lines from Corbett’s Lane into London, but by 1849 the viaducts
London Bridge – Greenwich Railway Viaduct
The London Bridge – Greenwich Railway Viaduct consists of a series of nineteen brick railway viaducts linked by road bridges between London Bridge railway station and Deptford Creek, which together make a single structure in length. The structure carries the former London and Greenwich Railway...
had been widened sufficiently to allow the company its own dedicated tracks to approach the station.
The company also inherited from the L&CR running powers to use a smaller passenger terminus at Bricklayers' Arms
Bricklayers' Arms
Bricklayers' Arms is a busy road intersection between A2 and the London Inner Ring Road in south London, England. It is the junction of Tower Bridge Road, Old Kent Road, New Kent Road and Great Dover Street; Old Kent Road and New Kent Road east-bound are connected by a flyover.The area is named...
which was owned by the SER. However, this terminus was poorly sited for passenger traffic and was closed in 1852 and converted into a freight station.
The railway owned two stations at Croydon, later renamed East Croydon
East Croydon station
East Croydon station is a railway station and tram stop in Croydon, 10.35 miles south of London Bridge in Travelcard Zone 5. It is the largest and busiest station in Croydon and the busiest in London outside Travelcard Zone 1 in terms of the number of passengers entering and exiting...
(former L&BR) and West Croydon
West Croydon station
West Croydon station is a transport interchange for National Rail and Tramlink services, as well as London Buses. It is in the London Borough of Croydon and Travelcard Zone 5...
(former L&CR) respectively.
Atmospheric lines
The London and Croydon Railway had been partially operated by the atmospheric principleAtmospheric railway
An atmospheric railway uses air pressure to provide power for propulsion. In one plan a pneumatic tube is laid between the rails, with a piston running in it suspended from the train through a sealable slot in the top of the tube. Alternatively, the whole tunnel may be the pneumatic tube with the...
between Croydon
Croydon
Croydon is a town in South London, England, located within the London Borough of Croydon to which it gives its name. It is situated south of Charing Cross...
and Forest Hill
Forest Hill railway station
Forest Hill railway station is situated in Forest Hill, part of the London Borough of Lewisham. The station is located on the South Circular Road ....
, as the first phase of a scheme to use this mode of operation between London and Epsom
Epsom
Epsom is a town in the borough of Epsom and Ewell in Surrey, England. Small parts of Epsom are in the Borough of Reigate and Banstead. The town is located south-south-west of Charing Cross, within the Greater London Urban Area. The town lies on the chalk downland of Epsom Downs.-History:Epsom lies...
. However, following a number of technical problems, the board of the new railway abandoned atmospheric operation in May 1847. The abandonment of the plans for atmospheric working into London enabled the new company to build its own separate lines into London Bridge, and have its own independent station there, by 1849.
The subsequent seventy-six year history of the company can best be studied in five distinct periods.
Relations with the South Eastern Railway, and the beginnings of expansion 1846-1855
The new company was formed at the same time as the bursting of the railway maniaRailway Mania
The Railway Mania was an instance of speculative frenzy in Britain in the 1840s. It followed a common pattern: as the price of railway shares increased, more and more money was poured in by speculators, until the inevitable collapse...
investment bubble and so it found raising capital for expansion extremely difficult during the first years of its operation, other than to complete those projects that were already in hand. The London and Brighton Railway had also experienced difficult relations with the South Eastern Railway at those locations where the companies shared facilities (notably at Redhill
Redhill railway station
Redhill railway station serves the town of Redhill, Surrey, England. The station is a major interchange point on the Brighton Main Line 21 miles south of London Victoria...
and Hastings
Hastings railway station
Hastings railway station is in Hastings in East Sussex, England. It is situated on the Hastings Line to Tunbridge Wells, the East Coastway Line to Brighton and the Marshlink Line to Ashford International....
and on the approaches to London Bridge). In October 1849 the SER acquired the newly completed Reading, Guildford and Reigate Railway (RG&RR) line
North Downs Line
The North Downs Line is the name of the passenger train service connecting Reading, on the Great Western Main Line, to Gatwick Airport, on the Brighton Main Line...
, which the LB&SCR regarded as a major incursion into its territory. However, the LB&SCR now had one important playing card not previously available to the London and Brighton Railway – control of the SER main line between New Cross and Croydon. In 1849 the LB&SCR appointed a new and capable chairman Samuel Laing
Samuel Laing (science writer)
Samuel Laing, , was a British railway administrator, politician, and influential writer on science and religion during the Victorian era.He was born at Edinburgh on the 12th of December 1810...
who negotiated a formal agreement with the SER which would resolve their difficulties (for the time being) and would define the future territories of the two railways. Under this agreement the LB&SCR would have free access to London Bridge station, Bricklayers' Arms station and goods yard, and Hastings. The SER would have free use of the New Cross to Croydon line, and receive revenues from passengers at intermediate stations, but would not make or work competing lines to Brighton, Horsham, Chichester or Portsmouth. Laing also approved a modest degree of expansion, most notably by the acquisition of a branch line
Three Bridges to Tunbridge Wells Central Line
The Three Bridges to Tunbridge Wells Central Line was a railway line running from Three Bridges in West Sussex to Tunbridge Wells Central in Kent via East Grinstead in East Sussex, a distance of . Opened in 1855, the main section of the line was a casualty of the Beeching Axe the last train ran on...
from the main line at Three Bridges to the market town of East Grinstead
East Grinstead
East Grinstead is a town and civil parish in the northeastern corner of Mid Sussex, West Sussex in England near the East Sussex, Surrey, and Kent borders. It lies south of London, north northeast of Brighton, and east northeast of the county town of Chichester...
in July 1855.
Crystal Palace Branch
Some of the directors of the LB&SCR were closely involved with the company which had purchased The Crystal PalaceThe Crystal Palace
The Crystal Palace was a cast-iron and glass building originally erected in Hyde Park, London, England, to house the Great Exhibition of 1851. More than 14,000 exhibitors from around the world gathered in the Palace's of exhibition space to display examples of the latest technology developed in...
after the completion of The Great Exhibition
The Great Exhibition
The Great Exhibition of the Works of Industry of all Nations or The Great Exhibition, sometimes referred to as the Crystal Palace Exhibition in reference to the temporary structure in which it was held, was an international exhibition that took place in Hyde Park, London, from 1 May to 15 October...
in October 1851 and arranged for its removal to a site on Sydenham Hill
Sydenham Hill
For other uses of 'Sydenham', see Sydenham .Sydenham Hill is a hill or ridge and a locality in South-East London and the name of a road which runs along the northern eastern part of the ridge and forms the boundary between the London Borough of Southwark and the London Borough of Lewisham. The...
(close to the London Brighton main line), where it became a major tourist attraction. The railway therefore encouraged the West End of London and Crystal Palace Railway
West End of London and Crystal Palace Railway
The West End of London and Crystal Palace Railway was an early railway company in south London between Crystal Palace station and Wandsworth, which was opened in 1856. The line was extended in 1858 to a station at Battersea Wharf which was misleadingly named Pimlico...
to build a branch line between its own station at Sydenham and the new site, which opened in June 1854. The new railway was afterwards extended in a wide arc round south London to Wandsworth
Wandsworth
Wandsworth is a district of south London, England, in the London Borough of Wandsworth. It is situated southwest of Charing Cross. The area is identified in the London Plan as one of 35 major centres in Greater London.-Toponymy:...
in 1856 and Battersea
Battersea
Battersea is an area of the London Borough of Wandsworth, England. It is an inner-city district of South London, situated on the south side of the River Thames, 2.9 miles south-west of Charing Cross. Battersea spans from Fairfield in the west to Queenstown in the east...
Pier in 1858. Shortly after this line was completed, the LB&SCR leased the new route and incorpporated it into its system.
Rapid expansion 1856-1866
Laing retired at the end of 1855 to pursue a political career, and was replaced by Leo Schuster, who instituted a policy of rapidly expanding new routes throughout south London, Sussex, and east Surrey. Some of these routes were financed and built by the company itself, while others were built by independent local companies, set up with the intention of connecting their town to the growing railway network, and with the intention of sale or lease to the LB&SCR. Between 1857 and 1865, a further 177 route miles were constructed or authorised.New lines in South London
George Parker Bidder
George Parker Bidder was an English engineer, architect and calculating prodigy.Born in the town of Moretonhampstead, Devon, England, he displayed a natural skill at calculation from an early age...
but in 1856 it was leased to the LB&SCR and then purchased outright in 1858.
Between 1858 and 1860 the company joined with the London, Chatham and Dover Railway
London, Chatham and Dover Railway
The London, Chatham and Dover Railway was a railway company in south-eastern England from 1859 until the 1923 grouping which united it with other companies to form the Southern Railway. Its lines ran through London and northern and eastern Kent to form a significant part of the Greater London...
(LC&DR), the Great Western Railway
Great Western Railway
The Great Western Railway was a British railway company that linked London with the south-west and west of England and most of Wales. It was founded in 1833, received its enabling Act of Parliament in 1835 and ran its first trains in 1838...
(GWR) and the London & North Western Railway (LNWR) to form the Victoria Station & Pimlico Railway Company, which constructed a new bridge over
Grosvenor Bridge
Grosvenor Bridge, often alternatively called Victoria Railway Bridge, is a railway bridge over the River Thames in London, between Vauxhall Bridge and Chelsea Bridge. It actually consists of two bridges, both built in the mid-19th century...
the River Thames
River Thames
The River Thames flows through southern England. It is the longest river entirely in England and the second longest in the United Kingdom. While it is best known because its lower reaches flow through central London, the river flows alongside several other towns and cities, including Oxford,...
at Battersea and an important new terminus in the west end of London at Victoria
Victoria station (London)
Victoria station, also known as London Victoria, is a central London railway terminus and London Underground complex. It is named after nearby Victoria Street and not Queen Victoria. It is the second busiest railway terminus in London after Waterloo, and includes an air terminal for passengers...
. This project was connected with the West London Extension Joint Railway
West London Line
The West London Line is a short railway in inner West London which links lines at in the south to lines near Willesden Junction in the north. It has always been an important cross-London link especially for freight services...
, a joint railway financed by the LB&SCR, L&SWR, GWR, and the L&NWR, allowing freight transfers between the companies as well as some cross-London passenger trains. This line was opened in 1863, and the LB&SCR operated passenger trains between Clapham Junction and Kensington
Kensington
Kensington is a district of west and central London, England within the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea. An affluent and densely-populated area, its commercial heart is Kensington High Street, and it contains the well-known museum district of South Kensington.To the north, Kensington is...
.
Following the acquisition of the West End of London and Crystal Palace Railway, a new 'cut-off' main line between Windmill Bridge Junction (Norwood)
Norwood Junction railway station
Norwood Junction railway station is in South Norwood in the London Borough of Croydon in south London, in Travelcard Zone 4.The station is managed by London Overground and trains operated by Southern and London Overground .-History:...
and Balham
Balham
Balham is a district of London, EnglandBalham can also refer to:*Balham, Ardennes, a commune in France*Balham station, railway and tube station in Balham, London*Balaam, a Biblical figure...
was constructed during 1861 and 1862 which shortened the route from East Croydon to Victoria. At the same time, the LB&SCR was co-operating with the LC&DR to create the South London Line between London Bridge and Victoria. The LC&DR was used from Victoria to Brixton
Brixton
Brixton is a district in the London Borough of Lambeth in south London, England. It is south south-east of Charing Cross. The area is identified in the London Plan as one of 35 major centres in Greater London....
, followed by new construction by the LB&SCR through Denmark Hill
Denmark Hill railway station
Denmark Hill railway station is a railway station in the London Borough of Southwark in London, England, on the Inner South London Line. The station is managed by Southeastern and is served by trains of that company and Southern. It is in Travelcard Zone 2. It is located on Champion Park in the...
, and Peckham
Peckham Rye railway station
Peckham Rye railway station is a station on Rye Lane in the centre of the shopping district of Peckham in South London. It opened on 1 December 1865 for LC&DR trains and on 13 August 1886 for LB&SCR trains...
to join their main line to London Bridge at South Bermondsey
South Bermondsey railway station
- External links :...
.
New lines in Sussex
During 1858, a branch lineWealden Line
Taking its name from its route through the chalk hills of the North and South Downs of the Weald, England, the Wealden Line is a partly abandoned double track railway line in East Sussex and Kent that connected Lewes with Tunbridge Wells, a distance of ....
was built from Lewes to Uckfield
Uckfield
-Development:The local Tesco has proposed the redevelopment of the central town area as has the town council. The Hub has recently been completed, having been acquired for an unknown figure, presumed to be about half a million pounds...
, which was also extended to Groombridge and thus to Tunbridge Wells in 1868. In 1864 the Newhaven branch line was extended to Seaford
Seaford, East Sussex
Seaford is a coastal town in the county of East Sussex, on the south coast of England. Lying east of Newhaven and Brighton and west of Eastbourne, it is the largest town in Lewes district, with a population of about 23,000....
. The East Grinstead line was extended in 1866 to reach Groombridge
Groombridge
thumb|right|A house in GroombridgeGroombridge is a village of about 1,600 people. It straddles the border between Kent and East Sussex, in England. The nearest large town is Tunbridge Wells, about away by road....
and Tunbridge Wells. A large area in East Sussex between Tunbridge Wells and Eastbourne remained without any railways, and the LB&SCR was anxious in case the SER should again venture into this territory. As a result in 1864 it sought powers to build a line between these two towns. It also obtained powers for the construction of the Ouse Valley Railway
Ouse Valley Railway
The Ouse Valley Railway was a railway which was to have formed part of the London, Brighton & South Coast Railway . It was authorised by an Act of Parliament and construction of the long line was begun, but not completed...
, a project to build a line from Balcombe railway station
Balcombe railway station
Balcombe railway station serves the village of Balcombe in West Sussex, England. It is on the Brighton Main Line and Thameslink north of Brighton...
on the Brighton main line to Uckfield and Hailsham
Hailsham
Hailsham is a civil parish and the largest of the five main towns in the Wealden district of East Sussex, England. Mentioned in the Domesday Book, the town of Hailsham has had a long history of industry and agriculture...
. An extension of this line to St Leonards was also approved in May 1865. However, having obtained these powers, comparatively little work on either line had been carried out by the end of 1866.
In West Sussex the Horsham branch
Arun Valley Line
The Arun Valley Line, also known as the Mid Sussex Line, is part of the Southern-operated railway services. For the initial part of the route trains follow the Brighton Main Line, and at a junction south of Three Bridges the route turns westwards...
was extended to Pulborough
Pulborough
Pulborough is a large village and civil parish in the Horsham district of West Sussex, England, with some 5,000 inhabitants. It is located almost centrally within West Sussex and is south west of London. It is at the junction of the north-south A29 and the east-west roads.The village is near the...
and Petworth
Petworth
Petworth is a small town and civil parish in the Chichester District of West Sussex, England. It is located at the junction of the A272 east-west road from Heathfield to Winchester and the A283 Milford to Shoreham-by-Sea road. Some twelve miles to the south west of Petworth along the A285 road...
in 1859. In 1863 a new line was built from near Pulborough to a junction with the West Sussex coast line
West Coastway Line
The West Coastway Line is a railway line in England, along the south coast of West Sussex and Hampshire, between Brighton and Southampton, plus the short branches to Littlehampton and Bognor Regis....
near Ford railway station
Ford railway station
Ford railway station is a railway station in Ford, West Sussex.It is located on the West Coastway Line which runs between Brighton and Southampton. The station and the trains serving it are operated by Southern....
. Similarly, in 1861 a line was built from near Horsham to Shoreham
Shoreham-by-Sea
Shoreham-by-Sea is a small town, port and seaside resort in West Sussex, England. Shoreham-by-Sea railway station is located less than a mile from the town centre and London Gatwick Airport is away...
, providing a direct link to Brighton. Branches were also built from the West Sussex coast line to the village of Littlehampton
Littlehampton
Littlehampton is a seaside resort town and civil parish in the Arun District of West Sussex, England, on the east bank at the mouth of the River Arun. It lies south southwest of London, west of Brighton and east of the county town of Chichester....
in 1863 (to connect to a newly established cross-channel ferry service), to Bognor Regis
Bognor Regis
Bognor Regis is a seaside resort town and civil parish in the Arun district of West Sussex, on the south coast of England. It is south-south-west of London, west of Brighton, and south-east of the city of Chichester. Other nearby towns include Littlehampton east-north-east and Selsey to the...
in 1864, and to Hayling Island
Hayling Island
-Leisure activities:Although largely residential, Hayling is also a holiday, windsurfing and sailing centre, the site where windsurfing was invented....
in 1867.
New lines in Surrey
The Epsom and Leatherhead Railway was an independent line leading from the L&SW main line at Wimbledon through the Surrey towns of Epsom and LeatherheadLeatherhead
Leatherhead is a town in the County of Surrey, England, on the River Mole, part of Mole Valley district. It is thought to be of Saxon origin...
towards Guildford
Guildford
Guildford is the county town of Surrey. England, as well as the seat for the borough of Guildford and the administrative headquarters of the South East England region...
. The LB&SCR entered into an agreement with this company to share its existing station at Epsom and to use the line as far as Leatherhead. The new line opened in August 1859 and in 1860 this portion of the line was transferred to the joint ownership of the LB&SCR and the L&SWR. The LB&SCR then amalgamated with the Banstead and Epsom Downs Railway, which was building a branch line from Sutton
Sutton, London
Sutton is a large suburban town in southwest London, England, and the administrative headquarters of the London Borough of Sutton. It is located south-southwest of Charing Cross and is one of the major metropolitan centres identified in the London Plan. The town was connected to central London by...
to Epsom Downs
Epsom Downs
Epsom Downs is an area of chalk upland near Epsom, Surrey; in the North Downs. Part of the area is taken up by the racecourse, the gallops are part of the land purchased by Stanly Wootton in 1925 in oder that racehorses can be trained without interference. It is open to users such as ramblers,...
for the racecourse
Epsom Downs Racecourse
Epsom Downs is a Grade 1 racecourse near Epsom, Surrey, England. The "downs" referred to in the name are part of the North Downs. The course is best known for hosting the Epsom Derby, the United Kingdom's premier thoroughbred horse race for three-year-old colts and fillies, over a mile and a half...
traffic. This line opened in May 1865.
The LB&SCR also wished to connect Horsham
Horsham
Horsham is a market town with a population of 55,657 on the upper reaches of the River Arun in the centre of the Weald, West Sussex, in the historic County of Sussex, England. The town is south south-west of London, north-west of Brighton and north-east of the county town of Chichester...
with significant towns in Surrey. Thus in 1865 it opened a line between West Horsham and the L&SWR line near Guildford, giving access to that town. It also constructed a line from Leatherhead to Dorking
Dorking
Dorking is a historic market town at the foot of the North Downs approximately south of London, in Surrey, England.- History and development :...
in March 1867, which was then continued to Horsham
Horsham
Horsham is a market town with a population of 55,657 on the upper reaches of the River Arun in the centre of the Weald, West Sussex, in the historic County of Sussex, England. The town is south south-west of London, north-west of Brighton and north-east of the county town of Chichester...
two months later. This line completed a final link to provide an alternative LB&SCR route from London to Brighton and the West Sussex coast.
The company also supported the independent Surrey and Sussex Junction Railway
Surrey and Sussex Junction Railway
The Surrey and Sussex Junction Railway was an abortive railway scheme which obtained powers in July 1865 to build a line from Croydon to Tunbridge Wells, via Oxted with the intention that it should be worked by the London Brighton and South Coast Railway...
, which obtained powers in July 1865 to build a new line from Croydon to Tunbridge Wells via Oxted
Oxted
Oxted is a commuter town in Surrey, England at the foot of the North Downs, north of East Grinstead and south-east of Croydon.- History :The town lay within the Anglo-Saxon administrative division of Tandridge hundred....
, to be worked by the LB&SCR. The involvement of LB&SCR directors in this scheme was interpreted by the SER as a breach of the 1849 agreement, and in retaliation the SER joined with the LC&DR and obtained Parliamentary approval to build a rival 'London, Lewes and Brighton Railway', which would undermine the profitable LB&SCR monopoly in that town. In the event neither scheme was proceeded with.
Following the opening of the branch line from Lewes
Lewes
Lewes is the county town of East Sussex, England and historically of all of Sussex. It is a civil parish and is the centre of the Lewes local government district. The settlement has a history as a bridging point and as a market town, and today as a communications hub and tourist-oriented town...
to Newhaven, the railway sought to develop a new shorter Continental route from London to Paris, via Dieppe
Dieppe, Seine-Maritime
Dieppe is a commune in the Seine-Maritime department in France. In 1999, the population of the whole Dieppe urban area was 81,419.A port on the English Channel, famous for its scallops, and with a regular ferry service from the Gare Maritime to Newhaven in England, Dieppe also has a popular pebbled...
, in competition to the South Eastern Railway
South Eastern Railway (UK)
The South Eastern Railway was a railway company in south-eastern England from 1836 until 1922. The company was formed to construct a route from London to Dover. Branch lines were later opened to Tunbridge Wells, Hastings, Canterbury and other places in Kent...
routes from Dover
Dover
Dover is a town and major ferry port in the home county of Kent, in South East England. It faces France across the narrowest part of the English Channel, and lies south-east of Canterbury; east of Kent's administrative capital Maidstone; and north-east along the coastline from Dungeness and Hastings...
to Calais
Calais
Calais is a town in Northern France in the department of Pas-de-Calais, of which it is a sub-prefecture. Although Calais is by far the largest city in Pas-de-Calais, the department's capital is its third-largest city of Arras....
and Folkestone
Folkestone
Folkestone is the principal town in the Shepway District of Kent, England. Its original site was in a valley in the sea cliffs and it developed through fishing and its closeness to the Continent as a landing place and trading port. The coming of the railways, the building of a ferry port, and its...
to Boulogne. The railway built its own wharf and warehousing facilities on the east side of the river, and opened the Newhaven harbour railway station
Newhaven Harbour railway station
Newhaven Harbour Railway Station is one of two active stations serving Newhaven in East Sussex, England, the other being Newhaven Town. A third, Newhaven Marine, is legally open, but does not currently receive a passenger service due to safety concerns....
. The company also funded the dredging of the channel and other improvements to the harbour between 1850 and 1878, to enable it to be used by larger cross-chanel ferries, and in 1863 the LB&SCR and the Chemins de Fer de l'Ouest
Chemins de Fer de l'Ouest
The Compagnie des chemins de fer de l'Ouest , often referred to simply as L'Ouest or Ouest, was an early French railway company.- Birth of the company :...
introduced the Newhaven-Dieppe passenger service.
Growth of the London suburbs
New Cross
New Cross is a district and ward of the London Borough of Lewisham, England. It is situated 4 miles south-east of Charing Cross. The ward covered by London post town and the SE 14 postcode district. New Cross is near St Johns, Telegraph Hill, Nunhead, Peckham, Brockley, Deptford and Greenwich...
and Croydon rapidly became built up, and the population of Croydon increased 14-fold (from 16,700 to 233,000) during the years that the company was in existence. During the 1860s the LB&SCR therefore began to develop a new traffic among the growing number of middle-class commuters who were beginning to live in the south London suburbs and working in central London.
As part of its suburban expansion programme, the company built a line from Peckham Rye
Peckham Rye railway station
Peckham Rye railway station is a station on Rye Lane in the centre of the shopping district of Peckham in South London. It opened on 1 December 1865 for LC&DR trains and on 13 August 1886 for LB&SCR trains...
running roughly parallel to the main line, through East Dulwich
East Dulwich railway station
East Dulwich railway station is in the London Borough of Southwark in East Dulwich, south London. The station, and the trains which serve it are operated by Southern, and it is in Travelcard Zone 2. It is now inside the Oyster PAYG scheme and is not part of the planned extension to the London...
, Tulse Hill
Tulse Hill railway station
Tulse Hill railway station is in the London Borough of Lambeth in south London, between railway bridges over the A205, South Circular Road and the A215, Norwood Road...
, Streatham
Streatham railway station
Streatham railway station is a station in central Streatham in south London. It is off Streatham High Road, and is in Travelcard Zone 3.Services are provided by First Capital Connect and Southern. First Capital Connect services go north to Luton and Bedford via Blackfriars, the City and St Pancras,...
and Mitcham to Sutton and Epsom Downs
Epsom Downs railway station
Epsom Downs railway station is a railway station located on the boundary of the Reigate and Banstead and Epsom and Ewell boroughs of Surrey with the railway to the north forming a continuation of the boundary....
, which opened in October 1868. From Sutton, a line was constructed jointly with the L&SWR to Wimbledon.
Deterioriation of relations with the SER
Relations between the LB&SCR and the SER and the interpretation of the 1848 agreement continued to be difficult for both parties throughout the 1850s and 1860s. They reached a low point in 1863 when the SER Chairman and Secretary produced a report for shareholders outlining a long list of the difficulties between the two companies, and the reasons why they considered that the LB&SCR had broken the 1848 agreement. The main areas of disagreement listed were at Hastings railway stationHastings railway station
Hastings railway station is in Hastings in East Sussex, England. It is situated on the Hastings Line to Tunbridge Wells, the East Coastway Line to Brighton and the Marshlink Line to Ashford International....
, allowing the LC&DR to use its lines to London Victoria railway station, a proposed LB&SCR branch to Bromley
Bromley
Bromley is a large suburban town in south east London, England and the administrative headquarters of the London Borough of Bromley. It was historically a market town, and prior to 1963 was in the county of Kent and formed the administrative centre of the Municipal Borough of Bromley...
, a proposed agreement by the LB&SCR to work the Catherham branch, the new LB&SCR line to Dorking
Dorking
Dorking is a historic market town at the foot of the North Downs approximately south of London, in Surrey, England.- History and development :...
, LB&SCR opposition to the SER attempts at building a line to the West End of London
West End of London
The West End of London is an area of central London, containing many of the city's major tourist attractions, shops, businesses, government buildings, and entertainment . Use of the term began in the early 19th century to describe fashionable areas to the west of Charing Cross...
, the LB&SCR agreement to let the LC&DR use its freight facilities at Bricklayers' Arms
Bricklayers' Arms
Bricklayers' Arms is a busy road intersection between A2 and the London Inner Ring Road in south London, England. It is the junction of Tower Bridge Road, Old Kent Road, New Kent Road and Great Dover Street; Old Kent Road and New Kent Road east-bound are connected by a flyover.The area is named...
, and the perennial problem of the shared main line between Redhill
Redhill, Surrey
Redhill is a town in the borough of Reigate and Banstead, Surrey, England and is part of the London commuter belt. Redhill and the adjacent town of Reigate form a single urban area.-History:...
and Croydon
Croydon
Croydon is a town in South London, England, located within the London Borough of Croydon to which it gives its name. It is situated south of Charing Cross...
.
1867 financial crisis and its impact
Overend, Gurney and Company
Overend, Gurney & Company was a London wholesale discount bank, known as "the bankers' bank", which collapsed in 1866 owing about 11 million pounds, equivalent to £981 million at 2008 prices.-Early years:...
in 1866 and the subsequent financial crisis the following year, brought the railway to the brink of bankruptcy. A special meeting of shareholders was adjourned, and the powers of the Board of Directors were suspended pending receipt of a report into the financial affairs of the company and its prospects. The report made clear that the railway had over-extended itself with large capital projects sustained by profits from its passenger traffic, which suddenly declined as a result of the crisis. Several of the country lines were losing money - most notably between Horsham and Guildford, East Grinstead and Tunbridge Wells, and Banstead and Epsom - and the railway was committed to building or acquiring others with equally poor prospects. The report was extremely critical of the policies of Schuster and the Company Secretary, Frederick Slight, both of whom resigned. It did however point out that these lines had been built or acquired as a means for preventing competition from neighbouring railways. The committee recommended the abandonment of several projects, and that the railway should enter into a working co-operation negotiated with the South Eastern Railway
South Eastern Railway (UK)
The South Eastern Railway was a railway company in south-eastern England from 1836 until 1922. The company was formed to construct a route from London to Dover. Branch lines were later opened to Tunbridge Wells, Hastings, Canterbury and other places in Kent...
.
The revised Board of Directors accepted many of these recommendations, and they managed to persuade Samuel Laing
Samuel Laing (science writer)
Samuel Laing, , was a British railway administrator, politician, and influential writer on science and religion during the Victorian era.He was born at Edinburgh on the 12th of December 1810...
to return as Chairman. It was through his business acumen and that of the new Secretary/General Manager J.P. Knight, that the company gradually recovered its financial health during the early 1870s.
As a result all work on the construction of new lines was suspended. Three important projects then under construction were abandoned: namely, the Ouse Valley Railway
Ouse Valley Railway
The Ouse Valley Railway was a railway which was to have formed part of the London, Brighton & South Coast Railway . It was authorised by an Act of Parliament and construction of the long line was begun, but not completed...
, its extension to St Leonards, and the Surrey and Sussex Junction Railway
Oxted Line
The Oxted Line is a railway line in southern England. It was originally operated jointly by the London, Brighton and South Coast Railway and the South Eastern Railway. It is now part of the Southern franchise....
. A fourth project - the line
Cuckoo Line
The Cuckoo Line is an informal name for the now defunct railway service which linked Polegate and Eridge in East Sussex, England, from 1880 to 1968. It was nicknamed the Cuckoo Line by drivers, from a tradition observed at the annual fair at Heathfield, a station on the route...
between Tunbridge Wells and Eastbourne - was shelved until the financial situation improved. For the next decade, building projects were limited to additional spurs or junctions in London and Brighton to enhance the operation of the existing network, or else small-scale ventures in conjunction with other railway companies. The latter included a short line from Streatham
Streatham
Streatham is a district in Surrey, England, located in the London Borough of Lambeth. It is situated south of Charing Cross. The area is identified in the London Plan as one of 35 major centres in Greater London.-History:...
through Tooting
Tooting
Tooting is a district in south London, England, located in the London Borough of Wandsworth. It is situated south south-west of Charing Cross. The area is identified in the London Plan as one of 35 major centres in Greater London.-History:...
to Wimbledon
Wimbledon, London
Wimbledon is a district in the south west area of London, England, located south of Wandsworth, and east of Kingston upon Thames. It is situated within Greater London. It is home to the Wimbledon Tennis Championships and New Wimbledon Theatre, and contains Wimbledon Common, one of the largest areas...
in 1868, and a connection from Portsmouth Town
Portsmouth and Southsea railway station
Portsmouth and Southsea railway station is the main railway station in central Portsmouth in Hampshire, England. It is close to the Commercial Road shopping centre....
to Portsmouth Harbour
Portsmouth Harbour railway station
Portsmouth Harbour railway station is a railway station in Portsmouth, England. It is situated beside Gunwharf Quays in the city's harbour, and is an important transport terminal, with a bus interchange and ferry services to Gosport and the Isle of Wight. The station currently has four platforms:...
in 1876, both jointly with the L&SWR.
The 'working co-operation' with the SER proposed in 1867 never took effect but remained under active consideration by both parties, and also later involved the LC&DR. It was not until 1875 that the idea was eventually dropped, after the SER pulled out of negotiations due to the conditions imposed by Parliament on the proposed merger. The LB&SCR continued as an independent railway but the SER and LCDR did eventually succeed in forming a working relationship in 1899 with the formation of the South Eastern and Chatham Railway
South Eastern and Chatham Railway
The South Eastern and Chatham Railway Companies Joint Management Committee , known by its shorter name of the South Eastern and Chatham Railway was a working union of two neighbouring rival railways, the South Eastern Railway and London, Chatham and Dover Railway , that operated services between...
.
One new line to which the railway was committed, however, was the East London Railway, a consortium of six railway companies: the Great Eastern Railway (GER); the LB&SCR; the LC&DR; the SER; the Metropolitan Railway; and the Metropolitan District Railway. It sought to re-use the existing Thames Tunnel
Thames Tunnel
The Thames Tunnel is an underwater tunnel, built beneath the River Thames in London, United Kingdom, connecting Rotherhithe and Wapping. It measures 35 feet wide by 20 feet high and is 1,300 feet long, running at a depth of 75 feet below the river's surface...
built by Marc and Isambard Kingdom Brunel
Isambard Kingdom Brunel
Isambard Kingdom Brunel, FRS , was a British civil engineer who built bridges and dockyards including the construction of the first major British railway, the Great Western Railway; a series of steamships, including the first propeller-driven transatlantic steamship; and numerous important bridges...
between 1825 and 1843. A new line was therefore built between the LB&SCR at New Cross
New Cross
New Cross is a district and ward of the London Borough of Lewisham, England. It is situated 4 miles south-east of Charing Cross. The ward covered by London post town and the SE 14 postcode district. New Cross is near St Johns, Telegraph Hill, Nunhead, Peckham, Brockley, Deptford and Greenwich...
and Wapping
Wapping
Wapping is a place in the London Borough of Tower Hamlets which forms part of the Docklands to the east of the City of London. It is situated between the north bank of the River Thames and the ancient thoroughfare simply called The Highway...
with a link to the GER main line, in March 1869. It was primarily intended for freight transfer between these railways, but the LB&SCR introduced a new passenger service between Liverpool Street Station
Liverpool Street station
Liverpool Street railway station, also known as London Liverpool Street or simply Liverpool Street, is both a central London railway terminus and a connected London Underground station in the north-eastern corner of the City of London, England...
and Croydon.
Later nineteenth century
By the mid 1870s the company had recovered its financial stability through a policy of encouraging the more intensive use of the existing lines, and reducing operating costs. In fact, between 1870 and 1889 the annual income of the railway rose from £1.3 million to £2.4 million, whilst its operating costs only rose from £65,000 to just over £1 million.The railway was able to embark upon new railway building and improvements to infrastructure within its traditional area of operation. Some of these new lines passed through sparsely populated areas and merely provided shorter connections to towns which were already a part of the railway network, and so were unlikely ever to be profitable, but the railway found itself under pressure from local communities wanting a rail connection, and was frightened that they would otherwise be developed by their rivals.The main reason for the financial recovery lay in the exploitation of its London suburban traffic. By the late 1880s the LB&SCR had developed the largest suburban network of any British railway with 68 route miles in the London suburbs in addition to its main lines, in three routes radiating between London Bridge and Victoria. These were the Inner South London Line, the Outer South London Line and the Crystal Palace lines
Crystal Palace railway station
Crystal Palace railway station is in the London Borough of Bromley in south London. It is located in the Anerley area between the town centres of Crystal Palace and Penge...
, and the railway was then earning more from season tickets than any other British railway.
New routes and station improvements
The scheme to link Eastbourne with Tunbridge Wells was revived in April 1879 with the opening of a new line to connect the existing Hailsham branch to HeathfieldHeathfield (Sussex) railway station
Heathfield railway station was on the Cuckoo Line between Horam and Mayfield, serving the market town of Heathfield.It was built in 1880 by London, Brighton and South Coast Railway on the line extension from Hailsham to Eridge.- Present day :...
. The link was completed the following September with the opening of the line from Heathfield to Eridge
Eridge railway station
Eridge railway station serves a rural district around Eridge in East Sussex. Mainline train services from the station are provided by Southern, and the station is on the Uckfield branch of the Oxted Line. Also heritage services connecting to Groombridge, High Rocks and Tunbridge Wells West are run...
, and later became known as the Cuckoo Line
Cuckoo Line
The Cuckoo Line is an informal name for the now defunct railway service which linked Polegate and Eridge in East Sussex, England, from 1880 to 1968. It was nicknamed the Cuckoo Line by drivers, from a tradition observed at the annual fair at Heathfield, a station on the route...
.
Likewise in 1877 authority was granted to the Lewes and East Grinstead Railway (L&EGR) for the construction of a line between these towns, roughly parallel to the ‘Cuckoo Line’. This line ran, and was sponsored by a number of local landowners, including the Earl of Sheffield, and also included a branch from Horsted Keynes
Horsted Keynes
Horsted Keynes is a village and civil parish in the Mid Sussex District of West Sussex, England. The village is located about eight kilometres north east of Haywards Heath, in the Weald...
to Haywards Heath
Haywards Heath
-Climate:Haywards Heath experiences an oceanic climate similar to almost all of the United Kingdom.-Rail:Haywards Heath railway station is a major station on the Brighton Main Line...
on the Brighton main line. A year later an Act of 1878 enabled the LB&SCR to acquire and operate the new lines which opened in August 1882 and September 1883. The East Grinstead-Lewes line subsequently became known as the “Bluebell line” and following its closure in 1958, the section between and was taken over by the Bluebell Railway
Bluebell Railway
The Bluebell Railway is a heritage line running for nine miles along the border between East and West Sussex, England. Steam trains are operated between and , with an intermediate station at .The railway is managed and run largely by volunteers...
Preservation Society.
The LB&SCR system in West Sussex was largely completed by 1870 except for a link between Midhurst
Midhurst
Midhurst is a market town and civil parish in the Chichester district of West Sussex, England, with a population of 4,889 in 2001. The town is situated on the River Rother and is home to the ruin of the Tudor Cowdray House and the stately Victorian Cowdray Park...
and Chichester
Chichester
Chichester is a cathedral city in West Sussex, within the historic County of Sussex, South-East England. It has a long history as a settlement; its Roman past and its subsequent importance in Anglo-Saxon times are only its beginnings...
, which had been delayed by the financial crisis of 1867; this was revived and opened in 1881. Minor improvements around Littlehampton
Littlehampton
Littlehampton is a seaside resort town and civil parish in the Arun District of West Sussex, England, on the east bank at the mouth of the River Arun. It lies south southwest of London, west of Brighton and east of the county town of Chichester....
were made, and a branch to Devil's Dyke
Devil's Dyke, Sussex
Devil's Dyke is a V-shaped valley on the South Downs Way in southern England, near Brighton and Hove. It is part of the Southern England Chalk Formation.Devil's Dyke is on the way to Brighton and is a big hill at the side of the road.-Geological history:...
opened in 1887. The latter was built by and owned by an independent company but operated by the LB&SCR. In Hampshire the railway leased the existing Hayling Island Branch Line from 1874. This had been opened in 1865 and originally operated as an independent concern. The LB&SCR and the L&SWR also jointly built a branch from Fratton to Southsea
Southsea
Southsea is a seaside resort located in Portsmouth at the southern end of Portsea Island in the county of Hampshire in England. Southsea is within a mile of Portsmouth's city centre....
in Hampshire in 1887.
Although the proposed Surrey and Sussex Junction Railway had been abandoned in 1867, there remained a demand from the citizens of the rapidly growing town of Croydon for a rail link to the South East to towns such as East Grinstead, Tunbridge Wells, and the East Sussex coast. Likewise, the SER was looking for an additional relief route in the same general direction for its Tonbridge
Tonbridge railway station
Tonbridge railway station is a station serving the town of Tonbridge in Kent, England. It is a junction between two important commuter routes; the South Eastern Main Line serving Ashford, Ramsgate and Dover and the Hastings Main Line serving Tunbridge Wells and Hastings, as well as a branch to...
and Hastings
Hastings railway station
Hastings railway station is in Hastings in East Sussex, England. It is situated on the Hastings Line to Tunbridge Wells, the East Coastway Line to Brighton and the Marshlink Line to Ashford International....
services. The two railways therefore collaborated with a proposal for a joint line between South Croydon
South Croydon railway station
South Croydon railway station is in the London Borough of Croydon in south London, in Travelcard Zone 5. It is on the Brighton Line at its junction with the Oxted Line. The station and all trains serving it are operated by Southern.-History:...
, on the main Brighton line, and Oxted
Oxted railway station
Oxted railway station is a relatively busy interchange station and terminus located in Surrey, in the South East region of England. At present, all train services are provided by Southern. The station is the busiest suburban station on the Oxted Line and is a terminus for some services on the...
. Beyond Oxted, the LB&SCR would build its own lines to link with the "Bluebell line" at East Grinstead, and its existing line to Tunbridge Wells. The SER trains would join the former main line between Redhill and Tonbridge. Authority for the construction of these lines was granted in 1878 and they were opened for traffic in 1884.
Brighton railway station
Brighton railway station
Brighton railway station is the principal railway station in the city of Brighton and Hove, on the south coast of England. The station master is Mark Epsom...
was entirely rebuilt and extended in 1882/3, with a new single roof, and Eastbourne
Eastbourne railway station
Eastbourne railway station serves Eastbourne in East Sussex, England. It is on the East Coastway Line, and train services are provided by Southern. It is one of two railway stations in the town, the other being Hampden Park Station...
was likewise rebuilt in 1886, to cope with the additional traffic generated.
Redhill railway station
Redhill railway station serves the town of Redhill, Surrey, England. The station is a major interchange point on the Brighton Main Line 21 miles south of London Victoria...
(where the SER lines to Tonbridge
Tonbridge
Tonbridge is a market town in the English county of Kent, with a population of 30,340 in 2007. It is located on the River Medway, approximately 4 miles north of Tunbridge Wells, 12 miles south west of Maidstone and 29 miles south east of London...
and Guildford
Guildford
Guildford is the county town of Surrey. England, as well as the seat for the borough of Guildford and the administrative headquarters of the South East England region...
diverged) from the main line to Brighton. LB&SCR express trains might find themselves delayed behind SER stopping services over the eight-and-a-quarter miles of shared track between Redhill and Stoats Nest (Coulsdon). Parliamentary insistence meant this part was actually owned by the South Eastern, which naturally gave its own trains precedence through the junctions at Redhill. Eventually, the LB&SCR decided to build a new line between Coulsdon North
Coulsdon North railway station
Coulsdon North is a closed railway station on the Brighton Main Line.- Opening :The station was opened as "Stoats Nest and Cane Hill" on 5 November 1899 by the London, Brighton and South Coast Railway . It took its name partly from the nearby Cane Hill asylum and partly from the nearby Stoats Nest...
and Earlswood
Earlswood (Surrey) railway station
Earlswood railway station serves Earlswood, south of Redhill, in Surrey. It is on the Brighton Main Line, south of the junction between the 'Redhill line' and the 'Quarry line'. Train services are provided by Southern.-History:...
which became known as the Quarry Line, and which is still used by fast trains avoiding Redhill. It was opened on 8 November 1899 (1 April 1900 for passenger traffic).
Twentieth century
During the last twenty years of its existence, the LB&SCR opened no new lines, but rather invested in further improving its own existing main line and London terminals together with the electrification of its London suburban services.Brighton Main Line
The Brighton Main Line is a British railway line from London Victoria and London Bridge to Brighton. It is about 50 miles long, and is electrified throughout. Trains are operated by Southern, First Capital Connect, and Gatwick Express, now part of Southern.-Original proposals:There were no fewer...
moved further south. Plans were drawn up for the quadrupling of the tracks throughout, but only the sixteen miles from Earlswood to Three Bridges
Three Bridges railway station
Three Bridges railway station is located in and named after the village of Three Bridges, which is now a district of Crawley, West Sussex, England...
were ever completed, between 1906 and 1909. A fifth track was laid between Norwood Junction and South Croydon railway station
South Croydon railway station
South Croydon railway station is in the London Borough of Croydon in south London, in Travelcard Zone 5. It is on the Brighton Line at its junction with the Oxted Line. The station and all trains serving it are operated by Southern.-History:...
in 1907/8. Further extension beyond Three Bridges would have involved heavy engineering at the Balcombe tunnel
Balcombe tunnel
Balcombe tunnel is a railway tunnel on the Brighton Main Line through the Sussex Weald between Three Bridges and Balcombe. It is 1141 yards long.-History:The tunnel was constructed by the London and Brighton Railway during 1840-41...
, over the Ouse Valley Viaduct
Ouse Valley Viaduct
Built in 1841, the Ouse Valley Viaduct over the River Ouse on the London-Brighton Railway Line north of Haywards Heath and south of Balcombe is long.-Description:...
, and through the South downs. The required capital expenditure was rather diverted to extending the electrification programme.
Unlike other main-line railway companies, the LB&SCR never had exclusive use of a London terminus, but had to share both of its main London stations with one of its rivals. London Bridge railway station was shared with the SER and Victoria with the LCDR. The rapid increase in commuting from the London suburbs towards the end of the nineteenth century created an urgent need to expand the cramped and limited facilities at Victoria. During the first decade of the new century the line between Grosvenor Bridge
Grosvenor Bridge
Grosvenor Bridge, often alternatively called Victoria Railway Bridge, is a railway bridge over the River Thames in London, between Vauxhall Bridge and Chelsea Bridge. It actually consists of two bridges, both built in the mid-19th century...
and Victoria was widened and the station rebuilt on a much larger scale. A new turntable and locomotive servicing facilities also enabled the use of more powerful locomotives. During the same period the LB&SCR facilities at London Bridge were again enlarged, but since the station had been rebuilt so many times it remained a ‘’sprawling confusion’’.
Motive power shortage
Between 1905 and 1912 the LB&SCR suffered an increasingly serious motive power shortage due to the inability of Brighton railway worksBrighton railway works
Brighton railway works was one of the earliest railway-owned locomotive repair works, founded in 1840 by the London and Brighton Railway in Brighton, England, and thus pre-dating the more famous railway works at Crewe, Doncaster and Swindon...
to keep pace with the volume of repairs and new construction required. By 1910 30% of the locomotive stock was unusable due to delays and inefficiencies at Brighton works, leading to the sickness and retirement of the Locomotive, Carriage and Wagon Superintendent D.E. Marsh. The problem was ultimately solved by the establishment of Lancing Carriage Works
Lancing Carriage Works
Lancing carriage and wagon works was a railway carriage and wagon building and maintenance facility in the village of Lancing in the county of West Sussex in England from 1911 until 1965.-History under the LB&SCR:...
and the re-organisation of Brighton Works by Marsh's successor L.B. Billinton.
First World War
In common with other British railways, the LB&SCR was brought under government control during the First World War. Until then it had carried relatively little heavy freight for much of its existence, but this situation changed dramatically at the outbreak of war. The railway was responsible for carrying the bulk of the stores and munitionsMateriel
Materiel is a term used in English to refer to the equipment and supplies in military and commercial supply chain management....
delivered to the British troops on the continent, principally through its ports of Newhaven and (to a lesser degree) Littlehampton
Littlehampton
Littlehampton is a seaside resort town and civil parish in the Arun District of West Sussex, England, on the east bank at the mouth of the River Arun. It lies south southwest of London, west of Brighton and east of the county town of Chichester....
. This included nearly 7 million tons of freight, including 2.7 million tons of explosives. It necessitated an additional 53,376 freight trains over the four years of the war, as well as an additional 27,366 troop trains.
This additional traffic required substantial improvements to the railway infrastructure, notably at Newhaven harbour, where electric lighting was installed, but also at Three Bridges, where a new freight marshalling yard
Classification yard
A classification yard or marshalling yard is a railroad yard found at some freight train stations, used to separate railroad cars on to one of several tracks. First the cars are taken to a track, sometimes called a lead or a drill...
was established, and at Gatwick and Haywards Heath
Haywards Heath
-Climate:Haywards Heath experiences an oceanic climate similar to almost all of the United Kingdom.-Rail:Haywards Heath railway station is a major station on the Brighton Main Line...
, where passing sidings were constructed so that the frequent passenger trains would not be impeded by the slower-moving freight. Some munitions trains were routed to Newhaven via the Steyning Line
Steyning Line
The Steyning Line was a railway line that connected the West Sussex market town of Horsham with the once bustling south-coast port of Shoreham-by-Sea, with the possibility of an onward connection to Brighton...
to Brighton so as to avoid congesting that part of the Brighton main line which had only two tracks.
LB&SCR at Grouping
At the end of 1922, when the company ceased to have an independent existence, the railway had 457 miles of route running line. Of these, 100 miles were single track, 357 double track, 47 miles triple tracks, and 49 miles four or more tracks. Sidings had a total length of 355 miles.Train services
As originally envisaged, the railway was a trunk route, primarily conveying passengers and to a lesser extent freight between London, Croydon and the towns on England's south coast, with relatively little traffic in between. However, the railway's very existence began to generate new goods and passenger traffic at intervening towns and villages on the main line, such as ReigateReigate
Reigate is a historic market town in Surrey, England, at the foot of the North Downs, and in the London commuter belt. It is one of the main constituents of the Borough of Reigate and Banstead...
, Crawley
Crawley
Crawley is a town and local government district with Borough status in West Sussex, England. It is south of Charing Cross, north of Brighton and Hove, and northeast of the county town of Chichester, covers an area of and had a population of 99,744 at the time of the 2001 Census.The area has...
and Haywards Heath
Haywards Heath
-Climate:Haywards Heath experiences an oceanic climate similar to almost all of the United Kingdom.-Rail:Haywards Heath railway station is a major station on the Brighton Main Line...
. This also applied to Sussex
Sussex
Sussex , from the Old English Sūþsēaxe , is an historic county in South East England corresponding roughly in area to the ancient Kingdom of Sussex. It is bounded on the north by Surrey, east by Kent, south by the English Channel, and west by Hampshire, and is divided for local government into West...
and Surrey
Surrey
Surrey is a county in the South East of England and is one of the Home Counties. The county borders Greater London, Kent, East Sussex, West Sussex, Hampshire and Berkshire. The historic county town is Guildford. Surrey County Council sits at Kingston upon Thames, although this has been part of...
market towns such as Lewes
Lewes
Lewes is the county town of East Sussex, England and historically of all of Sussex. It is a civil parish and is the centre of the Lewes local government district. The settlement has a history as a bridging point and as a market town, and today as a communications hub and tourist-oriented town...
, Horsham
Horsham
Horsham is a market town with a population of 55,657 on the upper reaches of the River Arun in the centre of the Weald, West Sussex, in the historic County of Sussex, England. The town is south south-west of London, north-west of Brighton and north-east of the county town of Chichester...
, East Grinstead
East Grinstead
East Grinstead is a town and civil parish in the northeastern corner of Mid Sussex, West Sussex in England near the East Sussex, Surrey, and Kent borders. It lies south of London, north northeast of Brighton, and east northeast of the county town of Chichester...
and Dorking
Dorking
Dorking is a historic market town at the foot of the North Downs approximately south of London, in Surrey, England.- History and development :...
as soon as these were connected to the network. The development of Newhaven harbour was also a stimulus to the development of both categories of traffic.
Freight services
Agricultural goods and general merchandise were carried, together with wine, foodstuffs and some manufactured goods imported from France. There were no coal mines within the railway’s territory, and so the railway had to pay substantially more for its fuel supplies than most other railway companies. This was partially offset by the transportation of shingle for rail ballast from Pevensey. In 1898 there was a scheme to develop Deptford Wharf for the landing of coal brought by sea.The main London goods depot was at 'Willow Walk', part of the Bricklayers Arms railway complex, where the railway established its own independent facilities in 1849. These were enlarged in 1854 after the Brighton company entered into an agreement with the London Chatham and Dover Railway to handle its goods traffic at the Depot. Further extensions were built in 1865 and 1902. Other goods facilities in London existed at Battersea
Battersea
Battersea is an area of the London Borough of Wandsworth, England. It is an inner-city district of South London, situated on the south side of the River Thames, 2.9 miles south-west of Charing Cross. Battersea spans from Fairfield in the west to Queenstown in the east...
and Deptford Wharf. There was also a separate goods station at Brighton
Brighton
Brighton is the major part of the city of Brighton and Hove in East Sussex, England on the south coast of Great Britain...
, adjacent to the passenger station.
Passenger services
Throughout its existence, the LB&SCR was essentially a passenger-carrying concern, with goods and mineral traffic playing a limited role in its receipts. Season ticket revenues, particularly from those travelling from Brighton to London, were the backbone of the company's finances for most of the nineteenth century. The morning rush hourRush hour
A rush hour or peak hour is a part of the day during which traffic congestion on roads and crowding on public transport is at its highest. Normally, this happens twice a day—once in the morning and once in the evening, the times during when the most people commute...
business services were among "the heaviest express services in the world" in the 1880s, with loads of 360 tons.
Express passenger services ran to the most important coastal destinations from both London Bridge and Victoria stations. Slower passenger services to London from these and other destinations would often divide at East Croydon in order to serve both London termini, and would also combine there for down trains. Thus East Croydon had an important nodal function in the system. After 1867, following the opening of the direct line to Horsham, Sutton acted as a similarly important node for passenger trains between London and Portsmouth.
The speed and punctuality of many LB&SCR passenger services was the subject of widespread criticism in the technical and popular press during the 1890s. This was in part due in part to the complexity of the system and the large number of signals and junctions between London and Croydon, the sharing of stretches of line with the SER (itself also the subject of widespread criticism), and the relatively short routes giving little opportunity to make up for lost time. The railway gradually began to rebuild its reputation during the twentieth century through improvements to its main line and electrification of its suburban services.
The LB&SCR appears to have invented the practice of "slipping
Slip coach
A slip coach or slip carriage is a British and Irish railway term for passenger rolling stock that is uncoupled from an express train while the train is in motion, then slowed by a guard in the coach using a hand brake, bringing it to a stop at the next station. The coach was thus said to be...
" coaches from the rear of express trains, at intermediate junctions, for onward transmission to smaller stations. The earliest recorded example was at Haywards Heath
Haywards Heath railway station
Haywards Heath railway station serves Haywards Heath in West Sussex, England. It is on the Brighton Main Line and Thameslink north of Brighton, and train services are primarily provided by Southern and First Capital Connect...
in February 1858, where coaches for Hastings
Hastings
Hastings is a town and borough in the county of East Sussex on the south coast of England. The town is located east of the county town of Lewes and south east of London, and has an estimated population of 86,900....
were slipped from a London-Brighton express. Thereafter the practice was used by other railways. Before 1914, twenty-one coaches were slipped each day on the Brighton main line. Coaches were slipped at Horley
Horley railway station
Horley railway station serves the town of Horley in Surrey, England. It is on the Brighton Main Line south of London Victoria, and train services are provided by Southern.There are 4 platforms, all 247 m long, capable of accepting 12 car long trains....
and Three Bridges
Three Bridges railway station
Three Bridges railway station is located in and named after the village of Three Bridges, which is now a district of Crawley, West Sussex, England...
for stations to East Grinstead
East Grinstead railway station
East Grinstead railway station serves the town of East Grinstead in West Sussex. The station was formerly divided into two levels: the higher level platforms serving the Three Bridges to Tunbridge Wells Central Line, whilst the lower level platforms received services from the Oxted Line 49 km ...
, Forest Row
Forest Row railway station
Forest Row was a railway station on the Three Bridges to Tunbridge Wells Central Line which closed in 1967, a casualty of the Beeching Axe....
or Horsham
Horsham railway station
Horsham railway station serves the town of Horsham in West Sussex, England. It is on the Arun Valley Line 61 km south of London Victoria and the Sutton & Mole Valley Lines, and train services are provided by Southern...
, or else at Haywards Heath
Haywards Heath
-Climate:Haywards Heath experiences an oceanic climate similar to almost all of the United Kingdom.-Rail:Haywards Heath railway station is a major station on the Brighton Main Line...
for stations to Brighton
Brighton railway station
Brighton railway station is the principal railway station in the city of Brighton and Hove, on the south coast of England. The station master is Mark Epsom...
or Eastbourne
Eastbourne railway station
Eastbourne railway station serves Eastbourne in East Sussex, England. It is on the East Coastway Line, and train services are provided by Southern. It is one of two railway stations in the town, the other being Hampden Park Station...
. The practice continued until the electrification of the main line in 1932.
London suburban traffic
The railway greatly encouraged the use of its service by commuters into London by reducing the prices of season tickets and introducing special workmen's trainsCheap Trains Act 1883
The Cheap Trains Act 1883 marked the beginning of worker's train services. It removed the passenger duty on any train charging less than a penny a mile and obliged the railway companies to operate a larger number of cheap trains....
for manual workers in 1870. This ultimately changed the character of the railway and had a profound influence upon its motive power
Motive power
In thermodynamics, motive power is an agency, as water or steam, used to impart motion. Generally, motive power is defined as a natural agent, as water, steam, wind, electricity, etc., used to impart motion to machinery; a motor; a mover. The term may also define something, as a locomotive or a...
policy and passenger train services. In the 1870s it led to the introduction of new standard tank engine classes such as the Terrier
LB&SCR A1 Class
The London, Brighton and South Coast Railway A1 Class is an English class of 0-6-0T steam locomotive. Designed by William Stroudley, 50 members of the class were built in 1872 and between 1874 and 1880, all at Brighton Works. The class have received several nicknames, initially being known as...
and D1
LB&SCR D1 class
The LB&SCR D1 class were powerful 0-4-2 suburban passenger tank locomotives, designed by William Stroudley of the London Brighton and South Coast Railway in 1873. They were originally known as "D-tanks" but later reclassified as class D1...
classes under William Stroudley
William Stroudley
William Stroudley was one of Britain's most famous steam locomotive engineers of the nineteenth century, working principally for the London, Brighton and South Coast Railway...
, both of which were originally designed for the London suburban services. When these locomotives became unable to cope with the increased traffic and competition from electric trams in the early twentieth century, it resulted in the electrification of the London suburban network.
Excursion and holiday traffic
Excursion trainExcursion train
An excursion train is a chartered train run for a special event or purpose.Examples of excursion trains:* A train to a major sporting event* A train run for railfans or tourism...
s from London to the South Coast or the Sussex countryside had been introduced by the London and Brighton Railway in 1844, and were always a feature of the LB&SCR throughout its existence. However, after 1870 the company sought to develop this trade and market the south coast resorts, Hayling Island
Hayling Island
-Leisure activities:Although largely residential, Hayling is also a holiday, windsurfing and sailing centre, the site where windsurfing was invented....
and the Isle of Wight
Isle of Wight
The Isle of Wight is a county and the largest island of England, located in the English Channel, on average about 2–4 miles off the south coast of the county of Hampshire, separated from the mainland by a strait called the Solent...
as holiday destinations, by publishing a range of attractive posters. On the Isle of Wight the LB&SCR and the L&SWR jointly took over the ferry service from Portsmouth harbour and built new pier facilities at Ryde
Ryde Pier Head railway station
Ryde Pier Head railway station is one of three stations in the town of Ryde on the Isle of Wight. Situated at the end of the town's pier, it is adjacent to the terminal for the Wightlink fast catamaran service connecting the island with Portsmouth on the UK mainland...
, together with a short railway line from the pier to the existing station at St John's Road
Ryde St John's Road railway station
Ryde St John's Road is a railway station on the Island Line, and serves the town of Ryde, Isle of Wight. The station is south of Ryde Pier Head—the Island Line's northern terminus. When the station opened in 1864, it was known as Ryde railway station, as it was the northern terminus of the...
in 1880.
Pullman-car trains
The LB&SCR pioneered the running of the all-PullmanPullman Company
The Pullman Palace Car Company, founded by George Pullman, manufactured railroad cars in the mid-to-late 19th century through the early decades of the 20th century, during the boom of railroads in the United States. Pullman developed the sleeping car which carried his name into the 1980s...
train in England. Pullman cars had been introduced on the Midland Railway
Midland Railway
The Midland Railway was a railway company in the United Kingdom from 1844 to 1922, when it became part of the London, Midland and Scottish Railway....
in 1874, followed by the Great Northern Railway
Great Northern Railway (Great Britain)
The Great Northern Railway was a British railway company established by the Great Northern Railway Act of 1846. On 1 January 1923 the company lost its identity as a constituent of the newly formed London and North Eastern Railway....
soon after, and the LB&SCR itself in 1875.
- The "Pullman Limited Express": on 5 December 1881 the LB&SCR inaugurated the first all-Pullman train. It consisted of four cars (built at the Pullman Car Company workshops in DerbyDerbyDerby , is a city and unitary authority in the East Midlands region of England. It lies upon the banks of the River Derwent and is located in the south of the ceremonial county of Derbyshire. In the 2001 census, the population of the city was 233,700, whilst that of the Derby Urban Area was 229,407...
): "Beatrice", "Louise", "Maud" and "Victoria"; these were the first electrically-lit coaches to run on a British railway. The "Pullman Limited Express" made two down and two up trips per day, and one each way on Sundays. In 1887 the name of the service was changed to "Brighton Pullman Limited"; by now first-class carriages were also attached to the train. A new train was built in 1888: three brand-new Pullmans were shipped over in parts from the Pullman Palace Car Company in America, and assembled by the LB&SCR at Brighton. - The "Brighton Limited" was introduced on 2 October 1898. It ran only on Sundays, and not at all during the holiday months July–September. From the beginning the new train was timed to make the journey from Victoria in one hour: "London to Brighton in one hour" was the advertisement then used for the first time. On 21 December 1902 it made a record run of 54 minutes. It then hit the headlines again when, faced with the threat of a competing electric railway being built from London to Brighton, the "Limited" was run to Brighton in 48 mins 41 secs, and the return to London in 50 mins 21 secs, thus matching the schedule put forward by the promoters of the new electric line.
- "The "Southern Belle": on 8 November 1908 the LB&SCR introduced what it described as "the most luxurious train in the World" – "The Southern Belle". By 1910 two trips each way were running every day; later three were run on Sundays. Third-class Pullman cars began running on Sunday 12 September 1915 from Victoria to Brighton and EastbourneEastbourne railway stationEastbourne railway station serves Eastbourne in East Sussex, England. It is on the East Coastway Line, and train services are provided by Southern. It is one of two railway stations in the town, the other being Hampden Park Station...
.
Rail motor services
During the first few years of the twentieth century the railway became concerned about losses incurred on several branch and short-distance passenger services, particularly during the winter months. The directors therefore asked its Chief Mechanical Engineer, Robert BillintonR. J. Billinton
Robert John Billinton was the Locomotive, Carriage, Wagon and Marine Superintendent of the London, Brighton and South Coast Railway from 1890 until his death.-Early career:...
, to investigate the possible use of either steam or petrol railcar
Railcar
A railcar, in British English and Australian English, is a self-propelled railway vehicle designed to transport passengers. The term "railcar" is usually used in reference to a train consisting of a single coach , with a driver's cab at one or both ends. Some railways, e.g., the Great Western...
s on the lightly used services. Billinton died before examples could be acquired, but in 1905 his successor Douglas Earle Marsh
D. E. Marsh
Douglas Earle Marsh was the Locomotive, Carriage and Wagon Superintendent of the London, Brighton and South Coast Railway from November 1904 until his early retirement on health grounds in July 1911.-Early career:...
acquired two steam railcars from Beyer, Peacock and Company
Beyer, Peacock and Company
Beyer, Peacock and Company was an English railway Locomotive manufacturer with a factory in Gorton, Manchester. Founded by Charles Beyer and Richard Peacock, it traded from 1854 until 1966...
, and two petrol railcars from Dick, Kerr & Co.
Dick, Kerr & Co.
Dick, Kerr and Company was a locomotive and tramcar manufacturer based in Kilmarnock, Scotland and Preston, England.-Early history:Having previously been known as W.B.Dick and Company the company had built all kinds of tramway equipment and rolling stock. From 1883 the company joined with John Kerr...
. These were compared with traditional small steam locomotives of the Stroudley A1
LB&SCR A1 Class
The London, Brighton and South Coast Railway A1 Class is an English class of 0-6-0T steam locomotive. Designed by William Stroudley, 50 members of the class were built in 1872 and between 1874 and 1880, all at Brighton Works. The class have received several nicknames, initially being known as...
and D1
LB&SCR D1 class
The LB&SCR D1 class were powerful 0-4-2 suburban passenger tank locomotives, designed by William Stroudley of the London Brighton and South Coast Railway in 1873. They were originally known as "D-tanks" but later reclassified as class D1...
classes fitted for "motor train" or "push-pull
Push-pull train
Push–pull is a mode of operation for locomotive-hauled trains allowing them to be driven from either end.A push–pull train has a locomotive at one end of the train, connected via some form of remote control, such as multiple-unit train control, to a vehicle equipped with a control cab at the other...
" working. Neither type of railcar was successful, being inadequate to cope with traffic fluctuations between winter and summer, but the "motor trains" could be adapted by the addition or removal of extra coaches. As a result, the experiment provided a new lease of life for the Stroudley tank classes, which continued to be used on branch lines for many years after their withdrawal from suburban services. The steam railcars were sold off after a few years, and the petrol railcars were used for departmental (non-revenue earning) purposes during the erection of the catenary for the overhead electrification
Overhead lines
Overhead lines or overhead wires are used to transmit electrical energy to trams, trolleybuses or trains at a distance from the energy supply point...
of the London suburban lines.
During the experiments relating to the use of railcars and motor trains, the railway constructed a number of additional unmanned halts between existing country stations, such as Lyons Crossing Halt
Ifield railway station
Ifield railway station serves the neighbourhoods of Ifield and Gossops Green in the West Sussex town of Crawley. It is on the Arun Valley Line, and is miles from London Bridge. Train services are provided by Southern.-History:...
, or Littlehaven Halt
Littlehaven railway station
Littlehaven Railway Station serves the areas of Littlehaven, Holbrook and Roffey in the northeast of the town of Horsham, West Sussex. It is on the Arun Valley Line, and is the first station out of Horsham on that route going towards London.- History :...
on the Arun Valley Line
Arun Valley Line
The Arun Valley Line, also known as the Mid Sussex Line, is part of the Southern-operated railway services. For the initial part of the route trains follow the Brighton Main Line, and at a junction south of Three Bridges the route turns westwards...
, in an attempt to increase passenger revenues.
Railway electrification
Proposals for a new London and Brighton Electric Railway made to the UK Parliament in 1900 failed to proceed, but did cause the LB&SCR to consider the electrificationRailway electrification system
A railway electrification system supplies electrical energy to railway locomotives and multiple units as well as trams so that they can operate without having an on-board prime mover. There are several different electrification systems in use throughout the world...
of its lines. Because of the nature of its traffic with a very large number of commuter journeys over relatively short distances, the railway was an obvious candidate for electrification, and sought powers to adapt its suburban lines in 1903. Although the Midland Railway
Midland Railway
The Midland Railway was a railway company in the United Kingdom from 1844 to 1922, when it became part of the London, Midland and Scottish Railway....
lines from Lancaster to Morecambe
Morecambe
Morecambe is a resort town and civil parish within the City of Lancaster in Lancashire, England. As of 2001 it has a resident population of 38,917. It faces into Morecambe Bay...
and Heysham
Heysham
Heysham is a large coastal village near Lancaster in the county of Lancashire, England. Overlooking Morecambe Bay, it is a ferry port with services to the Isle of Man and Ireland. Heysham is the site of two nuclear power stations which are landmarks visible from hills in the surrounding area...
had been the first to be converted, the LB&SCR was equally a pioneer in the use of this form of traction in Britain and its lines eventually covered a far greater length of electrified track.
Third-rail direct current
Direct current
Direct current is the unidirectional flow of electric charge. Direct current is produced by such sources as batteries, thermocouples, solar cells, and commutator-type electric machines of the dynamo type. Direct current may flow in a conductor such as a wire, but can also flow through...
electrification systems were usually preferable for suburban schemes, but the LB&SCR board foresaw the future electrification of its main line, and ultimately its routes to Portsmouth and Hastings, and therefore decided on a high-tension overhead supply system at 6600 volts AC
Alternating current
In alternating current the movement of electric charge periodically reverses direction. In direct current , the flow of electric charge is only in one direction....
. This system was of German origin and the main contractor was Allgemeine Elektricitäts Gesellschaft
AEG
Allgemeine Elektricitäts-Gesellschaft was a German producer of electrical equipment founded in 1883 by Emil Rathenau....
of Berlin, but some work was sub-contracted to British companies. Power supply was from the London Electric Supply Corporation (LESCo) at Deptford
Deptford
Deptford is a district of south London, England, located on the south bank of the River Thames. It is named after a ford of the River Ravensbourne, and from the mid 16th century to the late 19th was home to Deptford Dockyard, the first of the Royal Navy Dockyards.Deptford and the docks are...
.
The first section of LB&SCR to be electrified was the South London Line connecting London Bridge with Victoria via Denmark Hill
Denmark Hill railway station
Denmark Hill railway station is a railway station in the London Borough of Southwark in London, England, on the Inner South London Line. The station is managed by Southeastern and is served by trains of that company and Southern. It is in Travelcard Zone 2. It is located on Champion Park in the...
, which was opened on 1 December 1909. The new service was marketed as 'The Elevated Electric' and was an immediate success. Other routes followed: on 12 May 1911 Victoria–Crystal Palace
Crystal Palace railway station
Crystal Palace railway station is in the London Borough of Bromley in south London. It is located in the Anerley area between the town centres of Crystal Palace and Penge...
via Balham and West Norwood
West Norwood railway station
West Norwood railway station is in the London Borough of Lambeth in West Norwood, south London. The station, and all trains serving it, is operated by Southern, and it is in Travelcard Zone 3. Services from Platform 1 go to London Victoria and London Bridge via Tulse Hill...
were opened, followed on 3 March 1912 by the line from Peckham Rye
Peckham Rye railway station
Peckham Rye railway station is a station on Rye Lane in the centre of the shopping district of Peckham in South London. It opened on 1 December 1865 for LC&DR trains and on 13 August 1886 for LB&SCR trains...
to West Norwood. Repair shops for the growing electric fleet were established at Peckham Rye, and carriage sheds at Norwood Junction
Norwood Junction railway station
Norwood Junction railway station is in South Norwood in the London Borough of Croydon in south London, in Travelcard Zone 4.The station is managed by London Overground and trains operated by Southern and London Overground .-History:...
.
The continued success and profitability of its earliest projects caused the railway to decide to electrify all remaining London suburban lines in 1913. However, the outbreak of war
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
the following year interrupted and ultimately delayed what was planned to have been considerable further mileage of electrified line. By 1921 most of the inner London suburban lines were electrified, and during 1922 lines to Coulsdon
Coulsdon North railway station
Coulsdon North is a closed railway station on the Brighton Main Line.- Opening :The station was opened as "Stoats Nest and Cane Hill" on 5 November 1899 by the London, Brighton and South Coast Railway . It took its name partly from the nearby Cane Hill asylum and partly from the nearby Stoats Nest...
and Sutton, which were opened on 1 April 1925. During 1920 plans were drawn up to extend the 'Elevated Electric' on the main lines to Brighton, Worthing, Eastbourne, Newhaven and Seaford, and also to Epsom and Oxted, but these were overtaken by the Grouping.
The 'Elevated Electric' proved to be a technical and financial success, but was to be short-lived, since the London and South Western Railway
London and South Western Railway
The London and South Western Railway was a railway company in England from 1838 to 1922. Its network extended from London to Plymouth via Salisbury and Exeter, with branches to Ilfracombe and Padstow and via Southampton to Bournemouth and Weymouth. It also had many routes connecting towns in...
had adopted the third-rail system; and, after grouping, its mileage far exceeded that of the LB&SCR. In 1926 the Southern Railway announced that, as part of a huge electrification project, all overhead lines were to be converted to third rail
Third rail
A third rail is a method of providing electric power to a railway train, through a semi-continuous rigid conductor placed alongside or between the rails of a railway track. It is used typically in a mass transit or rapid transit system, which has alignments in its own corridors, fully or almost...
operation, thus bringing all lines into a common system. The last overhead electric train ran on 22 September 1929.
Accidents and signalling control
Semaphore signallingRailway signalling
Railway signalling is a system used to control railway traffic safely, essentially to prevent trains from colliding. Being guided by fixed rails, trains are uniquely susceptible to collision; furthermore, trains cannot stop quickly, and frequently operate at speeds that do not enable them to stop...
and signal boxes
Signalling control
On a rail transport system, signalling control is the process by which control is exercised over train movements by way of railway signals and block systems to ensure that trains operate safely, over the correct route and to the proper timetable...
were both first introduced on the L&CR and had also been adopted by the L&BR prior to the amalgamation. Nevertheless there were a number of serious accidents in the early years of the LB&SCR some of which were due to failures in communication. The company began to improve its safety record in the 1860s with the introduction of interlocking
Interlocking
In railway signalling, an interlocking is an arrangement of signal apparatus that prevents conflicting movements through an arrangement of tracks such as junctions or crossings. The signalling appliances and tracks are sometimes collectively referred to as an interlocking plant...
, and the early introduction of Westinghouse air brakes
Westinghouse Air Brake Company
The railway air brake was invented by George Westinghouse of New York state in 1869. Soon after, he moved to Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, where he established the Westinghouse Air Brake Company on September 28, 1869...
. Given the large number of junctions and the intensive use of its system, the LB&SCR maintained a good safety record during the last half century of its existence.
The most notable accidents are as follows
- DerailmentDerailmentA derailment is an accident on a railway or tramway in which a rail vehicle, or part or all of a train, leaves the tracks on which it is travelling, with consequent damage and in many cases injury and/or death....
– Falmer BankFalmer railway stationFalmer Railway Station is operated by Southern and lies on the East Coastway Line.The station serves the village of Falmer as well as the University of Sussex campus and the University of Brighton Falmer Campus. It also serves Falmer Stadium, the new home of Brighton & Hove Albion F.C....
6 June 1851, due to an object on the line; Streatham CommonStreatham Common railway stationStreatham Common railway station is in Streatham in south London miles from Victoria, and is in Travelcard Zone 3.The station is managed by Southern who also operate trains from the station...
, 29 May 1863. - Signal passed at dangerSignal passed at dangerA Signal passed at danger , in British railway terminology, occurs when a train passes a stop signal without authority to do so. It is a term primarily used within the British Railway Industry, although it can be applied worldwide.-Categories of SPAD:...
– Arun BridgeRiver ArunThe Arun is a river in the English county of West Sussex. Its source is a series of small streams in the St Leonard's Forest area, to the east of Horsham...
, 27 November 1851, head-on collisionHead-on collisionA head-on collision is one where the front ends of two ships, trains, planes or vehicles hit each other, as opposed to a side collision or rear-end collision.-Rail transport:...
; The Clayton Tunnel rail crashClayton Tunnel rail crashThe Clayton Tunnel rail crash, which took place on Sunday 25 August 1861, five miles from Brighton on the south coast of England, was the worst accident of the British railway system to that time...
, 25 August 1861, an excursion train crashed into another which had stopped in the tunnel, the worst accident to occur up to that time on the British railway system with 23 deaths and 176 injuries; WivelsfieldWivelsfield railway stationWivelsfield railway station serves World's End and other northern parts of Burgess Hill in West Sussex. It is approximately 2 miles from the village of Wivelsfield, which lies northeast of the town of Burgess Hill. The station is also north of...
, 23 December 1899, a Brighton train ran into the back of a boat train in thick fog. - Boiler explosionBoiler explosionA boiler explosion is a catastrophic failure of a boiler. As seen today, boiler explosions are of two kinds. One kind is over-pressure in the pressure parts of the steam and water sides. The second kind is explosion in the furnace. Boiler explosions of pressure parts are particularly associated...
– 17 March 1853, BrightonBrighton railway stationBrighton railway station is the principal railway station in the city of Brighton and Hove, on the south coast of England. The station master is Mark Epsom...
; 3 October 1859; Falmer BankFalmer railway stationFalmer Railway Station is operated by Southern and lies on the East Coastway Line.The station serves the village of Falmer as well as the University of Sussex campus and the University of Brighton Falmer Campus. It also serves Falmer Stadium, the new home of Brighton & Hove Albion F.C....
, 27 September 1879, LewesLewes railway stationLewes railway station serves the town of Lewes in East Sussex, England. It has five platforms and is on the East Coastway Line. Train services are provided by Southern.The station has a café and a newsagent, and there is a taxi office on the main forecourt...
. - Signalling errorSignalling controlOn a rail transport system, signalling control is the process by which control is exercised over train movements by way of railway signals and block systems to ensure that trains operate safely, over the correct route and to the proper timetable...
– 21 August 1854, East Croydon railway station. - Bridge collapse - The Norwood Junction rail accidentNorwood Junction rail accidentThe Norwood Junction railway crash occurred on 1 May 1891, when a cast iron under-bridge some 60 yards north east of Norwood Junction railway station fractured under an express train from Brighton to London in southern England....
, 1 May 1891, a cast iron under-bridge fractured under the weight of an express. - Divided train - The Stoat's Nest accident, 29 January 1910, a London express split in two when passing points at the station.
Signalling and signal boxes
The LB&SCR originally used semaphore for home signals and 'double disc' for distant signals. However after 1872 semaphore signals were used for both purposes.The company was using primitive interlocking between signals at some junctions by 1844. However, in 1856, John Saxby a carpenter working for the company, invented and patented a form of manual interlocking
Interlocking
In railway signalling, an interlocking is an arrangement of signal apparatus that prevents conflicting movements through an arrangement of tracks such as junctions or crossings. The signalling appliances and tracks are sometimes collectively referred to as an interlocking plant...
of the points and signals, which was first tried out at Bricklayers' Arms
Bricklayers' Arms
Bricklayers' Arms is a busy road intersection between A2 and the London Inner Ring Road in south London, England. It is the junction of Tower Bridge Road, Old Kent Road, New Kent Road and Great Dover Street; Old Kent Road and New Kent Road east-bound are connected by a flyover.The area is named...
in that year. The first fully interlocking frame was installed by Saxby at Keymer Junction near Haywards Heath
Haywards Heath
-Climate:Haywards Heath experiences an oceanic climate similar to almost all of the United Kingdom.-Rail:Haywards Heath railway station is a major station on the Brighton Main Line...
in 1860, where he built a small workshop to undertake private work. He later left the company and in 1862 formed Saxby and Farmer signalling contractors. Thereafter the LB&SC patronised Saxby & Farmer for most of their signalling control until circa 1880.
The company also inherited the world's first signal boxes sited at Bricklayer's Arms Junction and Brighton Junction (Norwood). After 1880 the LB&SCR gradually developed its own architecture for signal boxes, but used a mixture of home-produced and contractor-built frames.
In addition to both Saxby and Farmer (formerly a traffic manager with the LB&SCR), J.E. Annett, the inventor of Annett's key
Annett's key
In railway signalling, an Annett’s key or Annett key is a large key that locks levers or other items of signalling apparatus, thereby functioning as a portable form of interlocking. When not in use, the key is normally held in an Annett's lock that is fixed to the lever or apparatus concerned...
, 1875 (which functioned as a portable form of interlocking) was also a former LB&SCR employee.
Rolling stockRolling stockRolling stock comprises all the vehicles that move on a railway. It usually includes both powered and unpowered vehicles, for example locomotives, railroad cars, coaches and wagons...
For the greater part of its existence the railway relied upon steam locomotives for motive powerMotive power
In thermodynamics, motive power is an agency, as water or steam, used to impart motion. Generally, motive power is defined as a natural agent, as water, steam, wind, electricity, etc., used to impart motion to machinery; a motor; a mover. The term may also define something, as a locomotive or a...
, and it owned no diesel
Diesel locomotive
A diesel locomotive is a type of railroad locomotive in which the prime mover is a diesel engine, a reciprocating engine operating on the Diesel cycle as invented by Dr. Rudolf Diesel...
or electric
Electric locomotive
An electric locomotive is a locomotive powered by electricity from overhead lines, a third rail or an on-board energy storage device...
locomotives. The electrified lines were worked by electric multiple units for passenger traffic and by steam for freight. The railway did however experiment with the use of two petrol railcar
Railcar
A railcar, in British English and Australian English, is a self-propelled railway vehicle designed to transport passengers. The term "railcar" is usually used in reference to a train consisting of a single coach , with a driver's cab at one or both ends. Some railways, e.g., the Great Western...
s in 1906 and 1907, but these proved to be underpowered and highly unreliable and so were soon taken out of traffic.
The LB&SCR under Stroudley was one of the first railways in Britain to adopt the Westinghouse
George Westinghouse
George Westinghouse, Jr was an American entrepreneur and engineer who invented the railway air brake and was a pioneer of the electrical industry. Westinghouse was one of Thomas Edison's main rivals in the early implementation of the American electricity system...
railway air brake on its rolling stock after 1877 in preference to the far less effective vacuum brakes employed by its neighbours.
Steam locomotives
The new railway inherited 51 steam locomotives from the Brighton, Croydon and Dover Joint Committee when it was wound up. During the seventy-five years of its existence the company either built or purchased a further 1,055 locomotives. Of, these 620 were handed over to the Southern Railway on 1 January 1923.The LB&SCR achieved early fame as the first railway to make use of the Jenny Lind
Jenny Lind locomotive
The Jenny Lind locomotive was the first of a class of ten steam locomotives built in 1847 for the London Brighton and South Coast Railway by E. B. Wilson and Company of Leeds, named after Jenny Lind who was a famous opera singer of the period...
2-2-2
2-2-2
Under the Whyte notation for the classification of steam locomotives, 2-2-2 represents the wheel arrangement of two leading wheels on one axle two powered driving wheels on one axle, and two trailing wheels on one axle. The wheel arrangement both provided more stability and enabled a larger firebox...
locomotive in 1847, designed by David Joy
David Joy
David Frederick Joy was a former professional footballer, who played for Huddersfield Town and York City.-References:*99 Years & Counting - Stats & Stories - Huddersfield Town History...
, the Chief Draughtsman of the E.B.Wilson and Company of Leeds
Leeds
Leeds is a city and metropolitan borough in West Yorkshire, England. In 2001 Leeds' main urban subdivision had a population of 443,247, while the entire city has a population of 798,800 , making it the 30th-most populous city in the European Union.Leeds is the cultural, financial and commercial...
, which was later widely used by other railways. The policy of John Chester Craven
John Chester Craven
John Chester Craven was the locomotive, carriage and wagon superintendent of the London, Brighton and South Coast Railway from 1847 until his resignation in 1870....
, Locomotive Superintendent from 1847 to 1869, was to design locomotives for each task or type of traffic hauled by the railway. Many of his designs were capable locomotives, but with 72 different classes in use at the time of William Stroudley
William Stroudley
William Stroudley was one of Britain's most famous steam locomotive engineers of the nineteenth century, working principally for the London, Brighton and South Coast Railway...
's appointment in 1870, the policy was hopelessly uneconomic.
Stroudley had reduced this number to twelve main classes, many of which had interchangeable parts, by 1888. He introduced a number of extremely successful and long-lived designs, notably the A1 class
LB&SCR A1 Class
The London, Brighton and South Coast Railway A1 Class is an English class of 0-6-0T steam locomotive. Designed by William Stroudley, 50 members of the class were built in 1872 and between 1874 and 1880, all at Brighton Works. The class have received several nicknames, initially being known as...
0-6-0
0-6-0
Under the Whyte notation for the classification of steam locomotives, 0-6-0 represents the wheel arrangement of no leading wheels, six powered and coupled driving wheels on three axles, and no trailing wheels...
and D1 class
LB&SCR D1 class
The LB&SCR D1 class were powerful 0-4-2 suburban passenger tank locomotives, designed by William Stroudley of the London Brighton and South Coast Railway in 1873. They were originally known as "D-tanks" but later reclassified as class D1...
0-4-2
0-4-2
Under the Whyte notation for the classification of steam locomotives, 0-4-2 represents the wheel arrangement with no leading wheels, four powered and coupled driving wheels on two axles, and two trailing wheels on one axle...
tank engines and the B1 class
LB&SCR B1 Class
The London, Brighton and South Coast Railway B1 Class is a class of 0-4-2 express passenger steam locomotives, known from the name of the first, No. 214, as the "Gladstones".-History:...
0-4-2
0-4-2
Under the Whyte notation for the classification of steam locomotives, 0-4-2 represents the wheel arrangement with no leading wheels, four powered and coupled driving wheels on two axles, and two trailing wheels on one axle...
express passenger locomotives. His locomotives were all limited to six-wheels, and he never used bogie
Bogie
A bogie is a wheeled wagon or trolley. In mechanics terms, a bogie is a chassis or framework carrying wheels, attached to a vehicle. It can be fixed in place, as on a cargo truck, mounted on a swivel, as on a railway carriage/car or locomotive, or sprung as in the suspension of a caterpillar...
s on his designs largely because of the limitations imposed by the LB&SCR turntables, notably at London Victoria.
The high price of coal supplies paid by the railway also encouraged Stroudley to experiment with condensing apparatus
Steam locomotive condensing apparatus
A steam locomotive condensing apparatus differs in purpose from the usual closed cycle steam engine condenser, in that its function is primarily either to recover water, or to avoid excessive emissions to the atmosphere, rather than maintaining a vacuum to improve both efficiency and power...
.
Stroudley’s successor R. J. Billinton
R. J. Billinton
Robert John Billinton was the Locomotive, Carriage, Wagon and Marine Superintendent of the London, Brighton and South Coast Railway from 1890 until his death.-Early career:...
continued the process of standardisation of locomotive parts until his death in 1904, thereby reducing maintenance costs. He also introduced 8-wheeled designs in the form of 4-4-0
4-4-0
Under the Whyte notation for the classification of steam locomotives, 4-4-0 represents the wheel arrangement of four leading wheels on two axles , four powered and coupled driving wheels on two axles, and no trailing wheels...
express locomotives and a very successful series of 0-6-2
0-6-2
Under the Whyte notation for the classification of steam locomotives, 0-6-2 represents the wheel arrangement of no leading wheels, six powered and coupled driving wheels on three axles, and two trailing wheels on one axle...
tank engines with radial axle
Radial axle
A radial axle is an axle on a railway locomotive or carriage which has been designed to move laterally when entering a curve in order to reduce the flange and rail wear....
s. Thereafter D.E. Marsh continued the process of building larger locomotives with two classes of 4-4-2
4-4-2 (locomotive)
Under the Whyte notation for the classification of steam locomotives, 4-4-2 represents the wheel arrangement of four leading wheels on two axles , four powered and coupled driving wheels on two axles, and two trailing wheels on one axle...
express passenger locomotives, four classes of 4-4-2 tank engines, and two classes of 4-6-2
4-6-2
4-6-2, in the Whyte notation for the classification of steam locomotives, represents the wheel arrangement of four leading wheels on two axles , six powered and coupled driving wheels on three axles, and two trailing wheels on one axle .These locomotives are also known as Pacifics...
tank engines.
The last Chief Mechanical Engineer
Chief Mechanical Engineer
Chief Mechanical Engineer and Locomotive Superintendent are titles applied by British, Australian, and New Zealand railway companies to the person ultimately responsible to the board of the company for the building and maintaining of the locomotives and rolling stock...
of the railway was L.B. Billinton who designed the K class
LB&SCR K class
London Brighton and South Coast Railway Class K were powerful 2-6-0 mixed traffic locomotives designed by L. B. Billinton for the London Brighton and South Coast Railway in 1913. They appeared shortly before the First World War and the first ten examples of the class did prodigious work during...
2-6-0
2-6-0
Under the Whyte notation for the classification of steam locomotives, 2-6-0 represents the wheel arrangement of two leading wheels on one axle, usually in a leading truck, six powered and coupled driving wheels on three axles, and no trailing wheels. This arrangement is commonly called a Mogul...
of 1913, and the L class
LB&SCR L class
The LB&SCR L Class was a class of 4-6-4 steam tank locomotives designed by L. B. Billinton for the London, Brighton and South Coast Railway. They were known as the "Brighton Baltics", Baltic being the European name for the 4-6-4 wheel arrangement...
4-6-4
4-6-4
Under the Whyte notation for the classification of steam locomotives, 4-6-4 represents the wheel arrangement of four leading wheels on two axles , six powered and coupled driving wheels on three axles, and four trailing wheels on two axles .Other equivalent classifications are:UIC classification:...
tanks of 1914. However, his career was cut short by the advent of the First World War and the subsequent grouping of British railways. According to D.L. Bradley, the railway handed over "a nicely balanced stock of locomotives well-suited to the demands of the Brighton section" to the Southern Railway
Southern Railway (Great Britain)
The Southern Railway was a British railway company established in the 1923 Grouping. It linked London with the Channel ports, South West England, South coast resorts and Kent...
at the time of the grouping in 1923.
LB&SCR designs had little impact on the locomotive policy of the Southern Railway after 1923 because they were built to a more generous loading gauge
Loading gauge
A loading gauge defines the maximum height and width for railway vehicles and their loads to ensure safe passage through bridges, tunnels and other structures...
and were fitted with Westinghouse air brakes unlike the two other main constituent companies. The designs used by the company were not perpetuated.
Electric traction
The electrified lines were operated by Electric multiple units. These were originally three-car units, with a trailer sandwiched between motor cars. However, they were later converted into two-car units with one driving motor car and one driving trailerControl car (rail)
A control car is a generic term for a non-powered railroad vehicle that can control operation of a train from the end opposite to the position of the locomotive...
. New classes of multiple unit were developed for each new electrified line, known as the South London stock
SR Class SL
The Southern Railway gave the designation SL to the fleet of AC overhead electric multiple units used on the South London Line. These had been built by the London, Brighton and South Coast Railway in 1909, but with the abandonment of the Elevated Electric service in 1928 they were converted to DC...
and the Crystal Palace) stock
SR Class CP
The Southern Railway gave the designation CP to the fleet of AC electric multiple units used on the former London, Brighton and South Coast Railway lines in the Crystal Palace area.-Construction:...
. A third type, the Coulsdon and Wallington stock
SR Class CW
The Southern Railway gave the designation CW to the fleet of AC electric multiple units used on the lines to Coulsdon and Wallington. They were planned by the London, Brighton and South Coast Railway but were delayed by the World War I and the grouping and were introduced by the Southern...
was planned by the LB&SCR but introduced by the Southern Railway.
Coaching stock
The jobs of Locomotive Superintendent and Carriage and wagon superintendent were combined until the retirement of D.E. Marsh in 1911. As a result the LB&SCR was never at the forefront of carriage development in the United Kingdom for its ordinary coaching stock, and as late as the mid 1860s was still building open-side 3rd-class carriages. After taking up office in 1870 William Stroudley introduced four wheeled and later six wheeled designs which lasted for forty years, and shortly before his death in 1889 he also introduced a few bogieBogie
A bogie is a wheeled wagon or trolley. In mechanics terms, a bogie is a chassis or framework carrying wheels, attached to a vehicle. It can be fixed in place, as on a cargo truck, mounted on a swivel, as on a railway carriage/car or locomotive, or sprung as in the suspension of a caterpillar...
carriages for the main business trains. Stroudley was also a pioneer in the introduction of dynamo
Dynamo
- Engineering :* Dynamo, a magnetic device originally used as an electric generator* Dynamo theory, a theory relating to magnetic fields of celestial bodies* Solar dynamo, the physical process that generates the Sun's magnetic field- Software :...
-driven electric lighting and communication cords. The railway also introduced "breakfast cars" to its main business trains.
The appointment of Alfred Panter as Carriage and Wagon Works Manager under Robert Billinton in 1898 (and Carriage and Wagon Superintendent from 1912) led to the introduction of standard bogie
Bogie
A bogie is a wheeled wagon or trolley. In mechanics terms, a bogie is a chassis or framework carrying wheels, attached to a vehicle. It can be fixed in place, as on a cargo truck, mounted on a swivel, as on a railway carriage/car or locomotive, or sprung as in the suspension of a caterpillar...
carriages for mainline trains in 1905, but the suburban services were operated by 6-wheeled "block trains" with solid wooden buffers
Buffer (rail transport)
A buffer is a part of the buffers-and-chain coupling system used on the railway systems of many countries, among them most of those in Europe, for attaching railway vehicles to one another....
and the carriages permanently tight coupled in sets of ten or twelve. Many of these were still in use at 'Grouping' in 1923. Better vehicles did however appear early in the 20th century with the 'Balloon stock' and also the 'electric stock'.
Sixteen carriages of LB&SCR origin have been preserved including one luxurious "Directors' saloon" of 1914: these are principally to be found on the Bluebell Railway
Bluebell Railway
The Bluebell Railway is a heritage line running for nine miles along the border between East and West Sussex, England. Steam trains are operated between and , with an intermediate station at .The railway is managed and run largely by volunteers...
and the Isle of Wight Steam Railway
Isle of Wight Steam Railway
The Isle of Wight Steam Railway is a heritage railway on the Isle of Wight. The railway passes through 5½ miles of unspoiled countryside from to station, passing through the small village of Havenstreet, where the line has a station, headquarters and a depot...
. In addition a number of grounded carriage bodies, used as holiday homes still survive.
Wagons
Sixteen wagons formerly in LB&SCR ownership now survive, largely because the Southern Railway transferred them to the Isle of WightIsle of Wight
The Isle of Wight is a county and the largest island of England, located in the English Channel, on average about 2–4 miles off the south coast of the county of Hampshire, separated from the mainland by a strait called the Solent...
, where they remained in use until the 1960s.
Liveries
After 1870 the LB&SCR was renowned among British railways for the attractiveness of its locomotives and coaching stock and condition of its country stations. "No company, even the North-Western itself turns out smarter looking trains than the Brighton main line expresses and even some of the suburban trains."Between 1846 and 1870 passenger locomotives were painted 'hunter green' with some engines being finished with black lining. Frames were painted red, and wheels were black. Buffer beams were painted the regulation 'signal red'. Goods locomotives were black with red and white lining, except those operating on routes taking them into Brighton
Brighton railway station
Brighton railway station is the principal railway station in the city of Brighton and Hove, on the south coast of England. The station master is Mark Epsom...
or London Bridge railway station, in which cases they were painted in passenger livery. Some engines had boiler
Boiler
A boiler is a closed vessel in which water or other fluid is heated. The heated or vaporized fluid exits the boiler for use in various processes or heating applications.-Materials:...
s lagged with wooden strips. These were either highly polished mahogany
Mahogany
The name mahogany is used when referring to numerous varieties of dark-colored hardwood. It is a native American word originally used for the wood of the species Swietenia mahagoni, known as West Indian or Cuban mahogany....
with brass
Brass
Brass is an alloy of copper and zinc; the proportions of zinc and copper can be varied to create a range of brasses with varying properties.In comparison, bronze is principally an alloy of copper and tin...
fixings or were painted in alternating stripes of dark green and vermillion
Vermilion
Vermilion is an opaque orangish red pigment, similar to scarlet. As a naturally occurring mineral pigment, it is known as cinnabar, and was in use around the world before the Common Era began. Most naturally produced vermilion comes from cinnabar mined in China, and vermilion is nowadays commonly...
. The main shade of green used gradually became darker. By the time William Stroudley
William Stroudley
William Stroudley was one of Britain's most famous steam locomotive engineers of the nineteenth century, working principally for the London, Brighton and South Coast Railway...
became Locomotive Superintendent the colour had become a variant of the common Brunswick Green used by many other companies. Carriage
Carriage
A carriage is a wheeled vehicle for people, usually horse-drawn; litters and sedan chairs are excluded, since they are wheelless vehicles. The carriage is especially designed for private passenger use and for comfort or elegance, though some are also used to transport goods. It may be light,...
s were either painted sea green or were left as varnished wood (the latter mainly being applied to first class stock).
From 1870 to 1905 the livery used was Stroudley's 'Improved Engine Green', which was actually a golden ochre
Ochre
Ochre is the term for both a golden-yellow or light yellow brown color and for a form of earth pigment which produces the color. The pigment can also be used to create a reddish tint known as "red ochre". The more rarely used terms "purple ochre" and "brown ochre" also exist for variant hues...
colour. The colour was very similar to that used by Stroudley's former employer, the Highland Railway
Highland Railway
The Highland Railway was one of the smaller British railways before the Railways Act 1921; it operated north of Perth railway station in Scotland and served the farthest north of Britain...
. On passenger locomotives Improved Engine Green was finished with olive green borders lined with black, red and white. Frames and buffer beams were painted carmine
Carmine
Carmine , also called Crimson Lake, Cochineal, Natural Red #4, C.I. 75470, or E120, is a pigment of a bright-red color obtained from the aluminum salt of carminic acid, which is produced by some scale insects, such as the cochineal beetle and the Polish cochineal, and is used as a general term for...
red, lined with yellow and black. The wheels were Improved Engine Green with red lining. Cab roofs were painted white. Goods engines were painted all-over olive green with black borders, similar to the pre-1870 colours. If fitted with Westinghouse
Westinghouse Air Brake Company
The railway air brake was invented by George Westinghouse of New York state in 1869. Soon after, he moved to Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, where he established the Westinghouse Air Brake Company on September 28, 1869...
brakes the black borders were edged with red lines. Locomotives with names had the name applied in gold leaf
Gold leaf
right|thumb|250px|[[Burnishing]] gold leaf with an [[agate]] stone tool, during the water gilding processGold leaf is gold that has been hammered into extremely thin sheets and is often used for gilding. Gold leaf is available in a wide variety of karats and shades...
to the tank side (on tank locomotives) or to a wheel splasher on tender locomotives. The letters were edged with a thin red line and given depth with black shading. This livery was one of the most ornate and distinctive ever used on British locomotives, and is still remembered with nostalgia. Carriages were all mahogany
Mahogany
The name mahogany is used when referring to numerous varieties of dark-colored hardwood. It is a native American word originally used for the wood of the species Swietenia mahagoni, known as West Indian or Cuban mahogany....
in colour, with white roofs and black chassis gear. Initially the actual wood of the body was varnished. Over the years it became harder to maintain a high-quality varnish finish and so at this point in the carriage's life it would be painted in a similar-coloured paint
Paint
Paint is any liquid, liquefiable, or mastic composition which after application to a substrate in a thin layer is converted to an opaque solid film. One may also consider the digital mimicry thereof...
. Panel lining and other details were picked out with gold leaf
Gold leaf
right|thumb|250px|[[Burnishing]] gold leaf with an [[agate]] stone tool, during the water gilding processGold leaf is gold that has been hammered into extremely thin sheets and is often used for gilding. Gold leaf is available in a wide variety of karats and shades...
.
During the period from 1905-1923 front-line express locomotives were painted a dark shade of umber
Umber
Umber is a natural brown clay pigment which contains iron and manganese oxides. The color becomes more intense when calcined , and the resulting pigment is called burnt umber. Its name derives from the Latin word umbra and was originally extracted in Umbria, a mountainous region of central Italy,...
. Lining was black with a gilt
Gilding
The term gilding covers a number of decorative techniques for applying fine gold leaf or powder to solid surfaces such as wood, stone, or metal to give a thin coating of gold. A gilded object is described as "gilt"...
line either side. Cab roofs remained white. Frames were painted black, wheels were umber, and buffer beams returned to signal red. The company's initials were painted on the tender- or tank-sides (initially 'L.B.& S.C.R.', but after 1911 the ampersand
Ampersand
An ampersand is a logogram representing the conjunction word "and". The symbol is a ligature of the letters in et, Latin for "and".-Etymology:...
was left out and the R removed) in gilt. Secondary passenger locomotives had the same livery, but instead of gilt lining chrome yellow
Chrome yellow
Chrome Yellow is a natural yellow pigment made of lead chromate . It was first extracted from the mineral crocoite by the French chemist Louis Vauquelin in 1809...
paint was used. Goods engines were painted gloss black with double vermillion
Vermillion
Vermillion is an alternative spelling for Vermilion, a red pigment and color. It may also refer to:-Locations:*Vermillion, Kansas*Vermillion, Minnesota*Vermillion, South Dakota*Vermillion County, Indiana*Vermillion River...
lining. Names and numbers were painted in white letters with red shading. Carriages were initially all olive green with white lining and detailing. From 1911 this was changed to plain umber
Umber
Umber is a natural brown clay pigment which contains iron and manganese oxides. The color becomes more intense when calcined , and the resulting pigment is called burnt umber. Its name derives from the Latin word umbra and was originally extracted in Umbria, a mountainous region of central Italy,...
with black lettering picked out with gold shading.
Ferry services and ships
Throughout its existence, the railway invested in cross-channel ferry services, initially from Shoreham to Dieppe. Following the opening of the line to NewhavenNewhaven, East Sussex
Newhaven is a town in the Lewes District of East Sussex in England. It lies at the mouth of the River Ouse, on the English Channel coast, and is a ferry port for services to France.-Origins:...
in 1847, the company improved the harbour there, building its own wharf and dredging the channel. A Newhaven-Dieppe service was established in 1847, but discontinued soon afterwards. In 1850 it established a Newhaven-Jersey
Jersey
Jersey, officially the Bailiwick of Jersey is a British Crown Dependency off the coast of Normandy, France. As well as the island of Jersey itself, the bailiwick includes two groups of small islands that are no longer permanently inhabited, the Minquiers and Écréhous, and the Pierres de Lecq and...
ferry service, and in 1853 it re-instated the Dieppe service. An Act of 1862 gave the LBSCR power to own and operate its own steam vessels, and in 1863 the French Western Railway (Chemins de Fer de l'Ouest
Chemins de Fer de l'Ouest
The Compagnie des chemins de fer de l'Ouest , often referred to simply as L'Ouest or Ouest, was an early French railway company.- Birth of the company :...
) agreed to operate the Newhaven-Dieppe passenger service jointly. This service was advertised as the "shortest and cheapest" route to Paris, although it was never the quickest because of the much longer time taken at sea than the rival Dover
Dover
Dover is a town and major ferry port in the home county of Kent, in South East England. It faces France across the narrowest part of the English Channel, and lies south-east of Canterbury; east of Kent's administrative capital Maidstone; and north-east along the coastline from Dungeness and Hastings...
to Calais
Calais
Calais is a town in Northern France in the department of Pas-de-Calais, of which it is a sub-prefecture. Although Calais is by far the largest city in Pas-de-Calais, the department's capital is its third-largest city of Arras....
route. (Newhaven harbour was taken over by the military authorities and the ferries requisitioned for the duration of the First World War.)
In 1863, the company transferred its Jersey service to Littlehampton and soon afterwards established another between Littlehampton and Honfleur
Honfleur
Honfleur is a commune in the Calvados department in northwestern France. It is located on the southern bank of the estuary of the Seine across from le Havre and very close to the exit of the Pont de Normandie...
.
By 1880 railway lines connected to both the Ryde
Ryde
Ryde is a British seaside town, civil parish and the most populous town and urban area on the Isle of Wight, with a population of approximately 30,000. It is situated on the north-east coast. The town grew in size as a seaside resort following the joining of the villages of Upper Ryde and Lower...
Pier and the Portsmouth Harbour ferry terminals. It was therefore a natural progression for the railway companies to acquire the ferry routes themselves. In order to do this the LB&SCR and the L&SWR together formed the South Western and Brighton Railway Companies Steam Packet Service (SW&BRCSPS) which bought out the existing operators.
In 1884 the Isle of Wight Marine Transit Company started a rail freight ferry link between the Hayling Island Branch Line at Langstone
Langstone
Langstone is a village near Havant, Hampshire in the south east of England, between Portsmouth and Chichester. It has good railway connections to London, Southampton, Portsmouth and Brighton, from the nearby Havant railway station. There are many large gated detached houses on the main road,...
and the Bembridge branch line at St Helens
St Helens, Isle of Wight
St. Helens is a village and civil parish located on the eastern side of the Isle of Wight. The village is based around village greens. This is claimed to be the largest in England but some say the Village Green is the second largest. The greens are often used for cricket matches during the summer...
quay. To provide the link the rail ferry PS Carrier, designed to carry railway trucks, was moved from Scotland. The project was unsuccessful and, despite being acquired in full by the LB&SCR in 1886, it ended in 1888.
The railway operated a significant number of ships in its own right, jointly with Chemins de Fer de l'Ouest
Chemins de Fer de l'Ouest
The Compagnie des chemins de fer de l'Ouest , often referred to simply as L'Ouest or Ouest, was an early French railway company.- Birth of the company :...
, and as a part of the SW&BRCSPS. See List of LB&SCR ships
Structures, buildings and civil engineering
The railway inherited a number of significant structures, buildings and other civil engineering features from its predecessor companies. These included:- Bridges and Viaducts - the Ouse Valley ViaductOuse Valley ViaductBuilt in 1841, the Ouse Valley Viaduct over the River Ouse on the London-Brighton Railway Line north of Haywards Heath and south of Balcombe is long.-Description:...
, the London Road viaductLondon Road viaductThe London Road Viaduct is a brick railway viaduct in Brighton, part of the city of Brighton and Hove in East Sussex, England. It carries the East Coastway Line between Brighton and London Road railway stations...
, the Lewes Road viaduct MoulsecoombMoulsecoombMoulsecoomb is a large suburb of Brighton, part of the city of Brighton and Hove. It is located on the northeastern side of Brighton, around the A270 Lewes Road, between the areas of Coldean and Bevendean and approximately 2¼ miles north of the seafront. The eastern edges of the built-up area...
. - The Norwood Junction flyoverNorwood Junction railway stationNorwood Junction railway station is in South Norwood in the London Borough of Croydon in south London, in Travelcard Zone 4.The station is managed by London Overground and trains operated by Southern and London Overground .-History:...
was the world's first railway overpassOverpassAn overpass is a bridge, road, railway or similar structure that crosses over another road or railway...
. - Tunnels - MersthamMerstham tunnelsThe Merstham and Quarry tunnels are two railway tunnels on the Brighton main line between Merstham and Coulsdon in Surrey, Great Britain...
, BalcombeBalcombe tunnelBalcombe tunnel is a railway tunnel on the Brighton Main Line through the Sussex Weald between Three Bridges and Balcombe. It is 1141 yards long.-History:The tunnel was constructed by the London and Brighton Railway during 1840-41...
, Hayward HeathHaywards Heath TunnelHaywards Heath tunnel is a railway tunnel on the Brighton Main Line between Haywards Heath and Wivelsfield. It is 249 yards long, one of the shortest tunnels on the line....
, ClaytonClayton TunnelClayton Tunnel is a railway tunnel located near the village of Clayton, West Sussex between Hassocks and Preston Park railway stations on the Brighton Main Line...
and PatchamPatcham TunnelPatcham tunnel is a railway tunnel on the Brighton Main Line through the South Downs between Preston Park and Hassocks in East Sussex, England. It is 488 yards long.-History:...
, Ditchling Road (Brighton) and FalmerFalmerFalmer is a small village and civil parish in the Lewes District of East Sussex, England, lying between Brighton and Lewes, approximately five miles north-east of the former. It is also the site for Brighton & Hove Albion's new stadium.... - Stations - Modular station buildings at BrightonBrighton railway stationBrighton railway station is the principal railway station in the city of Brighton and Hove, on the south coast of England. The station master is Mark Epsom...
, Croydon, Redhill and Reigate RoadRedhill railway stationRedhill railway station serves the town of Redhill, Surrey, England. The station is a major interchange point on the Brighton Main Line 21 miles south of London Victoria...
, HorleyHorley railway stationHorley railway station serves the town of Horley in Surrey, England. It is on the Brighton Main Line south of London Victoria, and train services are provided by Southern.There are 4 platforms, all 247 m long, capable of accepting 12 car long trains....
, Three BridgesThree Bridges railway stationThree Bridges railway station is located in and named after the village of Three Bridges, which is now a district of Crawley, West Sussex, England...
and HassocksHassocks railway stationHassocks railway station serves Hassocks in West Sussex. It is on the Brighton Main Line and Thameslink 12 km north of Brighton railway station, and train services are provided by Southern and First Capital Connect.-History:...
, designed by David MocattaDavid MocattaDavid Mocatta was a British architect and a member of the Anglo-Jewish Mocatta family.-Biography:Mocatta studied in London from 1821 to 1827 under Sir John Soane and travelled in Italy...
.
Stations
The railway either inherited or built twenty termini, the most significant of which were at , Victoria, , Portsmouth HarbourPortsmouth Harbour railway station
Portsmouth Harbour railway station is a railway station in Portsmouth, England. It is situated beside Gunwharf Quays in the city's harbour, and is an important transport terminal, with a bus interchange and ferry services to Gosport and the Isle of Wight. The station currently has four platforms:...
and Eastbourne
Eastbourne railway station
Eastbourne railway station serves Eastbourne in East Sussex, England. It is on the East Coastway Line, and train services are provided by Southern. It is one of two railway stations in the town, the other being Hampden Park Station...
. LB&SCR stations at major junctions on the system included Clapham Junction
Clapham Junction railway station
Clapham Junction railway station is near St John's Hill in the south-west of Battersea in the London Borough of Wandsworth. Although it is in Battersea, the area around the station is commonly identified as Clapham Junction....
, , , Horsham
Horsham railway station
Horsham railway station serves the town of Horsham in West Sussex, England. It is on the Arun Valley Line 61 km south of London Victoria and the Sutton & Mole Valley Lines, and train services are provided by Southern...
, and .
The use of David Mocatta's modular station designs for the Brighton main line, was not perpetuated by the LB&SCR. During the 1850s and 1860s most stations were constructed according to one or two stock designs prepared by the railway's engineers R. Jacomb-Hood or F.D. Banister. However, during the 1880s the railway produced elaborate decorated architecture of many of its country stations, notably on the Bluebell and Cuckoo Lines.
Workshops and motive power depots
The London and Brighton Railway established a repair workshop at BrightonBrighton railway works
Brighton railway works was one of the earliest railway-owned locomotive repair works, founded in 1840 by the London and Brighton Railway in Brighton, England, and thus pre-dating the more famous railway works at Crewe, Doncaster and Swindon...
in 1840. Between 1852 and 1957 more than 1,200 steam locomotives as well as prototype diesel electric and electric locomotives were constructed there, before the eventual closure of the facility in 1962. In addition it also maintained a small locomotive repair facilities at the New Cross and Battersea Park
Battersea Park railway station
Battersea Park is a suburban railway station in the London Borough of Wandsworth, formerly known as York Road. It is situated at the junction of the South London Line and the Brighton Main Line between Victoria and...
Depots in London.
By the first decade of the twentieth century Brighton works could no longer cope with the repair and building of both locomotives and rolling stock. In 1911 the railway therefore built a carriage and wagon works in the village of Lancing
Lancing Carriage Works
Lancing carriage and wagon works was a railway carriage and wagon building and maintenance facility in the village of Lancing in the county of West Sussex in England from 1911 until 1965.-History under the LB&SCR:...
which operated until 1965. A marine engineering workshop was established in the mid 1870s at Newhaven, East Sussex
Newhaven, East Sussex
Newhaven is a town in the Lewes District of East Sussex in England. It lies at the mouth of the River Ouse, on the English Channel coast, and is a ferry port for services to France.-Origins:...
.
The railway had motive power depot
Motive power depot
Motive power depot, usually abbreviated to MPD, is a name given to places where locomotives are stored when not being used, and also repaired and maintained. They were originally known as "running sheds", "engine sheds", or, for short, just sheds. Facilities are provided for refuelling and...
s at Battersea Park
Battersea Park railway station
Battersea Park is a suburban railway station in the London Borough of Wandsworth, formerly known as York Road. It is situated at the junction of the South London Line and the Brighton Main Line between Victoria and...
, Brighton
Brighton railway station
Brighton railway station is the principal railway station in the city of Brighton and Hove, on the south coast of England. The station master is Mark Epsom...
, Bognor
Bognor Regis railway station
Bognor Regis railway station is in the town of Bognor Regis, in the English county of West Sussex, England. It is approximately 65 miles south of London Victoria. The station and the trains serving it are operated by Southern railway company...
, Coulsdon
Coulsdon North railway station
Coulsdon North is a closed railway station on the Brighton Main Line.- Opening :The station was opened as "Stoats Nest and Cane Hill" on 5 November 1899 by the London, Brighton and South Coast Railway . It took its name partly from the nearby Cane Hill asylum and partly from the nearby Stoats Nest...
, Croydon, Eastbourne
Eastbourne railway station
Eastbourne railway station serves Eastbourne in East Sussex, England. It is on the East Coastway Line, and train services are provided by Southern. It is one of two railway stations in the town, the other being Hampden Park Station...
, Epsom
Epsom railway station
Epsom railway station is the main railway station for Epsom in the county of Surrey. It is located off Waterloo Road, near to the High Street....
, Fratton
Fratton railway station
Fratton railway station is a railway station in Portsmouth, located near Fratton Park, the stadium of association football club Portsmouth F.C.....
(joint) Horsham
Horsham railway station
Horsham railway station serves the town of Horsham in West Sussex, England. It is on the Arun Valley Line 61 km south of London Victoria and the Sutton & Mole Valley Lines, and train services are provided by Southern...
, Littlehampton
Littlehampton railway station
Littlehampton railway station is in Littlehampton in the county of West Sussex. The station and the trains serving it are operated by Southern....
, Midhurst
Midhurst railway station
Midhurst Railway Station used to serve the market town of Midhurst in the county of West Sussex. The first railway to reach the town was a branch line from Petersfield opened by the London & South Western Railway on 1st September 1864....
, New Cross, Newhaven
Newhaven Town railway station
Newhaven Town Railway Station is one of two active railway stations serving Newhaven in East Sussex, England, the other being Newhaven Harbour....
, St Leonards
St Leonards West Marina railway station
St Leonards West Marina is a disused railway station in the West St Leonards area of the borough of Hastings, East Sussex. Opened by the Brighton, Lewes & Hastings Railway in 1846 as part of what became the East Coastway Line, it was the first permanent station to serve the area and became part of...
, Three Bridges
Three Bridges railway station
Three Bridges railway station is located in and named after the village of Three Bridges, which is now a district of Crawley, West Sussex, England...
and Tunbridge Wells
Tunbridge Wells West railway station
Tunbridge Wells West is a railway station located in Royal Tunbridge Wells, Kent. It is one of two railway stations in Tunbridge Wells constructed by rival companies. The other, Tunbridge Wells Central was opened in 1845 by the South Eastern Railway . Tunbridge Wells West was closed to mainline...
.
The headquarters and main offices of the railway were at Brighton railway station
Brighton railway station
Brighton railway station is the principal railway station in the city of Brighton and Hove, on the south coast of England. The station master is Mark Epsom...
from 1846 until 1892, when they were transferred to the former Terminus Hotel at London Bridge railway station
Hotels
The LB&SCR opened the Terminus Hotel at London Bridge StationLondon Bridge station
London Bridge railway station is a central London railway terminus and London Underground complex in the London Borough of Southwark, occupying a large area on two levels immediately south-east of London Bridge and 1.6 miles east of Charing Cross. It is one of the oldest railway stations in the...
and the Grosvenor Hotel at Victoria both in 1861. The first of these was not successful due to its site on the south bank and so was turned into offices for the railway in 1892. It was destroyed by bombing in 1941. The Grosvenor Hotel was rebuilt and enlarged in 1901. The railway also acquired the Terminus Hotel next to Brighton station in 1877, and operated the London and Paris Hotel at Newhaven.
The LB&SCR as an investment
In 1890 the economist and editor of the Financial TimesFinancial Times
The Financial Times is an international business newspaper. It is a morning daily newspaper published in London and printed in 24 cities around the world. Its primary rival is the Wall Street Journal, published in New York City....
, William Ramage Lawson conducted a detailed analysis of the financial performance and prospects of the LB&SCR, comparing it with the performance of the other British railways. He concluded that the Brighton Deferred stock 'combined the highest return on investment, with the best prospect of future appreciation and the smallest risk of retrogression.’ Among the reasons given for this opinion were:
- Well established route and freedom from competition
- Varied and well distributed sources of traffic
- Moderate working expenses due to high quality construction of the original route and good maintenance.
- Energetic and prudent management
From 1870 until the end of its existence, there is little doubt that the LB&SCR was a well-run, enterprising and profitable railway for its shareholders.
Chairmen of the Board of Directors
- Charles Pasco GrenfellCharles Grenfell (1790–1867)Charles Pascoe Grenfell was a British businessman and Liberal Party politician.-Background:Grenfell was the son of Cornishman Pascoe Grenfell and Charlotte . He was a director of the Bank of England from 1830 to 1864...
(1846–1848) - Samuel LaingSamuel Laing (science writer)Samuel Laing, , was a British railway administrator, politician, and influential writer on science and religion during the Victorian era.He was born at Edinburgh on the 12th of December 1810...
(1848–1855) - Leo Schuster (1856–1866)
- Peter Northall Lawrie (1866–1867)
- Sir Walter Barttelot (April–July 1867)
- Samuel Laing (again – 1867–1896)
- Lord CottesloeThomas Fremantle, 2nd Baron CottesloeThomas Francis Fremantle, 2nd Baron Cottesloe , was a British businessman and Conservative politician.Cottesloe was the eldest son of Thomas Fremantle, 1st Baron Cottesloe, and the grandson of Vice-Admiral Thomas Fremantle and Elizabeth Wynne Fremantle, the diarist. His mother was Louisa Elizabeth,...
(1896–1908) - Earl of BessboroughEdward Ponsonby, 8th Earl of BessboroughEdward Ponsonby, 8th Earl of Bessborough, KP, CB, CVO was a British peer.-Biography:Ponsonby was the eldest son of Rev. Walter Ponsonby and his wife, Louisa, the daughter of Edward Eliot, 3rd Earl of St Germans...
(1908–1920) – died in office - Charles C. Macrae (1920–1922)
- Gerald Loder (December 1922)
Members of the Board of Directors
- John Pares Bickersteth
- Rear-Admiral The Hon. Thomas S. Brand
- Major Philip Cardew
- Dudley Docker
- Sir Julian GoldsmidSir Julian Goldsmid, 3rd BaronetSir Julian Goldsmid, 3rd Baronet was a British lawyer, businessman and Liberal politician who sat in the House of Commons between 1866 and 1896....
- William Milburn
- Lord Henry NevillHenry Nevill, 3rd Marquess of AbergavennyLieutenant-Colonel Henry Gilbert Ralph Nevill, 3rd Marquess of Abergavenny DL , styled Lord Henry Nevill between 1876 and 1927, was a British peer....
- John Nix
- Sir Arthur Otway, 3rd Baronet – Deputy-Chairman in 1905
- Sir Spencer WalpoleSpencer WalpoleSir Spencer Walpole KCB was an English historian and civil servant.-Background:He came of the younger branch of the family of the famous Whig prime minister, Robert Walpole, being descended from his brother, the 1st Baron Walpole...
Managers
- Peter Clarke(1846–1848) - Manager
- George Hawkins (1849–1850) - Goods Manager
- ? Pountain (1849–1850) - Non Goods Manager
- George Hawkins (1849–1850) - Traffic Manager
- J.P. Knight (1869-1870– Traffic Manager
- J.P. Knight (1870–1886) General Manager
- Sir Allen Sarle (1886–1897) General Manager
- John Francis Sykes Gooday (1897–1899) General Manager
- William de Guise Forbes (1899–1922) General Manager
Secretaries
- T.J. Buckton (1846–1849)
- Frederick Slight (1849–1867)
- Sir Allen Sarle (1867–1898) from 1886-1898 also General Manager
- J.J. Brewer (1898–1922)
Engineers
- Robert Jacomb-Hood (1846–1860)
- F.D. Banister (1860–1895)
- C.L. Morgan (1995-1917)
- J.B. Ball (1917–1920)
- O.G.C. Drury (1920–1922)
Locomotive Superintendents
- John GrayJohn Gray (locomotive engineer)John Gray was an early steam locomotive engineer who introduced several innovations in locomotive design during the 1830s and 1840s.-Career:John Gray's origins are unknown but he appears to have originated from Newcastle...
(1846–1847) - Thomas KirtleyThomas KirtleyThomas Kirtley was locomotive superintendent of the North Midland Railway and later the London, Brighton and South Coast Railway.-Biography:...
(February–November, 1847) – died in office - John Chester CravenJohn Chester CravenJohn Chester Craven was the locomotive, carriage and wagon superintendent of the London, Brighton and South Coast Railway from 1847 until his resignation in 1870....
(1847–1870) - William StroudleyWilliam StroudleyWilliam Stroudley was one of Britain's most famous steam locomotive engineers of the nineteenth century, working principally for the London, Brighton and South Coast Railway...
(1870–1889) – died in office - R. J. BillintonR. J. BillintonRobert John Billinton was the Locomotive, Carriage, Wagon and Marine Superintendent of the London, Brighton and South Coast Railway from 1890 until his death.-Early career:...
(1890–1904) – died in office - D. E. MarshD. E. MarshDouglas Earle Marsh was the Locomotive, Carriage and Wagon Superintendent of the London, Brighton and South Coast Railway from November 1904 until his early retirement on health grounds in July 1911.-Early career:...
(1905–1911) - L. B. BillintonL. B. BillintonLawson Boskovsky Billinton was the locomotive engineer of the London, Brighton and South Coast Railway from 1912 for ten years until his retirement in 1922....
(1912–1922)
Industrial relations
For its time, the LB&SCR was regarded as a good employer. In 1851 it created a benevolent fund for members of its staff who had become incapacitated, and from 1854 operated a savings bank for employees. In 1867 there was a two-day strike actionStrike action
Strike action, also called labour strike, on strike, greve , or simply strike, is a work stoppage caused by the mass refusal of employees to work. A strike usually takes place in response to employee grievances. Strikes became important during the industrial revolution, when mass labour became...
involving the drivers and firemen
Railroad engineer
A railroad engineer, locomotive engineer, train operator, train driver or engine driver is a person who drives a train on a railroad...
employed by the company over their working hours which was resolved by negotiation. In 1872 a superannuation fund was established for higher grades of staff, which was extended to become a pension
Pension
In general, a pension is an arrangement to provide people with an income when they are no longer earning a regular income from employment. Pensions should not be confused with severance pay; the former is paid in regular installments, while the latter is paid in one lump sum.The terms retirement...
fund for all staff in 1899.
See also
- List of early British railway companies
- Locomotives of the London, Brighton and South Coast Railway
- List of LB&SCR ships