Southern Railway (UK) facts for kids
The Southern Railway (SR), often called 'Southern', was a British railway company. It was formed in 1923 when several smaller railway companies joined together. The biggest of these were the London & South Western Railway (LSWR), the London, Brighton and South Coast Railway (LB&SCR), and the South Eastern and Chatham Railway (SE&CR).
The Southern Railway connected London with important places like the Channel ports, South West England, and popular seaside towns in the South. Its first part, the London and Southampton Railway, started way back in 1838.
Coat-of-arms of the Southern Railway
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| History | |
|---|---|
| 1923 | Grouping; Southern Railway is created |
| 1929 | Phase one of electrification scheme complete |
| 1930 | Richard Maunsell's SR V "Schools" class introduced |
| 1937 | Oliver Bulleid becomes Chief Mechanical Engineer |
| 1941 | First SR Merchant Navy Class Pacific unveiled |
| 1948 | Nationalised |
| Constituent companies | |
| Successor organisation | |
| 1948 | Southern Region of British Railways |
| Key locations | |
| Headquarters | Waterloo station, London |
| Workshops | Ashford Brighton Eastleigh |
| Major stations | Waterloo station Victoria Charing Cross |
| Inherited route mileage | |
| 1923 | 2,186 miles (3,518 km) Mileage shown as at end of year stated. Source: Whitehouse, Patrick & Thomas, David St.John: SR 150, Introduction |
Contents
A Railway for Passengers
The Southern Railway was the smallest of the "Big Four" railway companies in Britain. It had about 2,186 miles of track. Unlike the other big railways, most of its money came from carrying passengers, not freight.
The company was very good at public relations. It also had a strong management team led by Sir Herbert Walker.
Powering Up: Electrification
The Southern Railway built the world's largest electric main line railway system at that time. It was also the first to have an electric inter-city route, connecting London and Brighton. This meant trains could run faster and cleaner.
Designing New Trains
The Southern Railway had two main engineers who designed trains. Richard Maunsell worked from 1923 to 1937. After him, Oliver Bulleid took over from 1937 to 1948. Both of them created new locomotives and carriages. These new designs replaced many of the older trains the company had inherited in 1923.
Helping Out in World War II
The Southern Railway played a very important part in the Second World War. It helped transport the British Expeditionary Force during the Dunkirk operations. It also supplied Operation Overlord in 1944, which was the D-Day landings. Since the railway mostly carried passengers, its success in wartime was truly amazing.
Famous Trains and Colors
The Southern Railway ran many famous trains. These included the Brighton Belle, the Bournemouth Belle, the Golden Arrow, and the Night Ferry (which went from London to Paris and Brussels). Services to the West Country were very busy in summer with holidaymakers. Trains like the Atlantic Coast Express and the Devon Belle were popular.
The company's trains had a very special look. Locomotives and carriages were painted a bright malachite green. Their frames were plain black, and the lettering was bold, bright yellow.
The End of the Line
In 1948, the Southern Railway became part of a new national system. It was nationalized and became the Southern Region of British Railways.
Images for kids
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1933 poster for the Southern Railway's newly electrified suburban services
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1945 poster ('Shabby?') by L. A. Webb promising post-war refurbishment on the Southern Railway, showing Malachite Green and Sunshine Yellow livery
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Sign in Norbiton Station's underpass on the Kingston Loop Line
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Edmondson ticket for travel between Beltring and Branbridges Halt and Maidstone West.
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Charing Cross before it was built over with offices with the Southern Railway (SR) initials retained.
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PS Ryde
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Preserved Lord Nelson class 850 Lord Nelson.
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4COR unit no. 3131, at the National Railway Museum.
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A rake of preserved Maunsell carriages on the Bluebell Railway. Note that there is no carriage set number painted on the brake coach.
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A preserved Bulleid Open Second carriage on the Bluebell Railway.
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Sir Herbert Ashcombe Walker who served the Southern Railway throughout its existence
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