London and South Western Railway

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Waterloo Station
Waterloo Station

The London and South Western Railway (L&SWR) was a railway company in England from 1840 to 1923. Its ultimate network extended from London to Plymouth via Yeovil, Exeter and Okehampton with branches to Barnstaple, Ilfracombe and Torrington and Padstow and Wadebridge — a territory in which it was in direct competition with the Great Western Railway — and, via Basingstoke, Winchester and Southampton, along the Dorset coast to Bournemouth and Weymouth. It also had a large number of branches which connected to places such as Portsmouth and Reading, and some joint railway operations with others — including the Somerset and Dorset Joint Railway. Following the grouping in 1923, the L&SWR lines became part of the Southern Railway.

Among the most significant achievements of the L&SWR were the electrification of suburban lines, the introduction of power signalling, the development of Southampton Docks, the rebuilding of Waterloo Station as one of the great stations of the world and the handling of the massive traffic involved in the First World War. By the 20th century its services were exemplary. The major locomotive classes of the L&SWR's last engineer, Robert Urie, were continued and further developed by his successor on the Southern Railwary, Richard Maunsell. Its General Manager Sir Herbert Ashcombe Walker became the Manager of the Southern Railway and Walker himself was succeeded in the latter post by Major Gilbert Szlumper, formerly his assistant on the L&SWR.

Contents

[edit] Origins

The initial proposal for the railway came from Robert Johnson and Abel Ros Dottin M.P. for Southampton. The prospectus was published on 23 October 1830 in the Hampshire Advertiser. A public meeting gave unaminous support to the proposals in February 1831 and the railway was promoted as the Southampton, London and Branch Railway and Dock Company, with capital of £1.5M in shares of £20.

At the time Southampton was economically moribund, though regarded as of some strategic importance. After Napoleon's defeat in 1815 various canal schemes had been proposed to link Southampton to London to create a continuous inland waterway safe from attack. Of the many schemes only the Wey and Arun Canal 1816 and the Portsmouth and Arundel Canal 1823 were constructed. The London & Southampton's proposers clearly saw both a strategic benefit in connecting Southampton to London but in particular an economic benefit in connecting Southampton to Bristol and thense to the industrial heartland of Northern England. They considered the railway and docks to be 'intimately connected and of ..paramount importance to each other'.

The proposed route was surveyed by Francis Giles. Giles surveyed two routes, the first from Nine Elms via Wandsworth, Kingston, Guildford, Farnham, Alresford, and Winchester, through properous agricultural land and the second, that later built, via Basingstoke through a far fewer number of settlments crossing the unproductive Surrey and Hampshire Heaths. It is clear that the latter route was chosen as the company envisaged that a branch was to run to Bristol via Hungerford, Devizes, and Bath).

Little support was forthcoming for the branch from the entrepreneurs of Bristol and Bath. The promoters decided to get powers for the Southampton line before presenting a Bristol Bill, encouraging the launch of the independent Great Western Railway. The railway was re-promoted as the London and Southampton Railway and authorised by Act of Parliament on 25 July 1834.

The Bill for the proposed railway reached parliament in the 1834 session. The Lords committee was presided over by the Earl of Malmesbury, the Earl of Radnor and Charles Fowler, arcchitect of Covent Garden. Engineering evidence for the proposal was given by George and Robert Stephenson amongst others and against by Isambard Kingdom Brunel and Joseph Locke. The Bill was supported by the naval authorities and shipping interests and received relatively little opposition.

[edit] Construction

Construction started in September 1834 with Giles appointed engineer. Giles' method was to employ a number of small contractors working concurrently at various places on the line. It rapidly became apparent that the approach was fundamentally flawed. Contractors completed the easy sections and stopped work, asking for more money, on the more difficult parts. Progress was seriously delayed and costs escalated from £894k to an estimated £1.5M. In 1837 a second Act had to be sought to raise further capital. Shares slumped and as the result of an examination of the accounts, instigated by a prominent group of Lancashire shareholdes, Giles was dismissed and replaced by Joseph Locke. Locke dismissed many of the small contractors replacing them with Thomas Brassey. Work progressed rapidly from then on.

The first section to be opened was from Nine Elms to Woking (then named Woking Common) on 21 May 1838. On that date the company changed its name to L&SWR.

The remainder of the main line followed:

  • Woking to Winchfield (Shapley Heath): 24 September 1838
  • Winchester to Southampton: 10 June 1839
  • Winchfield to Basingstoke: 10 June 1839
  • Basingstoke to Winchester: 11 May 1840. This last section was the most difficult on the route with an initial climb to Litchfield Tunnel and a ten-mile down-grade to Winchester.

[edit] Waterloo Station

The company's first London terminus was at Nine Elms built on low marshy ground , studded with windmills and pollard tress, now in the suburban parish of Battersea. The terminus buildings was designed by Sir William Tite.

On 11 July 1848 the line was extended through a new Vauxhall station to a new metropolitan terminus at Waterloo, originally named Waterloo Bridge. The original terminus at Nine Elms took on the role of works, locomotive depot, and goods depot. Today it is the site of New Covent Garden Market.

[edit] Southampton

Southampton Terminus opened in 1840, replacing a temporary terminus at Northam Road. The classical building of 1840 was designed by Sir William Tite and remained in use until 1966. It survives and has recently been restored with the main building in use as a casino.

[edit] The gauge war in the west

[edit] Bristol

In July 1832 the London and Southampton Railway's promoters decided to seek powers for the Southampton line alone and to delay presenting the Bristol Bill. Bristol citizens launched a separate proposal for a Great Western Railway(GWR) linking Bristol to London. A bill for two lines at either end connected temporarily by a canal was put forward in 1834, but was rejected by the Lords.

As a consequence the S & D promoters were stirred into action, proposing a Basing and Bath (B & B) line in July 1834. Considerable argument broke out between the two camps, with S & D supporters criticising the GWR for proposing a direct line to London rather than a junction with the L & S and GWR supporters blaming the L & S for the failure of the GWR Bill.

The Basing and Bath prospectus of 1835 proposed a 106 mile line via Newbury, Devizes, Trowbridge, Bradford on Avon, and Bath with a westward extension to Frome, Taunton, and eventually further west. The opposing GWR was to go through Slough, Maidenhead, Reading, Swindon, Chippenham, and Bath. The revised GWR Bill of 1835 included branches to Bradford on Avon and Chippenham. The Commons accepted it against the Basing and Bath primarily on the grounds of its easier gradients.

B & B suporters wrote to the GWR chairman offering to give up their line if the GWR would adopt the B & S's route and make a junction with the L & S at Basing. Before the GWR directors could consider the option the B & B circulated a letter to GWR shareholders and members of the Lords encouraging rejection of the GWR Bill. On 31 August 1835 the GWR Bill was approved.

It was to be another 2 years before the next skirmish of the Gauge War with the GWR, as the parties concentrated on building their parallel lines, the GWR, to Brunel's 7ft ¼ in broad gauge, opened throughout on 30 June 1841 and the L & S, to 4ft 8½ in standard gauge, opened on 11 May 1840.

[edit] Newbury

Newbury's prosperity declined markedly once the L & S and GWR opened. The residents of the town approached the L & S in the summer of 1843 proposing a branch from Basing. The L & S Chairman, William James Chaplin, initially considered Newbury to be within GWR territory, but on finding that a number of significant landowners including Lord Caernavon, Lord Craven and the Duke of Wellington were intersted in the proposal, backed a scheme for a Basingstoke, London and Southampton Railway, essentially a 16 mile branch from Basing to Newbury. The Commons approved the bill in 1844 and rejected a GWR bill for a Pangbourne to Newbury branch. However the bill was rejected by the Lords.

The GWR then approached Chaplin to suggest a mixed-gauge line from Basing to the GWR line between Pangbourne and Reading with a 11 mile branch to Newbury.

[edit] The gauge war in the east

[edit] Portsmouth

In 1836 the promoters of the L & S proposed a branch from Bishopstoke (Eastleigh) to Portsmouth, the Portsmouth Junction Railway. However the popultation of Portsmouth wanted a direct line to London rather than a branch from a mainline to Southampton. Their opposition resulted in the defeat of the Bill at its second reading.

In January 1838 a direct independent line was proposed to London, through Chichester, Arundel and Dorking. The promoters approached the L & S, but they were rejected with a degree of vindictiveness. The L & S was already planning a line to Gosport on the western side of Portsmouth Harbour. The L & S's Act succeeded on 4 June 1839. As a concession to Portsmouth the L & S changed its name to the London and South Western Railway.

[edit] Havant

[edit] Expansion

[edit] Portsmouth

[edit] Dorchester

[edit] Exeter

[edit] West of Exeter

The Exeter and Crediton Railway (opened on 12 May 1851), and the North Devon Railway (opened on 1 August 1854) were leased to the London and South Western Railway from 1862/1863 and then bought out in 1865.

[edit] London

[edit] The race for the west

[edit] 20th century innovation

[edit] Rebuilding Waterloo

[edit] Engineering

[edit] Electrification

The L&SWR adopted third rail electrification of its suburban routes during the First World War. This subsequently became the standard for the entire Southern Railway, almost certainly because of the influence of Sir Herbert Walker, who had come from the London and North Western Railway to be General Manager of the L&SWR in 1912; in 1914 he had also been appointed as Chairman of the wartime Railway Executive Committee.

[edit] Southampton Docks

[edit] Eastleigh Engineering Works

In 1891, the works at Eastleigh, in Hampshire, were opened with the transfer of the carriage and waggon works from Nine Elms in London. The Lcomotive Works were transferred from Nine Elms under Drummond, opening in 1909.

[edit] Main line

The stations on the main route (with dates of opening if not original L&SWR) are:

[edit] Other principal lines

[edit] Reading and Portsmouth lines

In addition to the original main line, the L&SWR had the following routes:

There were also many suburban lines in this area, including the Hounslow loop line; the Twickenham/Kingston upon Thames/Shepperton routes; and the Raynes Park to Epsom and Chessington South.

There is also the Lymington branch, opened by the Lymington Railway on 12 July 1858. See Lymington Flyer

[edit] Route to the south-west

The L&SWR main line continued, serving the following places:

Beyond Coleford Junction all lines, except that to Barnstaple, are now closed. They served, among other places:

[edit] Locomotive engineers

Adams radial locomotive No. 563 built in 1893
Adams radial locomotive No. 563 built in 1893

The LSWR was blessed throughout much of its history by distinguished and highly capable locomotive engineers.

John Viret Gooch 1841 - 1850

Joseph Hamilton Beattie 1850 - 1871

William George Beattie 1871 - 1877

William Adams 1877 - 1895

Dugald Drummond 1895 -1912

Robert Urie 1912-1923

[edit] Liveries

John Viret Gooch

Little information is availab le although from 1844 dark green with red and white lining, black wheels and red buffer beams seems to have become standard.

Joseph Hamilton Beattie 1850 - 1866

Passenger classes - Indian red with black panelling inside white. Driving splashers and cylinders lined white. Black wheels, smokebox and chimney. Vermillion buffer beams and buff footplate interior.

Goods classes - unlined Indian red. Older engines painted black until 1859.

1866 - 72

All engines dark chocolate brown with 1in black bands edged internally in white and externally by vermillion. Tender sides divided into 3 panels.

William George Beattie

Paler chocolate known as purple brown with the same lining. From 1874 the white lining was replaced by yellow ochore and the vermillion by crimson.

William Adams

1878 - 85

Umber brown with a 3in black band externally and bright green line internally. Bolier bands black with white edging. Buffer beams vermillion. Smokebox, chimney, frames etc black.

1885 - 1895

Passenger classes - Pea green with black borders edged with a fine white line. Boiler bands black with a fine white line to either side.

Goods classes - holly green with black borders edged by a fine bright green line.

Dugald Drummond

Passenger classes - royal green lined in chocolate, tiple lined in white, black and white. Bolier bands black lined in white with 3 in tan stripes to either side. Outside cylinders with black borders and white lining. Smokebox, chimney, exterior frames, tops of splashers, platform etc black. Inside of the main frames tan. Buffer beams vermillion and cab interios grained oine.

Goods classes - holly green edged in black and lined in light green. Bolier band black edged in light green.

Robert Urie

1914 - 1917

Passenger classes - olive green with Drummond lining.

Goods classes holly green with black edging and white lining.

1917 - 1923

Passenger classes - olive green with a black border and white edging.

Goods classes - holly green often without lining until 1918.

[edit] Locomotive works

The locomotive works were at Nine Elms from 1838 to 1895. Under Drummond they were moved to a new spacious site at Eastleigh in 1909.

[edit] Train services

In 1907 the LSWR commenced running the North Cornwall and Bude Express. The Southern Railway was later to rename it as the Atlantic Coast Express in July 1926. It was the 11am train from London, and it continued to run until 1964.

[edit] Other details

[edit] Trivia

Vauxhall station reputedly has had an interesting influence on other languages. Legend has it that a party from Russia came to see what happening around the time the station was opened (with a view to planning their own rail system). They saw the station nameboards, thought the word was the English word for railway station and took it back home. In fact, the first Russian railway station was built on the site of pleasure gardens based on those at Vauxhall — nothing to do with the English railway station. The anglicised script version of the Russian word is 'vokzal'.

[edit] See also

[edit] References

  • Dendy-Marshall, C. F. (1968) A history of the Southern Railway , Kidner,R.W. (ed.), new ed., London: Allen, ISBN 0-7110-0059-X
  • Hamilton E.C. (1956) The South Western Railway: its mechanical history and background, 1838-1922, George Allen & Unwin, 256 p.
  • Nock, O. S. (1971) The London & South Western Railway, Ian Allen, ISBN 0-7110-0267-3
  • Williams, R. A. (1968) The London & South Western Railway, v. 1: The formative years, and v. 2: Growth and consolidation, David and Charles, ISBN 0-7153-4188-X; ISBN 0-7153-5940-1

[edit] External links


The "Big Four" pre-nationalisation British railway companies
v • d • e

Great Western • London Midland & Scottish • London & North Eastern • Southern

GWR constituents: Great Western Railway • Cambrian Railways • Taff Vale Railway
Barry Railway • Rhymney Railway • (full list)
LNER constituents: Great Central • Great Eastern • Great Northern • Great North of Scotland
Hull & Barnsley • North British • North Eastern • (Full list)
LMS constituents: Caledonian • Furness • Lancashire & Yorkshire • Glasgow & South Western
London and North Western • Midland • North Staffordshire • (Full list)
SR constituents: London and South Western Railway • London, Brighton and South Coast Railway
South Eastern Railway • London, Chatham and Dover Railway • (Full list)

See also: History of rail transport in Great Britain 1923 - 1947 • List of companies involved in the grouping
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