Electrification of the London and South Western Railway

First electric tram- Siemens 1881 in Lichterfelde

The first public electric railway in the world was opened in 1881 in Berlin. An electric tramway service for the use of the public began running from the Anhalt station in Berlin to the suburb of Lichterfelde Ost, as an experimental demonstration system. It ran on dedicated metre-gauge track with an overhead contact wire at 180 V, over a length of 2.45 kilometres (1.52 mi). It was installed by Siemens & Halske.[1][2]

In August 1883 Magnus Volk inaugurated the first of his electric railways at Brighton, using a 50 V DC third rail system, and in September 1883, an electric line was brought into service in Portrush, Ireland, in connection with the Giant's Causeway. It used a third-rail contact system at 290 V DC. In 1899 the contact system was altered to an overhead contact wire. Voltage drop proved to be an issue.[3]

In 1908 the Lancaster to Morecambe and Heysham line was electrified at 6.6 kV 25 Hz by the Midland Railway as an experiment to demonstrate the practical use of such a system.[4][5]

In 1903 the London, Brighton and South Coast Railway was concerned about the high cost of operating its inner suburban South London line and the company decided to set about an electrification scheme of the route. Encouraged by the published intentions of the Midland Railway project, the LBSCR decided to adopt a similar overhead contact system at 6.6 kV. Portal gantries were generally used to support the overhead line system, and in the more congested environment of inner South London, it was discovered that standard dimensions were usually inappropriate, so that the majority of the portals were designed individually. This slowed the installation considerably, and added to its cost.[6][7]

Many sub-surface urban railways in London, the North-West of England and overseas were powered by electricity; in 1890 the City and South London Railway had been opened,[8] followed in 1898 by the Waterloo and City Railway,[9][10] and in 1900 by the Central London Railway[11] and in 1904 by the Great Northern and City Railway.[12] Then in 1906 and 1907 the Baker Street and Waterloo Railway,[13] the Charing Cross, Euston and Hampstead Railway[14] and the Great Northern, Piccadilly and Brompton Railway[13] opened. All of these railways operated successfully with third–rail or third-and-fourth rail electric traction. The partly sub-surface (but not tube) Metropolitan Railway had electrified the underground sections of its network in 1905,[15] and part of the Metropolitan District Railway was so treated in 1903.[16] Indeed, the District Railway had been running electric trains over LSWR tracks since 1905, to Richmond from Turnham Green and to Wimbledon from Putney Bridge.[17][18]

Herbert Ashcombe Walker

In the early years of the twentieth century, the LSWR had a dense steam operated suburban network, but its trains were considered to be slow and infrequent. Street-running tramways were abstracting business from the LSWR: they were frequent and they directly served residential districts that many railway stations failed to approach. The tramcars journeys were not necessarily slower than a stopping train. In addition there was concern that the rival Central London Railway was planning an extension into the LSWR area.[19] It was clear that the LSWR needed to take steps to staunch the loss of business. Herbert Ashcombe Walker was appointed to the post of General Manager of the LSWR from 1 January 1912. He was a dynamic manager and quickly saw that the need was to make the suburban passenger service more attractive, and to make operating and maintenance economies, and electrification was the means of achieving that. He appointed Herbert Jones to the post of Electrical Engineer. Jones had been involved with the pioneer electric tube line, the City and South London Railway.[20]

Jones went on a fact-finding trip to the United States later in 1912, to look particularly at DC third-rail installations in use on urban railroads there. He was impressed with what he saw, particularly with regard to the economy of installation and reliability in use of such systems. This resulted in the third-rail DC system being chosen as most suitable for the task by both Jones and Walker. It had the advantage of simple and cheap installation of the contact rail. Transmission required the use of rectifiers and rotary converters, of which the technology was still primitive, but train operation by direct current was now in widespread proven use on railways. A suitable scheme was drawn up very quickly, and was presented to the LSWR Board in December 1912. Adoption of the LBSCR system was considered, but it had significant disadvantages: in particular it was obvious that it had cost much more than the LBSCR had budgeted for, and the catenary systems and structures to carry the overhead contact required a lengthy construction time.[20]

A 3-Sub unit at Hounslow

The proposals of Walker and Jones to electrify the principal suburban lines of the LSWR were adopted by the Board early in 1913. The scheme was to be divided into two stages: stage one was to be Waterloo to Waterloo via both the Kingston and Hounslow loops, the main line out as far as Hampton Court Junction and thence onwards to both Hampton Court and Claygate (a short distance down the Guildford New line, probably intended to provide a turnback location off the main line), the Shepperton branch, and Wimbledon to East Putney and Point Pleasant Junction. This part of the scheme covered 50 route miles (80 route km) and about 150 track miles (240 route km), and it was expected that the work involved would take two years to complete, at an estimated cost of £1.16 million. Stage two was to include all three routes to Guildford, via Epsom, Cobham and Woking, and possibly Twickenham and Hounslow to Windsor.[20][17]

The extent of LSWR electrification in 1916 (in red)

The LSWR built its own power station at Durnsford Road near Wimbledon. Work started immediately in 1913, but was suspended due to the First World War. The power station had 16 Babcock & Wilcox boilers and five 5,000 kW Dick Kerr turbo-alternators, which generated power at 11 kV, three-phase, 25 Hz. Provision was made for a 10,000 kW extension. Three 400 kW turbo-generator sets supplied direct current at 220 V for the switchboard control circuits, for driving the auxiliaries and also for lighting the power house.[21][22][17]

From Durnsford Road, power was distributed to nine sub-stations at Waterloo, Clapham Junction, Raynes Park, Kingston, Twickenham, Barnes, Isleworth, Sunbury and Hampton Court Junction. Sub-station equipment included transformers to step down from 11 kV to the line voltage of 600 V, and rotary converters to change to direct current. The rotary converters had to be staffed continuously, a significant expense.[22][17]

The conductor rail was flat-bottom Vignoles section, of high conductivity steel, 1oo lbs per yard (50 kg per metre), laid 3 inches (76 mm) above, and 16 inches (410 mm) outside the running rail, these dimensions being respectively between top of conductor rail and track rail and between centre line of conductor rail and running edge of running rail. Return was by the running rails, bonded with flat copper wire protected by special fishplates. The motors picked up their supply by overrunning shoes placed midway along a beam suspended from the motor bogie axleboxes.[21]

Third and fourth rail at Southfields station

The first line treated was from Waterloo to Wimbledon via East Putney. The line from Putney Bridge to Wimbledon had been jointly built by the LSWR and the Metropolitan District Railway in 1889, and had been electrified by the District in 1905. There was a spur from Point Pleasant Junction on the LSWR Barnes line connecting to East Putney, on the Wimbledon line. The District Railway used 600 V DC, so for compatibility the LSWR adopted that voltage. The District trains used a third and fourth rail, whereas the LSWR trains used a third rail only. To enable interoperability the fourth rail was electrically bonded to the running rails. The LSWR electric operation started on 25 October 1915 on weekdays only. There was a twenty-minute frequency, but patronage was very poor, and the service was soon considerably reduced.[23][22]

Electric train running started on the Kingston roundabout and Shepperton services from 30 January 1916.[24] The Hounslow Loop started electric trains running on 12 March 1916, followed by the Hampton Court line on 18 June 1916. Finally the section from Hampton Court Junction to Claygate was electrically operational on 20 November 1916.[22]

In 1913 about 25 million passengers had been carried on the lines afterwards electrified. By 1916 it had risen to 29.4 million and by 1920 to 52.6 million.[25]

Infrastructure work in connection with the first stage of the electrification included the provision of eight running lines between Nine Elms and Vauxhall. In addition a flyover with 160 feet (49 m) span was constructed at Hampton Court Junction to take the Down Hampton Court line over the main line; it was approached by a long, gentle climb from Surbiton station. The flyover line was opened to traffic on 14 July 1915. A new station was opened at Barnes Bridge on the Hounslow Loop.[22][17]

Each unit was composed of two motor coaches with driving controls and a brake van, flanking a non-powered trailer coach. Each motor coach was equipped with a single motor bogie at the cab end, fitted with a pair of 275 horsepower (205 kW) traction motors fixed to brackets supported by the driving wheel axles, an arrangement generally termed axle hung. The motors were designed to the largest dimensions possible given the track gauge and wheel diameter, giving maximum power for rapid acceleration away from station stops and high speeds where appropriate. They were fully enclosed, with a thick casing and fan to ensure adequate heat dissipation; The motors themselves were of the axle-mounted, totally-enclosed box type with an armature fan to ventilate the motor. They were geared 59:21 to driving wheels of nominal 3 feet 6 inches (1.07 m) diameter, with a motor bogie wheelbase of 8 feet 9 inches (2.67 m).[26][17]

The control of the main circuits was of the British Westinghouse Electric "All-Electric Control" type, with automatic acceleration. In this type the contactors are operated by solenoids, energised from the line voltage and controlled through train lines from the master controller in the driver's cab.[21][27]

Power was collected from the upper surface of the conductor rail by cast iron collector shoes mounted on wooden beams which were suspended between the axle boxes on each side of the motor bogies. The shoes were five inches (100 mm wide and the length of shoe in contact with the rail was nine inches (225 mm). They had a small amount of vertical play, and contact with the live rail was maintained purely by gravity. The connecting cable from each shoe ran through a substantial copper fuse, mounted in a spark-arrester box (known as an arc chute) suspended on brackets below the solebar, and then entered the coach body through a slot in the lower side panel above the footboard. A power (bus) line ran externally along the roof of each coach and was joined by flexible cables between vehicles throughout the length of the train, connecting all its collector shoes together.[26]

An eight-core control cable was routed along the roof and linked between vehicles in each unit by flexible jumpers; this connected the control equipment in each motor coach. When the master controller was moved to activate the control system in one cab, the control wires were energised in sequence to send electrical signals at line voltage (600 V DC) to activate the control system at the other end of the unit in an equivalent manner. The control cable could be connected throughout the train when two or more units were coupled, so that all the equipment in the train were controlled from one cab. The system was developed by electrical contractors British Westinghouse and was based on that originally invented in the USA by Frank J. Sprague for tramway operation.[26]

The switchgear, resistances and associated apparatus were housed in a compartment behind the driving cab. It had been decided to locate them here rather than on the underframe partly for ease of access for maintenance, but also because having their mass directly over the motor bogie increased the available adhesion. The resistances generated significant heat, and cooling air was provided through ventilating louvres, with horizontal slatting, in the coach sides. The control gear operated with a loud and ringing series of clicks, quickly giving rise to the epithet nutcrackers being bestowed upon these units.[26]

Westinghouse quick-acting brakes, worked off cylinders 12 by 14 inches (300 by 360 mm) were supplied with compressed air by compressors driven by slow speed motors, one of which was placed under each motor coach, and a master governor and switch ensured that all compressors throughout the train started and stopped simultaneously. This arrangement is known as the Westinghouse governor synchronizing system.[21]

It used rather than the vacuum brake, previously standard on LSWR suburban stock, because it allowed faster station stops, necessary given the frequent and tightly timed services planned. The brake and main reservoir pipes were situated at buffer-beam height. Also in the equipment compartment was the air compressor for the air brake, one of which was situated in each motor coach. These compressors operated with a high-pitched 'ping-ping' sound; they were activated by brake application and exhaustion of the air in the system, and could therefore often be heard while the train was standing in a station.[26]

The driving controls were designed to require a minimum of skill to operate, so consistent schedules were not dependent on the ability of the motorman. The multiple unit control system was electro-magnetic and featured automatic acceleration using current limiting relays, a new feature at the time. The master controller incorporated a "dead man's handle", nowadays referred to as a "driver's safety device"; downward pressure had to be applied to this at all times while the train was moving, or the brakes would automatically be applied.[26]

Other controls in the cab included a whistle, supplied with air from the brake compressor, and a hand-operated windscreen wiper on the motorman's lookout. A brake pressure gauge and ammeter were also provided but, as with the LBSCR ac stock, no speedometer.[26]

An eight-car train formed of two 3-Sub units and a two car unpowered trailer between; at Orpington

Third-class compartments seated five each side and were 5 feet 6 inches (1.68 m) between partitions, except those downgraded fr0m first or second class which had an extra four or six inches (100 to 150 mm) of legroom, the former being those in the 7553-type 49 ft trailers.[26]

The seats were of the bench type with fixed wire-framed cushions, and upright cushions had headrests. Most were upholstered with red and black tapestry, but a few units had a shiny black 'American cloth', while others had rattan these variations were again probably due to wartime supply difficulties. First class compartments were 6 feet 6 inches (1.98 m) between partitions, seated four each side with end and three intermediate armrests, and were upholstered in blue cloth with loose lift-out cushions.[26]

Heaters were fitted, located under the seats. Each compartment was illuminated by two series-wired 75 V 40 W lamps in opal-glass bowls, the pattern differing in the two classes.[26][21] Both heating and lighting worked at line-voltage, and the lighting circuits were originally controlled independently in each vehicle. There was no cab lighting, so at night the motorman had to open the rear of the illuminated headcode box to read his notices.[26]

In order to give the electric services a new and modern image, the three-coach units were painted in a different livery from the salmon pink and brown of the steam trains they superseded. It is probable that the choice of shade was influenced by Herbert Jones' visit to the USA in 1912. The basic colour was sage green, lined out in black and yellow and with mid-brown window mouldings.[26]

Stage two of the electrification had been deferred during the war, and in 1920 the LSWR reviewed the planned electrification to Guildford via Epsom and via Cobham, but found that contractors were unable to submit reliable tenders at reasonable prices, so further work was postponed. The planned flyover for the Up Guildford lines at Woking Junction was never constructed, although it had been a definite component of the original electrification project.[27]

The LBSCR had its 6.6 kV overhead system, which it was committed to extending to Coulsdon and Wallington, and to a main line scheme to the south coast. The SE&CR had decided on a 3 kV 25 Hz overhead system. In 1922 a provisional committee of the future Southern Railway met to determine policy; each of the constituents wished to pursue its earlier intentions, possibly imposing their system on the other two. The committee had no executive power, and the SE&CR in particular refused to accept the restraints imposed by it. A respected American specialist associated with the Pennsylvania Railroad, George Gibbs, was brought in to arbitrate. Although his recommendations for the immediate future were acceptable, he suggested that future main line electrification on the LBSCR and SE&CR systems should be at 11 kV overhead, as on the Pennsylvania system: this brought a fourth system temporarily on to the agenda.[32]

In practical terms, however, the LSWR system was adopted except for some extensions of the existing LBSCR network. The line voltage of the LSWR system might be increased to 750 V,[32] but for the sake of uniformity 600 V was decided on for the time being in February 1923.[31]

In July 1926 a start was made in converting the former LBSCR overhead system to third-rail operation. It had been found that the maintenance costs of the AC stock considerably exceeded those for the DC motor coaches by then in service. The last AC powered passenger train on the Southern Railway left Victoria for Coulsdon North at 12:10 am on Sunday 22 September 1929.[33]

Electrified routes on the Western section of the Southern Railway in 1925 (in red)

Before 1914 it had been a definite plan to electrify the three routes to Guildford, via Epsom, Claygate and Woking; the scheme was interrupted by World War I. On 6 December 1923 the Southern Railway Board approved resumption of the scheme, now including the former LBSCR section to Dorking. The project covered 33 route miles, 53 route km (67 track miles, 108 track km) and would cost £833,000.[34]

The former LSWR generating plant at Durnsford Road provided the electricity for this scheme at 11 KV 25Hz three-phase AC. This was carried by lineside cabling to seven substations equipped with rotary converters, which were supplied by British Thomson-Houston. The substations supplied current at a nominal 600 V DC to the conductor rails. New bay platforms for terminating electric services were provided on the Down sides at both Guildford and Dorking. Where necessary, platforms at most other stations were extended to the new standard of 520 feet (160 m) which allowed for an eight-coach rush-hour electric train. The platforms at Horsley, Clandon and London Road (Guildford) were not lengthened at this time. A new station was provided at Motspur Park, between Raynes Park and Worcester Park on the Epsom line.[34]

Public services on these routes started on 12 July 1925, following a formal opening ceremony on 9 July at both Guildford and Dorking. The new regular-interval timetables replaced steam services running to irregular timings. They were designed to make maximum use of the local lines out of Waterloo, and to distribute stops in the inner area in an effort to reduce overcrowding. At first there was a twenty-minute interval service on both the Cobham and Epsom lines.[35][36]

On the Cobham line all trains ran through to Guildford; on the Epsom line a half-hourly service ran to Dorking and one every hour to Effingham Junction, connecting there with Cobham line trains in both directions. There were complaints that connections to Kingston were awkward; Kingston was a major shopping centre and generated considerable off-peak traffic. As a result the service was entirely recast as from 1 December 1925. The Cobham line trains were rerouted onto the through (fast) lines non-stop from Waterloo to Surbiton, leading to the first regular operation of suburban electric multiple units at express speeds. This then allowed Epsom line trains to be retimed to give better connections in and out of Shepperton and Kingston loop trains at Raynes Park.[35]

Both Epsom and Leatherhead suffered from having separate former LBSCR and LSWR stations. Leatherhead was dealt by the construction of a new spur from the south end of the LBSCR Dorking line platforms to the Effingham Junction line. All trains now used the LBSCR station and the former LSWR establishment was closed from 10 July 1927. Sorting out the Epsom duplication had to wait for the Central section electrification in 1929.[35]

Platforms at Horsley, Clandon and London Road had not been extended to the standard 520ft, and in the peak, 8-car trains had to be operated by the original LSWR and 1925 Western section types, which were shorter. The platforms at these three stations were therefore belatedly lengthened in about 1938.[35]

A Portsmouth express passing Weybridge station

Twenty-six sub-stations in all were built for the Portsmouth and Alton lines, and at the height of the work equipment for three substations at a time was unloaded on site every month. The equipment was worked down in steam trains of special wagons, and unloading took place mainly between 11 p.m. Sunday night and 4.30 a.m. next morning. Power was taken from National Grid sub-stations at Byfleet and Portsmouth. A new 12,500 kW turbo-alternator replaced one of the existing 5,000 kW machines at Durnsford Road, to help provide power for the additional electric operation in the London area.[47][45]

At the southern end of the line, the main civil engineering tasks were the reconstruction of the junction station at Havant, where the Portsmouth Direct line and coastal routes joined, and enlargement of Portsmouth Harbour terminus. In the case of Havant, the new track layout comprised two through lines, off which there were loops serving 800ft Up and Down side platforms. A bay for the Hayling Island branch trains was located at the London end of the Down platform.[45]

A 4-COR Portsmouth express unit, now preserved

To operate the new services 312 new or rebuilt vehicles were put into use. The semi-fast services were worked by two-car corridor sets with lavatories, the express services by four-car units, corridored throughout, including from one unit to the next. The total of 312 vehicles was made up from five 2-car trailer sets, six 3-car motor sets, eight 2-car motor sets, thirty-eight 2-car motor corridor sets, twenty-nine 4-car corridor sets, nineteen 4-car corridor sets with restaurant cars. The motor coaches of the express units had two 225 horsepower (168 kW) motors, and there were two motor coaches per 4-coach unit, giving a total power of {{convert|900.[47][45]

The bodies of the new cars had hard wood framing with exterior panels of galvanised steel, and the motor coaches were of the open saloon type. There were two distinct types of four-car units in use. The first made up a unit 264 ft 5+3⁄4 in (80.60 m) long overall, formation thus: third–class motor saloon brake, 52 seats; corridor composite, 30 first and 24 third–class seats ; corridor third, 68 seats ; motor saloon brake as above. In the second type a third–class restaurant and kitchen car, 36 seats; composite with restaurant in a small saloon occupying about one-third of the coach and marshalled nearest the kitchen of the adjoining restaurant car, 42 seats, of which 12 were for diners, was substituted for the two centre trailers.[47]

Ordinarily a twelve-car train was made up from two units of type 1 and one of type 2, usually in the centre, with a total power of 3,300 horsepower (2,500 kW). The restaurant cars were air conditioned with equipment located on the underframes of the car. Individual chairs and lift-up tables were provided, and the kitchen was all electric, receiving its supply for cooking from the 660 V traction circuit and the remainder for grills, hot-plate and refrigerator, from the low-tension side of a 660/220 V dynamotor.[47]