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![]() 1920 map of the railway | |
Technical | |
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Track gauge | 4 ft 8+1⁄2 in (1,435 mm) |
Length | 637 miles 61 chains (1,026.4 km) (1919) [1] |
Track length | 1,302 miles 24 chains (2,095.8 km) (1919) [1] |
The South Eastern and Chatham Railway Companies Joint Management Committee (SE&CRCJMC), [2] known as the South Eastern and Chatham Railway (SE&CR), was a working union of two neighbouring rival railways, the South Eastern Railway (SER) and London, Chatham and Dover Railway (LC&DR), which operated between London and south-east England. Between 1899 and 1923, the SE&CR had a monopoly of railway services in Kent and to the main Channel ports for ferries to France and Belgium.
The companies had competed extensively, with some of the bitterest conflicts between British railway companies. Competing routes to the same destinations were built, so several towns in Kent had been served with a similar frequency service by both companies. In places, unfettered competition allowed two stations and services to multiple London termini.
It would be a constituent of the Southern Railway as part of the 1923 Grouping.
By the end of the 19th century, the SER and LC&DR had fought over a small and not particularly lucrative territory for 40 years. Both were notorious for the poor punctuality of their services and the decrepitude of their rolling stock, and the struggles had driven both companies to the verge of bankruptcy. It became inevitable that they must combine or succumb.
The SE&CR was formed on 1 January 1899, when the SER and LC&DR formed a "management committee" comprising the directors of both companies. This merged the two companies' operations, although they remained legally separate, with receipts split 59% to SER and 41% LC&DR until the Grouping, to avoid the costs and risks of a formal merger.
South Eastern and London, Chatham and Dover Railways Act 1899 | |
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Act of Parliament | |
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Long title | An Act to provide for the working union of the South Eastern and London Chatham and Dover Railway Companies and for other purposes. |
Citation | 62 & 63 Vict. c. clxviii |
Dates | |
Royal assent | 1 August 1899 |
On 5 August 1899 the South Eastern and London, Chatham and Dover Railways Act 1899 (62 & 63 Vict. c. clxviii) was passed.
The SE&CR began connecting the two networks and new services were introduced, reaping the benefits of joint working. A significant step was the construction of a junction in 1902-4 between the SER and LC&DR main lines where they crossed near Bickley and St Mary Cray, east of Bromley; the LC&DR's line via Maidstone to Ashford was connected to the SER station at Ashford; and the SER branch from Strood to Chatham alongside the LC&DR's main line to Chatham was closed prior to World War I. The overlapping networks on the Isle of Thanet (Margate-Broadstairs-Ramsgate) were rationalised by the Southern Railway. Service cuts under BR saw Gravesend lose its second station.
After the formation of the SE&CR, three minor lines were built before the formation of the Southern Railway in 1923. They were:
The LC&DR's works at Longhedge, Battersea closed in 1911 and production was concentrated at Ashford. Harry Wainwright was replaced by Richard Maunsell as Locomotive Superintendent in 1913.
With the development and implementation of electrification by the L&SWR, the LB&SCR, the "Tube" companies and tram operators in the early twentieth century, the SE&CR planned to start electrifying its lines. The proposed method would have used four rails, with one of the two additional rails energised at +1500 V DC and the other at −1500 V DC. Current would have been collected by side-contact, with the conductor rails protected by wooden boarding on top and at the sides. Trains would have consisted of multiple-units, each including two motor coaches, each motor coach having two traction motors: one motor coach would have been supplied by the positive conductor rail, the other by the negative. [8] [9] This very high voltage for rail track level systems was used in Britain only on the L&YR's 1200 V DC side-contact third-rail line from Manchester Victoria to Bury. Grouping in 1923 led to the Southern Railway adopting the L&SWR's standard of 660 V DC third rail on the SE&CR's network.
The SE&CR operated ships on cross-channel services.
Ship | Launched | Tonnage (GRT) | Notes |
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Albert Victor | 1880 [11] | 814 [11] | Scrapped 1899. [11] |
Boulogne | 1878 [11] | 407 [11] | Sold in 1903 to British Central Africa Co Ltd. [11] |
Duchess of York | 1895 [11] | 996 [11] | Scrapped in 1904 [11] |
Folkestone | 1878 [11] | 398 [11] | Scrapped in 1903. [11] |
Louise Dagmar | 1880 [11] | 818 [11] | Scrapped in 1899. [11] |
Mary Beatrice | 1882 [11] | 803 [11] | Scrapped in 1900 [11] |
Princess of Wales | 1898 [11] | 1,009 [11] | Sold in 1910 to Argentina, renamed Río Uruguay. [11] |
Ship | Launched | Tonnage (GRT) | Notes |
---|---|---|---|
Breeze | 1863 [12] | 385 [12] | Scrapped in 1899. [12] |
Calais | 1896 [12] | 979 [12] | Sold in 1911 to Hattemer, Boulogne, renamed Au Revoir. [12] |
Calais-Douvres | 1889 [12] | 1,212 [12] | Sold in 1900 to Liverpool & Douglas Steamers. [12] |
Dover | 1896 [12] | 979 [12] | Scrapped in 1911. [12] |
Empress | 1887 [12] | 1,213 [12] | Scrapped in 1906 [12] |
Foam | 1862 [12] | 495 [12] | Scrapped in 1901. [12] |
France | 1864 [12] | 365 [12] | Scrapped in 1899. [12] |
Invicta | 1882 [12] | 1,282 [12] | Scrapped in 1899. [12] |
Lord Warden | 1896 [12] | 979 [12] | Scrapped in 1911. [12] |
Petrel | 1862 [12] | 503 [12] | Scrapped in 1899. [12] |
Prince | 1864 [12] | 338 [12] | Scrapped in 1899. [12] |
Samphire | 1861 [12] | 336 [12] | Scrapped in 1899. [12] |
Victoria | 1886 [12] | 1,042 [12] | Scrapped in 1904 [12] |
Wave | 1863 [12] | 385 [12] | Scrapped in 1899 [12] |
Ship | Launched | Tonnage (GRT) | Notes |
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Biarritz | 1914 [13] | 2,495 [13] | Scrapped in 1949 at Dover. [14] |
Canterbury | 1900 [15] | 561 [15] | Sold in 1926 to W E Guinness, renamed Arpha. Sold in 1938 to Sark Motorships Ltd. Requisitioned by the Royal Navy in 1939 as HMS Arpha. Sold in 1946 to Shell Caribbean Petroleum Ltd, renamed Coriano. Sold in 1951 to J M Perez Hernandez. Scrapped after 1955. [15] |
Empress | 1907 [13] | 1,689 [13] | Requisitioned by Royal Navy in 1914, sold to France in 1923. Scrapped at Dunkirk in 1933. [16] |
Engadine | 1911 [13] | 1,676 [13] | Requisitioned by Royal Navy in 1914, returned in 1920. Sold in 1933 to Philippines and renamed Corregidor. Struck a mine and sank on 17 December 1941. [17] |
Invicta | 1905 [13] | 1,680 [13] | Sold in 1923 to France. Scrapped in 1932. [18] |
Mabel Grace | 1899 [11] | 1,289 [11] | Scrapped in 1909. [11] |
Maid of Orleans | 1918 [13] | 2,384 [13] | Torpedoed on 28 June 1944 and sunk. [19] |
Onward | 1905 [13] | 1,671 [13] | Caught fire in 1918 at Folkestone and sank. Salvaged in 1920, sold to Isle of Man Steam Packet Company and rebuilt as Mona's Isle, the fourth IoMSPCo ship to carry that name. Scrapped in November 1948 at Milford Haven, Pembrokeshire. [20] |
Riviera | 1911 [13] | 1,674 [13] | Requisitioned by Royal Navy in 1914, returned in 1920. Sold in 1932 to Burns & Laird Lines Ltd, renamed Laird's Isle. Scrapped in October 1957 at Troon, Ayrshire. [21] |
The Queen | 1903 [13] | 1,676 [13] | Captured on 26 October 1916 by German destroyer S-60 and sunk. [22] |
Victoria | 1907 [23] | 1,689 [13] | Sold in 1928 to the IoMSPCo. Scrapped in January 1957 at Barrow in Furness. [23] |
Ship | Launched | Tonnage (displacement) | Notes |
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Gannet | 1878 | 1,130 | Used as an accommodation ship at Port Victoria in 1900–03. |
The London, Brighton and South Coast 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, covering a large part of Surrey. It was bounded on its western side by the London and South Western Railway (L&SWR), which provided an alternative route to Portsmouth. On its eastern side the LB&SCR 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 had the most direct routes from London to the south coast seaside resorts of Brighton, Eastbourne, Worthing, Littlehampton and Bognor Regis, and to the ports of Newhaven and Shoreham-by-Sea. It served the inland towns and 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, and shared interests in two cross-London lines.
The London, Chatham and Dover Railway was a railway company in south-eastern England. It was created on 1 August 1859, when the East Kent Railway was given parliamentary approval to change its name. Its lines ran through London, and northern and eastern Kent, to form a significant part of the Greater London commuter network. The company existed until 31 December 1922, when its assets were merged with those of other companies to form the Southern Railway as a result of the grouping determined by the Railways Act 1921.
The South Eastern Railway (SER) 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 SER absorbed or leased other railways, some older than itself, including the London and Greenwich Railway and the Canterbury and Whitstable Railway. Most of the company's routes were in Kent, eastern Sussex and the London suburbs, with a long cross-country route from Redhill in Surrey to Reading, Berkshire.
The Southern Railway took a key role in expanding the 660 V DC third rail electrified network begun by the London & South Western Railway. As a result of this, and its smaller operating area, its steam locomotive stock was the smallest of the 'Big Four' companies.
The Sheerness line is located in Kent, England, and connects Sheerness-on-Sea on the Isle of Sheppey with Sittingbourne on the mainland, and with the Chatham Main Line for trains towards London, Ramsgate or Dover Priory. It opened on 19 July 1860.
Adisham railway station is on the Dover branch of the Chatham Main Line in England, and serves the village of Adisham, Kent. It is 67 miles 60 chains (109.0 km) down the line from London Victoria and is situated between Bekesbourne and Aylesham.
Aylesham railway station is on the Dover branch of the Chatham Main Line in England, and serves the village of Aylesham, Kent. It is 68 miles 66 chains (110.8 km) down the line from London Victoria and is situated between Adisham and Snowdown.
Ramsgate railway station serves the town of Ramsgate in Thanet in Kent, England. The station lies on the Chatham Main Line, 79 miles 21 chains (127.6 km) down the line from London Victoria, the Kent Coast Line, and the Ashford to Ramsgate line. The station is managed by Southeastern, which operates all trains serving it.
Margate railway station serves the town of Margate in Thanet, Kent, England. It is 73 miles 69 chains (118.9 km) down the line from London Victoria. The station and all trains that serve the station are operated by Southeastern.
Aylesford railway station is on the Medway Valley Line in Kent, England, serving the village of Aylesford. It is 38 miles 74 chains (62.6 km) down the line from London Charing Cross via Strood and is situated between New Hythe and Maidstone Barracks. The station opened on 18 June 1856.
Appledore railway station is a Grade II listed station east of Appledore in Kent, England. It is on the Marshlink line, and train services are provided by Southern.
The South Eastern and Chatham Railway (SECR) C Class is a class of 0-6-0 steam locomotive, designed by Harry Wainwright and built between 1900 and 1908. They were designed for freight duties, although occasionally used for passenger trains. They operated over the lines of the railway in London and south-east England until the early 1960s. One example was rebuilt as an S Class saddle tank.
The South Eastern and Chatham Railway (SECR) H Class is a class of 0-4-4T steam locomotive originally designed for suburban passenger work, designed by Harry Wainwright in 1904. Most of the sixty-six members of the class were later equipped for push-pull working for use on rural branch lines.
The Ashford–Ramsgate line is a railway that runs through Kent from Ashford to Ramsgate via Canterbury West. Its route mostly follows the course of the River Great Stour.
Airdrie railway station is a railway station serving the town of Airdrie, North Lanarkshire, Scotland. The station is managed by ScotRail and is served by trains on the North Clyde Line, 11 miles (18 km) east of Glasgow Queen Street.
The SECR B1 class was a class of 4-4-0 steam tender locomotive for express passenger service on the South Eastern and Chatham Railway. These engines were originally designed by James Stirling for the South Eastern Railway (SER) in 1898 and designated B class. The SER was merged into the SECR in 1899 and, between 1910 and 1927 the B class engines were rebuilt with new boilers by Harry Wainwright to become B1 class.
Brayton was a railway station which served as the interchange for the Solway Junction Railway (SJR) with the Maryport and Carlisle Railway (M&CR); it also served nearby Brayton Hall and district in Cumbria. The station was opened by the M&CR and became a junction station in 1870 on the 25 mile long SJR line.
Curthwaite was a railway station on the Maryport and Carlisle Railway (M&CR) serving West Curthwaite and Thursby in Cumbria. The station was opened by the M&CR in 1843 and lay in the Parish of Westward.
Cummersdale was a railway station on the Maryport and Carlisle Railway (M&CR) serving Cummersdale in Cumbria. The station was opened by the M&CR in 1858 and lay in the Parish of Cummersdale near to the village of High Cummersdale.