View source for Southern Railway (UK)

{{Short description|British "Big 4" railway company, active 1923–1947}}
{{About|the Southern Railway which operated in England from 1923 to 1947|the modern UK train operating company|Southern (Govia Thameslink Railway)|other uses|Southern Railway (disambiguation)}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=July 2021}}
{{Use British English|date=August 2012}}
{{Infobox
| title    = Southern Railway
|
| image    = [[File:Coat-sr.gif|frameless]]
| caption  = [[Coat-of-arms]] of the Southern Railway
| image2  = [[File:Map_of_Southern_Railway_1926.jpg|frameless]]
| caption2 = 1926 map of the railway
|
| header1  = History

| label2   = 1923
| data2    = Grouping; Southern Railway is created
| label3   = 1929
| data3    = Phase one of electrification scheme complete
| label4   = 1930
| data4    = Richard Maunsell's [[SR V "Schools" class]] introduced
| label5   = 1937
| data5    = [[Oliver Bulleid]] becomes [[Chief Mechanical Engineer]]
| label6   = 1941
| data6    = First [[SR Merchant Navy Class]] ''Pacific'' unveiled
| label7   = 1948
| data7    = [[Transport Act 1947|Nationalised]]
|
| header8  = Constituent companies
|
| data9    = [[London, Brighton and South Coast Railway]]<br />[[London & South Western Railway]]<br />[[South Eastern and Chatham Railway]]<br /><Small>See full [[List of constituent companies of the Southern Railway]]</small>
|
| header10 = Successor organisation
|
| label11  = 1948
| data11   = [[Southern Region of British Railways]]
|
| header12 = Key locations
|
| label13  = Headquarters&nbsp;
| data13   = [[London Waterloo station|Waterloo station]], [[London]]
| label14  = Locale
| data14   = England
| label15  = Workshops
| data15   = [[Ashford railway works|Ashford]]<br />[[Brighton railway works|Brighton]]<br />[[Eastleigh railway works|Eastleigh]]
| label16  = Major stations
| data16   = [[London Waterloo railway station|Waterloo station]]<br>[[London Victoria station|Victoria]]<br>[[Charing Cross railway station|Charing Cross]]
|
| header17 = Mileage
|
| label18  = Route length
| data18   = {{convert|2242|mi|47|chain}} (1925)<ref name="RYB">{{Cite book |title=The Railway Year Book for 1926 |publisher=The Railway Publishing Company Limited |year=1920 |location=London |pages=189}}</ref>
| label19  = Track length
| data19   = {{convert|5467|mi|60|chain}} (1925)<ref name="RYB" />
}}

The '''Southern Railway''' ('''SR'''), sometimes shortened to 'Southern', was a [[British people|British]] railway company established in the [[Railways Act 1921|1923 Grouping]]. It linked London with the [[English Channel|Channel]] ports, [[South West England]], [[Seaside resort#British seaside resorts|South coast resorts]] and [[Kent]]. The railway was formed by the amalgamation of several smaller railway companies, the largest of which were the [[London and South Western Railway]] (LSWR), the [[London, Brighton and South Coast Railway]] (LB&SCR) and the [[South Eastern and Chatham Railway]] (SE&CR).<ref name=bonavia26>Bonavia (1987) pp. 26-28</ref> The construction of what was to become the Southern Railway began in 1838 with the opening of the [[London and Southampton Railway]], which was renamed the London & South Western Railway.

The railway was noted for its astute use of public relations and a coherent management structure headed by [[Herbert Ashcombe Walker|Sir Herbert Walker]].<ref name=bonavia26/> At {{convert|2186|mi|0|abbr=out}}, the Southern Railway was the smallest of the [[Big Four (British railway companies)|"Big Four"]] railway companies, the only one to operate entirely in England, and, unlike the others, the majority of its revenue came from passenger traffic rather than freight. It created what was at that time the world's largest electrified railway system. There were two Chief Mechanical Engineers: [[Richard Maunsell]] between 1923 and 1937 and [[Oliver Bulleid]] from 1937 to 1948, both of whom designed new locomotives and rolling stock to replace much of that which was inherited in 1923. The Southern Railway played a vital role in the [[Second World War]], embarking the British Expeditionary Force, during the [[Dunkirk]] operations, and supplying [[Operation Overlord]] in 1944; because the railway was primarily a passenger network, its success was an even more remarkable achievement.

The Southern Railway operated a number of famous named trains, including the [[Brighton Belle]], the [[Bournemouth Belle]], the [[Golden Arrow (train)|Golden Arrow]] and the [[Night Ferry]] (London–Paris and Brussels). The West Country services were dominated by lucrative summer holiday traffic and included named trains such as the [[Atlantic Coast Express]] and the [[Devon Belle]]. The company's best-known livery was highly distinctive: locomotives and carriages were painted in a bright [[malachite green]] above plain black frames, with bold, bright yellow lettering. The Southern Railway was nationalised in 1948, becoming the [[Southern Region of British Railways]].

==History==

=== Constituent companies and formation in 1923 ===
{{See also|List of constituent companies of the Southern Railway}}
Four important railway companies operated along the south coast of England prior to 1923 – the [[London & South Western Railway]] (LSWR), the [[London, Brighton and South Coast Railway]] (LBSCR), and the [[South Eastern Railway, UK|South Eastern Railway]] (SER) and the [[London Chatham and Dover Railway]] (LCDR). (The last two had formed a working union known as the [[South Eastern and Chatham Railway]] (SECR) in 1899.) These companies were amalgamated, together with several small independently operated lines and non-working companies, to form the Southern Railway in 1923, which operated 2186 route miles (3518&nbsp;km) of railway.<ref name=bonavia26/> The new railway also partly owned several joint lines, notably the [[East London Railway]], the [[West London Extension Joint Railway]], the [[Somerset and Dorset Joint Railway]] and the [[Weymouth and Portland Railway]].

The first [[main line (railway)|main line]] railway in southern England was the [[London and Southampton Railway]], (renamed LSWR in 1838), which completed its line in May 1840.<ref name="Marshall1">Dendy Marshall, p. 61</ref> It was quickly followed by the [[London and Brighton Railway]] (September 1841),<ref name="Marshall2">Dendy Marshall, p. 202</ref> and the [[South Eastern Railway, UK|South Eastern Railway]] (formerly the South Eastern and Dover Railway) in February 1844.<ref name=White>White (1961), p.30.</ref> The LSWR branched out to destinations including [[Portsmouth]], [[Salisbury]] and later [[Exeter]] and [[Plymouth]].<ref name=Wolmar1>Wolmar, pp. 72–74</ref> It grew to be the largest of the four constituent companies. The LBSCR was a smaller railway than its LSWR neighbour, serving the port of [[Newhaven, East Sussex|Newhaven]] and several popular holiday resorts on the south coast and operating much of the south London suburban network. It had been almost bankrupt in 1867, but, during the last twenty-five years of its existence, it had been well-managed and profitable.<ref name="Turner">Turner, pp. 215–16.</ref> It had begun to electrify routes around London (using an overhead line system) from 1909 to compete with the new electric trams that were taking away some of its traffic.<ref name=Whitehouse5>Whitehouse, & Thomas, pp. 11–12.</ref> Finally, the SECR had been created after years of wasteful and damaging competition between the two companies involved, with duplication of routes and services. Both companies had been unpopular with the travelling public and operated poorly-maintained vehicles and infrastructure.<ref name="Wolmar">Wolmar, p. 138.</ref> Nevertheless, real progress had been made in rectifying this during the period 1899–1922.<ref name="Nock">Nock, pp. 139–151.</ref>

The formation of the Southern Railway was rooted in the outbreak of the [[First World War]], when all British railway companies were taken into government control. Many members of staff joined the armed forces and it was not possible to build and maintain equipment at peacetime levels. After the war. the government considered permanent nationalisation, but instead decided on a compulsory amalgamation of the railways into four large groups through the [[Railways Act 1921|1921 Railways Act]], known as the Grouping.<ref name=Wolmar3>Wolmar, p. 228</ref> The resultant amalgamation of the four south coast railways to form the Southern Railway meant that several duplicate routes and management structures were inherited. The LSWR had most influence on the new company, although genuine attempts were made to integrate the services and staff after 1923.<ref name="Marshall3">Dendy Marshall, pp. 393–7</ref> The rationalisation of the system led to the downgrading of some routes in favour of more direct lines to the channel ports, and the creation of a co-ordinated, but not necessarily centralised form of management, based at the former LSWR headquarters in Waterloo station.<ref name=Whitehouse6>Whitehouse & Thomas, p. 15</ref>

In addition to its railway operations, the Southern Railway inherited several important ports and harbours on the south coast, including [[Port of Southampton|Southampton]], [[Port of Newhaven|Newhaven]] and [[Folkestone]]. It also ran services to the harbours at [[Portsmouth]], [[Dover]] and [[Plymouth]]. These handled ocean-going and cross-[[English Channel|channel]] passenger traffic and the size of the railway-owned installations reflected the prosperity that the industry generated. This source of traffic, together with the density of population served in the London suburbs, ensured that the Southern would be a predominantly passenger-orientated railway.

=== Electrification ===
{{See also|Railway electrification in Great Britain|SR multiple unit numbering and classification}}
[[File:SR-Good-Morning.jpg|left|frame|1933 poster for the Southern Railway's newly electrified suburban services]]
In 1923, the Southern Railway took over {{fract|24|1|2}} route miles ({{convert|24+1/2|mi|disp=output only}}) of railway electrified with overhead line at 6.7&nbsp;kV, 57 route miles ({{convert|57|mi|disp=output only}}) of railway electrified with a third rail at 660&nbsp;V DC, and the {{convert|1+1/2|mi|adj=on}} long underground [[Waterloo & City Railway]].{{sfn|White|1969|p=181}} The route mileage of third rail electrification was to more than double in 1925 when the current was switched on on the routes to [[Guildford (Surrey) railway station|Guildford]], {{rws|Dorking}} and [[Effingham Junction railway station|Effingham]] and the route from [[London Victoria railway station|Victoria]] and {{rws|Holborn Viaduct}} to {{rws|Orpington}} via {{rws|Herne Hill}} and the [[Catford Loop]].{{sfn|White|1969|pp=182–183}} In 1926, electric trains started to run on the [[South Eastern Main Line]] route to Orpington and the three lines to {{rws|Dartford}} using the 3rd rail system.{{sfn|White|1969|p=183}} On 9 August 1926, the Southern announced that the DC system was to replace the AC system{{sfn|White|1969|p=182}} and the last AC train ran on 29 September 1929.{{sfn|White|1969|p=184}} Including the London Bridge to East Croydon route, electrified in 1928, by the end of 1929, the Southern operated over {{fract|277|1|2}} route miles ({{convert|277+1/2|mi|disp=output only}}) of third rail electrified track and in that year ran 17.8 million electric train miles.{{sfn|White|1969|p=193}}

One new electrified line was built, the [[Wimbledon and Sutton Railway]], being opened in 1929/1930. Most of the area immediately south of London was converted, together with the long-distance lines to [[Brighton railway station|Brighton]], [[Eastbourne railway station|Eastbourne]], [[Hastings railway station|Hastings]] (via the LBSCR line), Guildford, [[Portsmouth Harbour railway station|Portsmouth]] and [[Reading Southern railway station|Reading]], between 1931 and 1939.<ref name=Moody>Moody, pp. 56–75</ref> On the former SECR routes, the lines to [[Sevenoaks]] and [[Maidstone]] were electrified by 1939. The routes to the Kent Coast were next in line for electrification and would have been followed by the electrification of the Southampton/Bournemouth route. The [[Second World War]] delayed these plans until the late 1950s and 1967 respectively. Although not in the Southern's original plans, electrification was extended from Bournemouth to Weymouth in 1988.{{fact|date=March 2024}}

=== Economic crisis of the 1930s ===
The post-[[Wall Street Crash]] affected South Eastern England far less than other areas. The investment the company had already made in modernising the commuter network ensured that the Southern Railway remained in good financial health relative to the other railway companies despite the Depression. However, any available funds were devoted to electrification programme, and this marked the end of the first period under [[Chief Mechanical Engineer]] (CME) [[Richard Maunsell]] when the Southern Railway led the field in steam locomotive design. The lack of funds affected the development of new, standardised motive power, and it would take until the Second World War for the Southern Railway to take the initiative in steam locomotive design once again.{{fact|date=March 2024}}

=== Second World War ===
[[File:Shabby.jpg|right|thumb|1945 poster ('Shabby?') by L. A. Webb promising post-war refurbishment on the Southern Railway, showing Malachite Green and Sunshine Yellow livery]]
During the Second World War, the Southern Railway's proximity to the Channel ports meant that it became vital to the [[Allies of World War II|Allied]] [[war effort]]. Holidaymakers using the lines to the Channel ports and the West Country were replaced by troops and military supplies, especially with the threat of a German invasion of the south coast in 1940.<ref name=Hendry>Hendry, p. 21</ref> Before hostilities, 75% of traffic was passenger, compared with 25% freight; during the war roughly the same number of passengers was carried, but freight grew to 60% of total traffic. A desperate shortage of freight locomotives was remedied by CME [[Oliver Bulleid]], who designed a fleet of 40 [[SR Q1 class|Q1 class]] locomotives to handle the high volumes of military traffic. The volume of military freight and soldiers moved by a primarily commuter and holidaymaker carrying railway was a breathtaking feat.{{fact|date=March 2024}}

When the threat of invasion receded, the Southern Railway again became vital for the movement of troops and supplies preparing for the invasion of [[Normandy]] in [[Operation Overlord]].<ref name=Hendry>Hendry, p. 21</ref> This came at a cost, as the Southern Railway's location around London and the Channel ports meant that it was subjected to heavy bombing, whilst permanent way, locomotive, carriage and wagon maintenance was deferred until peacetime.<ref name=Hendry1>Hendry, p. 23</ref>

=== Nationalisation ===
After a period of slow recovery in the late 1940s, the war-devastated company was nationalised along with the rest of the railway network in 1948 and incorporated into [[British Rail]]ways.<ref name=Hendry2>Hendry, p. 50</ref> The Southern Railway retained a separate identity as the [[Southern Region of British Railways]]. The Southern Railway Company continued to exist as a legal entity until it went into voluntary liquidation on 10 June 1949, having satisfied the requirements of sections 12, 13 and 24 of the [[Transport Act 1947]] to ensure that all assets had been transferred to the [[British Transport Commission]] or otherwise properly distributed.<ref>{{cite magazine |editor1-first=B. W. C. |editor1-last=Cooke |date=September–October 1949  |title=End of Southern Railway Company |magazine=[[The Railway Magazine]] |volume=95 |issue=583 |page=282 |publisher=Railway Publishing Company |location=Westminster }}</ref><ref>{{cite magazine |date=February 1950  |title=Main-Line Companies Dissolved |magazine=[[The Railway Magazine]] |volume=96 |issue=586 |page=73 |publisher=Transport (1910) Ltd |location=London }}</ref><ref>{{London Gazette |issue=38637 |date=10 June 1949 |page=2886 }}</ref> Many lines in London and [[Kent]] had been damaged during the war and much [[rolling stock]] was either damaged or in need of replacement. Just prior to nationalisation, the Southern Railway had started a vigorous renewal programme, and this was continued throughout the early 1950s.<ref name=Hendry3>Hendry, p. 58</ref>

=== Revival in the privatised network ===
{{See|Southern (Govia Thameslink Railway)}}
The former LBSCR routes to South London, Surrey, Sussex and Hampshire, from Victoria and London Bridge are now served by the current Southern. It was branded ''Southern'' on 30 May 2004, recalling the pre-nationalisation Southern Railway, with a green roundel logo with "Southern" written in yellow on a green bar. Southern is a subsidiary of Govia Thameslink Railway(GTR). GTR is a subsidiary of Govia, which is a joint venture between the British Go-Ahead Group (65%) and French company Keolis (35%).<ref>{{Cite web|title=Govia|url=https://www.govia.info/|publisher=Go Ahead Group|access-date=31 August 2019}}</ref>

==Accidents and incidents==
*On 10 January 1923, shunter Frederick Harmer aged 23, was at work at [[Three Bridges railway station]], [[Sussex]] when he slipped from boarding that was covering signal wires. Harmer fell onto the buffer of a wagon and was crushed fatally.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Esbester |first=Mike |date=2023-01-09 |title=‘Never even blew me cap off!’: Railway Grouping & accidents pt 1 |url=https://www.railwayaccidents.port.ac.uk/never-even-blew-me-cap-off-railway-grouping-accidents-pt-1/ |access-date=2024-05-07 |website=Railway Work, Life & Death |language=en-US}}</ref>
*On 5 November 1926, a milk tank train became divided near Bramshott Halt, [[Hampshire]]. The train crew failed to inform the signalman or protect its rear in the belief that the issue could be resolved quickly. A passenger train was in a rear-end collision with it. One person was killed.<ref name="Earnshaw5">{{cite book |last=Earnshaw |first=Alan |title=Trains in Trouble: Vol. 5 |year=1989 |publisher=Atlantic Books |location=Penryn |isbn=0-906899-35-4 |pages=22, 30 }}</ref>
*In March 1927, a train was derailed at [[Wrotham]], [[Kent]].<ref name=Earnshaw5/>
*In August 1927, a passenger train was derailed at [[Bearsted]], Kent.<ref name=Earnshaw5/>
:{{main|Sevenoaks railway accident}}
*On 24 August 1927, a passenger train was derailed at [[Sevenoaks]], Kent due to a combination of the locomotive's design and the condition of the track. Thirteen people were killed and 21 were injured.<ref>{{Cite web|publisher=Railway Archive|url=http://www.railwaysarchive.co.uk/eventsummary.php?eventID=93|title=Accident at Sevenoaks on 24th August 1927|access-date=31 August 2019}}</ref>
*On 4 September 1934, two freight trains collided at [[Hither Green marshalling yard|Hither Green]], [[London]].<ref name=Trevena>{{cite book |first=Arthur |last=Trevena |title=Trains in Trouble |volume=1 |publisher=Atlantic Books |location=Redruth |year=1980 |page=37 |isbn=0-906899-01-X}}</ref>
*On 25 May 1933, a passenger train was derailed at {{rws|Raynes Park}}, London, coming to rest foul of an adjacent line. Another passenger train was in a sidelong collision with it. Five people were killed and 35 were injured. The accident was caused by a failure to implement a speed restriction on a section of track that was under maintenance.<ref name=Hoole3>{{cite book |last=Hoole |first=Ken |author-link=Ken Hoole |title=Trains in Trouble: Vol. 3 |year=1982 |publisher=Atlantic Books |location=Redruth |isbn=0-906899-05-2 |pages=30, 32–33, 38 }}</ref>
:{{main|Battersea Park rail crash (1937)}}
*On 2 April 1937, an [[electric multiple unit]] crashed into the rear of another at {{rws|Battersea Park}}, London due to a signalman's error. Ten people were killed and eighty were injured, seven seriously.<ref>{{Cite web|publisher=Railway Archive|url=http://www.railwaysarchive.co.uk/eventsummary.php?eventID=298|title=Accident at Battersea Park on 2nd April 1937|access-date=31 August 2019}}</ref>
*On 28 June 1937, a passenger train overran signals at {{rws|Swanley Junction}}, Kent and was diverted into a siding where it crashed into an electricity substation. Four people were killed. The train was not booked to stop at Swanley, but arrangements had been made for it to do so. However, the driver of the train had not been informed of these arrangements.<ref name=Hoole3/>
*In 1937, a boat train caught fire at {{rws|Winchester}}, [[Hampshire]] due to an electrical fault in one of the carriages. Four carriages were destroyed.<ref name=Hall>{{cite book |last=Hall |first=Stanley |title=The Railway Detectives |year=1990 |publisher=Ian Allan |location=London |isbn=0-7110-1929-0 |page=101}}</ref>
*On 14 August 1940, a passenger train was derailed at {{rws|St. Denys}}, [[Hampshire]] due to enemy action. A bomb fell on the line in front of the train, which was unable to stop in time.<ref name=Bishop>{{cite book |first=Bill |last=Bishop |title=Off the Rails |publisher=Kingfisher |location=Southampton |year=1984 |pages=21, 25 |isbn=0-946184-06-2}}</ref>
*On 11 May 1941, [[Cannon Street station]] was bombed in a [[Luftwaffe]] air raid. At least one locomotive was severely damaged.<ref name=Earnshaw8>{{cite book |last=Earnshaw |first=Alan |title=Trains in Trouble: Vol. 8 |year=1993 |publisher=Atlantic Books |location=Penryn |isbn=0-906899-52-4 |page=20 }}</ref>
*On 17 July 1946, a light engine collided with a passenger train at [[London Victoria station]]. Several people were injured.<ref name=Earnshaw5/>
*In the summer of 1946, a freight train overran signals and was derailed by trap points at [[Wallers Ash]], Hampshire.<ref name=Bishop/>
*On 21 January 1947, an empty stock train was in a rear-end collision with an [[electric multiple unit]] at {{rws|South Bermondsey}}, London.<ref name=Trevena2>{{cite book |last=Trevena |first=Arthur |title=Trains in Trouble: Vol. 2. |year=1981 |publisher=Atlantic Books |location=Redruth |isbn=0-906899-03-6 |page=33 }}</ref>
:{{main|South Croydon rail crash}}
*On 24 October 1947, an [[electric multiple unit]] train was in collision with another at [[South Croydon]] Junction, [[Surrey]] due to a signalman's error. In the deadliest accident to occur on the Southern Railway, 32 people were killed and 183 were injured.<ref>{{Cite web|publisher=Railway Archive|url=http://www.railwaysarchive.co.uk/eventsummary.php?eventID=107|title=Accident at South Croydon on 24th October 1947|access-date=31 August 2019}}</ref>
*On 26 November 1947, a passenger train was in a rear-end collision with another at {{rws|Farnborough|Main}}, [[Hampshire]] due to a signalman's error. Two people were killed.<ref name=Hoole3/>

== Geography ==
[[File:Norbiton station plaque.jpg|thumb|upright|Sign in [[Norbiton Station]]'s underpass on the [[Kingston Loop Line]]]]
The Southern Railway covered a large territory in south-west England including Weymouth, Plymouth, Salisbury and Exeter, where it was in competition with the [[Great Western Railway]] (GWR). To the east of this area it held a monopoly of rail services in the counties of [[Hampshire]], [[Surrey]], [[Sussex]] and [[Kent]]. Above all, it had a monopoly of the London suburbs south of the [[River Thames]], where it provided a complex network of secondary routes that intertwined between main lines.

Unlike the [[London, Midland and Scottish Railway]], the [[London and North Eastern Railway]] and the GWR, the Southern Railway was predominantly a passenger railway. Despite its small size it carried more than a quarter of Britain's passenger traffic because of its network of commuter lines around London, serving some of the most densely populated parts of the country. In addition, South London's geology was largely unsuitable for underground railways, meaning that the Southern Railway faced little competition from underground lines, encouraging a denser network stretching from stations located in close proximity to central London.

=== Key locations ===
The headquarters of the Southern was in the former LSWR offices at [[London Waterloo railway station|Waterloo station]] and there were six other London termini at [[Blackfriars station|Blackfriars]], [[Cannon Street station|Cannon Street]], [[Charing Cross railway station|Charing Cross]], [[Holborn Viaduct railway station|Holborn Viaduct]], [[London Victoria station|Victoria]] and [[London Bridge station|London Bridge]]. The last of these also held the headquarters of the Eastern and Central Divisions. Other major terminal stations were at [[Dover railway station|Dover]], [[Brighton railway station|Brighton]] and [[Southampton Terminus railway station|Southampton]]. The railway also had one of Europe's busiest stations at [[Clapham Junction railway station|Clapham Junction]].

Locomotives were constructed and maintained at works inherited from constituent companies at [[Eastleigh railway works|Eastleigh]], [[Ashford railway works|Ashford]] and [[Brighton railway works|Brighton]]. The largest was [[Eastleigh Works|Eastleigh]], which was built by the LSWR in 1909 to replace the cramped [[Nine Elms Locomotive Works]] in South London. Brighton had been constructing locomotives since 1852 for the LBSCR, and built 104 of 110 Bulleid Light Pacifics between 1945 and 1951. Ashford was inherited from the SECR, and had been built in 1847, and was the works that constructed half of the [[SR Q1 class]]. Ashford completed its final locomotive in March 1944, a War Department Stanier 8F [[2-8-0]] number 8764.

Carriage works had also been inherited at Eastleigh, and [[Lancing Carriage Works|Lancing]] (which had been built in 1912 for the LBSCR). During the Second World War, both were turned over to wartime production such as [[Airspeed Horsa|Horsa]] and [[General Aircraft Hamilcar|Hamilcar]] [[Military glider|gliders]]. Wagon workshops were situated at Ashford and Eastleigh.

A [[concrete]] works near [[Exmouth Junction]] locomotive shed made platform seats, fencing and station lamp posts. A power station was at Durnsford Road [[Wimbledon, London|Wimbledon]].

=== Engineering ===
The [[South West Main Line]] of the former LSWR between London and Southampton was completed by [[Joseph Locke]] with easy gradients, leading to several cuttings, tunnels and embankments across the [[River Loddon|Loddon]], [[River Test|Test]] and [[River Itchen, Hampshire|Itchen]] Valleys, with brick arches constructed across South London to the site of Waterloo station. Such was the emphasis on minimising gradients that the stretch between [[Micheldever]] and [[Winchester]] has the longest constant gradient of any British main line.

The remainder of its area was traversed by three significant rows of hills: the [[North Downs]], the [[Weald|Wealden Ridge]] and the [[South Downs]]. Thus [[John Urpeth Rastrick|Rastrick's]] [[Brighton Main Line]] of 1841, included one of the largest cuttings in the country at Merstham,<ref>{{Cite book| last= Turner | first= John Howard | year=1977 | title= The London Brighton and South Coast Railway 1 Origins and Formation | publisher=[[Batsford]] | isbn= 0-7134-0275-X}} p.118.</ref> significant tunnels at [[Merstham tunnels|Merstham]], [[Balcombe tunnel|Balcombe]], [[Clayton Tunnel|Clayton]] and [[Patcham Tunnel|Patcham]] as well as the famous [[Ouse Valley Viaduct]]. The major tunnels on the SECR network were at Merstham, [[Sevenoaks]] and [[Shakespeare Cliff Halt railway station|Shakespeare Cliff]].

== Operations ==
<!-- Several locomotive articles link here -->
The running of the Southern was undertaken by the Board of Directors, the first chairman of which was Sir Hugh Drummond, appointed to the post in 1923.  There were originally three general managers representing the interests of the three pre-Grouping railway companies: [[Herbert Ashcombe Walker|Sir Herbert Walker]], Percy Tempest and William Forbes, although Walker was the sole occupant in the post within a year.<ref name=bonavia26/> The position of Chief Mechanical Engineer of the Southern Railway was given to a former employee of the SECR, [[Richard Maunsell]]. For ease of administration, the lines inherited in 1923 were divided into three geographical sections with a Traffic Department for each, loosely based upon the areas covered by the amalgamated companies:

* The Western Section (former LSWR routes) included the [[South West Main Line]], the [[Portsmouth Direct Line]] one quarter of the [[West Coastway Line]] (between [[Portsmouth]] and [[Southampton]]), and the [[West of England Main Line]], both serving destinations popular with holidaymakers. It stretched into [[Devon]] and [[Cornwall]] as the line ran via [[Exeter to Plymouth railway of the LSWR|Exeter, Okehampton and Plymouth]], and this circuitous route was known derisively as the Southern Railway's "Withered Arm" because the GWR had a stronger presence in this region.
* The Central Section (former LB&SCR routes) included the [[Brighton Main Line]] (the most profitable and heavily used main line), the [[East Coastway Line]], three-quarters of the [[West Coastway Line]], the [[Arun Valley Line]] and the [[Sutton & Mole Valley Lines]].
* The Eastern Section (former SECR routes) included the [[South Eastern Main Line]], the [[Chatham Main Line]], the [[Hastings Line]], the [[Kent Coast Line]] and the [[North Downs Line]].<ref name=bonavia26/>

Operational and Commercial aspects of railway operation were brought under the control of Traffic Managers, relieving the General Manager of many tasks, allowing him to make policy decisions.<ref name=bonavia26/> Specialised Superintendents served under the Traffic Manager, breaking down the task of operating their respective sections.<ref name=bonavia26 /> As such, the Southern Railway operated a hybrid system of centralised and decentralised management.

=== Passenger operations ===
:''See also [[Named trains: UK]]''
[[File:SR Child single Beltring - Maidstowne W.jpg|thumb|[[Edmondson ticket]] for travel between {{stnlnk|Beltring and Branbridges Halt}} and {{stnlnk|Maidstone West}}.]]
Passenger services, especially the intensive London suburban services, constituted the key breadwinner of the Southern Railway. The railway also served Channel ports and a number of attractive coastal destinations which provided the focus for media attention.  This meant that the railway operated a number of famous named trains, providing another source of publicity for John Elliot.  The Eastern and Central Sections of the network served popular [[seaside resort]]s such as [[Brighton]], [[Eastbourne]], [[Hastings]] and the Channel ports, whilst the Western Section catered for the heavy summer holiday traffic to the West Country resorts.  Passenger services on the Southern Railway consisted of luxury Pullman dining trains and normal passenger services, which gave the railway a high total number of carriages at 10,800.

====Pullman services====
Pullman services were the premier trains of the Southern, reflecting the pride felt towards the railway.  These luxury services included several boat trains such as the [[Golden Arrow (train)|Golden Arrow]] (London-Paris, translated as Flèche d'Or for the French part of its route), The Cunarder (London - Southampton Ocean Liner service) and the [[Night Ferry]] (London - Paris and Brussels), the [[Brighton Belle]] on the Central Section, and the [[Bournemouth Belle]] and [[Devon Belle]] on the Western Section.

The Golden Arrow was the best-known train of the Southern Railway, and was introduced on 15 May 1929.  The train consisted of Pullmans and luggage vans, linking London Victoria to Dover, with transfer to the French equivalent at [[Calais]].  The [[Brighton Belle]], which had its origins in 1881 with the 'Pullman Limited' of the [[London, Brighton and South Coast Railway]], which renamed the service the 'Southern Belle' in 1908.  The train was steam-hauled until 1933 when electric units were introduced after the electrification of the [[Brighton Main Line|London-Brighton Main Line]]. On 29 June 1934 the train was renamed the Brighton Belle and continued until withdrawal in 1972.

The SECR had introduced a Pullman train called the "Thanet Pullman Limited" from Victoria to [[Margate]] in 1921. The service was not a success and ceased to run in 1928. The service was however re-introduced by [[British Railways]] as the [[Thanet Belle]] in 1948.<ref>Southern Named Trains "Thanet/Kentish Belle" http://www.semgonline.com/misc/named_05.html</ref>

====Titled trains====
Amongst the ordinary services, the Southern Railway also operated famous titled express trains such as the [[Atlantic Coast Express]] ("ACE"). With a large variety of holiday destinations including [[Bude]], [[Exmouth]], {{stnlnk|Ilfracombe|Devon}}, [[Padstow railway station, Cornwall|Padstow]], [[Plymouth]], [[Seaton, Devon|Seaton]], [[Sidmouth]] and [[Great Torrington|Torrington]], the 11&nbsp;am "ACE" from Waterloo, as the Atlantic Coast Express became known, was the most multi-portioned train in the UK from its introduction in 1926. This was due to sections of the train splitting at selected junctions for onward journey to their final destinations in the West Country. Padstow railway station in [[Cornwall]] was the westernmost point of the Southern Railway, and marked the end or beginning of the "ACE", which was the longest timetabled journey on the network.

The importance of the destination dictated the motive power selected to haul each portion to their final destinations.  Through carriages to East Devon and North Cornwall were invariably hauled by diminutive Drummond M7 tank locomotives, and from 1952, [[BR Standard Class 3 2-6-2T]]'s; the rest of the train continued behind a Bulleid Light Pacific to Plymouth. The final "ACE" was hauled on 5 September 1964 when the Western Section of the former Southern Railway network was absorbed into the [[Western Region of British Railways]].

====Commuter services====
[[File:Charing Cross station, before it was built over - geograph.org.uk - 1717686.jpg|thumb|[[Charing Cross railway station|Charing Cross]] before it was built over with offices with the Southern Railway (SR) initials retained.]]
Inner London suburban services were fully electrified by 1929 and worked by [[electric multiple units]] of varying lengths according to demand, which had the advantage of rapid acceleration and braking. The railway then began a successful programme to electrify its most heavily used main lines, building up a substantial commuter traffic from towns such as [[Guildford]], [[Brighton]] and [[Eastbourne]].

====Other passenger services====
The remainder of passenger operations were non-Pullman, reflecting the ordinary business of running a passenger railway. West Country services were dominated by lucrative summer holiday traffic and passengers wishing to travel to the Isle of Wight and further afield. In winter months, the western extremity of the Southern Railway network saw very little local use, as the railway served sparsely populated communities. Competition with the [[Great Western Railway|GWR]] also diluted passenger traffic within this area, as this carried the bulk of passengers to the major urban centres of the West Country. Steam-hauled passenger services in the east of the network were gradually replaced with electric traction, especially around London's suburbs.<ref name=Railway1>''The Railway Magazine'' (November 2008), p. 30</ref>

Passenger services on secondary routes were given motive power that befitted the lacklustre nature of the duty, with elderly locomotives used to provide a local service that fed into the major mainline stations such as Basingstoke. The use of elderly locomotives and stock was invariably a financial consideration, intended to prolong the life of locomotives that would otherwise be scrapped. In some cases, the route was such that some of the newer classes were precluded from operating because of restrictions in loading gauge, the [[Lyme Regis]] branch from [[Axminster]] providing an example.

The Southern Railway also operated push-pull trains of up to two carriages in commuter areas. Push-pull operations did not need the time-consuming use of a turntable or run-around at the end of a suburban branch line, and enabled the driver to use a cab in the end coach to drive the locomotive in reverse. Such operations were similar to the [[GWR Autotrain|autotrains]], with a Drummond M7 providing the motive power.

=== Freight operations ===
Passenger traffic was the main source of revenue for the Southern Railway throughout its existence, although goods were also carried in separate trains. Goods such as milk and cattle from the agricultural areas of the West Country provided a regular source of freight traffic, whilst imports from the south coast ports also required carriage by rail to freight terminals such as the large [[Bricklayers Arms railway station|Bricklayers Arms]] facility. The railway operated three large [[Classification yard|marshalling yards]] for freight on the outskirts of South London, at [[Feltham marshalling yard|Feltham]], [[Norwood Junction railway station#Marshalling yard|Norwood]] and [[Hither Green marshalling yard|Hither Green]], where freight could be sorted for onward travel to their final destinations. It also handled a large volume of cross-London freight from these to other yards north of the river via the [[West London Line|West London]] and [[East London Line]]s which were jointly owned by the Southern Railway.

As locomotives increased in size so did the length of goods trains, from 40 to as many as 100 four-wheeled wagons, although the gradient of the line and the braking capabilities of the locomotive often limited this. The vacuum brake, which was standard equipment on passenger trains, was gradually fitted to a number of ordinary goods wagons, allowing a number of vacuum "fitted" trains to run faster than 40&nbsp;mph (64&nbsp;km/h). While typical goods wagons could carry 8, 10 or (later) 12 tons, the load placed into a wagon could be as little as 1 ton, as the railway was designated as a common carrier that could not choose what goods it could carry.

=== Ancillary operations ===
The Southern Railway inherited a range of railway-related activities from its constituent companies, which it continued to develop until nationalisation in 1948. These activities included several ports, a fleet of ships, road services (both freight and passenger) and several hotels. These ancillary operations provided extra revenue for the railway at a time when railways were classified as a common carrier by the Railways Act of 1844, and could not compete with road with regards to pricing. This was because railways were obliged to advertise their rates of carriage at railway stations, which could subsequently be undercut by road haulage companies. The Southern Railway also invested in an air service during the 1930s, which supplemented the popular sea crossings to the Isle of Wight and the Channel Islands.

====Shipping====
The Southern inherited docks at Southampton, [[Newhaven, East Sussex|Newhaven]], [[Plymouth]], [[Folkestone]], [[Dover]], [[Littlehampton]], [[Whitstable]], [[Strood]], [[Rye, East Sussex|Rye]], [[Queenborough]], [[Hoo Peninsula|Port Victoria]] and [[Padstow]]. The Southern continued to invest heavily in these facilities, and [[Port of Southampton|Southampton]] overtook [[Liverpool]] as Britain's main port for Trans-Atlantic liners. The Southern inherited 38 large turbine or other steamers and a number of other vessels branded under Channel Packet, the maritime arm of the railway, all of which passed to British Railways control after nationalisation in 1948.

====Ships====
[[File:PS Ryde (1977).jpg|thumb|PS ''Ryde'']]
The Southern inherited a number of ships from its constituent companies, some of which were converted to car ferries when this mode of transport became more common. Such conversions were needed on the [[France|French]] routes, where holidays by car were beginning to become popular. Services to the [[Channel Islands]] began in 1924, along with services to [[Brittany]] in 1933 and finally [[Normandy]] commencing just prior to nationalisation in 1947.<ref name=LSWRship/>

;ex-LSWR ships
{{SS|Alberta|1900|6}}, {{SS|Ardena|1915|6}}, {{SS|Brittany|1910|6}}, {{SS|Caesarea|1910|6}}, {{SS|Cherbourg}}, {{SS|Hantonia|1911|6}}, {{SS|Laura|1885|6}}, {{SS|Lorina|1918|6}}, {{SS|Normannia|1911|6}}, {{SS|Princess Ena|1906|6}}, {{SS|Vera|1898|6}}.<ref name=LSWRship>{{cite web|url=http://www.simplonpc.co.uk/SR_LSWR1.html |title=London & South Western Railway, Page 1: Services From Southampton |publisher=Simplon Postcards |access-date=2008-12-22}}</ref>

;ex-LBSC ships
{{SS|Arundel}}, {{SS|Brighton|1903|6}}, {{SS|Dieppe|1905|6}}, {{SS|La France|1899|6}}, {{SS|Newhaven|1911|6}}, {{SS|Paris|1913|6}}, {{SS|Rouen|1911|6}}, {{SS|Versailles}}.<ref name=LBSCship>{{cite web|url=http://www.simplonpc.co.uk/SR_LBSC1.html |title=London, Brighton & South Coast Railway, Page 1: Newhaven-Dieppe |publisher=Simplon Postcards |access-date=2008-12-22}}</ref>

;ex-SECR ships
{{SS|Biarritz||6}}, [[HMS Arpha|SS ''Canterbury'']], {{SS|Empress|1914|6}},{{SS|Engadine|1911|6}}, {{SS|Invicta}}, {{SS|Maid of Orleans}}, {{SS|Riviera}}, [[SS Victoria (1907)|SS ''Victoria'']].<ref name=SECRship>{{cite web|url=http://www.simplonpc.co.uk/SR_SECR1.html |title=South Eastern & Chatham Railway |publisher=Simplon Postcards |access-date=2008-12-22}}</ref>

;ex-LBSC/LSWR joint ships
{{PS|Duchess of Albany|1889|6}}, {{PS|Duchess of Kent|1897|6}}, {{PS|Duchess of Fife|1899|6}}, {{PS|Duchess of Norfolk}}, {{PS|Princess Margaret|1893|6}}.<ref>{{cite book|last1=Hendy|first1=John|title=Sealink Isle of Wight|date=1989|publisher=Ferry Publications|location=Staplehurst|isbn=0-9513093-3-1|pages=20–25}}</ref>

;Ships built for the SR
{{SS|Arromanches}}, {{SS|Autocarrier}}, {{SS|Brighton|1933|6}}, {{SS|Brittany|1933|6}}, {{TSS|Canterbury|1929|6}}, {{SS|Deal|1928|6}}, {{SS|Dinard|1924|6}}, {{TSS|Falaise|1946|6}}, {{SS|Fratton|1925|6}}, {{PS|Freshwater}}, {{SS|Hampton Ferry}}, {{SS|Haslemere|1925|6}}, {{SS|Hythe|1925|6}}, {{SS|Invicta|1939|6}},  {{SS|Isle of Guernsey}}, {{SS|Isle of Jersey}}, {{SS|Isle of Sark}}, {{SS|Isle of Thanet}}, {{SS|Londres}}, {{SS|Maid of Kent}}, {{SS|Maidstone|1926|6}}, {{PS|Merstone|1928|6}}, {{SS|Minster|1924|6}}, {{PS|Portsdown|1928|6}}, {{SS|Ringwood|1925|6}}, {{PS|Ryde}}, {{PS|Sandown|1934|6}}, {{SS|Shepperton Ferry}}, {{PS|Shanklin|1924|6}}, {{PS|Southsea|1930|6}}, {{SS|St Briac}}, {{SS|Tonbridge|1924|6}}, {{SS|Twickenham Ferry}}, [[SS Worthing|SS ''Worthing'']], {{PS|Whippingham|1930|6}}, {{SS|Whitstable|1925|6}}.<ref name=SRship1>{{cite web|url=http://www.simplonpc.co.uk/SR_Dover1.html |title=Southern Railway, SR Page 1: Dover and Folkestone Services |publisher=Simplon Postcards |access-date=22 December 2008}}</ref><ref name=SRship2>{{cite web|url=http://www.simplonpc.co.uk/SR_Newhaven1.html |title=Southern Railway, SR Page 2: Newhaven Services |publisher=Simplon Postcards |access-date=22 December 2008}}</ref><ref name=SRship3>{{cite web|url=http://www.simplonpc.co.uk/SR_Soton1.html |title=Southern Railway, SR Page 3: Southampton Services |publisher=Simplon Postcards |access-date=22 December 2008}}</ref><ref name=SRship4>{{cite web|url=http://www.simplonpc.co.uk/IOW2.html |title=Isle of Wight Services, SR Page 4: Southern Railway Paddle Steamers |publisher=Simplon Postcards |access-date=22 December 2008}}</ref><ref name=Dover>{{cite web |url=http://www.doverferryphotosforums.co.uk/t-s-s-maistone-ii/ |title=Ts Maidstone (II), Past and Present |date=16 September 2013 |publisher=Dover Ferry Photos Forums |access-date=17 April 2017}}</ref>

;Ships managed by SR
During the [[Second World War]] and afterwards, Southern managed a number of ships for the [[Ministry of War Transport]].

[[MV Pelikan|''Empire Alde'']].

====Hotels, road transport and air transport====
Ten large hotels were owned by the company, at the London termini and at the coast. The [[Charing Cross Hotel]], designed by [[Edward Middleton Barry]], opened on 15 May 1865 and gave [[Charing Cross railway station|the station]] an ornate frontage in the [[French Renaissance architecture|French Renaissance]] style. At [[Cannon Street station]] in London, an [[Italianate architecture|Italianate]] style hotel was constructed in 1867, designed by Barry.<ref>{{cite news|title=Rebuilding of Cannon Street Station|work=The Times|date=17 November 1955}}</ref> This provided much of the station's passenger facilities as well as an impressive architectural frontispiece to the street prior to demolition in 1960. [[London Bridge station]] boasted The Terminus hotel of 1861, which was turned into offices for the LBSCR in 1892, and destroyed by bombing in 1941.<ref>P. J. G. Ransom, Section LBSCR</ref> [[London Victoria station|Victoria station]] had the 300-bedroom Grosvenor hotel, which was rebuilt in 1908. Other hotels were to be found at Southampton and other port locations connected to the railway.

From 1929, the Southern Railway invested in bus companies providing feeder services to its trains.  The brand names [[Southern National]] (a joint venture with the National Omnibus & Transport Co. Ltd.) and [[Southern Vectis]] have long outlived the railway company they originally served.<ref name="Who we are">{{cite web|url=http://www.islandbuses.info/about.shtml|title=Southern Vectis - Who we are|publisher=islandbuses.info|access-date=2008-10-08|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080917131924/http://www.islandbuses.info/about.shtml|archive-date=17 September 2008}}</ref>
The Southern Railway also undertook freight transfer by road, owning a fleet of goods vehicles providing a door-to-door delivery service. This was especially useful for bulky items that required delivery to areas not immediately served by a railway. Conflat-type wagons were used to carry containers by rail to a destination close to the delivery address, where they would be transferred by crane onto the trailer of a vehicle for onward travel by road.

In conjunction with other [[Big Four British railway companies|Big Four]] companies the Southern Railway also invested in providing air services for passengers, notably to the [[Channel Islands]] and [[Isle of Wight]], which complemented the shipping operations. Such operations provided the chance to take revenue from non-railway passengers, and enabled fast air-freight services between the islands and the mainland. However, this operation was disrupted during the Second World War due to the occupation of the Channel Islands, and the rationing of aviation fuel.

In 1937, the Southern Railway was involved in a scheme to build [[Lullingstone Airfield|a new airport]] at [[Lullingstone]], Kent, holding an option to purchase the land that the airport was to be built on.<ref name=Times020239>{{Cite newspaper The Times |title=New Land Airport |date=2 February 1939 |page=12 |issue=48219 |column=F }}</ref> Parliamentary approval was obtained to construct a short branch line from {{rws|Lullingstone}} station to the airport.<ref name=Times260237>{{Cite newspaper The Times |title=Southern Railway Company |date=26 February 1937 |page=22 |issue=47619 |column=A-E }}</ref> At their 1938 Annual General Meeting, it was stated that the opinion of the company was that the cost of building the airport meant that there would not be sufficient return to justify the expenditure.<ref name=Times250238>{{Cite newspaper The Times |title=Southern Railway Company |date=25 February 1938 |page=24 |issue=47928 |column=A-E }}</ref> The option to purchase the land subsequently lapsed.<ref name=Times020239/>

==Livery, traction and rolling stock==

===Livery and numbering system===
For most of its existence the Southern Railway painted its 2,390 locomotives in a rich yellow/brown olive green, with plain black frames and wheels, and fittings were lined in black with thin white edges. From 1937, the basic livery was changed by Bulleid to a matt blue/green malachite green that was similar in appearance to copper carbonate. This was complemented with black wheels and frames with bright yellow lettering and lining-out of the various locomotive fixtures. Some of Bulleid's locomotives had their wheels painted in malachite green with yellow rims, though this combination was scarcely used. Pre-grouping and Maunsell locomotives were given yellow and black lining to complement the malachite green livery. During the Second World War, engines that went for overhaul were painted in an overall matt black due to the scarcity of paint and labour. The yellow lettering remained, highlighted with malachite green. The period leading up to nationalisation in 1948 saw a reversion to malachite green, albeit in gloss form. Below are examples of Southern Railway livery, including the approximate dates of first application:

*{{Colorsample|#000000}} Gloss black (common to most freight designs at grouping, adopted by Maunsell as standard in 1923)
*{{Colorsample|#B45F04}} [[London, Brighton and South Coast Railway|LBSCR]] dark umber (1905–1923)
*{{Colorsample|#5E610B}} [[London and South Western Railway|LSWR]] Urie sage green (1912–1924; this became the standard passenger locomotive livery immediately after grouping)
*{{Colorsample|#0A2A0A}} LSWR holly green (1912–1923; freight livery inherited from the LSWR at grouping)
*{{Colorsample|#424242}} [[South Eastern and Chatham Railway|SECR]] grey (until 1923; inherited from the SECR at grouping)
*{{Colorsample|#4B8A08}} SR Maunsell olive green (1924–1939; introduced as the first standard passenger livery for the Southern Railway)
*{{Colorsample|#000000}} Wartime matt black (1940–1950; a wartime labour-saving livery)
*{{Colorsample|#00FF00}} SR Bulleid light green (1938–1940; first applied to N15 and H15 classes, dropped in favour of malachite green)
*{{Colorsample|#58FA58}} SR Bulleid malachite green (1939–1950; became standard livery for all Southern passenger locomotives)

Maunsell locomotives featured name and number plates of polished brass with a red or black background in 1924.  Bulleid nameplates were generally gunmetal with polished brass lettering, and featured crests depicting aspects of the class theme (Merchant Navy, West Country or Battle of Britain).

Until 1931 the Southern Railway initially maintained the locomotive numbers from its constituents, and solved the problem of more than one locomotive having the same number by letter prefixes denoting the main works of the former owning company. All ex-SECR locos were prefixed by "A" (for Ashford), ex-LBSCR by "B" (for Brighton) and ex-LSWR engines by "E" (for Eastleigh). Isle of Wight locomotive numbers were prefixed by "W" (for Wight).  New locomotives were prefixed by the letter of the works where they were built.  In 1931 the fleet was re-numbered by dropping all prefixes, leaving E-prefixed numbers unchanged, adding 1000 to A-prefixed numbers and 2000 to B-prefixed ones, an exception being the Z-class 0-8-0 shunters whose numbers A950-A957 only lost the prefix, with no addition.<ref>Haresnape. p. 124</ref> (Some non-revenue-earning locos were exempt from this scheme).

Under Bulleid, a new continental system of numbering was introduced for his own locomotives, based upon his experiences at the French branch of [[Westinghouse Electric]] before the [[First World War]], and his tenure in the rail operating department during that conflict. The Southern Railway number adapted a modified [[UIC classification]] system where "2" and "1" refer to the number of un-powered leading and trailing axles respectively, and "C" refers to three driving axles (the system was only applied to new 6-coupled locos and one Co-Co electric loco before nationalisation). As an example, the first Merchant Navy class locomotive was numbered 21C1.<ref name=Burridge3>Burridge, p. 60</ref>

===Motive power===
{{Main|Locomotives of the Southern Railway}}
The Southern Railway inherited in the region of 2,281 [[steam locomotive]]s from its constituent companies at grouping<ref name="Marshall4">Dendy Marshall, p. 393.</ref> From the major constituents, excluding the Isle of Wight and some minor railways, this was composed of:{{sfnp|Holcroft|1965|pages=104}}
{| class="wikitable"
|-
| Western Section || LSWR || style="text-align: right;" | 906
|-
| Eastern Section || SE&CR || style="text-align: right;" | 730
|-
| Central Section || LB&SCR || style="text-align: right;" | 618
|-
| colspan=2 | || style="text-align: right;" | 2,254 
|}

One of [[Harold Holcroft|Holcroft]]'s first tasks on joining the SR from his post with the SE&CR at [[Ashford railway works|Ashford]] was to produce an overall stock list and diagram book so that the capacity and [[route availability]] of unfamiliar loco classes could be understood across the railway, allowing locos to operate outside of their former areas. He produced a grading system so that an express passenger class such as the [[LSWR N15 class|LSWR N15 ''King Arthurs'']] might be graded as P5/8/3 for Passenger, Grade, Power and Range (route availability).{{sfnp|Holcroft|1965|pages=103–105, Appendix II 191–203}}

The railway handed over in the region 1,789 locomotives to British Railways in 1948.<ref name="ABC">The ABC of British Locomotives, Part 2, pp. 41–6.</ref> Similarly, it inherited 84 DC [[electric multiple unit|multiple units]] (later designated [[British Rail Class 405|3-SUB]]) from the LSWR and 38 AC units (later designated [[SR Class CP|CP]] and [[SR Class SL|SL]] classes) from the LBSCR, and handed over in the region of 1480 [[Southern Railway multiple unit numbering and classification|DC units]].

====Steam locomotives====
From 1924, Maunsell began standardising the fleet of locomotives for ease of maintenance. Later Bulleid undertook sweeping changes that propelled the Southern Railway into the forefront of locomotive design.

[[File:SR 850 Lord Nelson.jpg|thumb|left|Preserved Lord Nelson class 850 ''Lord Nelson''.]]
The first locomotives constructed for the Southern Railway were to designs inherited from the pre-Grouping railway companies, such as the [[LSWR N15 class|N15 class]] and [[LSWR H15 class|H15 class]], though both were modified by [[Richard Maunsell|Maunsell]] from the original design.<ref name=steam1>Clarke: ''Steam World'' (April 2008), p. 50</ref> These were intended as interim solutions to motive power problems, since several designs in operation on the Southern Railway were obsolete. The 1920s was the era of standardisation, with ease of maintenance and repair key considerations in a successful locomotive design.<ref name=Swift1>Swift, p. 9</ref>

In 1926, the first new Southern Railway-designed and -built locomotives emerged from Eastleigh works: the Maunsell [[SR Lord Nelson class|Lord Nelson class]], reputedly the most powerful 4-6-0 in Britain at the time.<ref name=Whitehouse>Whitehouse, & Thomas, p. 47</ref> So successful was the Lord Nelson class that the [[LMS Royal Scot Class|Royal Scot class]] had its origins in the Maunsell design.{{sfnp|Holcroft|1965|pages=141, 143}}<ref>Southern E-Group (2004)[http://www.semgonline.com/steam/lnclass_1.html], retrieved 10 September 2008. For information on influence.</ref> However, the Depression of 1929 precluded further improvements in Southern Railway locomotive technology, apart from the [[SR V "Schools" class|V "Schools" class]] 4-4-0 and various electric designs.<ref name=Herring124>Herring, pp. 124–125</ref> Maunsell also designed locomotives for use in freight yards such as that at [[Feltham]] in south west London, the final example of which was the [[SR Q class|Q class]]. The design of the Q class coincided with Maunsell's ill health, resulting in a conservative approach to design. The first examples were completed in 1937, the year in which Maunsell retired from the CME's position.

Maunsell was succeeded in 1937 by [[Oliver Bulleid]], who brought experience gained under Sir [[Nigel Gresley]] at the LNER. He designed the [[Bulleid chain-driven valve gear]] that was compact enough to fit within the restrictions of his ''Pacific'' designs, the [[SR Merchant Navy class|Merchant Navy class]] of 1941 and the [[SR West Country and Battle of Britain classes|''Light Pacific'']] design of 1945. Ever the innovator, Bulleid introduced welded steel boilers and steel [[firebox (steam engine)|firebox]]es which were easier to repair than the copper variety, whilst a new emphasis on cab ergonomics was followed.<ref name=BiR>''Bulleids in Retrospect''</ref> Established locomotive design practices were altered in his designs, with the wheels changed from the traditional spoked to his [[Bulleid Firth Brown wheel|BFB]] disc wheel design, giving better all-round support to the tyre.<ref name=Creer>Creer & Morrison, p. 21</ref>

Visually, the most distinctive of his designs was a small, heavy freight locomotive, the most powerful and last non-derivative [[0-6-0]] design to operate in Britain.<ref name=Herring124/> This [[SR Q1 class|Q1 class]] eliminated anything that might be considered unnecessary in locomotive design, including the traditional wheel splashers.<ref name=Herring150>Herring, p. 150–151</ref> With innovative lagging material that dictated the shape of the boiler cladding, the Q1 was regarded by many as one of the ugliest locomotives ever constructed.<ref name=Morgan>Morgan, pp. 17–19</ref> The 40 engines produced required the same amount of material needed for 38 more conventional machines, justifying the economies and design.<ref name=Morgan1>Morgan, p. 19</ref>

Bulleid's innovation stemmed from a belief in the continued development of steam traction, and culminated in the [[SR Leader class|Leader class]] of 1946, an 0-6-6-0 design that had two cabs, negating the use of a turntable.<ref name=Bulleid>Bulleid, Section "Leader class"</ref> The entire locomotive was placed on two bogies, enabling negotiation around tight curves, while the slab-sided body could be cleaned by a labour-saving carriage washer.<ref name=Haresnape>Haresnape, Section 4</ref>

Despite the successes of the ''Pacifics'' and the unconventional Q1 freight locomotives, the ''Pacifics'' were difficult to maintain and featured enough eccentricities to justify rebuilding in the mid-1950s. The innovations ensured that the Southern was once again leading the field in locomotive design, and earned Bulleid the title "last giant of steam" in Britain.<ref name=Day-Lewis>Day-Lewis, p. 7</ref>

====Diesel locomotives====
Maunsell began experimenting with the use of [[diesel locomotive]]s for yard [[shunt (rail)|shunt]]ing in 1937. He ordered three [[British Rail Class D3/12|locomotives]], which proved to be successful, but his retirement and the onset of the [[Second World War]] prevented further development. Bulleid adapted and improved the design but his [[British Rail Class 12|class]] did not appear until 1949, after nationalisation. Bulleid also designed a [[British Rail Class D16/2|class]] of [[main line (railway)|main line]] diesel-electric locomotives, continuing to push back the boundaries of contemporary locomotive design and established practice,<ref name=Day-Lewis1>Day-Lewis, p. 6</ref> but this was built by [[British Railways]].

====Electric locomotives====
The Southern Railway also built two [[Mixed-traffic locomotive|mixed-traffic]] electric locomotives, numbered CC1 and CC2 under Bulleid's numbering system. They were designed by Bulleid and [[Alfred Raworth]], and were renumbered 20001 and 20002 after nationalisation. At this time a third locomotive was under construction, and was numbered 20003 in 1948.<ref name="Railway7">''The Railway Magazine'' (November 2008), p. 24</ref> The locomotives were later classified as [[British Rail Class 70 (electric)|British Rail Class 70]]. These incorporated a cab design similar to that of the [[British Rail Class 402|2HAL]] (2-car ''Ha''lf ''L''avatory electric stock) design constructed from 1938. This was due to ease of construction by welding, which allowed both cheap and speedy construction. With the outbreak of war in 1939, most new locomotive construction projects were put on hold in favour of the war effort, although construction of CC1 and CC2 was exempted from this because of promised savings in labour and fuel over steam locomotives.<ref name=Railway3>''The Railway Magazine'' (November 2008), p. 25</ref>

====Electric Multiple Units (EMUs)====
[[File:3131 at National Railway Museum.JPG|thumb|right|[[British Rail Class 404|4COR]] unit no. 3131, at the [[National Railway Museum]].]]
The early LBSCR AC overhead [[Electric multiple unit]]s (EMU) were phased-out by September 1929 and converted into DC types.<ref name=Moody1>Moody p.25.</ref> All further electrification was at 660&nbsp;V DC, and investment was made in modernising the fleet inherited from the pre-Grouping companies, and building new stock often by converting existing steam hauled [[Passenger car (rail)|carriages]]. The Southern Railway's EMU classification meant the unit type was given a three-letter code (sometimes two letters), prefixed by the number of carriages within each unit. These early [[British Rail Class 405|suburban units]], constructed between 1925 and 1937 were therefore designated 3-SUB, or later 4-SUB, depending on the number of coaches. The EMUs consisted of a fixed formation of two driving units at both ends of the train, and could have varying numbers of carriages in between (as indicated in the classification).

Newly built units of [[SR Class 4Lav|4-LAV]] [[SR Class 6Pul|6PUL]] and 5BEL ([[Brighton Belle]]) types were introduced in 1932 for the electrification of the [[Brighton Main Line]]. Further types were introduced as electrification spread further. Thus the [[British Rail Class 401|2-BIL]] units were constructed between 1935 and 1938 to work long-distance semi-fast services to Eastbourne, Portsmouth and Reading, or the [[British Rail Class 402|2-HAL]] for those to Maidstone and Gillingham. [[British Rail Class 404|4-COR]] units, handled fast trains on the [[London Waterloo railway station]] to [[Portsmouth Harbour railway station]] from April 1937.

A total of 460 electric vehicles were to be built by the Southern Railway before nationalisation.<ref name=Railway5>''The Railway Magazine'' (November 2008), p. 28</ref> Variants of the Southern Railway's electric stock included Pullman carriages or wagons for the carriage of parcels and newspapers, allowing flexibility of use on the London suburban lines and the Eastern Section of the network.<ref name="Railway1"/>

====Other forms of traction====
The railway also experimented with other forms of traction. It bought a 50&nbsp;hp petrol-driven [[Drewry Car Co.#Railcars|Drewry]] [[Railcar]] in 1927 to test its operating cost and reliability on lightly used branch lines. It was not successful and was sold to the [[Weston, Clevedon and Portishead Railway]] in 1934.<ref name="Bradley">Bradley p.71.</ref> Similarly, a [[Sentinel Waggon Works#Railcars|Sentinel]] steam railcar was purchased in 1933 for use on the [[The Dyke railway station|Devil's Dyke branch.]] It was transferred from that line in March 1936 and tried in other areas, but was withdrawn in 1940.<ref>{{harvnb|Bradley|1975|p=72}}</ref>

===Carriages===
[[File:100 3282 (Small).JPG|thumb|right|A rake of preserved Maunsell carriages on the Bluebell Railway. Note that there is no carriage set number painted on the brake coach.]]
The Southern inherited many wooden-bodied carriage designs from its constituent companies. However, there was an emphasis on standardising the coaching stock, which led to Maunsell designing [[SR Maunsell carriage|new carriages]]. These were classified between 0 and 4, so that an {{convert|8|ft|0+3/4|in|adj=on}}-wide carriage was "Restriction 0".<ref name=Railway18>''The Railway Magazine'' (November 2008), p. 18</ref> The restrictions related to the Southern's composite [[loading gauge]], so that some more restricted routes could be catered for. The new carriages were based upon the former LSWR "Ironclad" carriage designs, and comprised First and Third Class compartments, each of which contained a corridor and doors for each compartment, enabling quick egress on commuter services.<ref name=Railway5/> Similar principles were applied to the electric train sets, where quick passenger egress promoted a punctual service.

The Southern Railway was one of the few railways to marshal its carriages into fixed numbered sets.<ref name=Railway6>''The Railway Magazine'' (November 2008), p. 10</ref> This made maintenance easier, as the location of a particular set would always be known through its number, which was painted on the ends of the set. A pool of "loose" carriages was kept for train strengthening on summer Saturdays and to replace faulty stock.<ref name=Railway6/>
[[File:100 1355 (Small).JPG|thumb|left|A preserved Bulleid Open Second carriage on the Bluebell Railway.]]
The second phase of carriage construction began towards the end of the Southern Railway's existence. Bulleid had vast experience in carriage design from his time with the LNER, and he applied this acquired knowledge to a new fleet of well-regarded carriages (see picture).<ref name="Railway7"/> One of his more unusual projects was his "Tavern Car" design, carriages that were to represent a typical country [[tavern]], with a bar and seating space provided within the carriage. The outside of the "Tavern Cars" were partially painted in a mock-Tudor style of architecture, and were given typical public house names. Poor ventilation from small windows made the "Tavern Cars" unpopular amongst the travelling public, with several being converted to ordinary use during the 1950s.<ref name="Railway7"/>

The Southern Railway was the only one of the "Big Four" British railway companies that did not operate sleeping cars other than those brought in from the continent on the '[[Night Ferry]]'. This was because the short distances meant that such provision was not financially viable.<ref name=Railway5/> The Southern Railway also undertook the practice of converting inherited carriages into [[SR class 3Sub|electric stock]], a cheaper alternative to constructing brand new EMUs. Bulleid initiated an unusual project that attempted to address the problem of overcrowding on suburban services. The answer to the problem was [[SR Class 4DD|Britain's first double-deck carriages]], which were eventually built in 1949. Two units, each of four cars, were completed and saw use until the 1970s.<ref name=robertson2>Robertson, p. 96</ref> However, further orders for these trains were not placed due to cramped conditions inside which were dictated by the restrictions of the loading gauge.<ref name="Railway7"/>

===Wagons===
The Southern Railway painted its freight wagons dark brown. Most wagons were four-wheeled with the letters "SR" in white, and there were also some six-wheeled [[milk tanker]]s on the South West Main Line which supplied [[United Dairies]] in London.<ref name=robertson1>Robertson, p. 41</ref> As the railway was primarily passenger-orientated, there was little investment in freight wagons except for general utility vans, which could be used for both freight and luggage. These consisted of bogie and four-wheel designs, and were frequently used on boat trains. At its peak the Southern Railway owned 37,500 freight wagons; in contrast, the Railway Executive Committee controlled 500,000 privately owned colliery wagons during the Second World War.<ref name=bonavia50>Bonavia (1987) p. 50</ref>

== Cultural impact ==
The Southern Railway was particularly successful at promoting itself to the public. The downgrading of the Mid-Sussex line via [[Horsham]] that served Portsmouth was met with hostility by the general public, causing a public relations disaster.<ref name=Whitehouse3>Whitehouse, & Thomas, p. 18</ref> This stimulated the creation of the first "modern" public relations department with the appointment of [[John Elliot (railway manager)|John Elliot]] (later Sir John Elliot) in 1925. Elliot was instrumental in creating the positive image that the Southern enjoyed prior to the Second World War, building a publicity campaign for its electrification project that marketed the "World's Greatest Suburban Electric".<ref name=Whitehouse1/>

=== Tourism ===
The positive image of progress was enhanced by the promotion of the south and south-west as holiday destinations. "Sunny South Sam" became a character that embodied the railway, whilst slogans such as "Live in [[Kent]] and be content" encouraged commuters to move out from London and patronise the Southern Railway's services.<ref name=Whitehouse2>Whitehouse, & Thomas, p. 114</ref> Posters also advertised ocean services from Ocean Terminal in Southampton and the docks at Dover. These also incorporated the corresponding rail connections with London, such as "The Cunarder" and the "Golden Arrow".<ref name=Whitehouse1>Whitehouse, & Thomas, p. 115</ref>

=== Heritage ===
{{See also|Preserved EMUs of Southern Railway}}
The Southern Railway's memory lives on at several [[Heritage railways|preserved]] railways in the south of England, including the [[Watercress Line]], the [[Swanage Railway]], the [[Spa Valley Railway]], the [[Bluebell Railway]], the [[Isle of Wight Steam Railway]] and the [[Dartmoor Railway]]. Other remnants of the railway include Eastleigh works and the London termini, including Waterloo (the largest London railway station), [[Victoria station (London)|Victoria]], [[Charing Cross railway station|Charing Cross]], [[Cannon Street station|Cannon Street]] and [[London Bridge station|London Bridge]] (the oldest London terminus). Several societies promote continued interest in the SR, such as the Southern Railways Group and the Southern Electric Group.

== Notable people ==

===Chairmen of the board of directors===
*'''Sir Hugh Drummond''' (1923–1 August 1924).<ref name=bonavia25>Bonavia. (1987). p. 25</ref> Drummond had been chairman of the [[London and South Western Railway]] since 1911. He died in office.
*'''The Honourable [[Everard Baring]]''' (1924–7 May 1932).<ref name=bonavia26/> Died in office. <!-- Bonavia gives "Everard", Thomas & Whitehouse "Evelyn" -->
*'''[[Gerald Loder, 1st Baron Wakehurst|Gerald Loder]]''' (1932–December 1934).<ref name=bonavia29>Bonavia. (1987). p. 29</ref> Became Lord Wakehurst in June 1934, and resigned at the end of the year.
*'''Robert Holland-Martin''' (1935–26 January 1944).<ref name=bonavia29/> Died in office.<ref name=SR150-p205>Thomas & Whitehouse (1988). p.205.</ref>
*'''Colonel Eric Gore-Brown''' (February 1944–nationalisation).<ref name=SR150-p205/>

===General managers===
[[File:Sir Herbert Ashcombe Walker.jpg|thumb|Sir Herbert Ashcombe Walker, who served the Southern Railway throughout its existence]]
'''Sir [[Herbert Ashcombe Walker]], KCB''', (1923–1937). Walker was an astute administrator of railways, having gained experience as General Manager of the LSWR from 1912. After retiring in 1937 he was a director of the Southern until the end of its existence in 1947. Two significant events occurred under Walker's tenure as General Manager: electrification in the mid-1920s and the appointment of Bulleid as CME in 1937.

'''[[Gilbert Szlumper|Gilbert S. Szlumper]], TD, CBE''', (1937–1939). Trained as a [[civil engineer]] and became Docks and Marine Manager at Southampton, before becoming Assistant General Manager in 1925. In 1939 the War Office recalled him as a [[Major-General]] to sort out the military movements at Southampton Docks. He was ousted from the General Managership after the Traffic Manager, Eustace Missenden, refused to become Acting General Manager, and threatened to resign if not confirmed as GM proper.

'''[[Eustace Missenden|Sir Eustace Missenden]]'''(1939–Nationalisation); chairman, Railway Executive (1947–1951). Missenden was traffic manager before becoming General Manager 1939. From the latter half of 1947, he was largely absent from the Southern Railway as Chairman of the Railway Executive.

'''[[John Elliot (railway manager)|Sir John Elliot]]''' Acting General Manager (1947); Assistant General Manager (1933 to nationalisation); Public Relations Assistant (1925–1933). Noted for being Britain's first expert in public relations, Elliot was brought in by Sir Herbert Walker after bad press was received following service delays and consolidation of the newly created company.  Elliot suggested that the Southern's express passenger locomotives should be named, representing positive publicity for the railway, while distinctive locomotive liveries and well-known posters were created under his direction. He continued to serve the railways after nationalisation in 1948, and became Chairman of [[London Transport Executive|London Transport]] in 1953.

===Chief mechanical engineers===
'''[[Richard Edward Lloyd Maunsell|R. E. L. Maunsell]]''', the Southern's first [[chief mechanical engineer]] (1922 to 1937). Maunsell was responsible for initial attempts at locomotive standardisation on the Southern, as well as overseeing the introduction of electric traction. Among his many achievements was the introduction of the 4-6-0 [[SR Lord Nelson Class]] locomotives and also the [[SR Class V]] or "Schools" class, which were the ultimate and very successful development of the British [[4-4-0]] express passenger type. He also introduced new, standardised rolling stock designs for use on the Southern network, which were based upon the railway's composite [[loading gauge]].

'''[[O. V. S. Bulleid]]''', '''CBE''' (CME 1937 to nationalisation). Bulleid moved to the Southern from the [[London and North Eastern Railway|LNER]], bringing several ideas for improving the efficiency of steam locomotives. Such innovations were used on the [[SR Merchant Navy Class|Merchant Navy class]], [[SR West Country Class|West Country and Battle of Britain classes]] ("Bulleid Light Pacifics"), [[SR Class Q1|Q1]] and experimental [[SR Leader Class|Leader]] designs. He also developed innovative electric units and locomotives.

===Other engineers===
'''Alfred Raworth''' (1882–1967) was chief electrical engineer to the Southern Railway from 1938 until 1946. He had joined the London and South Western Railway in 1912. After retirement he became a consulting engineer to the [[English Electric]] Company.<ref>*{{cite journal|journal=Proceedings of the Institution of Civil Engineers|year=1967|volume=38:4|pages=828–829|publisher= ICE Publishing|location=London|doi= 10.1680/iicep.1967.8213|title=Obituary. Alfred Raworth, 1882-1967 |issue=4 |doi-access=free |url=https://www.icevirtuallibrary.com/doi/10.1680/iicep.1967.8213 |url-status=live |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20231013153156/https://www.icevirtuallibrary.com/doi/10.1680/iicep.1967.8213 |archive-date= 13 Oct 2023 }}</ref>

'''[[Alfred W. Szlumper|Alfred Szlumper]]''' (1858–1934) was Chief Engineer to the Southern Railway from 1924 to 1927, when he retired.<ref>{{cite magazine |title=Alfred Weeks Szlumper |magazine=The Engineer |date=16 November 1934}}</ref> He was the father of Gilbert Szlumper who was later the General Manager of the Southern Railway.

== Footnotes ==
{{Reflist}}

== Bibliography ==
* {{cite book |last=Bonavia |first=Michael R. |title=History of the Southern Railway |location=London |publisher=Unwin Hyman |date=1987 |isbn=0-04-385107-X}}
* {{cite book |last=Bradley |first=D.L. |title=Locomotives of the Southern Railway, part 1 |location=London |publisher=[[Railway Correspondence and Travel Society|RCTS]] |date=October 1975 |isbn=0-901115-30-4 |oclc=499812283 }}
* ''Bulleids in Retrospect'', Transport Video Publishing, Wheathampstead, Hertfordshire
* Harvey, R. J.: ''Bulleid 4-6-2 Merchant Navy Class'' (Locomotives in Detail series volume 1) (Hinckley: Ian Allan Publishing, 2004) {{ISBN|0-7110-3013-8}}
* Haresnape, B.: ''Maunsell Locomotives'' (Ian Allan Publishing, 1978) {{ISBN|0-7110-0743-8}}
* Herring, Peter: ''Classic British Steam Locomotives'' (London: Abbeydale, 2000) Section "WC/BB Class" {{ISBN|1-86147-057-6}}
*{{cite book
  |last=Holcroft  |first=Harold
  |author-link=Harold Holcroft  
  |year=1965
  |title=Locomotive Adventure: Fifty Years With Steam 
  |publisher=[[Ian Allan Publishing|Ian Allan]]
  |pages=
}}
* ''Ian Allan ABC of British Railways Locomotives. Part 2'', 1949 edition.
* ''Ian Allan ABC of British Railways Locomotives'', winter 1958&ndash;59 edition
* Dendy Marshall, C.F.: ''History of the Southern Railway'', (revised by R.W. Kidner), (London: Ian Allan, 1963) {{ISBN|0-7110-0059-X}}.
* {{cite book |last=Moody |first=G.T. |title=Southern Electric 1909–1963 |location=London |publisher=Ian Allan Publishing |date=1963}}
* {{cite book |last=Nock |first=O.S. |title=The South Eastern and Chatham Railway |publisher=Ian Allan |location=London |date=1961}}
* The Railway Magazine (November 2008), Southern Railway souvenir issue
* Turner, J.T. Howard: ''The London Brighton and South Coast Railway. 3 Completion and Maturity'' (London: Batsford, 1979). {{ISBN|0-7134-1389-1}}.
* Whitehouse, Patrick & Thomas, David St.John: ''SR 150: A Century and a Half of the Southern Railway'' (Newton Abbot: David and Charles, 2002).
* {{cite book |last=Wolmar |first=Christian |title=Fire and Steam: How the Railways Transformed Britain |location=London |publisher=Atlantic Books |date=2007 |isbn=978-1-84354-630-6 |url-access=registration |url=https://archive.org/details/firesteamhowrail0000wolm }}
* {{cite book |last=White |first=H.P.|year=1969 |title=Regional History of the Railways of Great Britain: Southern England v. 2 |publisher=David & Charles |isbn=0-7153-4733-0 }}

==See also==
* [[Locomotives of the Southern Railway]]
* [[SR locomotive numbering and classification]]
* [[SR multiple unit numbering and classification]]
* [[Southern Railway routes west of Salisbury]]

==External links==
{{Commons category|Southern Railway (Great Britain)}}
* [http://www.srg.org.uk Southern Railways Group] – specialist society for the railways of Southern England, especially The Southern Railway, its predecessors and successors, publishers of a quarterly journal and bi-monthly newsletter, centre of excellence for research
* [https://sremg.org.uk/ Southern Railway E-mail Group] – extensive source of information concerning the Southern Railway, its predecessors and successors
*[http://www.southernelectric.org.uk/ Southern Electric Group]
* [http://www.southernposters.co.uk/index.html Southern Posters] – collection of Southern Railway promotional material
* [http://www.georgekeen.info/ George Keen GM] – First railway worker to be awarded the [[George Medal]], 1940

{{Big Four pre-nationalisation British railway companies}}
{{Authority control}}

[[Category:Southern Railway (UK)| ]]
[[Category:Big four British railway companies]]
[[Category:Railway companies established in 1923]]
[[Category:Railway companies disestablished in 1948]]
[[Category:British companies disestablished in 1948]]
[[Category:British companies established in 1923]]