British Transport Commission - Electrification of Railways - report, 1951 : Map B - Southern Region 'outer areas' electrified lines
The cover of the 1951 BTC report into the Electrification of Railways. The report, chaired by C M Cock, Chief Mechanical Engineer of the Railway Executive, basically 'rubber stamped' the status quo ; that London Transport should retain it's 630vDC fourth rail system, the Southern Region its 660v DC third rail system and that main line electrification should, as codified in the 1927 Pringle Committee's recommendation, take the form of 1500vDC overhead. This latter decision was soon to be rapidly overturned as the BTC turned to the 25kvAC system that at the time of this report was effectively being trialled by SNCF and that indeed a version of which was being trialled in the UK on the converted lines around Lancaster & Morecambe noted in this report. The report contains a number of maps.
This map shows the various longer distance lines to the South Coast that the pre-Grouping Southern Railway had inauguarated before WW2 and later Nationalisation interveined. These were using their 'standard' 660vDC third rail and had included some importany main lines - notably the Brighton and Portsmouth 'Direct' that came into use in 1933 and 1937 respectively. Oddly the lines shown on this map have seen some closures - such as the Haywards Heath - Horsted Keynes section. To the west BR would continue extension of third rail electrification towards Southampton and later the Wessex Coast along with the Southampton - Portsmouth services. To the east, in the 1950s and '60s, BR would finally deliver the delayed Kent Coast electrifications.
British Transport Commission - Electrification of Railways - report, 1951 : Map B - Southern Region 'outer areas' electrified lines
The cover of the 1951 BTC report into the Electrification of Railways. The report, chaired by C M Cock, Chief Mechanical Engineer of the Railway Executive, basically 'rubber stamped' the status quo ; that London Transport should retain it's 630vDC fourth rail system, the Southern Region its 660v DC third rail system and that main line electrification should, as codified in the 1927 Pringle Committee's recommendation, take the form of 1500vDC overhead. This latter decision was soon to be rapidly overturned as the BTC turned to the 25kvAC system that at the time of this report was effectively being trialled by SNCF and that indeed a version of which was being trialled in the UK on the converted lines around Lancaster & Morecambe noted in this report. The report contains a number of maps.
This map shows the various longer distance lines to the South Coast that the pre-Grouping Southern Railway had inauguarated before WW2 and later Nationalisation interveined. These were using their 'standard' 660vDC third rail and had included some importany main lines - notably the Brighton and Portsmouth 'Direct' that came into use in 1933 and 1937 respectively. Oddly the lines shown on this map have seen some closures - such as the Haywards Heath - Horsted Keynes section. To the west BR would continue extension of third rail electrification towards Southampton and later the Wessex Coast along with the Southampton - Portsmouth services. To the east, in the 1950s and '60s, BR would finally deliver the delayed Kent Coast electrifications.