The LB&SCR's coat of arms, displayed above the entrance to Gipsy Hill railway station. The cross (top left) represents London, the two dolphins (top right) Brighton, the three half-lions/half-ships (bottom left) the Cinque Ports, and the star and crescent (bottom right) Portsmouth.

The London, Brighton and South Coast Railway (LB&SCR) (commonly known as "the Brighton line") was a railway company in the United Kingdom from 1846 to 1923. Its territory formed a rough triangle, with London at its apex and practically the whole coastline of Sussex as its base. It was bounded on its western side by the lines of the London and South Western Railway; on its eastern by the South Eastern and Chatham Railway. It supplied the most direct routes to the South Coast seaside resorts of Brighton, Eastbourne and Worthing among many others. At the London end was a complicated suburban and outer-suburban network of lines. Image File history File links The coat of arms of the London, Brighton and South Coast Railway, displayed above the entrance to Gipsy Hill railway station. ... Image File history File links The coat of arms of the London, Brighton and South Coast Railway, displayed above the entrance to Gipsy Hill railway station. ... The entrance to Gipsy Hill railway staion Gipsy Hill railway station is in the London Borough of Lambeth in south London. ... 1846 was a common year starting on Thursday (see link for calendar). ... 1923 was a common year starting on Monday (link will take you to calendar). ... Sussex as a traditional county. ... The London and South Western Railway (L&SWR) was a railway company in the United Kingdom from 1840 to 1923. ... Coat of Arms. ... The seafront of Torquay, a seaside resort in Devon, England. ... Brighton in East Sussex is one of the largest and most famous seaside resorts in England. ... Bold text:For other places called Eastbourne, see Eastbourne (disambiguation). ... Map sources for Worthing at grid reference TQ1303 Worthing is the largest town and a local government district in West Sussex, England. ...

History

The beginnings

The earliest parts of the LB&SCR were the two railways:

• The London & Croydon Railway (L&CR), which had been incorporated (by Act of Parliament) in 1835, and whose line from London Bridge to West Croydon had been opened on 5 June 1839. In 1845 the Railway experimented with atmospheric traction: the system was not a success, and was removed after a year.
• The London & Brighton Railway, incorporated 1837: it had been opened in sections:
  • Brighton - Shoreham: 12 May 1840. Locomotives and rolling stock had to be transhipped by road for what was, in the first year, an isolated stretch of railway.
  • Norwood (junction with the L&CR) - Haywards Heath: 12 July 1841. The final stretch of line required tunnelling through the South Downs.
  • Haywards Heath - Brighton 21 September 1841

On 27 July 1846 the two Railways merged, and the title LB&SCR was adopted. The London & Croydon Railway (L&C) was incorporated in 1835, and the line to West Croydon was opened June 5 1839. ... In Westminster System parliaments, an Act of Parliament is a part of the law passed by the Parliament. ... Outside view Platform London Bridge station is a railway station in central London (in the London Borough of Southwark), occupying a large area on two levels, immediately south-east of London Bridge. ... June 5 is the 156th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (157th in leap years), with 209 days remaining. ... 1839 was a common year starting on Tuesday (see link for calendar). ... The London & Brighton Railway (L&B) was incorporated in 1837. ... Shoreham-by-Sea, West Sussex, England, is bordered on the north by the South Downs, on the west by the Adur valley and on the south by the River Adur and Shoreham Beach. ... May 12 is the 132nd day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (133rd in leap years). ... 1840 is a leap year starting on Wednesday (link will take you to calendar). ... Norwood Junction railway station is in South Norwood in the London Borough of Croydon in south London. ... Haywards Heath railway station serves Haywards Heath in East Sussex. ... July 12 is the 193rd day (194th in leap years) of the year in the Gregorian Calendar, with 172 days remaining. ... 1841 is a common year starting on Friday (link will take you to calendar). ... Near Beachy Head The South Downs is one of the two areas of chalk downland in southern England. ... September 21 is the 264th day of the year (265th in leap years). ... 1841 is a common year starting on Friday (link will take you to calendar). ... July 27 is the 208th day (209th in leap years) of the year in the Gregorian Calendar, with 157 days remaining. ... 1846 was a common year starting on Thursday (see link for calendar). ...

The company's London termini were at Victoria and London Bridge. Victoria Station concourse Victoria station is a London Underground and railway station in London, in the City of Westminster. ... Outside view Platform London Bridge station is a railway station in central London (in the London Borough of Southwark), occupying a large area on two levels, immediately south-east of London Bridge. ...

From 1 January 1923, the company's lines were grouped along with those of the London and South Western Railway and the South Eastern and Chatham Railway to form the Southern Railway. January 1 is the first day of the calendar year in both the Julian and Gregorian calendars. ... 1923 was a common year starting on Monday (link will take you to calendar). ... The London and South Western Railway (L&SWR) was a railway company in the United Kingdom from 1840 to 1923. ... Coat of Arms. ... The Southern Railway in the United Kingdom was the smallest of the four railway systems created in the Grouping ordered by the Railways Act 1921. ...

There is still nostalgia for the LB&SCR's attractive Victorian yellow ochre locomotive livery, called Stroudley's Improved Engine Green. Several locomotives have been preserved and some are still running today on heritage railways.

Pullman-car trains

The "Pullman Limited Express"

The LB&SCR pioneered the running of the all-Pullman train in England. Pullman cars had been introduced on the Midland Railway in 1874, followed by the Great Northern Railway soon after; but on 5 December 1881 the LB&SCR inaugurated the first all-Pullman train. It was known as the "Pullman Limited Express" and was hauled by locomotive #334 Petworth. It consisted of four cars (built at the Pullman Car Company workshops in Derby): Beatrice, Louise, Maud and Victoria. The "Pullman Limited Express" made two down and two up trips per day, and one each way on Sundays. The Pullman Palace Car Company, owned by George Pullman, manufactured railroad train cars in the mid to late 1800s through the early decades of the 20th century, during the boom of railroads in the United States. ... The Midland Railway (MR) was a railway company in the United Kingdom which existed from 1844 to 1922. ... A separate article covers the Great Northern Railway in the USA and the Great Northern Railway in Ireland. ... December 5 is the 339th day (340th in leap years) of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... 1881 was a common year starting on Saturday (see link for calendar). ... Derby (pronounced dar-bee ) is a city in the East Midlands of England. ...

In 1887 the name of the service was changed to "Pullman Limited Express train"; by now first-class carriages were also attached to the train. A new train was built in 1888, this time built at the Pullman Palace Car Company in America, and erected by the LB&SCR at Brighton.

The "Brighton Limited"

On Sunday 2 October 1898 a new all-Pullman car train, The "Brighton Limited" (originally "The Pullman Limited Express" it was renamed soon after) came into service. It ran only on Sundays, and not at all during the holiday months July - September. From the beginning the new train was timed to make the journey from Victoria in one hour: "London to Brighton in one hour" was the advertisement then used for the first time. On 21 December 1902 it made a record run of 54 minutes. October 2 - Wikipedia /**/ @import /skins-1. ... 1898 was a common year starting on Saturday (see link for calendar). ... December 21 is the 355th day of the year (356th in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar. ... 1902 was a common year starting on Wednesday (see link for calendar). ...

"The Southern Belle"

On 8 November 1908 the LB&SCR introduced what it described as "the most luxurious train in the World" - "The Southern Belle": by 1910 two trips each way every day were running; and later three were run on Sundays. November 8 is the 312th day of the year (313th in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar, with 53 days remaining. ... 1908 is a leap year starting on Wednesday (link will take you to calendar). ...

"The Brighton Belle"

Electrification of the Brighton line was completed on 1 January 1933, by which time the LB&SCR was, of course, part of the Southern Railway; and a year later "The Southern Belle" was renamed "The Brighton Belle". Three multiple-unit trains were built for the service, and continued to run until the service was withdrawn in April 1972. Many of the individual cars are running on preserved railways. January 1 is the first day of the calendar year in both the Julian and Gregorian calendars. ... 1933 was a common year starting on Sunday (link will take you to calendar). ... The Southern Railway in the United Kingdom was the smallest of the four railway systems created in the Grouping ordered by the Railways Act 1921. ...

Third-class Pullman cars

Third=class Pullman cars began running on Sunday 12 September 1915 from Victoria to Brighton and Eastbourne. September 12 is the 255th day of the year (256th in leap years). ... 1915 was a common year starting on Friday (see link for calendar). ... Bold text:For other places called Eastbourne, see Eastbourne (disambiguation). ...

The information in this section is taken from Pullman Perfection F Burtt & W Beckerlegge (Ian Allan Ltd 1948).

Railway electrification

The company was also a pioneer of railway electrification in Britain, seeking powers in 1903 to adapt its suburban lines to electrification. Although the Midland Railway lines from Lancaster to Morecambe and Heysham had been converted first, the LB&SCR lines eventually covered a far greater distance of electrified track. Both companies opted for the high-tension overhead supply system at 6600 volts AC: in the LB&SCR case this was because their electrical engineer had been attracted to it by a visit to the USA. That system was to be short-lived, however, since the London and South Western Railway had adopted the third-rail system; and after grouping their mileage far exceeded that of the LB&SCR. A railway electrification system is a way of supplying electric power to electric locomotives or multiple units. ... The Midland Railway (MR) was a railway company in the United Kingdom which existed from 1844 to 1922. ... This article is about an English city. ... Location within the British Isles. ... Stone graves overlooking Morecambe Bay, with the mountains of the Lake District in the distance Heysham (pronounced hee-sham) is a small, coastal village near Lancaster in the county of Lancashire in England. ... The London and South Western Railway (L&SWR) was a railway company in the United Kingdom from 1840 to 1923. ...

The first section of LB&SCR converted line was on the South London loop line connecting London Bridge with Victoria via Denmark Hill on 1 December 1909.Other routes followed: December 1 is the 335th (in leap years the 336th) day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... 1909 was a common year starting on Friday (see link for calendar). ...

• May 1911 Victoria - Crystal Palace via Balham and West Norwood
• June 1912 Peckham Rye - West Norwood

WWI interrupted what was to have been considerable further mileage of electrified line, but by 1921 most of the LB&SCR suburban lines were electrified. Plans were being laid to extend the overhead electrification to Brighton and other South Coast resorts. The final conversion was: Crystal Palace station Crystal Palace railway station is the only surviving railway station at Crystal Palace in south London. ... Balham railway station is a station in Balham in the London Borough of Wandsworth. ... West Norwood railway station is in the London Borough of Lambeth in south London. ...

• 1 April 1925 Lines to Coulsdon North and Sutton

By now grouping had occurred; and in 1926 it was announced that, as part of a huge electrification project, all overhead lines were to be converted to third-rail operation, to bring all lines within the Southern Railway into common use. Details of the three types of AC overhead electric multiple unit stock used may be found here. April 1 is the 91st day of the year (92nd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar, with 274 days remaining. ... 1925 was a common year starting on Thursday (link will take you to calendar). ... Coulsdon South railway station serves Coulsdon in the London Borough of Croydon, and is in Travelcard Zone 6, on the Brighton Main Line. ... Sutton railway station is the main station for Sutton in South London. ... A multiple unit is a passenger train whose carriages have their own motors, either diesel (DMUs) or electric (EMUs), and do not need to be hauled by a locomotive. ... The Southern Railway created numbering and classification systems for its large fleet of Electric multiple units that were perpetuated by the Southern Region of British Rail until the early 1980s, when the impact of TOPS was felt. ...

See also

List of early British railway companies The following list sets out to show all the railway companies set up by Acts of Parliament in the 19th century until the late 1850s. ...

External link

LBSCR enthusiast site