Historical 3rd Rail Rlectrification Plans

[RichJF]

Hello everyone.

I live in East Grinstead so the railway history of the area fascinates me. I've got a question regarding electrification that was proposed or cancelled back in the 1930s.

Taken from browsing the endless pit that is the internet:
I saw somewhere a snippet that said Horsted Keynes - Haywards Heath was electrified in preparation for the electrification of the Croydon - East Grinstead line as well as provide stabling space for the Seaford service. Was that genuine or merely speculation?
I also saw someone say that the Southern wanted to 3rd rail East Grinstead High Level - Tunbridge Wells West but I can't find the post now.

Were there any other plans that were proposed then canned during the original 3rd rail rollout?

 

[etr221]

The impression I have is that the Southern had a desire - if nothing more - to electrify pretty well everything east of Weymouth and Salisbury; but to what extent this was translated into plans and schemes that got onto, let alone off, the drawing board, I've no real idea. Maybe as much a case of schemes being produced as it seemed money, etc. would be available, as anything else.

My understanding was that the HH-HK electrification was as much to avoid trains terminating at HH as anything else (I don't think there was any stabling at HK), and - at that stage - electrification north of HK was a distant dream.

There is a note in SR150 (D StJ Thomas & P Whitehouse) that the SR board had approved a South Croydon - Oxted - EG - HK scheme in June 1939 (don't know if it's reported anywhere else), but with the then imminence of war nothing came of it; but it was apparently confirmed in 1946 as to be done when resources permitted; and it was included in the Southern's announced proposals of November 1946, but at that stage the resources weren't there. One thing to note is that the SR's electrification ended in July 1939, before the war - something I read was that the SR schemes of that period took not much more than a year, and a halt was called to new schemes being started in late 1938: possibly if that hadn't happened SC-HK would have been done in 1939, for an opening in winter 1939-40.

Another thing is that the Oxted line timetable of the late 1950s was written around a Victoria-Oxted-EG-TWW 'main' service (with connections), and this is probably an indication of how they thought about electrification at that stage.

 

[30907]

David Brown (Southern Electric, vol 2) notes that South Croydon-HK received preliminary Board approval only. He suggests that the Steyning route might have been considered as an alternative diversionary route for the Brighton main line.

The only other major scheme not started by the SR was Sevenoaks-Hastings, as the need to provide dedicated rolling stock was a stumbling block.

The reason Tunbridge Wells W was the terminus of the Oxted line services post 1956 would surely have been the location of the MPD there.

 

[etr221]

David Brown (Southern Electric, vol 2) notes that South Croydon-HK received preliminary Board approval only. He suggests that the Steyning route might have been considered as an alternative diversionary route for the Brighton main line.

The Steyning route was included in the November 1946 announcemed proposals (as well as SC-HK) - both in phase 3 (with the SE Hastings line)

The only other major scheme not started by the SR was Sevenoaks-Hastings, as the need to provide dedicated rolling stock was a stumbling block.

Yes - it was originally included in the late 1930s plans, following on from the Portsmouth schemes.