Southern Railway (UK)
British “Big 4” railway company, active 1923–1947
- For other uses see Southern Railway
The Southern Railway (SR), was one of the Big Four British railway companies from 1923 to 1948. It was established under the Railways Act 1921. The railway was formed by the amalgamation of smaller companies. The largest of these were the London and South Western Railway, the London, Brighton and South Coast Railway, and the South Eastern and Chatham Railway.[1]
 Coat-of-arms of the Southern Railway | |
| History | |
|---|---|
| 1923 | Grouping; Southern Railway is created |
| 1929 | Phase one of electrification scheme complete |
| 1930 | Richard Maunsell's SR V "Schools" class introduced |
| 1937 | Oliver Bulleid becomes Chief Mechanical Engineer |
| 1941 | First SR Merchant Navy Class Pacific unveiled |
| 1948 | Nationalised |
| Constituent companies | |
| London, Brighton and South Coast Railway London & South Western Railway South Eastern and Chatham Railway See full List of constituent companies of the Southern Railway | |
| Successor organisation | |
| 1948 | Southern Region of British Railways |
| Key locations | |
| Headquarters | Waterloo station, London |
| Workshops | Ashford Brighton Eastleigh |
| Major stations | Waterloo station Victoria Charing Cross |
| Inherited route mileage | |
| 1923 | 2,186 miles (3,518 km) Mileage shown as at end of year stated. Source: Whitehouse, Patrick & Thomas, David St.John: SR 150, Introduction |
The SR contained notable examples of civil engineering, linking London with the Channel ports, South West England and Kent. Construction of what was to become the Southern began in 1838 with the opening of the London and Southampton Railway, which was renamed the London and South Western Railway.
