The London, Brighton & South Coast Railway was the first company to operate over the East London Railway, services commencing 7th December 1869 between Wapping and New Cross.
The company had sprung from the merger of the London & Croydon and the London and Brighton Railway companies in 1846, which had opened their lines in 1839 and 1841 respectively. The London & Croydon shared the route at the London end with the London & Greenwich, which itself became part of the SER in 1845 – both companies providing their own stations at New Cross, and both of which later became the terminating stations for many ELR trains. With the opening of the South London Line from 1866, Old Kent Road and later Peckham Rye would also become terminating stations for some LB&SCR hauled ELR trains.
Extending the line northwards under London Docks proved to be an herculean task, but LB&SCR trains eventually ran into Liverpool Street from 1876. With the formation of the East London Railway Joint Committee (ELRJC) in 1882, which comprised the Metropolitan, Metropolitan & District, South Eastern Railway, London Chatham and Dover, the Great Eastern (from 1885) and the LB&SCR, the latter took responsibility for maintenance until handing over to the SER in 1885 (which had itself withdrawn trains over the line the previous year). From 1886, with the advent of GER services over the ELR, LB&SCR trains were cut back from Liverpool Street to Shoreditch, and the GER then took over LB&SCR services to Croydon.
With the opening of the ELR Extension (ELRE) and the New Tunnel, the LB&SCR provided passenger services over the Extended Widened Lines (EWL) through Basilica Fields to Bishopsgate (Liverpool Street), and for the first time provided a limited goods service to its recently opened small depots on the EWL.
By 1902, the LB&SCR was providing 64 of the 276 passenger trains every weekday over the ELR, but because the ELRJC initially failed to back the electrification plans for the Circle extending over the ELR, the Metropolitan and Metropolitan & District withdrew services over the line from the end of 1906, the upshot of which was that within five years the LB&SCR was providing over 100 trains daily to Shoreditch and back. The ELR was finally electrified in 1913.
By the early 1900s, passenger receipts over the EWL/ELRE were falling fast due to competition from the roads. Electric trams along Mile End Road, Burdett Road and Commercial Road had duplicated much of the EWL route, and electrification was deemed too great a financial risk, even for the determined Metropolitan Railway. The LB&SCR along with other members of the ELRJC therefore continued to provide steam-hauled services until the line was closed during the Great War.
Three classes of loco will be represented on Basilica Fields, all designed by William Stroudley, and will be explored in detail later. His A class tank No.59 Cheam stands at Shoreditch on the East London Railway, probably c1876, shortly after the Wapping – Liverpool Street extension was completed. No.59 was one of only two New Cross Terriers to retain their condensing equipment beyond 1894 which enabled them to be utilised on ELR services. A further exploration of this class and its successors will follow.
August 13, 2010 at 6:35 pm
There are times when I have difficulty in separating fact from fiction… (or rather, from East End tall tales). How much easier would life be if the Tales of the Basilica World were marked in some way, such as blue font?
My reading of the “true” part of the above (?) is that GER engines were to be found s’arf of the river… go on, which classes?
regards and thank you for the continuing and interesting history of the EWL,
Graham
August 13, 2010 at 7:54 pm
Ha! Now that could strip some of the fun out of it. Perhaps I ought to post the truth in black, a little deviation from fact in blue, and downright bald-faced lies in red? It could make for colourful reading…
Yes, the GER could be found sarf of the river on passenger and NPCS services to Peckham Rye, New Croydon, Central Croydon and services between New Cross (LBSC) into Liverpool Street, as well as having complete control over goods trains crossing the river using the exchange sidings at New Cross. The first instances of GER condensing apparatus was for ELR work when five Massey Bromley E10 0-4-4Ts were fitted in 1885, and by 1912, 280 locos were so fitted. Of course, not all traversed the ELR, but members of the M15/M15R (LNER F4and F5) classes, S44 (G4) class, R24R class, S56 class and C72 classes (J69 and J68 classes) have all worked south.
[edited for correction]
August 14, 2010 at 9:31 am
Thank you Adrian, all is now as clear as the Thames, (tongue in cheek). If the GER was as active South of the River as stated then I am surprised that there has been no model layout to exploit the colourful juxtaposition of the GER Blue and the Brighton “Green/Yellow”.
regards, Graham
September 27, 2010 at 4:58 pm
Having left a comment under the “About” heading, I now find this.
Graham, to save me repeating it, please go there. Having been brought up in Greenwich and roundabouts I wanted a layout where I could plausibly have green (several shades), “yellow”, blue and red locos, and discovered a proposal for such a railway – 1887, I think.
By the way, Buckjumper, I think you’ll find that GER locos also worked through to the Woolwich Arsenal site at Kidbrooke (SER) during WWI.
September 27, 2010 at 7:04 pm
Hi Tony,
This exchange is just what Adrian wanted, for people to discuss the potential for a model based upon a revised version of history where the revision is more believable than the truth. As the what is correct… what is a slight twist of fate… and what is just plain make-believe… then I shall leave you to your own thoughts for now, just make sure that you continue to read the news and take Adrian to task when you find the “facts” are too much to bear.
BTW – as for my small part in this world, I have been reading Adrian’s posts for almost two years, have been contributing the odd “what-if” and “why not”, and trying to keep the GWR flag flying where all else seems to be confused.
And I do wonder about your analogy of “roundabouts” and “traffic lights”… or are you a secret admirer of Jim Davidson.
regards, Graham
September 29, 2010 at 4:29 pm
…..and another thing. (Just to keep this item alive.) Most GER enthusiasts will know already that Kaiser Wilhelm MkII went to see his grandmother (at his request, or her command?) at Sandringham in one of the latter years of the 1890s.
The return journey to HIM’s ship at Port Victoria (I know nothing of the outward) was by GER train and GER locos, reversing at Liverpool Street and then via New Cross, SER. The train itself was preceded all the way by a GER “pilot” loco with a ten(?) minute headway. SER footplate staff were, naturally, also carried for this section of the journey. Instructions were given that station staff along the way must not line platforms nor cheer the passing train.
(Sykes’ Lane, “my diorama”, will not feature this diverting incident.)
September 30, 2010 at 9:21 pm
Tony – sorry for the tardy reply – circumstances mean that my access to the internet is somewhat intermittent pro tem, hopefully that will be resolved next week.
The Kaiser was no stranger to East Anglia; as well as passing through the oak-panelled hallway at Wolferton station en route to the Sandringham Estate during the Edwardian period (as as did almost every crowned head in Europe between 1901 and 1914), he also visited Gunton. Wilhem also attended the Coronation in 1911, when he visited Plaistow (LT&SR) to inspect the highly decorated Thundersley after a special run between Fenchurch Street and Shoeburyness. Presumably on these occasions he used the same route which you’ve alluded to.
From a GER perspective, the Kaiser is remembered for infamously approving the mock Court Martial and execution of the Company’s merchant seaman Captain Fryatt in 1916. When his body was returned Britain in 1919, it was carried to London in the SE&CR PMV No.132. The same van was also used to carry the bodies of Nurse Edith Cavell and The Unknown Warrior when they were repatriated. Amazingly this historic van is still with us:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/8393192.stm
Finally (!) I know of at least two photos of Wainwright’s D Class 4-4-0s at Liverpool Street on royal duties. OTTOMH one was of No.740 and taken c1912 on a Dover to Wolferton train.
October 1, 2010 at 8:06 am
Adrian,
You never cease to amaze me with the range and depth of your knowledge about our railways. As if “Patriotism is not enough”… you are so adept at informing us all with relevant and informative snippets.
Now, what were the rest of those most famous of words to be found on the memorial on the Charing Cross Road?
BTW – if Thundersley was decorated for the run from Fenchurch Street to Shoeburyness… and the engine was inspected at Plaistow after the run…. then were the decorations in a fit state to be inspected by a Head of State? And why at Plaistow? The mind boggles with the thought that the engine could have been taken to the depot for cleaning and thus Plaistow might be the only UK-engine shed to have been visited by royalty.
regards, Graham
October 18, 2010 at 1:34 pm
Sorry – I forgot about this one.
Plaistow was the Tilbury Line’s Works. I’m not certain whether the Emperor visited the depot immediately after the run, later that day, or even the following day. The new LT&SR MPD was nearing completion in June 1911 (it opened as ‘West Ham’ three months later on 30th September) , and one might speculate as to whether Kaiser Bill was beginning to formulate air raids even at that early date; the German military had a couple of experimental Zeppelins in operation, a number that increased dramatically over the next 36 months in the lead up to the War, and then of course following the outbreak in hostilities Zeppelin production went into overdrive.
Nope – the King & Queen visited Stratford on 6 July 1927.
October 5, 2010 at 11:11 am
To add to Adrian’s comments regarding Captain Fryatt… the periodical “Railway Archive” has covered the GER shipping in several issues, the most relevant being No. 17 which recalls the details of Fryatt’s actions. There is a follow up in No. 21.
“Railway Archive” is published by Lightmoor Press, see:- http://www.lightmoor.co.uk/railway_archive_17.htm
June 5, 2011 at 1:19 pm
Another interesting aside to the original post, the LNWR named an engine in memory of Captain Fryatt, see here:-
http://www.warwickshirerailways.com/lms/lnwr_shil1116.htm
regards, Graham