South Eastern and Chatham Railway

[Lucan]

I know the South Eastern and Chatham Railway was formed by a partial amalgamtion of the South Eastern Railway and the London Chatham and Dover Railway. It is strange that they kept the word Chatham in the name as clearly Chatham is in the South East anyway.

No doubt they wanted to keep some element of the LCDR in the new name but surely London South Eastern Railway would have done the trick and been much better. Also it would have put it up into the premier league with the LNWR and LSWR, namewise anyway. Of course we have a London & South Eastern Railway today, even though it is better known as Southeastern.

 

[Sir Felix Pole]

The LC & DR was usually referred to as 'The Chatham' throughout its existence, so in modern 'brand awareness' terms it was the correct choice for the merged company. Even today the eastern side of Victoria station is still referred to as the 'Chatham' side.

 

[Taunton]

AS the two parties were colloquially known as the "South Eastern" and the "Chatham", calling the merged result the "South Eastern & Chatham" seems pretty logical.

If I am not mistaken there was never a South Eastern & Chatham Railway, it was SE&C Railways Joint Committee [with Railways plural], always to 1923 two separate railway companies with an overarching Committee. The joint name thus had to represent the two constituents.

 

[DerekC]

If I am not mistaken there was never a South Eastern & Chatham Railway, it was SE&C Railways Joint Committee [with Railways plural], always to 1923 two separate railway companies with an overarching Committee. The joint name thus had to represent the two constituents.

That is confirmed by C Awdry's "Encyclopaedia of British Railway Companies" although it's interesting that the seal of the Joint Managing Committee says "Incorporated by Act of 1899" in large script, so there clearly was some legislation involved.