Waterloo suburban lines in the 1950s and 1960s

[Peter Mugridge]

I used to work on that site in the early nineties. I was in a new warehouse that had been built in the middle of the old yard. Curious thing was, they didn't clear the whole site so some rails still remained. When the warehouse was built they just chopped the rails in the middle and removed them, but left the ends in place. There was also what I assumed to be a sub station for the third rail on the site and seemed still active.

If you mean this on Google Streetview, yes - that's still a current ( pun intended! ) sub-station for the traction; it's one of the famous "Cathedral" type design, of which there are quite a few around - there's one near me in Epsom as well.

These sub-stations are probably worthy of a thread in their own right?

Google Maps

Find local businesses, view maps and get driving directions in Google Maps.

www.google.com

 

[Lucan]

If you mean this on Google Streetview, yes - that's still a current ( pun intended! ) sub-station for the traction; it's one of the famous "Cathedral" type design, of which there are quite a few around - there's one near me in Epsom as well.

These sub-stations are probably worthy of a thread in their own right?

Google Maps

Find local businesses, view maps and get driving directions in Google Maps.

www.google.com

Turn through 180 degrees from that view and go along the road 50 yards or so, and rails are visible in the road surface in front of the Surrey Steels building.

 

[seaviewer]

With my 1959 working timetable in front of me, I can answer some of the original questions regarding freight on the inner suburban lines. It was beginning to thin out, but looked like this: –
2.52 Nine Elms to Reading South (45 min shunting at Feltham)
7.00 Nine elms to Temple Mills via Barnes(light engine)
10.55 Nine elms to Reading South (semi-fitted)
11.10 nine elms to Stewarts Lane via Clapham Junction
1.30 nine elms to Reading South
3.26 ditto
4.00 ditto
that's it as far as the main line is concerned
in addition, some freight fed into the Windsor line from hither Green; there was one pickup freight along the Shepperton branch.
the Epsom line was served from Wimbledon West yard once a day by a train which went either to Ewell west or Worcester Park
the new Guildford line was served by a pickup freight from Surbiton; most of the stations seem to have retained their freight facilities.

Fascinating, but complicated!

 

[UP13]

Thanks for the information on here guys.

I presume those freight timings are from Nine Elms. Are there any to Nine Elms or even from Feltham.

I'd also deeply appreciate passenger destinations and frequency as I'm guessing it wasn't quite the same as today and not a neat every 30 mins frequency.

 

[30907]

I'd also deeply appreciate passenger destinations and frequency as I'm guessing it wasn't quite the same as today and not a neat every 30 mins frequency.

The 1958 summer timetable is here: https://timetableworld.com.
Longer distance services changed very little over your period - some improvements to steam services, some cuts to summer Saturdays, but little else till 1964 (Exeter line) and 1965 (Bournemouth).
Suburban services on the "Main Lines" (Table 71) were cut to every 30min offpeak from 1959 IIRC but otherwise remained unchanged until 1967 when a new timetable was introduced across the whole SR.
(1955 is also on the site but isn't significantly different).
Enjoy browsing!

 

[30909]

If you mean this on Google Streetview, yes - that's still a current ( pun intended! ) sub-station for the traction; it's one of the famous "Cathedral" type design, of which there are quite a few around - there's one near me in Epsom as well.

These sub-stations are probably worthy of a thread in their own right?

Google Maps

Find local businesses, view maps and get driving directions in Google Maps.

www.google.com

The substation is one of those designed prior to the 1925 electrification of the Waterloo to Dorking North and New Guildford Lines and contained rotary converters and as such required manning when in operation.