European Railroad Discussion > Archetypal Southern

In some ways the former lines of the pre-1948 Southern Railway remain remarkably unchanged, especially those the Southern electrified. These two pictures were taken yesterday in Horsham, a prosperous market commuter town, some 40 miles south of London, and a junction between two routes to London and the South Coast. The lines through Horsham were electrified in the late 1930s, at the same time the station was rebuilt in contemporary style and the area resignalled with colour lights controlled from a modern box in the Southern's attractive Queen Mary style,. The Southern and the LNER were really the only railway companies in the interwar period to advance signalling technology in the UK.

Today both station and signal box survive, indeed the station is very smart and clean, a great advert for the new Southern Railway who manage it. The class 73 electro diesels are on a Network Rail test train (1Q14), the signal box, unused but preserved, is next to the junction between the two routes to London, via Dorking on the left and Gatwick Airport on the right. Unfortunately the snow which had fallen earlier had melted by the time 1Q14 showed. The light was nice and wintry.

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Thanks for posting these most interesting photos.

B&OBill

My pleasure, glad you like them.

How do the bikes get on/off the second story?

BobP Wrote:
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> How do the bikes get on/off the second story?

The top level is pivoted. You pull the stand towards you and it pivots 45 degrees. Southern, together with West Sussex County Council have been installing facilities like these at a number of busy stations. At my destination, Three Bridges, the bike facilities are about six times the size of Horsham's



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 12/06/12 14:11 by 86235.

Mmmmm.....Union Pacific yellow and grey on those cars?

ATSF3751 Wrote:
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> Mmmmm.....Union Pacific yellow and grey on those
> cars?

Yes, Network Rail like their trains to be very visible.