80-507: Hinchley may refer to: Places [ edit ] Hinchley Wood English suburban village People [ edit ] Albert Hinchley English footballer Edith Mary Hinchley British painter Gary Hinchley English footballer John Hinchley chemical engineer Pippa Hinchley English actress Tamsin Hinchley Australian volleyball player Topics referred to by
160-487: A 552-day continuous occupation. The pub has since been demolished and has been replaced by retirement flats. Hinchley Wood unwittingly featured in an irreverent semi-comical book Crap Towns to be ranked "48th worst" in the United Kingdom. In response to the ranking, the local councillor stated "People like it here because it is a quiet place, very convenient for the city and, if you want to get to Kingston, it
240-730: A Pullman train called the "Thanet Pullman Limited" from Victoria to Margate in 1921. The service was not a success and ceased to run in 1928. The service was however re-introduced by British Railways as the Thanet Belle in 1948. Amongst the ordinary services, the Southern Railway also operated famous titled express trains such as the Atlantic Coast Express ("ACE"). With a large variety of holiday destinations including Bude , Exmouth , Ilfracombe , Padstow , Plymouth , Seaton , Sidmouth and Torrington ,
320-546: A coherent, identifiable settlement, with a housing stock so plainly superior to that typical of the 1930s. At its annual general meeting in 1927, the chairman called attention to "great increment in the value of the land, which goes into the pockets of vigilant people at our expense". G.T. Crouch agreed to contribute £2,500 towards the cost (about one-third) of the building of the station. Having been given planning permission to build Hinchley Wood in September 1929, Crouch struck
400-574: A community rugby club. These are followed by, in the south west, a historic but now small woodland named Hinchley Wood. Telegraph Hill is also southwest of Hinchley Wood and is the largest nearby walking spot and has some visitor attraction for its Grade II (architecture) listed 'Semaphore House' semaphore tower described as "c1822. Rendered brick on projecting plinth with hipped slate roof. 3-storey square tower to centre...C20 glazing bar sash windows throughout". Hinchley Wood has two schools, Hinchley Wood Primary School and Hinchley Wood School , one of
480-500: A compulsory amalgamation of the railways into four large groups through the 1921 Railways Act , known as the Grouping. The resultant amalgamation of the four south coast railways to form the Southern Railway meant that several duplicate routes and management structures were inherited. The LSWR had most influence on the new company, although genuine attempts were made to integrate the services and staff after 1923. The rationalisation of
560-637: A deal with the Southern Railway for the construction of the station. To persuade the Southern Railway to build it, Crouch had to help pay for it. Although the Southern Railway knew that a new settlement would bring new business, it also knew the benefit to Crouch. After the Second World War, the Inland Revenue had large offices housed in the single storey inter-connected barrack blocks of former Italian Prisoner of War camp on
640-433: A fleet of goods vehicles providing a door-to-door delivery service. This was especially useful for bulky items that required delivery to areas not immediately served by a railway. Conflat-type wagons were used to carry containers by rail to a destination close to the delivery address, where they would be transferred by crane onto the trailer of a vehicle for onward travel by road. In conjunction with other Big Four companies
720-690: A monopoly of the London suburbs south of the River Thames , where it provided a complex network of secondary routes that intertwined between main lines. Unlike the London, Midland and Scottish Railway , the London and North Eastern Railway and the GWR, the Southern Railway was predominantly a passenger railway. Despite its small size it carried more than a quarter of Britain's passenger traffic because of its network of commuter lines around London, serving some of
800-507: A number of other vessels branded under Channel Packet, the maritime arm of the railway, all of which passed to British Railways control after nationalisation in 1948. The Southern inherited a number of ships from its constituent companies, some of which were converted to car ferries when this mode of transport became more common. Such conversions were needed on the French routes, where holidays by car were beginning to become popular. Services to
880-623: A petrol station; throughout the area is a light smattering of small businesses. A double-width section of the A309 (the Kingston Bypass) bisects the suburb which acts as a local spur road to a semi-urban section of the motorway-standard A3 road . The suburb's main retail area is directly north of a traffic light intersection adjoined by a large set of retirement flats. The suburb has no high-rise buildings and gained its first place of worship (St Christopher's Church) in 1953. Hinchley Wood has
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#1732783553000960-592: A primarily commuter and holidaymaker carrying railway was a breathtaking feat. When the threat of invasion receded, the Southern Railway again became vital for the movement of troops and supplies preparing for the invasion of Normandy in Operation Overlord . This came at a cost, as the Southern Railway's location around London and the Channel ports meant that it was subjected to heavy bombing, whilst permanent way, locomotive, carriage and wagon maintenance
1040-455: A substantial commuter traffic from towns such as Guildford , Brighton and Eastbourne . The remainder of passenger operations were non-Pullman, reflecting the ordinary business of running a passenger railway. West Country services were dominated by lucrative summer holiday traffic and passengers wishing to travel to the Isle of Wight and further afield. In winter months, the western extremity of
1120-803: A vital role in the Second World War , embarking the British Expeditionary Force, during the Dunkirk operations, and supplying Operation Overlord in 1944; because the railway was primarily a passenger network, its success was an even more remarkable achievement. The Southern Railway operated a number of famous named trains, including the Brighton Belle , the Bournemouth Belle , the Golden Arrow and
1200-605: Is a subsidiary of Govia, which is a joint venture between the British Go-Ahead Group (65%) and French company Keolis (35%). The Southern Railway covered a large territory in south-west England including Weymouth, Plymouth, Salisbury and Exeter, where it was in competition with the Great Western Railway (GWR). To the east of this area it held a monopoly of rail services in the counties of Hampshire , Surrey , Sussex and Kent . Above all, it had
1280-774: Is different from Wikidata All article disambiguation pages All disambiguation pages Hinchley Wood Hinchley Wood is a suburb in the Elmbridge borough of Surrey , England, approximately 13 miles (21 km) south-west of Charing Cross in central London, and within the Greater London Urban Area . It developed largely around its railway station at its heart on the New Guildford Line — and many of its homes house at least one commuter to Central London . The suburb has one main parade of convenience shops, local services and
1360-415: Is easy as well. You have all the peace and quiet you want and it is near the countryside and the rivers. While we do not have a pub we do have a strong community spirit". The town lost the status in later editions. Southern Railway (Great Britain) The Southern Railway ( SR ), sometimes shortened to 'Southern', was a British railway company established in the 1923 Grouping . It linked London with
1440-482: Is made up of rented dwellings (plus a negligible % of households living rent-free). Hinchley Wood has independent cafés and small supermarkets. Nonetheless in 1999 McDonald's sought to widen its reach, by opening a rare pure suburbia outlet. Hinchley Wood residents, organised as Residents Against McDonald's (RAM), took on McDonald's to defeat a plan to turn their local pub into a drive-through fast-food outlet. The residents defeated McDonald's on 16 June 2000 after
1520-543: The Channel ports, South West England , South coast resorts and Kent . The railway was formed by the amalgamation of several smaller railway companies, the largest of which were the London and South Western Railway (LSWR), the London, Brighton and South Coast Railway (LB&SCR) and the South Eastern and Chatham Railway (SE&CR). The construction of what was to become the Southern Railway began in 1838 with
1600-1812: The Channel Islands began in 1924, along with services to Brittany in 1933 and finally Normandy commencing just prior to nationalisation in 1947. SS Alberta , SS Ardena , SS Brittany , SS Caesarea , SS Cherbourg , SS Hantonia , SS Laura , SS Lorina , SS Normannia , SS Princess Ena , SS Vera . SS Arundel , SS Brighton , SS Dieppe , SS La France , SS Newhaven , SS Paris , SS Rouen , SS Versailles . SS Biarritz , SS Canterbury , SS Empress , SS Engadine , SS Invicta , SS Maid of Orleans , SS Riviera , SS Victoria . PS Duchess of Albany , PS Duchess of Kent , PS Duchess of Fife , PS Duchess of Norfolk , PS Princess Margaret . SS Arromanches , SS Autocarrier , SS Brighton , SS Brittany , TSS Canterbury , SS Deal , SS Dinard , TSS Falaise , SS Fratton , PS Freshwater , SS Hampton Ferry , SS Haslemere , SS Hythe , SS Invicta , SS Isle of Guernsey , SS Isle of Jersey , SS Isle of Sark , SS Isle of Thanet , SS Londres , SS Maid of Kent , SS Maidstone , PS Merstone , SS Minster , PS Portsdown , SS Ringwood , PS Ryde , PS Sandown , SS Shepperton Ferry , PS Shanklin , PS Southsea , SS St Briac , SS Tonbridge , SS Twickenham Ferry , SS Worthing , PS Whippingham , SS Whitstable . During
1680-766: The Golden Arrow (London-Paris, translated as Flèche d'Or for the French part of its route), The Cunarder (London - Southampton Ocean Liner service) and the Night Ferry (London - Paris and Brussels), the Brighton Belle on the Central Section, and the Bournemouth Belle and Devon Belle on the Western Section. The Golden Arrow was the best-known train of the Southern Railway, and was introduced on 15 May 1929. The train consisted of Pullmans and luggage vans, linking London Victoria to Dover, with transfer to
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#17327835530001760-461: The Lyme Regis branch from Axminster providing an example. The Southern Railway also operated push-pull trains of up to two carriages in commuter areas. Push-pull operations did not need the time-consuming use of a turntable or run-around at the end of a suburban branch line, and enabled the driver to use a cab in the end coach to drive the locomotive in reverse. Such operations were similar to
1840-476: The Night Ferry (London–Paris and Brussels). The West Country services were dominated by lucrative summer holiday traffic and included named trains such as the Atlantic Coast Express and the Devon Belle . The company's best-known livery was highly distinctive: locomotives and carriages were painted in a bright malachite green above plain black frames, with bold, bright yellow lettering. The Southern Railway
1920-568: The Second World War and afterwards, Southern managed a number of ships for the Ministry of War Transport . Empire Alde . Ten large hotels were owned by the company, at the London termini and at the coast. The Charing Cross Hotel , designed by Edward Middleton Barry , opened on 15 May 1865 and gave the station an ornate frontage in the French Renaissance style. At Cannon Street station in London, an Italianate style hotel
2000-889: The Somerset and Dorset Joint Railway and the Weymouth and Portland Railway . The first main line railway in southern England was the London and Southampton Railway , (renamed LSWR in 1838), which completed its line in May 1840. It was quickly followed by the London and Brighton Railway (September 1841), and the South Eastern Railway (formerly the South Eastern and Dover Railway) in February 1844. The LSWR branched out to destinations including Portsmouth , Salisbury and later Exeter and Plymouth . It grew to be
2080-566: The South Eastern and Chatham Railway (SECR) in 1899.) These companies were amalgamated, together with several small independently operated lines and non-working companies, to form the Southern Railway in 1923, which operated 2186 route miles (3518 km) of railway. The new railway also partly owned several joint lines, notably the East London Railway , the West London Extension Joint Railway ,
2160-506: The autotrains , with a Drummond M7 providing the motive power. Passenger traffic was the main source of revenue for the Southern Railway throughout its existence, although goods were also carried in separate trains. Goods such as milk and cattle from the agricultural areas of the West Country provided a regular source of freight traffic, whilst imports from the south coast ports also required carriage by rail to freight terminals such as
2240-446: The "ACE", which was the longest timetabled journey on the network. The importance of the destination dictated the motive power selected to haul each portion to their final destinations. Through carriages to East Devon and North Cornwall were invariably hauled by diminutive Drummond M7 tank locomotives, and from 1952, BR Standard Class 3 2-6-2T 's; the rest of the train continued behind a Bulleid Light Pacific to Plymouth. The final "ACE"
2320-595: The 11 am "ACE" from Waterloo, as the Atlantic Coast Express became known, was the most multi-portioned train in the UK from its introduction in 1926. This was due to sections of the train splitting at selected junctions for onward journey to their final destinations in the West Country. Padstow railway station in Cornwall was the westernmost point of the Southern Railway, and marked the end or beginning of
2400-526: The Channel ports, whilst the Western Section catered for the heavy summer holiday traffic to the West Country resorts. Passenger services on the Southern Railway consisted of luxury Pullman dining trains and normal passenger services, which gave the railway a high total number of carriages at 10,800. Pullman services were the premier trains of the Southern, reflecting the pride felt towards the railway. These luxury services included several boat trains such as
2480-623: The French equivalent at Calais . The Brighton Belle , which had its origins in 1881 with the 'Pullman Limited' of the London, Brighton and South Coast Railway , which renamed the service the 'Southern Belle' in 1908. The train was steam-hauled until 1933 when electric units were introduced after the electrification of the London-Brighton Main Line . On 29 June 1934 the train was renamed the Brighton Belle and continued until withdrawal in 1972. The SECR had introduced
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2560-538: The General Manager of many tasks, allowing him to make policy decisions. Specialised Superintendents served under the Traffic Manager, breaking down the task of operating their respective sections. As such, the Southern Railway operated a hybrid system of centralised and decentralised management. Passenger services, especially the intensive London suburban services, constituted the key breadwinner of
2640-529: The LBSCR). During the Second World War, both were turned over to wartime production such as Horsa and Hamilcar gliders . Wagon workshops were situated at Ashford and Eastleigh. A concrete works near Exmouth Junction locomotive shed made platform seats, fencing and station lamp posts. A power station was at Durnsford Road Wimbledon . The South West Main Line of the former LSWR between London and Southampton
2720-409: The London dialling code 020 . The only old listed building is the 16th century Old Farm House in the town. Its listing states '... C16 with C18 addition to front left, C19 addition to right. Timber framed core, stuccoed over with plain tiled roofs. Large brick stack to rear and ends. 2 storeys with 2 tripartite wood casements to centre of first floor...' and is now on an ordinary street. Initially
2800-404: The Southern Railway also invested in providing air services for passengers, notably to the Channel Islands and Isle of Wight , which complemented the shipping operations. Such operations provided the chance to take revenue from non-railway passengers, and enabled fast air-freight services between the islands and the mainland. However, this operation was disrupted during the Second World War due to
2880-543: The Southern Railway network saw very little local use, as the railway served sparsely populated communities. Competition with the GWR also diluted passenger traffic within this area, as this carried the bulk of passengers to the major urban centres of the West Country. Steam-hauled passenger services in the east of the network were gradually replaced with electric traction, especially around London's suburbs. Passenger services on secondary routes were given motive power that befitted
2960-410: The Southern Railway took over 24 + 1 ⁄ 2 route miles ( 39.4 km) of railway electrified with overhead line at 6.7 kV, 57 route miles (92 km) of railway electrified with a third rail at 660 V DC, and the 1 + 1 ⁄ 2 -mile (2.4 km) long underground Waterloo & City Railway . The route mileage of third rail electrification was to more than double in 1925 when
3040-460: The Southern Railway was given to a former employee of the SECR, Richard Maunsell . For ease of administration, the lines inherited in 1923 were divided into three geographical sections with a Traffic Department for each, loosely based upon the areas covered by the amalgamated companies: Operational and Commercial aspects of railway operation were brought under the control of Traffic Managers, relieving
3120-522: The Southern Railway. As locomotives increased in size so did the length of goods trains, from 40 to as many as 100 four-wheeled wagons, although the gradient of the line and the braking capabilities of the locomotive often limited this. The vacuum brake, which was standard equipment on passenger trains, was gradually fitted to a number of ordinary goods wagons, allowing a number of vacuum "fitted" trains to run faster than 40 mph (64 km/h). While typical goods wagons could carry 8, 10 or (later) 12 tons,
3200-410: The Southern Railway. The railway also served Channel ports and a number of attractive coastal destinations which provided the focus for media attention. This meant that the railway operated a number of famous named trains, providing another source of publicity for John Elliot. The Eastern and Central Sections of the network served popular seaside resorts such as Brighton , Eastbourne , Hastings and
3280-473: The Southern was undertaken by the Board of Directors, the first chairman of which was Sir Hugh Drummond, appointed to the post in 1923. There were originally three general managers representing the interests of the three pre-Grouping railway companies: Sir Herbert Walker , Percy Tempest and William Forbes, although Walker was the sole occupant in the post within a year. The position of Chief Mechanical Engineer of
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3360-518: The area immediately south of London was converted, together with the long-distance lines to Brighton , Eastbourne , Hastings (via the LBSCR line), Guildford, Portsmouth and Reading , between 1931 and 1939. On the former SECR routes, the lines to Sevenoaks and Maidstone were electrified by 1939. The routes to the Kent Coast were next in line for electrification and would have been followed by
3440-481: The commuter network ensured that the Southern Railway remained in good financial health relative to the other railway companies despite the Depression. However, any available funds were devoted to electrification programme, and this marked the end of the first period under Chief Mechanical Engineer (CME) Richard Maunsell when the Southern Railway led the field in steam locomotive design. The lack of funds affected
3520-690: The cramped Nine Elms Locomotive Works in South London. Brighton had been constructing locomotives since 1852 for the LBSCR, and built 104 of 110 Bulleid Light Pacifics between 1945 and 1951. Ashford was inherited from the SECR, and had been built in 1847, and was the works that constructed half of the SR Q1 class . Ashford completed its final locomotive in March 1944, a War Department Stanier 8F 2-8-0 number 8764. Carriage works had also been inherited at Eastleigh, and Lancing (which had been built in 1912 for
3600-589: The current was switched on on the routes to Guildford , Dorking and Effingham and the route from Victoria and Holborn Viaduct to Orpington via Herne Hill and the Catford Loop . In 1926, electric trains started to run on the South Eastern Main Line route to Orpington and the three lines to Dartford using the 3rd rail system. On 9 August 1926, the Southern announced that the DC system
3680-512: The development of new, standardised motive power, and it would take until the Second World War for the Southern Railway to take the initiative in steam locomotive design once again. During the Second World War, the Southern Railway's proximity to the Channel ports meant that it became vital to the Allied war effort . Holidaymakers using the lines to the Channel ports and the West Country were replaced by troops and military supplies, especially with
3760-483: The electrification of the Southampton/Bournemouth route. The Second World War delayed these plans until the late 1950s and 1967 respectively. Although not in the Southern's original plans, electrification was extended from Bournemouth to Weymouth in 1988. The post- Wall Street Crash affected South Eastern England far less than other areas. The investment the company had already made in modernising
3840-413: The farmland on which Hinchley Wood was to be built was part of Thames Ditton . In 1925 Esher Council considered a petition from the small number of residents of Manor Road, in which ribbon development from Thames Ditton was taking place, for the provision of a new station between Surbiton and Claygate on the railway that had opened in 1885. The Southern Railway was not interested in a new station;
3920-405: The harbours at Portsmouth , Dover and Plymouth . These handled ocean-going and cross- channel passenger traffic and the size of the railway-owned installations reflected the prosperity that the industry generated. This source of traffic, together with the density of population served in the London suburbs, ensured that the Southern would be a predominantly passenger-orientated railway. In 1923,
4000-524: The headquarters of the Eastern and Central Divisions. Other major terminal stations were at Dover , Brighton and Southampton . The railway also had one of Europe's busiest stations at Clapham Junction . Locomotives were constructed and maintained at works inherited from constituent companies at Eastleigh , Ashford and Brighton . The largest was Eastleigh , which was built by the LSWR in 1909 to replace
4080-452: The lacklustre nature of the duty, with elderly locomotives used to provide a local service that fed into the major mainline stations such as Basingstoke. The use of elderly locomotives and stock was invariably a financial consideration, intended to prolong the life of locomotives that would otherwise be scrapped. In some cases, the route was such that some of the newer classes were precluded from operating because of restrictions in loading gauge,
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#17327835530004160-491: The large Bricklayers Arms facility. The railway operated three large marshalling yards for freight on the outskirts of South London, at Feltham , Norwood and Hither Green , where freight could be sorted for onward travel to their final destinations. It also handled a large volume of cross-London freight from these to other yards north of the river via the West London and East London Lines which were jointly owned by
4240-487: The largest of the four constituent companies. The LBSCR was a smaller railway than its LSWR neighbour, serving the port of Newhaven and several popular holiday resorts on the south coast and operating much of the south London suburban network. It had been almost bankrupt in 1867, but, during the last twenty-five years of its existence, it had been well-managed and profitable. It had begun to electrify routes around London (using an overhead line system) from 1909 to compete with
4320-496: The load placed into a wagon could be as little as 1 ton, as the railway was designated as a common carrier that could not choose what goods it could carry. The Southern Railway inherited a range of railway-related activities from its constituent companies, which it continued to develop until nationalisation in 1948. These activities included several ports, a fleet of ships, road services (both freight and passenger) and several hotels. These ancillary operations provided extra revenue for
4400-497: The low population would create negligible new custom; the opening of the Kingston Bypass changed the commercial viability of new station. Immediately the speculative possibilities created by the bypass were considered. Furthermore, even as it was being built a sewer was laid under it, at Manor Road, to facilitate development. The opening of Hinchley Wood railway station brought about the rapid emergence of Hinchley Wood as
4480-434: The main secondary schools in the area, that includes a sixth form. The average level of accommodation in the region composed of detached houses was 28%, the average that was apartments was 22.6%. The proportion of households in the settlement who owned their home outright compares to the regional average of 35.1%. The proportion who owned their home with a loan compares to the regional average of 32.5%. The remaining %
4560-575: The most densely populated parts of the country. In addition, South London's geology was largely unsuitable for underground railways, meaning that the Southern Railway faced little competition from underground lines, encouraging a denser network stretching from stations located in close proximity to central London. The headquarters of the Southern was in the former LSWR offices at Waterloo station and there were six other London termini at Blackfriars , Cannon Street , Charing Cross , Holborn Viaduct , Victoria and London Bridge . The last of these also held
4640-417: The new electric trams that were taking away some of its traffic. Finally, the SECR had been created after years of wasteful and damaging competition between the two companies involved, with duplication of routes and services. Both companies had been unpopular with the travelling public and operated poorly-maintained vehicles and infrastructure. Nevertheless, real progress had been made in rectifying this during
4720-655: The north side of the railway station. These blocks were eventually demolished to become a very dense turn of the Millennium housing development. In 1953, the community's church in the Church of England , St. Christophers Church was built. In 1999 residents took on McDonald's to defeat a plan to take over and convert a public house . The pub had been visited two years before by the Soviet leader from 1985 to 1991 Mikhail Gorbachev and his wife when their flight home to Russia
4800-463: The opening of the London and Southampton Railway , which was renamed the London & South Western Railway. The railway was noted for its astute use of public relations and a coherent management structure headed by Sir Herbert Walker . At 2,186 miles (3,518 km), the Southern Railway was the smallest of the "Big Four" railway companies, the only one to operate entirely in England, and, unlike
4880-430: The others, the majority of its revenue came from passenger traffic rather than freight. It created what was at that time the world's largest electrified railway system. There were two Chief Mechanical Engineers: Richard Maunsell between 1923 and 1937 and Oliver Bulleid from 1937 to 1948, both of whom designed new locomotives and rolling stock to replace much of that which was inherited in 1923. The Southern Railway played
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#17327835530004960-464: The period 1899–1922. The formation of the Southern Railway was rooted in the outbreak of the First World War , when all British railway companies were taken into government control. Many members of staff joined the armed forces and it was not possible to build and maintain equipment at peacetime levels. After the war. the government considered permanent nationalisation, but instead decided on
5040-538: The popular sea crossings to the Isle of Wight and the Channel Islands. The Southern inherited docks at Southampton, Newhaven , Plymouth , Folkestone , Dover , Littlehampton , Whitstable , Strood , Rye , Queenborough , Port Victoria and Padstow . The Southern continued to invest heavily in these facilities, and Southampton overtook Liverpool as Britain's main port for Trans-Atlantic liners. The Southern inherited 38 large turbine or other steamers and
5120-469: The railway at a time when railways were classified as a common carrier by the Railways Act of 1844, and could not compete with road with regards to pricing. This was because railways were obliged to advertise their rates of carriage at railway stations, which could subsequently be undercut by road haulage companies. The Southern Railway also invested in an air service during the 1930s, which supplemented
5200-575: The requirements of sections 12, 13 and 24 of the Transport Act 1947 to ensure that all assets had been transferred to the British Transport Commission or otherwise properly distributed. Many lines in London and Kent had been damaged during the war and much rolling stock was either damaged or in need of replacement. Just prior to nationalisation, the Southern Railway had started a vigorous renewal programme, and this
5280-452: The same term [REDACTED] This disambiguation page lists articles associated with the title Hinchley . If an internal link led you here, you may wish to change the link to point directly to the intended article. Retrieved from " https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Hinchley&oldid=1077493068 " Categories : Disambiguation pages Place name disambiguation pages Hidden categories: Short description
5360-512: The system led to the downgrading of some routes in favour of more direct lines to the channel ports, and the creation of a co-ordinated, but not necessarily centralised form of management, based at the former LSWR headquarters in Waterloo station. In addition to its railway operations, the Southern Railway inherited several important ports and harbours on the south coast, including Southampton , Newhaven and Folkestone . It also ran services to
5440-478: The threat of a German invasion of the south coast in 1940. Before hostilities, 75% of traffic was passenger, compared with 25% freight; during the war roughly the same number of passengers was carried, but freight grew to 60% of total traffic. A desperate shortage of freight locomotives was remedied by CME Oliver Bulleid , who designed a fleet of 40 Q1 class locomotives to handle the high volumes of military traffic. The volume of military freight and soldiers moved by
5520-480: Was completed by Joseph Locke with easy gradients, leading to several cuttings, tunnels and embankments across the Loddon , Test and Itchen Valleys, with brick arches constructed across South London to the site of Waterloo station. Such was the emphasis on minimising gradients that the stretch between Micheldever and Winchester has the longest constant gradient of any British main line. The remainder of its area
5600-406: Was constructed in 1867, designed by Barry. This provided much of the station's passenger facilities as well as an impressive architectural frontispiece to the street prior to demolition in 1960. London Bridge station boasted The Terminus hotel of 1861, which was turned into offices for the LBSCR in 1892, and destroyed by bombing in 1941. Victoria station had the 300-bedroom Grosvenor hotel, which
5680-420: Was continued throughout the early 1950s. The former LBSCR routes to South London, Surrey, Sussex and Hampshire, from Victoria and London Bridge are now served by the current Southern. It was branded Southern on 30 May 2004, recalling the pre-nationalisation Southern Railway, with a green roundel logo with "Southern" written in yellow on a green bar. Southern is a subsidiary of Govia Thameslink Railway(GTR). GTR
5760-522: Was deferred until peacetime. After a period of slow recovery in the late 1940s, the war-devastated company was nationalised along with the rest of the railway network in 1948 and incorporated into British Railways . The Southern Railway retained a separate identity as the Southern Region of British Railways . The Southern Railway Company continued to exist as a legal entity until it went into voluntary liquidation on 10 June 1949, having satisfied
5840-403: Was delayed. Hinchley Wood railway station was built at the point where conveniently the tracks forked already, making it the more economically built and staffed. Additionally, the regionally monopolised owner-operator, Southern Railway bought some more land on which to build a goods yard, which in the event was never built because competition from road haulage became too great, but the land
5920-525: Was hauled on 5 September 1964 when the Western Section of the former Southern Railway network was absorbed into the Western Region of British Railways . Inner London suburban services were fully electrified by 1929 and worked by electric multiple units of varying lengths according to demand, which had the advantage of rapid acceleration and braking. The railway then began a successful programme to electrify its most heavily used main lines, building up
6000-477: Was nationalised in 1948, becoming the Southern Region of British Railways . Four important railway companies operated along the south coast of England prior to 1923 – the London & South Western Railway (LSWR), the London, Brighton and South Coast Railway (LBSCR), and the South Eastern Railway (SER) and the London Chatham and Dover Railway (LCDR). (The last two had formed a working union known as
6080-649: Was phenomenal, with the peak years being in 1933–34 when 750 residents moved in, many of whom were London commuters. The Hinchley Wood Residents' Association was formed in 1931 and quickly became an effective voice for the community on Esher Council. Hinchley Wood is served by the K3 bus route through Claygate to Esher to the south and through Surbiton to Kingston and Roehampton to the north. The local authority has varied from Conservative to Residents Association since its 1974 formation. Many residents visit Littleworth Common, where it meets Esher Eagles Rugby League club,
6160-545: Was rebuilt in 1908. Other hotels were to be found at Southampton and other port locations connected to the railway. From 1929, the Southern Railway invested in bus companies providing feeder services to its trains. The brand names Southern National (a joint venture with the National Omnibus & Transport Co. Ltd.) and Southern Vectis have long outlived the railway company they originally served. The Southern Railway also undertook freight transfer by road, owning
6240-466: Was retained; ultimately this allowed a car park to be provided. When the station opened, Hinchley Wood comprised a couple of dozen houses and a petrol filling station (Esher Filling Station, colloquially referred to as "EFS") in a field that bordered the bypass. Development took place around the shops that were built next to the station. The speed at which the houses in Hinchley Wood were built
6320-617: Was to replace the AC system and the last AC train ran on 29 September 1929. Including the London Bridge to East Croydon route, electrified in 1928, by the end of 1929, the Southern operated over 277 + 1 ⁄ 2 route miles ( 446.6 km) of third rail electrified track and in that year ran 17.8 million electric train miles. One new electrified line was built, the Wimbledon and Sutton Railway , being opened in 1929/1930. Most of
6400-631: Was traversed by three significant rows of hills: the North Downs , the Wealden Ridge and the South Downs . Thus Rastrick's Brighton Main Line of 1841, included one of the largest cuttings in the country at Merstham, significant tunnels at Merstham , Balcombe , Clayton and Patcham as well as the famous Ouse Valley Viaduct . The major tunnels on the SECR network were at Merstham, Sevenoaks and Shakespeare Cliff . The running of
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