This slick production by amateur filmmaker Eric Sparks offers an impressive overview of the original Southern Railway, at a time when it operated the world’s largest electrified mainline railway system.
1. Established in 1923, Southern Railway was the smallest of the UK’s Big Four railway companies.
2. At the time of filming, a third of its total route miles were electrified, making this the world’s most extensive power system.
3. Southern was an amalgamation of several smaller companies, including the London, Brighton and South Coast Railway, which operated from 1846 to 1922.
4. Until May 1938, West Worthing was a terminal point on the electrified section, where trains were housed and cleaned.
5. Passengers from London could change at West Worthing for motorised services to Bognor.
6. The Brighton Belle, with its handsome brown and cream carriages, was the most famous train operated by Southern.
7. Its luxurious coaches were produced by Pullman. Many of these were bought and restored by the Venice-Simplon Orient Express company in the 1980s.
8. Southern’s London-Brighton service was the world’s first electrified intercity route.
9. As the Brighton Belle speeds to London, its forerunner is left in the dust.
10. This drive-through washer keeps the Southern fleet sparkling.
11. This 225-lever, all-electric interlocking frame replaced seven mechanical signal cabins.
12. Coloured lights track the progress of trains on this state-of-the-art map.
13. On 6 February 1938, the first electrically powered train travelled into Littlehampton.
14. And on 22 May 1938, the director captured footage of the first passenger-carrying electric train service to Bognor Regis.
15. A daily fruit train ensures that produce picked at 11am can be on sale in a London market by 2.30pm.
Footage courtesy of Screen Archive South East
The film and stills on this page are taken from Britain on Film, a digital archive of UK places that mean the world to you. 10,000 film and TV titles from 1895 to now will be digitised and can be watched for free on BFI Player.
Britain on Film is funded by the National Lottery funding and the Esmée Fairbairn Foundation.
Screen Archive South East is a public sector moving image archive serving the South East of England. The archive’s collections of magic lantern slides, films, videos and associated materials capture the many varied aspects of life, work and creativity from the early days of screen history to the present day and serve as a rich and invaluable historical resource.
