The 12:08 service to...

[Devvy]

Article in local London Newspaper, 1959

Delayed by almost 20 years, the LPTB's grandiose "New Works Programme" is largely drawing to a close. Passengers may have largely forgotten the grand programme of updating and expanding the underground network embarked upon by London Transport, most of it's larger works having been finished many years ago, but the last remnants are now being completed. The scheme included the popular replacement of stairways with escalators, and the introduction of a huge fleet of new trains. Less obvious were the large infrastructure improvements across the network to electrical systems in order to improve the system. Network expansion also has played a large part, and is chiefly why the programme has dragged on for such a long time.

- The Metropolitan Line received additional tracks outwards from Harrow-on-the-Hill, with electrification reaching Amersham, Chesham & Watford
- The transfer of the lines to Stanmore from Baker Street to the Bakerloo line
- The extension of the Northern Line from Highgate station (now Archway) to connect to the former branches to Edgware and High Barnet
- The extension of the Central Line eastbound from Liverpool Street to Stratford and on to the branch lines to Hainult, Woodford & Ongar, and westbound to West Ruislip & Denham

Delays were experienced primarily with the Central Line extension from North Acton though - legislation passed by the Government in protection of the countryside hampered London Transport's plans for the westbound extension of 2 projects. The Central Line was only extended as far as Denham due to the desire of British Rail to close some stations on it's line into London from High Wycombe in order to allow faster and more frequent trains to operate along it's line. The Northern Line lost it's extension from Edgware to Bushey Heath as potential housing markets disappeared due to the legislation.

The Northern City line from Finsbury Park to Moorgate, was transferred from BR to London Transport in order to facilitate it's integration into the Underground network - it too has fallen prey to the whims of politicians, and eventually the project has been completely cancelled (leaving the line unused presently), resulting in the now formal end to the New Works Programme.

Despite the lengthy delays, mostly due to the Second World War, it's impact has definitly been felt across the network. "The seats are definitely more comfortable" remarked one passenger about the newer trains.

A 1938 Bakerlook Line Tube Train, a result of the Programme

The London Underground network by mid 1959.

Notes:
As mentioned, the Northern Line extension from Edgware to Bushey Heath & Central Line extension from West Ruislip to Denham in OTL were cancelled as the London Green Belt evaporated the business case in one swoop. As a result, the Central Line was electrified all the way east to Chipping Ongar in this TL instead of finishing at Epping as per OTL. In this TL, although the Metropolitan Line electrification still finishes at Amersham/Chesham, in 1959 LU was still running steam trains (and changing to electric mid-way) from Aylesbury into Baker Street. The Hammersmith & City line wasn't granted it's own identity independent of the Metropolitan line until much later, but I'm too lazy to spend ages on changing the whole line's colours!

 

[Lord Brisbane]

Yes, I know that EE are perhaps better known for the Canberra and Lightning. I always think that they have their counterparts in the locos - the Canberra was the Class 37, a long lived design that did it's job without too much fanfare, but an excellent job; the Lightning was the Class 55, a glamorous design known for being fast, glamorous and complex to maintain.

There are still English Electric locos puttering away in the colonies, Kenya, Tasmania, Western Australia... Queensland Railways had a steady succession of fairly successful locally built EE designs but we got rid of them by the 1980s as their electrical systems weren't compatible with EMD (Clyde) products. But they generally knew what they were doing, although they were more the 'export' designs (and kicked EMD's ass), but seemed to take a 'non british' design style, although there are some resemblances...

EE Type 1 (20 Class):

QR 1600:

 

[Bernard Woolley]

Spain (or was it Portugal?) also has an EE loco similar to the Class 20.
Since DPS is using 20s and 37s on flask and other nuclear traffic they must still be pretty reliable. Indeed one DPS manager joked that the 37s work every day while the 66s break down all the time (he was at a celebration of 50 years of the 37s admittedly ).

 

[Devvy]

Spain (or was it Portugal?) also has an EE loco similar to the Class 20.
Since DPS is using 20s and 37s on flask and other nuclear traffic they must still be pretty reliable. Indeed one DPS manager joked that the 37s work every day while the 66s break down all the time (he was at a celebration of 50 years of the 37s admittedly ).

The Class 37's are rock hard - probably EE's best product considering how long it's lasted, it's continued use (in small numbers) in the UK on the network, it's exported use abroad and the number of them that are still in use on preserved railways here.

Plus, let's face it, they look the business!

 

[Devvy]

Update time!

Skipped ahead to 1962 here. Not much to write about until the real effects of the Modernisation Plan start to come into effect, and obviously the Beeching Reports of the 1960's.

As always feedback is appreciated!

PS.

1960: The last remnants of the London Necropolis Railway to Brookwood Cemetary is removed. And you thought there'd be no dead bodies

London Necropolis Railway

 

[Devvy]

British Railways Progress Report on the 1956 Government Mandate for the BR Modernisation Plan, for the British Railways Board
January 1962

Electrification continues at pace on the West Coast Route & East Coast Route. The Great Central Route is scheduled to also be electrified as per the Government's strategy, commencing in 1964. The WCR electrification has been completed from Crewe to Manchester, Liverpool and Birmingham; electrification is now concentrated on working towards London. We still envisage WCR electrification being completed by 1964. We are currently testing electrical multiple units, running between Birmingham and Manchester / Liverpool, with units from our Wolverhampton Works (classed AM4) looking promising.

An AM4 unit at Stafford on a Birmingham to Manchester service

East Coast Route electrification has started from the London end so as to complement the electrification project of the Kings Cross suburban lines. The ECML project commenced in 1960 and is currently on target to completion by 1966, with the suburban lines completed slightly sooner by 1964. Due to this, currently the long distance express services are still hauled by steam.

An express service running through Peterborough towards Leeds

On the LTS Route, full electrification of the Route was completed in December 1961, between London (Fenchurch Street) and Shoeburyness via both Grays and Upminster. The route is now being operated by AM2 electrical multiple units from our Doncaster Works which after initial trials have proved effective in use.

An AM2 unit at Barking, on a Fenchurch Street bound service

For the Great Eastern Route between London and branching off to Southend Victoria, complementing the LTS Route, is already complete (finished in 1960) and is currently undergoing engineering testing and trials so that experiments can be verified in a real world scenario. As part of the trials, AM5 units are being operated between London Liverpool Street and Southend Victoria. The Lea Valley lines to Enfield, Cheshunt & Chingford is ongoing and expected to be completed next year.

An AM5 unit at Stratford. Note all of the quadruple tracks have been electrified to prevent the need to rework later over the track

Due to the face that the Great Central Route is not being upgraded until 1965, we are using the GCR as a test line for operating services with new diesel trains. The English Electric Type 3 is performing notably well, having strong power and a fast top speed which makes it potentially equally suited to hauling passenger or freight trains which makes it all the more noteworthy. We are also testing the English Electric Type 1. Although a smaller locomotive, it looks a potential candidate to replace steam traction power on smaller country lines.

The on-test English Electric Type 3 locomotive hauls a train past a steam train as it runs through Nottingham Victoria

Two English Electric Type 1 locomotives operate back to back hauling a freight train along the West Coast Route

Signal upgrades are also ongoing on the WCR, ECR & GCR lines, although at a lower priority then electrification. This is because the signalling systems can be upgraded bit by bit without affecting services, unlike electrification which needs full routes completed to make a difference fully.

London Euston station is currently being rebuilt, in order to usher in the new all electric services when electrification is complete. We admit there has been some small public disbelief at the demolishment at the Euston Arch, however we still feel that the new, modern and efficient station will justify itself immediately.

London Euston in 1962. The station building behind the camerashot is mid-reconstruction, and the platform area will follow shortly.

We are also continuing work to identify the least used lines, that are used by a handful of passenger or freight trains per week. These lines, usually in the countryside linking sites of little importance together (or short in-city lines that have been largely replaced by buses), will continue to be nominated for closure in order to bring costs down.

We also recognise the appointment of Dr Richard Beeching to the Chairman of the new British Railways Board. We hope this summary of status update will help alleviate concerns of potential slow progress of the British Railways Modernisation and show that BR is in a good position to return to profitability once completed.

British Rail

 

[Basileus Giorgios]

Wait a second. ECML electrification has butterflied the Deltics, hasn't it?

 

[Devvy]

Not quite; the EE Type 3 / BR Class 55 that in OTL did most of the ECML trains are still required. Electrification hasn't hit Scotland yet, and as of yet there are no plans to go that far north. So the EE Type 3 currently under test on the GCML will still be required on the WCML & ECML to serve Newcastle, Glasgow and Edinburgh when testing is complete.

Finding a way to write about Beeching is proving difficult without a whopping great big diagram to show what's been cut and what hasn't!

 

[Basileus Giorgios]

But the Deltic was an EE type 5, not an EE type 3 (class 37), which is a very different beast. Deltic locomotives were specifically designed to haul express passenger services, whereas 37's were mixed traffic designs.

Then again, the northern fells of the WCML could be an ideal place for the Deltics ITTL. The prototype was in action before the POD, so the genesis is there!

 

[Devvy]

Moment of confusion by me earlier indeed! EE type 5 would be approaching service for the northern reaches of WCML/ECML as they are designed for the express passenger service. EE type 3 would probably end up being cascaded to the GWML for a few years I think at the moment until a better class comes into production.

 

[Lord Brisbane]

An interesting thought, but has there been an increase in the loading gauge, which I understand is quite small compared to many other systems?

 

[Devvy]

If you are talking about generally across BR, then kinda. Electrification obviously improves the loading gauge, as having masts to the side and an electric cable above necessitate some more room. The GCML was built to a continental loading gauge anyhow, most of it's stations were platform in the between a pair of tracks type so that the line could be easily quadrupled - or the loading gauge through the station increased by moving track further away from the platform.

On the GWML (to Bristol & Devon), the loading gauge was generous anyway, due to the fact that the main line was built as a broad gauge line to start with. To South Wales it's a little more restricted due to the Severn Tunnel.

 

[Basileus Giorgios]

Moment of confusion by me earlier indeed! EE type 5 would be approaching service for the northern reaches of WCML/ECML as they are designed for the express passenger service. EE type 3 would probably end up being cascaded to the GWML for a few years I think at the moment until a better class comes into production.

So no diesel hydraulics, then? Another shame!

I think it's better to concentrate the 37s in East Anglia, and around South Wales, as IOTL. If Deltics are to take over the Northern Fells, this leaves the EE Type 4 Class 40s surplus to requirements, so I'm not sure what would happen to them.

Has Sulzer entered the market for British diesel locomotives ITTL? Will we be seeing "Rats", "Peaks", and "Duffs"?

Railway nerd alert.

 

[Lord Brisbane]

If you are talking about generally across BR, then kinda. Electrification obviously improves the loading gauge, as having masts to the side and an electric cable above necessitate some more room. The GCML was built to a continental loading gauge anyhow, most of it's stations were platform in the between a pair of tracks type so that the line could be easily quadrupled - or the loading gauge through the station increased by moving track further away from the platform.

On the GWML (to Bristol & Devon), the loading gauge was generous anyway, due to the fact that the main line was built as a broad gauge line to start with. To South Wales it's a little more restricted due to the Severn Tunnel.

Fascinating stuff.

 

[Bernard Woolley]

Wait a second. ECML electrification has butterflied the Deltics, hasn't it?

Not necessarily, depends on how extensive it is. Look at the ECML today and there is still an extensive need for diesel traction, services to Aberdeen for example. The Deltics are also ideal for things like Cross Country services.

What will be interesting to see is what the replacement for the 55s may be. I think we'll probably still see the DHST, but the APT may enter full service, or there may be something like the Class 91 earlier than in @.

 

[MonsooN]

Very interesting timeline, Devvy. I'm looking forward to reading more

 

[Geordie]

Firstly, as a bit of a rail nut, can I say that I welcome this TL? Secondly, I for one am glad you've used the 'Lion and Wheel' motif, as opposed to the 'Ferret and Dartboard'.

An express service running through Peterborough towards Leeds

Really? They look very much like ex-LMS/Midland locos to me...

Anyway, as others have said, electrification plus a surviving GCML give a fantastic chance to have continental loading gauges on at least the main lines. A slightly more considered move towards dieselisation should prevent some of the foolish spending of OTL. Class 37s/ EE type 3s were my favourite loco as a young boy, so concentrating on them certainly gets my approval.

With no diesel hydraulics, how goes Beyer-Peacock? IIRC, the standardisation plan wrecked an order of 300 "Hymek" Type 3 units from the London Midland region, essentially finishing them off. These were replaced by English Electric type 3s, but Beyer-Peacock had a good name in loco building. Could they be seen producing some successful diesel-electric classes in TTL?

Keep up the good work.

 

[Meadow]

Also, forgive the blatant plug, but if you fancy looking at my own foray into rail-alt-hist, plenty of it can be found in this chapter of my 'Red Britain' TL, which is written in-universe by a notable OTL figure.

 

[Devvy]

Also, forgive the blatant plug, but if you fancy looking at my own foray into rail-alt-hist, plenty of it can be found in this chapter of my 'Red Britain' TL, which is written in-universe by a notable OTL figure.

Cheeky bugger Although Jeremy Clarkson as a rail nut make me chuckle! Will check that out at some point.

Firstly, as a bit of a rail nut, can I say that I welcome this TL? Secondly, I for one am glad you've used the 'Lion and Wheel' motif, as opposed to the 'Ferret and Dartboard'.



Really? They look very much like ex-LMS/Midland locos to me...

Anyway, as others have said, electrification plus a surviving GCML give a fantastic chance to have continental loading gauges on at least the main lines. A slightly more considered move towards dieselisation should prevent some of the foolish spending of OTL. Class 37s/ EE type 3s were my favourite loco as a young boy, so concentrating on them certainly gets my approval.

With no diesel hydraulics, how goes Beyer-Peacock? IIRC, the standardisation plan wrecked an order of 300 "Hymek" Type 3 units from the London Midland region, essentially finishing them off. These were replaced by English Electric type 3s, but Beyer-Peacock had a good name in loco building. Could they be seen producing some successful diesel-electric classes in TTL?

Keep up the good work.

Well I grabbed the picture from Wikipedia, and it was tagged as being at Peterborough (North), and the picture fits in with what I know of the station at that point. But then it probably fits in with a dozen different stations....I don't know. Steam trains aren't really my strong point!

Found the link now as well: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fileeterborough_Syston_line_2_geograph-2189554.jpg

Looks like it was at Peterborough heading for Leicester. We'll keep that quiet! Feedback on the traction is appreciated though, it's difficult trying to juggle all the engine types and the butterflies caused by larger scale early electrification

Not necessarily, depends on how extensive it is. Look at the ECML today and there is still an extensive need for diesel traction, services to Aberdeen for example. The Deltics are also ideal for things like Cross Country services.

What will be interesting to see is what the replacement for the 55s may be. I think we'll probably still see the DHST, but the APT may enter full service, or there may be something like the Class 91 earlier than in @.

Well the GWML hasn't been electrified yet, and cost-wise I think it is difficult to do - unlike the WCML and ECML which have one trunk route that most trains run along and a small branch off to a destination, the GWML quickly splits up into different main lines (Exeter branches off at Reading, Oxford at Didcot, Gloucester & Cheltenham at Swindon and Newport & Cardiff at Wooton Bassett), which tears return on investment to shreds. You need as many trains as possible using OHLE to make it worthwhile, and for that on the GWML you'd have to electrify huge amounts of tracks with some areas only seeing 2 electrified expresses per hour. So...yes there will still be diesel trains needed, at the moment I still see the HST/IC125 being developed for the GWML, and probably Crosscountry as well for the same reasons.

So no diesel hydraulics, then? Another shame!

I think it's better to concentrate the 37s in East Anglia, and around South Wales, as IOTL. If Deltics are to take over the Northern Fells, this leaves the EE Type 4 Class 40s surplus to requirements, so I'm not sure what would happen to them.

Has Sulzer entered the market for British diesel locomotives ITTL? Will we be seeing "Rats", "Peaks", and "Duffs"?

Railway nerd alert.

Not too sure on those, time for some reading this evening!

Very interesting timeline, Devvy. I'm looking forward to reading more

Fascinating stuff.

Thanks for the comments!

 

[Swede]

Looking great so far AS I'm not all that familiar with OTL developments in this field (even if I am interested) I was wondering if more footnotes contrasting ATL to OTL could be made? Also: as for future trains/models/routes, just remember that the butterflies will keep models the came along even 5 years later a bit different from OTL.