London to Glasgow in 5 minutes

[brsince78]

I think you will find that Sir Herbert Walker was the principal driving force behind extending the third rail on the Southern - "Gentlemen, I intend electrifying to Brighton" - but even they couldn't convert all the logical routes such as those to Dover, Bournemouth and Exeter etc., hence the need for more steam locomotives.

Raworth was the engineer who put Walker's ideas into practice. He is someone that has been completely overlooked by so called 'enthusiasts', but then there is no 'Wow' factor in quietly efficient engineering.

Though you could perhaps argue that we are now stuck with a third rail DC system that is inherently less efficient, restricted in terms of the amount of power that it can deliver to the traction units and more expensive(?) than the 25KV AC system.

[hq1hitchin]

Tell that to the blokes sarff of the river - how they used to scoff when the wires were down out of KX/EN/LV . Not very often the job is totally stopped on the old SR apart from the odd con rail displaced. No doubt you are quite right about the limitations and what have you but a.c. overhead reliability leaves a lot to be desired - I attended enough incidents to know, was just thinking about the time we got the box lad to go down to Boots for some baby food and the shunter took it on the Humpy out to a disabled train from where the SOS had come. He came alongside and gave it to the crew on the diner where, using the propane gas, they heated the food for baby. The 350 then was authorised to return in the wrong direction of travel to the yard. Proper railway work? Well, perhaps not - but they did a good job and like good engineers, heard nothing more about it. lol

[52D]

Oi this is an LNER site if we talk electrics we talk Newport-Shildon,Tyneside or Sheffield-Manchester. Not the modern rubbish or another railway company even if Ollie was ex LNER.

[hq1hitchin]

Don't forget the Shenfields then!

[52D]

By the way chaps while talking of things Southern and hi speed jinks can anyone recall a film i saw a few times in my youth. It was often shown by the BBC as a filler Titled London to Brighton in five minutes shot from the cab of a Southern electric.

[45609]

Yep I know the one....it has been on BBC Iplayer recently....not sure if it is still there though

[redtoon1892]

The Tyneside "loops" were third rail but this was abandoned in favour of DMUs and were of course replaced by the Tyne & Wear Metro apart from the North riverside route which was lifted. One of the Metro cars is liveried up in old L.N.E.R. colours of red & cream with London & North Estern Railway plus crest on the car sides.

[giner]

By the way chaps while talking of things Southern and hi speed jinks can anyone recall a film i saw a few times in my youth. It was often shown by the BBC as a filler Titled London to Brighton in five minutes shot from the cab of a Southern electric.

Oh yes, that was a favourite of mine. At least it was watchable throughout, unlike this Euston-Glasglow deal which makes my eyes spin. Granted, my eyes were a lot younger when I saw the London-Brighton film.

[hq1hitchin]

If you were unlucky enough to have to travel in a Pendalino, your eyes would really spin, giner! There is also a good one called 'London to Birmingham in four minutes' which shows a run on the Blue Pullman out of Padd and to Snow Hill via High Wycombe. Available on DVD, I think, and you can play it slowly so as to savour the whole trip. The drivers on those jobs wore white smocks (ice cream men, they were called) but the poor bloke shown on the film was the one killed in the collision at Knowle and Dorridge in 1963 when a signalman irregularly accepted a train.

[Bryan]

Oi this is an LNER site

Doesn't this section have a subtitle.
Something like "Non LNER Chat"

[Ferrybridge Flyer]

Top bit of film!Passed 5 minutes anyway.