West End of London and Crystal Palace Railway
The West End of London and Crystal Palace Railway was a 5.75 mile line that ran from the London and South Western Railway (L&SWR) at Wandsworth Common to the London, Brighton and South Coast Railway (LB&SCR) at Sydenham. It opened on the 1st December 1856 from Crystal Palace railway station to a point south east of Clapham Junction railway station where it connected with the London and South Western Railway. A subsequent extension to Battersea Wharf opened on 29 March 1858. Hamilton Henry Fulton prepared the plans and acted in conjunction with the Mr. G. P. Bidder in constructing the line.
The original stations on the line were: Crystal Palace Low Level, Gipsy Hill, West Norwood, Streatham Hill, Balham, Wandsworth Common
1856 Opened to Sydenham
1857 Opened to Norwood
1858 Opened to Pimlico
1858 The Victoria Station and Pimlico Railway was sanctioned, to connect from the West End of London and Crystal Palace Railway near the Battersea terminus and cross the river to the new station at Victoria Street, Pimlico.
1860 The line into Victoria was opened.
This was a forerunner of the later system of suburban railways south of London.
The West End of London and Crystal Palace Railway line was later connected eastwards to the Mid-Kent Railway line which joined the London, Chatham and Dover Railway's "Chatham" Main Line.
Following the construction of the LCDR's own Metropolitan Extensions in 1863, traffic over the line west of Crystal Palace was confined to the trains of the London, Brighton and South Coast Railway.
Absorbed by the London, Brighton and South Coast Railway (LB&SCR)
See Also
Sources of Information
- [1] Wikipedia
- Encyclopedia of British Railway Companies by Christopher Awdry. Published 1990