The Southern Railway (SR) was a United Kingdom British railway company that operated from 1923 to 1947. It was one of the Big Four railway companies in Britain, along with the London and North Eastern Railway, the Great Western Railway, and the Midland Railway featured in Train Sim World.
Formation
- The SR was formed in 1923 by merging several smaller railway companies.
- The largest of these companies 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).
Services
- The SR connected London with the Channel ports, South West England, South Coast resorts, and Kent.
- The SR was known for its passenger traffic, which included the Brighton Belle, the Bournemouth Belle, and the Golden Arrow.
- The SR also operated the Night Ferry, which ran between London and Paris and Brussels.
Size
- The SR was the smallest of the Big Four railway companies, with a route mileage of 2,186 miles.
- It was the only one of the Big Four to operate entirely in England.
Legacy
- The Southern Region of British Railways operated from 1948 until 1992.
- The modern UK train operating company is Southern (Govia Thameslink Railway).
Southern Headquarters
London, England
