Wimbledon and Sutton Railway

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History

Establishment

The railway was planned to connect the London and South Western Railway's (L&SWR's) station at Wimbledon with the London, Brighton and South Coast Railway's (LB&SCR's) station at Sutton. Notice of the intention to bring a private bill before parliament was published on 16 November 1909LondonGazette|issue=28310|linkeddate=1909-11-19|startpage=8567|endpage=8570] and the "Wimbledon and Sutton Railway Act, 1910" received Royal Assent on 26 July 1910LondonGazette|issue=28402|linkeddate=1910-07-29|startpage=5498] . The area between the two towns through which the railway was planned to run was still largely rural and the line was intended to stimulate development.

From the beginning it was intended that the L&SWR, the LB&SCR and the Metropolitan District Railway (MDR, now London Underground's District Line) would be investors in the company and operate trains over the line. The line was to be operated by electric trains with the power being supplied by the London Electric Railway Company (LER, owner of the MDR and forerunner of London Underground) from its power station at Lots Road.

Delays

From the beginning the company encountered delays in instigating its plans and, on 18 November 1912, the W&SRLondonGazette|issue=28665|linkeddate=1912-11-22|startpage=8812|endpage=8813] and the MDRLondonGazette|issue=28665|linkeddate=1912-11-22|startpage=8808|endpage=8810] both published notices that further bills would be submitted to extend the time limit granted in the 1910 Act for the compulsory purchase of the land needed to construct the railway, to enable the W&SR to raise additional capital and to give the MDR powers to take over the W&SR. A new act, the "Wimbledon and Sutton Railway Act, 1913", was given Royal Assent on 15 August 1913LondonGazette|issue=28747|linkeddate=1913-08-19|startpage=5930] .

On 16 November 1914, with Britain at war, the MDR gave notice of another bill which, among other matters, sought a further extension of time for land purchases. The MDR was also to stand guarantor for the W&SR and to lease the W&SR's undertakingsLondonGazette|issue=28984|linkeddate=1914-11-24|startpage=9839|endpage=9843] - virtually a take-over of the company. This was granted under the "Metropolitan District Railway Act, 1915" on 24 June 1915LondonGazette|issue=29206|linkeddate=1915-06-25|startpage=6164] . With war-time restrictions in place, any construction work for the railway was prevented and further yearly extensions to the 1910, 1913 and 1915 acts were granted under special war time powers each year from 1918 until 1922, giving a final date by which compulsory purchases had to be made of 26 July 1924LondonGazette|issue=32750|linkeddate=1922-09-26|startpage=6846] .

Revised plans

In November 1922, notices of new Bills to be placed before parliament were published by the W&SRLondonGazette|issue=32769|linkeddate=1922-11-21|startpage=8233|endpage=8234] as well as the LERLondonGazette|issue=32769|linkeddate=1922-11-21|startpage=8230|endpage=8233] and one of its subsidiary companies, the City & South London RailwayLondonGazette|issue=32770|linkeddate=1922-11-24|startpage=8314|endpage=8315] (C&SLR, now part of London Underground's Northern Line). Collectively, the Bills dealt with significant changes to the plans for the Wimbledon to Sutton line.

The C&SLR was an underground railway running in deep tube tunnels. In 1922 the line ran from Euston to Clapham Common. The C&SLR's proposals were for a new line of "6 miles, 1 furlong and 7.2 chains" (convert|6.215|mi|km|3|lk=on) running from Clapham Common through Balham, Tooting, Merton and Morden to connect to the route of the W&SR and then onwards to Sutton. The LER, C&SLR, and MDR would invest in the construction of the W&SR. The MDR would operate trains over the W&SR from Sutton to Wimbledon and onwards to central London; the C&SLR would operate trains over the southern end of the W&SR from Sutton to Morden then, via the new C&SLR extension, to Clapham Common and northwards.

The Southern Railway (SR, successor of the L&SWR and the LB&SCR after the 1923 Grouping of railways) initially objected to the C&SLR's plans to extend its line as far as Sutton but, in July 1923, the SR and the LER made agreements [http://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/catalogue/displaycataloguedetails.asp?CATID=8444027&CATLN=6&accessmethod=5 National Archives - piece: RAIL 647/70, Heads of Agreement, 25 July 1923] ] [http://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/catalogue/displaycataloguedetails.asp?CATID=8444028&CATLN=6&accessmethod=5 National Archives - piece: RAIL 647/71, Heads of Agreement, 25 July 1923] ] , by which the SR would withdraw its objection in exchange for a transfer of the LER's interests in the W&SR. Subsequently, the "Wimbledon and Sutton Railway Act, 1923", the "London Electric Railway Act, 1923" and the "City and South London Railway Act, 1923" all received Royal Assent on 2 August 1923LondonGazette|issue=32850|linkeddate=1923-08-03|startpage=5322] . The SR then made arrangementsLondonGazette|issue=32882|linkeddate=1923-11-23|startpage=8102|endpage=8103] for the take-over and winding-up of the W&SR.

Almost immediately, the C&SLR started construction of its southern extension which opened to a terminus at Morden on 13 September 1926 [http://www.davros.org/rail/culg/northern.html#dates Clive's Underground Lines Guide - Northern Line] ] . A depot was constructed south of the station close to the route of the W&SR although no connection was made between the C&SLR and W&SR - a distance of less than convert|200|yd|m|0|lk=on separates the two at the south end of the depot. The SR's construction of the line between Wimbledon and Sutton proceeded more slowly and it was not until 5 January 1930 [http://www.sutton.gov.uk/leisure/heritage/Sutton/sutton+wimbledon.htm www.sutton.gov.uk - The Sutton - Wimbledon Line] ] that the line opened to the public - one of the last lines in London to be opened and more than twenty years after it was first proposed.

tations

In addition to rebuilding work at the two end stations, Wimbledon and Sutton, six stations were constructed on the new line with white stone faced station buildings giving access to the platforms via stairs up or down from street level:
*Wimbledon Chase
*South Merton
*Morden South
*St. Helier
*Sutton Common
*West Sutton

Due to the undulating nature of the terrain the route chosen employed long sections of track on embankments and in cuttings and involved steep gradients [http://www.sutton.gov.uk/leisure/heritage/Sutton/sutton+wimbledon.htm www.sutton.gov.uk - The Sutton - Wimbledon Line] ] .

The line currently forms part of the Sutton Loop of the Thameslink route and is served by First Capital Connect and Southern services.

References

External links

*ltmcollection|53/0213-53.jpg|London Transport Museum Poster Archive. Underground Group plan from 1922 showing the W&SR and proposed extension of C&SLR to Sutton
* [http://www.sutton.gov.uk/leisure/heritage/Sutton/sutton+wimbledon.htm www.sutton.gov.uk - The Sutton - Wimbledon Line]
* [http://www.semgonline.com/location/sutton_04.html Southern E-Group - photographs of construction of Wimbledon to Sutton Line]