First of all thanks to everyone who expanded the SIR thread, I haven't
replied to everyone but I have taken on board what was said and will
be visiting everywhere I can. Particularly looking forward to spotting
the stone sleepers in Young & Co's very high brewery wall, followed by
a pint or two in the magnificent Victorian glass-palace "Spread Eagle"
just across the road from the "Brewery Tap".

Something else that has bothered me recently. London's first (proper)
railway The London and Greenwich was built *entirely* on a viaduct to
prevent collisions with cattle!? I read somewhere that they had a lot
of trouble with wheels cracking and came up with a radical solution
but can't remember what it was. Amongst the arches around Bermondsey
there must be viaducts from the old railway, anyone from The Old Kent
Road know which is which?

In message , Matthew
Church writes

Something else that has bothered me recently. London's first (proper)
railway The London and Greenwich was built *entirely* on a viaduct to
prevent collisions with cattle!?

I don't think so. It was on viaduct because it crossed more than 30
roads, and that number of level crossings on so short a line would have
presented enormous operational difficulties. In particular, the first
mile or so out of London Bridge was already very densely built-up by the
1830s.

--
Paul Terry

(Matthew Church) wrote in message . com...

[Oops! forgot to crosspost this to uk.railway]

First of all thanks to everyone who expanded the SIR thread, I haven't
replied to everyone but I have taken on board what was said and will
be visiting everywhere I can. Particularly looking forward to spotting
the stone sleepers in Young & Co's very high brewery wall, followed by
a pint or two in the magnificent Victorian glass-palace "Spread Eagle"
just across the road from the "Brewery Tap".

Something else that has bothered me recently. London's first (proper)
railway The London and Greenwich was built *entirely* on a viaduct to
prevent collisions with cattle!? I read somewhere that they had a lot
of trouble with wheels cracking and came up with a radical solution
but can't remember what it was. Amongst the arches around Bermondsey
there must be viaducts from the old railway, anyone from The Old Kent
Road know which is which?

"Matthew Church" wrote in message
om...

Something else that has bothered me recently. London's first (proper)
railway The London and Greenwich was built *entirely* on a viaduct to
prevent collisions with cattle!? I read somewhere that they had a lot
of trouble with wheels cracking and came up with a radical solution
but can't remember what it was. Amongst the arches around Bermondsey
there must be viaducts from the old railway, anyone from The Old Kent
Road know which is which?

From North Kent West junction (where the Greenwich line leaves the South
Eastern Main (Tonbridge) Line) to just short of Greenwich the two-track
viaduct is the original 1836 viaduct. Between NKWJ and London Bridge the
viaduct was widened in various stages up to 1901, and track use rearranged
on various occasions, most recently in he 1970s. On the approach to London
Bridge the current tracks on the original portion of the viaduct are the No.
5 (Charing Cross) Down and the No. 6 (Charing Cross) Up.

London's oldest station (leaving aside the dubious arguments of Mitcham) is
Deptford, although it was closed between 1915 and 1926.

Peter

In message , Peter Masson
writes
I read somewhere that they had a lot
of trouble with wheels cracking and came up with a radical solution
but can't remember what it was.
I can't remember were I got this from, but it was to do with no "give"
between hard wheel and hard rail, and was to a large extent alleviated
by wooden sleepers on proper ballast.
--
Clive.

What is more fascinating is the LCDR (London, Chatham, Dover railway) line
into Greenwich Park. This line was built purely as a spoiler to the SER line
into Greenwich.

Unfortunately following the two companies merger, Greenwich Park closed in
the late 1920's.

I came to know about it following my spell as GM at the Greenwich Cinema
which was built over the site in the late 1980's.

Regards,
Neal.
www.nealball.co.uk



"Matthew Church" wrote in message
om...
(Matthew Church) wrote in message
. com...

[Oops! forgot to crosspost this to uk.railway]

First of all thanks to everyone who expanded the SIR thread, I haven't
replied to everyone but I have taken on board what was said and will
be visiting everywhere I can. Particularly looking forward to spotting
the stone sleepers in Young & Co's very high brewery wall, followed by
a pint or two in the magnificent Victorian glass-palace "Spread Eagle"
just across the road from the "Brewery Tap".

Something else that has bothered me recently. London's first (proper)
railway The London and Greenwich was built *entirely* on a viaduct to
prevent collisions with cattle!? I read somewhere that they had a lot
of trouble with wheels cracking and came up with a radical solution
but can't remember what it was. Amongst the arches around Bermondsey
there must be viaducts from the old railway, anyone from The Old Kent
Road know which is which?

"Peter Masson" wrote in message
...

"Matthew Church" wrote in message
om...

Something else that has bothered me recently. London's first (proper)
railway The London and Greenwich was built *entirely* on a viaduct to
prevent collisions with cattle!? I read somewhere that they had a lot
of trouble with wheels cracking and came up with a radical solution
but can't remember what it was. Amongst the arches around Bermondsey
there must be viaducts from the old railway, anyone from The Old Kent
Road know which is which?

From North Kent West junction (where the Greenwich line leaves the South
Eastern Main (Tonbridge) Line) to just short of Greenwich the two-track
viaduct is the original 1836 viaduct. Between NKWJ and London Bridge the
viaduct was widened in various stages up to 1901, and track use rearranged
on various occasions, most recently in he 1970s. On the approach to London
Bridge the current tracks on the original portion of the viaduct are the
No.
5 (Charing Cross) Down and the No. 6 (Charing Cross) Up.

London's oldest station (leaving aside the dubious arguments of Mitcham)
is
Deptford, although it was closed between 1915 and 1926.

Peter


The names of the Junctions you refer to above have become confused.

The junction of the line to Greenwich correct title is plain Greenwich
junction. North Kent East Junction was the connection of the Bricklayers
Arms branch to the main line to Tonbridge. North Kent West Junction was the
point where the Bricklayers Arms Branch bifurcated one arm continuing to
NKE Jnc. whilst the other arm joined up to the Brighton line .
MJW

"Neal Ball" wrote in message
...
What is more fascinating is the LCDR (London, Chatham, Dover railway) line
into Greenwich Park. This line was built purely as a spoiler to the SER
line
into Greenwich.

Unfortunately following the two companies merger, Greenwich Park closed in
the late 1920's.

It closed on 1 January 1917, but in 1929 the section from Nunhead to
Lewisham Road was reopened and connected to the North Kent Line at Lewisham,
to provide a freight route from Hither Green to the City Widened Lines
avoiding London Bridge. In 1935 Nunhead to Lewisham was electrified and a
peak-hour service started from the Bexleyheath and Dartford Loop lines to
Blackfriars. It currently has an all-day service from the Bexleyheath line
to Victoria.

The bridge linking this line to Lewisham was demolished in the 1957
accident, and the temporary replacement is still in use, having already
lasted nearly twice as long as the 1929 original.

The DLR has used an alignment along the river Ravensbourne to get from
Lewisham to Greenwich, rather than the alignment of the LCDR Greenwich Park
branch.

Strictly, the LCDR and the SER never merged, though joinly set up the 'SECR'
Managing Committee, which operated all services on behalf of the two
railways. The LCDR, SER, and SECR Managing Committee maintained separate
legal existence until all three were amalgamated into the Southern Railway
at the Grouping.

Peter

Peter

"M.Whitson" wrote in message
...


The junction of the line to Greenwich correct title is plain Greenwich
junction. North Kent East Junction was the connection of the Bricklayers
Arms branch to the main line to Tonbridge. North Kent West Junction was
the
point where the Bricklayers Arms Branch bifurcated one arm continuing to
NKE Jnc. whilst the other arm joined up to the Brighton line .
MJW

Thanks for the correction.

Peter