
GENERAL
  
The Lewisham and Hither Green area, as represented in this simulation, has been controlled from one 'panel' of the London Bridge power signalbox since 1976.

Adjacent areas are also controlled from London Bridge. The nearest fringe is approaching Nunhead where it fringes with Victoria Power Box.

Standard BR multiple aspect signalling is in use, with Track Circuit Block working.


RUNNING LINES

ELECTRIFICATION

All running lines in the controlled area are electrified using the 750V DC third rail system.

PLATFORMS 
   
All platforms were modified to accommodate 12 cars as part of the Networker Project, although they still are not allowed to operate 12-car class 465/466 formations which are limited to 10 cars. 400 series stock (Mainline) does run in 12-car formations in the rush hour.
    

TIMETABLE INFORMATION

Times shown are for Lewisham station, or Parks Bridge Junction for trains not passing through Lewisham station, except where indicated as follows:

    B = Blackheath
    H = Hither Green
    L = Ladywell
    S = St Johns

All passenger trains are formed of Electric Multiple Units unless otherwise stated.


SCREEN LAYOUT

Note that the scale used on the track diagram is not uniform.

TRAIN REPORTING NUMBERS

  First Character (Train Class):

       1      Express Passenger  
       2      Ordinary Passenger       	
       3      Parcels  (Max. 90 mph+)  	
       4      Freight (Max. 65 mph+)      
       5      Empty Coaching Stock     	
       6      Freight (Max. 50-60 mph)    
       7      Freight (Max. 40-45 mph)    
       8      Freight (Max. 35 mph) 		
       9      Eurostar trains
       0      Light Engine             	

  Second Character (Destination/Service/Route):
    
       A      Up trains via Woolwich and Blackheath (Cl. 2)
              Down trains via C'hurst, Swanley & Maidstone E (Cl. 1)
       C      Up trains via Bexleyheath
       D      Up trains via Sidcup
       E      Up trains to LNE Zone
       F      Up local trains from Sevenoaks
       G      Via Chislehurst, Swanley and Chatham
       H      Hastings line via Tonbridge
       J      Down trains to Bromley North
              Down empty trains to Grove Park
       K      Up trains from Mid Kent line
       L      Down trains via Blackheath and Woolwich
              Up trains to East Anglia Zone
       M      Down trains via Bexleyheath 
              Up trains to NW/Midlands Zone
       N      Down trains via Sidcup (Class 2 only)
              Up trains via Maidstone E, Swanley & C'hurst (Cl. 1)
       O      From other zones to South Zone not covered elsewhere
       P      Up trains from Bromley North
              Up empty trains from Grove Park
       R      Down trains via Orpington and Paddock Wood
       S      Up trains to Scotland Zone
              Down local trains to Sevenoaks
       U      Via Nunhead and Lewisham
       V      Up trains to GW Zone
              Down trains to Mid Kent line
       W      Up trains via Paddock Wood and Orpington
       X      Out of gauge and exceptional loads
       Y      Orpington via Mid Kent line
              De-icing and sandite trains
              Trains not covered elsewhere
    
  Third and Fourth Characters:
        
    For trains working to and from Charing Cross/Cannon Street:
          
     EVEN numbers to and from Charing Cross:
       00-58 suburban stopping trains calling at London Bridge
       60-78 suburban semi-fast trains (SX) calling at London Bridge
       80-98 suburban trains (SX) not calling at London Bridge
     ODD numbers to and from Cannon Street:
       01-59 suburban stopping trains calling at London Bridge
       61-79 suburban semi-fast trains (SX) calling at London Bridge
       81-99 suburban trains (SX) not calling at London Bridge

    For trains working to and from Victoria/Blackfriars:
          
       EVEN numbers to and from Victoria
       ODD numbers to and from Blackfriars

ROUTE CODES

These 2-digit headcodes were introduced by the Southern Railway and are still in use, being displayed on the front of most passenger trains as well as being included in the public timetables.

Headcodes 00 to 09 are not the same as 0 to 9. Headcode "square" (two white squares) is frequently used for ECS services on pre-networker stock. Hence it is in fact possible to show 111 different headcodes (0 to 9 and 00 to 99 and "square"). 

For services via London Bridge, ODD numbers are usually allocated to services from Cannon Street, with EVEN numbers for services from Charing Cross. Similarly, ODD numbers are usually allocated to services from Blackfriars, with EVEN numbers for services from Victoria. 

"Dartford Lines" services

The first digit shows the route, the second the destination:

  First Character (Route):

       2      via New Beckenham 
       3      via New Beckenham (not calling Lewisham)
       4      via Sidcup 
       5      via Lewisham and Sidcup 
       6      via Lewisham and Woolwich 
       7      via Bexleyheath 
       8      via Greenwich and Woolwich 

  Second Character (Destination):

       0      Charing Cross to Dartford
       1      Cannon Street to Dartford  	
       2      Charing Cross to Gillingham/Ramsgate    
       3      Cannon Street to Gillingham/Ramsgate
       4      Charing Cross to Gravesend/Strood[/Maidstone West]
       5      Cannon Street to Gravesend/Strood[/Maidstone West]
       6      Charing Cross to Short of Dartford/Circular workings		
       7      Cannon Street to Short of Dartford/Circular workings
       8      Services from Victoria via Nunhead 
              to Dartford/Gravesend/ Gillingham/Ramsgate           	

For example, services from Cannon Street to Gillingham via Lewisham and Woolwich use headcode 63

Other relevant codes used by Connex South Eastern:

      2     Charing Cross - Dover Priory (via Orpington) 
      3     Cannon Street - Dover Priory (via Orpington) 
      4     Charing Cross - Ramsgate/Margate (via Orpington & Dover) 
      5     Cannon Street - Ramsgate (via Orpington & Dover) 
      8     Charing Cross - Ashford (via Orpington) 
      9     Cannon Street - Ashford (via Orpington) 
     02     Charing Cross - Tonbridge  
     03     Cannon Street - Dover (via Chislehurst & Faversham) 
     05     Cannon Street - Tonbridge  
     07     Cannon Street - Faversham/Ramsgate (via Chislehurst) 
     12     Charing Cross - Orpington 
     14     Charing Cross - Orpington (via Lewisham) 
     15     Cannon Street - Orpington (via Lewisham) 
     16     Charing Cross - Sevenoaks (via Orpington) 
     17     Cannon Street - Sevenoaks (via Orpington) 
     18     Victoria - Barnehurst/Slade Green (via Bexleyheath) 
     22     Charing Cross - Hastings/Ore 
     23     Cannon Street - Hastings/Ore 
     24     Charing Cross - Hayes (via Lewisham) 
     25     Cannon Street - Hayes (via Lewisham) 
     27     Cannon Street - Beckenham Jn/Orpington (via New Becknm) 
     30     Charing Cross - Tunbridge Wells 
     34     Charing Cross - Hayes (avoiding Lewisham) 
     36     Charing Cross - New Beckenham (avoiding Lewisham) 
     38     Charing Cross - Orpington (via New Becknm avoiding Lewisham) 
     46     Charing Cross - Sidcup/Crayford 
     47     Cannon Street - Sidcup/Crayford 
     57     Cannon Street - Sidcup (via Lewisham) 
     58     Victoria - Ramsgate (via Lewisham & Sidcup) 
     76     Charing Cross - Barnehurst/Slade Green (via Bexleyheath) 
     77     Cannon Street - Barnehurst/Slade Green (via Bexleyheath) 
     78     Victoria - Dartford (via Bexleyheath) 
     88     Charing Cross - Ramsgate/Margate (via Maidstone East) 
     90     Charing Cross - Canterbury West/Ramsgate (via Orpington) 
     91     Cannon Street - Canterbury West/Ramsgate (via Orpington) 


HISTORY

Lewisham's interesting layout is the result of some clever additions in 1926. The original layout consisted of the SER mainline with lines from St Johns to Lewisham Junction, splitting for Blackheath or the Mid Kent line.

The rival LCDR wanted to reach the important town of Greenwich to compete with the direct SER service from London Bridge via North Kent East Junction (north of New Cross). Their solution was a branch from Nunhead to Greenwich, crossing the mainline just south of the present St Johns station but with no connections. The line opened in 1888 but was closed for the War on 31st December 1916. The line was not a success and never reopened.

The newly formed Southern Railway was doing well after the war and in 1926 had the brilliant idea of reopening part of the Greenwich Park branch from Nunhead but diverting it south into Lewisham Junction. This together with the new Courthill Loop would allow freight traffic from north of London (via Blackfriars) to access the busy yards at Hither Green without passing through the bottleneck of London Bridge. It wasn't long before the SR used the loop for passenger trains and trains from the Dartford Loop and Grove Park could now serve Lewisham. By 1935, the Nunhead line had also been electified and passenger trains once again used the former Greenwich Park branch, operating services from Blackfrias to Dartford, providing more relief to London Bridge.

The final part of the jigsaw was added in 1975-6 as part of the London Bridge resignalling. To speed services from Lewisham to London and enhance capacity, it was useful to be able to go from Lewisham onto the Up Fast without conflicting with the mainline. The Fast Line platforms at St Johns were removed and the lines slewed to fit a single track Reversible line to link the Fast Lines at Tanners Hill Junction with the Nunhead Lines at Lewisham Vale Junction.


ACCIDENTS

The simulation area has seen two serious rail accidents.

The most serious occurred on the evening of 4th December 1957 in thick fog. Serious delays had occured due to the weather and trains were in the wrong order. The Parks Bridge Junction signalman had stopped the 1725 Charing Cross to Hastings DEMU  at the junction for the Ladywell Loop, wrongly believing it was a Hayes train and had to wait for a gap in Up Fast services. There were several reasons for the confusion including the lack of a position on the Train Describer for a new Hastings DEMU and several phone calls. As a result, the real Hayes train (the 1718 Charing Cross - Hayes) was held at the signal to the rear.

The delayed 1656 Cannon Street to Ramsgate train was running late but had a clear run to New Cross on the Down Fast where it encountered thick fog beyond the station. In the poor conditions, the crew of "Battle of Britain" class 34066 missed a Double Yellow and Single Yellow signal and just caught sight of signal L18 on the end of St Johns platform (now removed) at Red. The rear of the 10 car Hayes Elecric was just 138 yards beyond and dispite braking, the rear of the Hayes train was struck at about 30mph.

The impact killed the guard of the Hayes train instantly but further on, the eigth coach of the Hayes train was overridden by the ninth. The Ramsgate train suffered even more - the tender and leading coach were thrown into the girders of the flyovers supporting the Nunhead lines - the bridge collapsed, falling onto the still moving train, completely flattening two coaches of the packed train. 90 passengers were killed, Britain's third worst rail disaster after Harrow and Quintinshill.

It could have been even worse though - the 1722 from Holborn viaduct was approaching the flyover from Nunhead. Dispite the fog, the driver noticed the girders tilting and managed to bring the train to a halt with the leading coach actually above the wrecked Ramsgate train.

After the accident, the southern half of the bridge was beyond repair and removed. A temporary bridge was soon constructed with large 'I' section girders, many not even the same length! The lines reopened but the temporary bridge is still being used to this day and no replacement is likely.

The second accident occurred in 1967 when 49 died after a Hastings DEMU struck a broken rail just south of Hither Green."


ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
  
Thanks are due to Peter Smith and G.B. Creer who provided the signalling diagrams, and to Jon Guaschi, Stephen Parascandolo, Paul Bundey, David Moore, Vagn Poulsen and others for their advice and assistance during development and testing.

Thanks also to Stephen Parascandolo for the above description of the history of the area and the accidents, and for allowing the use of the picture on the startup screen.
