The Strand to Crystal Palace (Part Two)

From the Kearney Files
Shoreditch Observer Hackney Express Bethnal Green Chronicle and Finsbury Gazette


The proposed railway which will start from The Strand will be 6 3/4 miles double the length with its six stations. The maximum speed is to be 60mph and the scheduled speed 30mph while the journey time will be ten minutes. The trains required for 3 minute service will be 7 and the seats per hour with 6 cars contain 6,000 each way. The traffic is estimated at 30,000,000 passengers per annum. The dividends on ordinary shares 7% the capitalization being £2,000,000. The scheme provides for a high speed electric railway as recommended by the Royal Commission on London Traffic. Stations would be constructed at the following points :- Strand (Norfolk Street), Westminster Bridge (Bakerloo Station ) Oval (City and South London Railway ) Brixton, Herne Hill and Crystal Palace (North Tower Gardens. From The Strand to Herne Hill 4 1/2 miles would be in a tube, from Herne Hill to Crystal Palace 2 1/4 miles would be on the surface except for the last 500 yards which would be cut and cover tunnel. The journey times from The Strand would be as follows :-
                                                            Min.     Sec.
Start to Westminster Bridge.             1.          20
Start to Oval.                                         3.          00
Start to Brixton.                                    4.          30
Start to Herne Hill.                               5.          35
Start to Crystal Palace.                       10.         00

An allowance of 15 seconds is made for each stop.
In each case the Stations would be immediately below the street level to which connection would be made by short stairways except in the case of Herne Hill Station which would be constructed on private property with platforms on the street level. The tube portion of the railway would be built on the gravity system where by trains are accelerated and retarded by means of gradients of 1 in 7. By this method schedule speeds greatly increase in excess of highly attainable. Two trains on the proposed railway will give the same service as 5 trains on the Piccadilly line. This effecting a saving of 60% in trains and wage bills. The gravity tube system also avoids the necessity for lifts thereby effecting a further In working expenses and introducing a time saving feature much appreciated by the travelling public.