Commuting in 1942 Trains were by far the main mode of travel for any distance in Britain during World War Two, and even more so for commuters travelling into, and out of, London from the suburbs of Bromley and Kent. Between 1923 and 1947 the railways were run by the four largest railway companies in the United Kingdom, known as the “Big Four”. The name had been coined by The Railway Magazine in its issue: “The Big Four of the New Railway Era” (February 1923) The ‘Big Four’ consisted of:…
Tag: Trains
Unexploded Bomb on Railway Line
Danger coolly tackled by staff In the South of England an unexploded bomb fell a short distance from a main-line signal box and train services had to be temporarily suspended. As the bomb could not be disposed of immediately, a screen of laden coal wagons was placed on the up-line to enable single-line working on the down-line. Volunteers were asked to work freight traffic past the spot. The traffic and locomotive running staffs volunteered to a man and the crews of down trains from London were equally responsive, refusing to…