Construction
The engineer for the new railway was John Urpeth Rastrick, who began construction in 1838. By July 1840, 6206 men, 962 horses, 5 locomotives and 7 stationary engines were employed. The new main line included substantial earthworks and five tunnels through the North Downs at Merstham, the Wealden ridge near Balcombe and at Haywards Heath, and the South Downs at Patcham and Clayton. The railway also had a 1,475 ft (449.6 m) long, 96 ft (29.3 m) high viaduct over the river Ouse near Balcombe.
The Brighton - Shoreham branch was completed in May 1840, before the main line, as there were no significant civil engineering works on this section. Locomotives and rolling stock had to be transhipped by road for what was, in the first year, an isolated stretch of railway.
The main line was opened in two sections, since major earthworks delayed completion in one piece. The Norwood Junction - Haywards Heath section was opened on 12 July 1841 and the remainder of the line from Haywards Heath to Brighton on 21 September 1841.
The branch line to Lewes authorised by the 1837 act was built 1844-46 by a separate company, the Brighton Lewes and Hastings Railway.
Read more about this topic: London And Brighton Railway
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