Secondary Routes of The London and South Western Railway - Electrification

Electrification

In 1913 the L&SWR, led by Sir Herbert Walker who came in 1912 from the London and North Western Railway whose suburban lines he had electrified on a 630 V DC fourth rail system, chose 630 V DC third rail electrification for its suburban routes. Implementation was somewhat delayed by First World War and the first L&SWR electric service ran on 20 October 1915 between Waterloo and Wimbledon via East Putney. In the following year electric services began on the Hounslow and Kingston Loop Lines.
This system was incompatible with LBSCR's 6600 V 25 Hz AC overhead system which after the 1923 grouping was replaced by the LSWR system.