Live Rail

Live Rail is the magazine of the Southern Electric Group issued six times each year to members only Live Rail is not available through newsagents or bookshops.

Every Live Rail contains topical and historical information about the development and operation of the third rail system. Each issue is usually 28 pages A5 size with six issues produced each year - February, April, June, August, October and December. A one year subscription will bring six consecutive issues.

All issues of Live Rail contain regular items and feature articles such as those in the issues for

December 1999 October 1999 August 1999 June 1999 April 1999 February 1999
December 1998 October 1998 August 1998 June 1998 April 1998 February 1998

The texts of certain complete Live Rail articles are also available in the library including

Last passenger trains at Dover Western Docks
Last passenger trains on the Addiscombe branch
Southern Region de-icing trains
Waterloo-Exeter diesel operations
the Kent Coast electrification

In the future it is possible that members may be able to submit items for inclusion in Live Rail by email but this service is not yet in operation.

All issues of Live Rail contain the following regular items in the Regional Review section - six to eight pages in each issue devoted to day to day happenings, services, infrastructure and the trains themselves in the Southern Electric area. Regional Review is divided into sections:

Stock notes - a round up of changes in unit depot allocations and reformations, new deliveries and withdrawals, liveries, paint schemes and many other details concerning the Southern Electric trains of today
Interesting workings - notable irregular workings such as diversions, oddly formed trains, etc
Incidents - a summary of events affecting services and travel in the electrified area
Track and signalling - a look at infrastucture alterations, revised track layouts, new signals, etc
Timetables and diagrams - reviews of changes to scheduled services and the booked train types
Ticketing and fares - news about fare changes, ticket types, etc
Around the region - anything else that does not fit the above!

Other regular items carried by most if not all issues are:

Group News - information for Member's activities, meetings, working party dates for unit 3142, feedback from the management committee and preservation company, etc
Letters - Group Members air their views on Group and Southern Electric matters
Members Queries - ranges from anything in the FAQ category through members seeking data for research through to those obscure details
Meeting Reports - resumees of SEG meetings, seminars and presentations.

Recent issues of Live Rail contained the following main articles

FEBRUARY 1998

Development of the Southern Electric System. In part 10 of this work, Crew takes a look at the Windsor, Wimbledon-West Croydon and Dartford to Gravesend electrification schemes which commenced operation in July 1930.
Carriage Refurbishing Until The 1960s. SCWS details some of the work carried out by the Southern Railway workshops during overhaul and rebuild of passenger coaches.
Threes Back On The Southern by Barnham. Connex South Central recently brought back three car units to the Southern Electric with its 3Cop units for its Coastway services.

APRIL 1998

Car Body Repairs Richard Lakin, one of the volunteers working on 3142, details some recent work necessary to restore these 60 year old carriages to their former glory.
Class 31s On The Southern Nick Lawford gives an account of the workings over Southern metals by these non-SR diesel locomotives.
Waterloo And City Line 1898-1998 A report on the Centenary Meeting held at the London Transport Museum to mark 100 years of "The Drain" - the former LSWR tube line linking Waterloo with Bank.

JUNE 1998

Railtrack Management Statement 1998 - a look at Railtrack's plans and how they affect the Southern infrastructure.
The Brighton Milepost Mystery and Other Milepost Curiosities Polegate and Barnham unravel some of the oddities of mileposts on Southern routes.
Carriage Interior Designs Kit Wingate takes a personal view of some recent and not so recent unit interiors.

AUGUST 1998

A look at multiple tracked route operation and the pros and cons of parallel or alternate working by Kit Wingate.
The Electro-Diesel Locomotive Group and owners of E6003 - report a detailed update of work so far. Report by Martin Skrzetuszewski.
Northfleet substation David Monk-Steel looks at this 1930s Southern Electric power supply structure.

OCTOBER 1998

This issued contained a number of shorter items covering
* Eurostar ticketing problems
* Passengers charter and ticketing restrictions
* Recent workings by ex-SR stock over LU Metropolitan line
* Tardy working at stations
* a larger than usual readers' letters and members' queries sections.

DECEMBER 1998

4Cor restoration progress - a report by Richard Lakin over progress on the power car front end followed by a report by Bob Burrows of a recent inspection of Maunsell/Bulled buffer car 12529
Bryan Rayner reports on the recent Group Atlantic Coast Express railtour operated in October 1998 over LU routes
Connex South Easts’ Slade Green depot home of the Networker fleet was visited by the Group in November 1998. Kit Wingate reports.

FEBRUARY 1999

In What Price The Channel Tunnel Link Laurie Mack takes a look at arguments about the long awaited high speed London to Channel Tunnel rail link
R J R Levett reports on Cluster Type Colour Light Signals - and early type of four aspect signal favoured by the Southern Railway in early electrification schemes.
Onix Electrostar and Juniper Kit Wingate looks at the new trains about to enter service on todays Southern Electric

APRIL 1999

This issue takes a look at Folkestone - Dover and the problems and alternatives considered by the unstable cliffs above the railway in this area; the East Anglia electrification from the viewpoint of present electric versus diesel operating costs prevailing on UKs privatised rail system; and a seminar and visit to the East London line of London Underground which has recently re-opened after extensive rebuilding and is linked to the Southern Electric at New Cross and New Cross Gate.

JUNE 1999

The first part of Gatwick Express by Nick Lawford appears - a review from start-up of "RailAir" services between Gatwick Airport and London Victoria - scheduled to be replaced by new stock in summer 1999. There are also some notes continuing a discussion about the Southern Railways unique cluster four aspect signals and related colour light signalling topics.

AUGUST 1999

Richard Lakin - a member of the 3142 working party - surveys the present state of a number of recent Southern Electric preserved vehicles and Nick Lawford concludes Gatwick Express with the first part appearing in the previous issue.

OCTOBER 1999

3Cep Performance - Colin Scott-Morton makes a comparison between performance of 3Cep and 365 units operated by Connex South East between Victoria and the Kent Coast; Len Head takes a look at the former SR Reading station closed in 1965; and Tony Francis supplies new data following Gatwick Express.

DECEMBER 1999

Richard Laken reviews progress in 1999 on 4Cor 3142; John Lumley takes a look at Cane Hill Covered Way on the Quarry line section of the Brighton main line; and Barnham takes a look at rail bridges in London in Trains Across The Thames; there is also a report on SWT Cl.457 units, and discussion on some odd-ball SR formations such as hybrid 4Hal/Sub and 4Cor/Pan units.