Alfred Raworth's Electric Southern Railways

The Southern Railway between 1923 and 1939 was the only British company to carry out a sustained program of electrification which became known as the Southern Electric. Unlike many recent projects, each incremental step was completed on time and within budget. This successful project was more impressive as it was achieved during a period of economic stagnation and despite government disapproval of the method of electrification. The driving force behind this endeavour was the railway’s general manager, Sir Herbert Walker, but at his side was his electrical engineer, Alfred Raworth, the man one journalist described as an ‘electrification genius’. Alfred Raworth’s career began working with his father the eminent consulting engineer and entrepreneur, John Smith Raworth. Following the collapse of his father’s business Alfred joined the railway industry and devised ambitious and innovative electrification designs. This books tells the story of this man’s legacy.