London, Chatham and Dover Railway

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The London, Chatham and Dover Railway (LCDR or LC&DR) was a railway company in south-eastern England. It was created on 1 August 1859, when the East Kent Railway was given parliamentary approval to change its name. Its lines ran through London, and northern and eastern Kent, to form a significant part of the Greater London commuter network. The company existed until 31 December 1922, when its assets were merged with those of other companies to form the Southern Railway as a result of the grouping determined by the Railways Act 1921.

The LCDR was always in a difficult financial situation and went bankrupt in 1867, although it was able to continue to operate. Many of the difficulties were caused by the intense competition and duplication of services with the South Eastern Railway (SER). In 1898, the LCDR agreed with the SER to share the operation of the two railways, working them as a single system, known as the South Eastern and Chatham Railway, and pooling receipts, but it was not a full amalgamation. The SER and LCDR remained separate companies, with separate shareholders, until both became constituents of the Southern Railway on 1 January 1923.

"The Chatham", as it was sometimes known, was often criticised for its lamentable carriage stock and poor punctuality, something which Somerset Maugham refers to in the novel Mrs Craddock: "Suddenly she thought of going away there and then... But there were no trains: the London, Chatham, and Dover Railway has perhaps saved many an elopement".^[1] However, in two respects the LCDR was very enterprising: it used the highly effective Westinghouse air brake on its passenger stock, and the Sykes "Lock and Block" system of signalling. As a result, it had an excellent safety record.