Tattenham Corner Line

Tattenham Corner line
A 1905 Railway Clearing House map of the Tattenham Corner line and surrounding lines
Overview
Type	Commuter rail, Suburban rail
System	National Rail
Status	Operational
Locale	Greater London Surrey South East England
Termini	London Bridge London Victoria Tattenham Corner
Operation
Opened	2 November 1897
Owner	Network Rail
Operator(s)	Southern
Rolling stock	Class 377 "Electrostar" Class 455
Technical
Track gauge	1,435 mm (4 ft 8 1⁄2 in) standard gauge
Electrification	750 V DC third rail

The Tattenham Corner line is a railway line in Southern England that runs between Purley in South London and Tattenham Corner in Surrey.

The line was opened in two parts. The first stage was built from Purley as far as Kingswood as the Chipstead Valley Railway. Local MP and Chairman of the South Eastern Railway at the time, Sir Cosmo Bonsor proposed the line in 1893. However, given the difficult terrain of the route which would have involved deep cuttings and tight bends, the idea was met by some opposition from his fellow directors. Despite this, construction eventually began in 1896 and on 2 November 1897 a single-track line to Kingswood (originally Kingswood and Burgh Heath) was complete.

In 1899 Sir Cosmo Bonsor formed a private syndicate to have the line extended from Kingswood to its current terminus at Tattenham Corner in order to catch the racegoing traffic. By Derby Day on 4 June 1901, the extension to Tattenham Corner was opened, during which time the line was also upgraded from single to double track.

The Chief Engineer to the Chipstead Valley Railway was Lt Col Arthur John Barry.

The line was third rail electrified by Southern Railway at 660 V DC in March 1928, and later upgraded to 750 V DC by British Rail post-war. The line is now part of the Thameslink, Southern and Great Northern franchise.

In May 2011 Smitham station was officially renamed Coulsdon Town.

The line diverges eastwards from the Brighton Main Line at Purley. It immediately splits from the Caterham Line and passes below the Brighton line. It then runs close to the Brighton line as far as Coulsdon Town, after which it turns westwards and follows the Chipstead Valley, eventually climbing to the high ground at Tattenham Corner.