The Development of timetables at Liverpool Street station over the past 100 years
Mention ‘Liverpool Street’ to many railway aficionados and fairly quickly the term ‘Jazz Service’ will work its way into the discussion. What then was the ‘Jazz’? Why has it become a bi-word for intensive commuter railway operations? Is Liverpool Street really the busiest station in London?
All these questions and more, have encouraged me to record the development of Liverpool Street and its train services.
A new station, in the heart of the City of London was deemed necessary by the directors of the Great Eastern Railway. The original terminus, opened on 27 July 1847, was located on the edge of the city in the area that borders the areas now known as Hoxton, Shoreditch and Spittlefields and was named ‘Bishopsgate’. The partially completed Liverpool Street station was opened to local from 2 October 1874 Opening fully on 1 November 1875. That station would now be recognised as being platforms 1 to 10; sometimes referred to as the ‘West Side’. What today nestles under the Broadgate development as the ’East Side’ platforms 11 to 18 were added in 1894.
Demand for suburban services continued to grow until in 1913 some trains were reportedly carrying between 1200 and 1400 passengers. Growth continued after 1918 when electrification was first considered. (The London Brighton & South Coast Railway has introduced electric services on its ‘South London Line’ between Victoria and London Bridge in 1906). The estimate, at three million pounds, a vast sum in those days, could not be justified as the Great Eastern Railway fares were kept artificially low due to competition from the tramways. Instead, General Manager Sir Henry Thornton (from the USA) and Operations Superintendent F.V. Russell devised a scheme to optimise passenger capacity with the existing steam service. The routes concerned were those to Chingford, Enfield and Palace Gates (Wood Green). At Liverpool Street, tracks were re-arranged, engine dock spurs provided at the platform ends, and signalling improved. The platform barriers were moved back enabling rapid passenger dispersal, and new loco sheds were provided at Wood Street (Walthamstow) and Enfield. The changes were implemented from 12th July 1920, giving a 50-75% capacity increase, for a total cost of only £80,000.
Initially, the existing small engines and 16-coach trains of 4-wheeled carriages were used, providing 848 seats. The spaces between seats and roof were open allowing passengers to hop from one ‘compartment’ to another in search of a seat. These new train services were all concentrated on platforms 1-4, much as they are today. In the evening peak period 24 trains per hour departed Liverpool Street; on average a train every 2½ minutes.
All these questions and more, have encouraged me to record the development of Liverpool Street and its train services.
A new station, in the heart of the City of London was deemed necessary by the directors of the Great Eastern Railway. The original terminus, opened on 27 July 1847, was located on the edge of the city in the area that borders the areas now known as Hoxton, Shoreditch and Spittlefields and was named ‘Bishopsgate’. The partially completed Liverpool Street station was opened to local from 2 October 1874 Opening fully on 1 November 1875. That station would now be recognised as being platforms 1 to 10; sometimes referred to as the ‘West Side’. What today nestles under the Broadgate development as the ’East Side’ platforms 11 to 18 were added in 1894.
Demand for suburban services continued to grow until in 1913 some trains were reportedly carrying between 1200 and 1400 passengers. Growth continued after 1918 when electrification was first considered. (The London Brighton & South Coast Railway has introduced electric services on its ‘South London Line’ between Victoria and London Bridge in 1906). The estimate, at three million pounds, a vast sum in those days, could not be justified as the Great Eastern Railway fares were kept artificially low due to competition from the tramways. Instead, General Manager Sir Henry Thornton (from the USA) and Operations Superintendent F.V. Russell devised a scheme to optimise passenger capacity with the existing steam service. The routes concerned were those to Chingford, Enfield and Palace Gates (Wood Green). At Liverpool Street, tracks were re-arranged, engine dock spurs provided at the platform ends, and signalling improved. The platform barriers were moved back enabling rapid passenger dispersal, and new loco sheds were provided at Wood Street (Walthamstow) and Enfield. The changes were implemented from 12th July 1920, giving a 50-75% capacity increase, for a total cost of only £80,000.
Initially, the existing small engines and 16-coach trains of 4-wheeled carriages were used, providing 848 seats. The spaces between seats and roof were open allowing passengers to hop from one ‘compartment’ to another in search of a seat. These new train services were all concentrated on platforms 1-4, much as they are today. In the evening peak period 24 trains per hour departed Liverpool Street; on average a train every 2½ minutes.
(The GER ‘Jazz Service from 1922 – extracted from Bradshaw’s)
To manage this rapid flow, trains required a train to arrive, uncouple the leading steam locomotive, a fresh locomotive to attach on the rear and depart, with the original steam locomotive then dropping off into one of the ‘engine lyes’ all with 10 minutes. This gave a peak capacity of 20,350 passengers per hour, or five per second, a world record at the time.
As the extract from the 1922 Bradshaw shows, that the 24 train service pattern was built around a 10-minute interval ‘slow’ service to both Enfield Town and Chingford along with a 10-minute interval ‘fast’ service to Walthamstow. Interspaced was a 10-minute interval service running alternately to Palace Gates and Enfield Town.
Seats were provided for all three classes; First Class was denoted by a yellow stripe painted above the compartment windows, and blue for Second Class (the majority Third Class being unmarked). Coloured boards were used to identify the routes and destinations served, (Pink for Palace Gates for example) with numbers to denote the sequence of stops. With all these stripes and colours, the new scheme was initially dubbed "The Rainbow Service", but a local paper first called it the "Jazz Service" and that name endured.
The LNER introduced a range of new rolling stock for the Jazz service based on pairs of articulated carriages. These were either formed of 5 coaches (known as Quin-Arts) or 4 coaches (known as Quad-Arts). One of these has been lovingly restored on the North Norfolk Railway so it is still possible to experience the sights and smells of a ‘Jazz’ train.
As the extract from the 1922 Bradshaw shows, that the 24 train service pattern was built around a 10-minute interval ‘slow’ service to both Enfield Town and Chingford along with a 10-minute interval ‘fast’ service to Walthamstow. Interspaced was a 10-minute interval service running alternately to Palace Gates and Enfield Town.
Seats were provided for all three classes; First Class was denoted by a yellow stripe painted above the compartment windows, and blue for Second Class (the majority Third Class being unmarked). Coloured boards were used to identify the routes and destinations served, (Pink for Palace Gates for example) with numbers to denote the sequence of stops. With all these stripes and colours, the new scheme was initially dubbed "The Rainbow Service", but a local paper first called it the "Jazz Service" and that name endured.
The LNER introduced a range of new rolling stock for the Jazz service based on pairs of articulated carriages. These were either formed of 5 coaches (known as Quin-Arts) or 4 coaches (known as Quad-Arts). One of these has been lovingly restored on the North Norfolk Railway so it is still possible to experience the sights and smells of a ‘Jazz’ train.
LNER Y4 2-4-2 tank 7233 and two ‘quin-art’ sets on a ’Jazz’ service heading for Enfield Town
The robustness of the ‘Jazz’ service can be seen from the BR timetable from 1955. By that time, the service was running at 18 trains per hour. 6 trains per hour were running to both Enfield Town and Chingford. The fast service to Walthamstow was still running but was extended through to Chingford, giving the line 10 trains per hour. The direct service to Palace Gates has gone; it was withdrawn as a war-time economy measure in 1939 and with it the extra Enfield Towns. The line lost traffic to the newly opened Piccadilly Line the local service to and from North Woolwich catered for the dwindling numbers of passengers using the line. It was excluded from the British Railways electrification scheme and the line closed in January 1963.
The BR ‘Jazz’ Service from 1955 – extracted from the BR passenger Timetable
As part of its modernisation plan, BR electrified the route from Liverpool Street to Hertford East and Bishops Stortford via Seven Sisters was electrified along with the Chingford and Enfield Town branches. On the Great Eastern Side the line was electrified out to Southend Victoria and to Clacton. The new electric service were formally launched on 21st November 1960. Although the ‘Jazz’ label has disappeared, the pattern of services is remarkably similar to that introduced 40 years earlier. There was still trains to Enfield Town departing at 10 minute intervals. Although they no-longer run at 10 minute intervals there are still 6 ‘fast’ trains to Chingford supplemented by a 20-minute interval all-station service. New however is a fast service, at twenty-minute intervals running fast to Lower Edmonton and then on to Broxbourne where the train divides for Bishops Stortford and Hertford East.
(The BR ‘Electric Service from 1960 – extracted from the BR passenger Timetable)
BR N7 tank 69621 approaching Weybourne on the North Norfolk Railway hauling their ‘Quad-Art’ set. (©North Norfolk Railway)