The Southern Railway may not have been the most glamorous of the 'Big
Four' companies that emerged from the grouping of 1923, but it was the
great innovator. In the 1930s the Southern pioneered the first main-line
electrification and created the largest electrified suburban railway
network in the world. It was also one of the few to offer regular
departures and the first to run true international services, introducing
the 'Night Ferry' through-trains from London to Paris using special
ferries. Forming part of a series, along with The GWR Handbook, The LMS
Handbook and The LNER Handbook, this new edition provides an
authoritative and highly detailed reference of information about the
Southern Railway.