The Bakerloo Line: A North–South Underground Railway Opens in 1906

The Bakerloo line originally operated as the Baker Street & Waterloo Railway. The section opened on March 10, 1906, ran from Baker Street in the north to Kennington Road in the south, crossing central London through Oxford Circus, Piccadilly Circus, Trafalgar Square, and Waterloo. Kennington Road station was later renamed Lambeth North. The southern extension to Elephant & Castle opened that August.

The contemporary Street Railway Journal regarded it as a new route improving north–south travel. Passengers arriving at Waterloo's mainline terminus could reach the West End and, at Baker Street, connect with the Metropolitan Railway toward the northwestern suburbs. The journal described links to Paddington and the Great Central Railway as future objectives, showing that the entire extension scheme had not been realized when the first section opened in 1906.

References: [1] [4]

Preparations long predated opening. Fowler and colleagues record a parliamentary bill in 1893, construction beginning only in 1898, interruption by a financial scandal late in 1900, and resumption in 1902. The company repeatedly needed extensions of statutory deadlines and financing powers. Prospectuses presented not only the route but also future patronage based on potential interchanges, commercial districts, and residential travel. Engineer Stephen Sellon's 1905 estimate projected 35 million passenger journeys annually; this was not measured traffic after opening.

By the time services began, the railway was controlled by the Underground Electric Railways Company of London and connected with the underground group promoted by Charles Yerkes. Contemporary reports listed engineers or firms including Benjamin Baker, Galbraith & Church, and Dalrymple-Hay. The group's chief engineer, J. R. Chapman, coordinated the electrical work. Civil construction and electromechanical equipment therefore required coordination across the group.

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Most of the line passed through London clay, but the section beneath the river near Charing Cross encountered water-bearing sand and gravel. Engineers erected a temporary timber platform in the Thames for machinery, materials, and huts, then sank shafts beneath it and drove toward both banks from their bases. Boats could deliver materials and remove spoil, reducing the need to carry them through busy streets. The temporary shafts were removed after the tunnels were completed.

Copperthwaite's contemporary engineering treatise describes river tunnels twelve feet in internal diameter with cast-iron linings. Specialized shields and compressed air addressed groundwater. Sliding shutters initially fitted to the shield proved awkward in the confined space and were replaced by timber face support and steel struts. Workers also packed clay ahead of the cutting edge to create a seal reducing air leakage.

References: [2]

Excavation of the western tunnel beneath the river began on March 19, 1900. Initially, a thick covering of clay allowed work at ordinary atmospheric pressure. As the ground changed, workers installed bulkheads and airlocks and began maintaining compressed air on May 23. The previous arrangement of two twelve-hour shifts changed to three eight-hour shifts. Technical measures directly altered labor organization as well as equipment.

The treatise also records a thirteen-person working gang on this river section. Advancing, removing soil, installing lining, and maintaining support had to be coordinated. In water-bearing sand and gravel, progress was usually only about five feet in twenty-four hours. This figure describes the pace in a particular difficult formation, not the average tunneling rate of the whole railway.

References: [2]

The operating railway received electricity from Lots Road power station in Chelsea, with dedicated substations at Baker Street and London Road and equipment supplied by British Westinghouse. Westinghouse electro-pneumatic automatic signaling held a signal at danger after a train entered the block. Mechanical automatic train stops also triggered the onboard braking system if a train passed a danger signal. Drivers could contact staff through emergency telephone lines in the tunnels.

Passengers reaching deep platforms from street level depended on lifts. Glazed tiles lined station walls, using different colors or patterns to aid recognition, with station names fired into the tiles. Lighting, ventilation, and train traction were interrelated systems with their own equipment. Opening meant bringing these facilities together into everyday operation.

References: [1]

The American Car & Foundry Company manufactured the rolling stock, which was then assembled at the Trafford Park works in Manchester. An April 1906 report recorded an order for 108 cars, of which 95 were then completed. A standard six-car train consisted of a motor car at each end and four trailers between them. The bodies used steel extensively, and the driving cabs accommodated control equipment within the limited space of small-diameter tunnels.

At opening, the ordinary single fare was twopence regardless of distance. A book of twenty-five tickets cost four shillings, and twopenny workmen's return tickets were sold before 7:58 a.m. on weekdays. The line thus sought everyday workers, cross-river travelers, and West End passengers. Elephant & Castle's subsequent opening extended service farther south, while advertised future traffic and extensions must still be distinguished from services actually running at the time.

References: [1] [4]