I promised a review of my Heritage Open Day visits – this one’s a bit unusual, it’s about a visit to the Woking Electrical Control room.

Trains in the South East are electric, and they obtain their power from a third rail. While the electrical power comes from the National Grid, it’s delivered through trackside transformers, and their operation, if that’s the right word, is managed by the Woking Electrical Control. It began operation in 1936 and was superceded in 1997, by a more modern computer-based system based elsewhere.

Note: Click on the pictures for an expanded view.

The control room is a rather lovely industrial building, with a representation of the power supply to the Woking train region on the wall, showing the BUSBARS that deliver the electric current to the third rail, with lights indicating whether the system is working or not.

The room is lit by two huge, art deco style, uplighters, giving an even light to the room without shadow. The effect is exceptionally pleasing, and was obviously a great place to work.

The railway line to Camberley is represented, as in the picture[apologies for the flash in the picture], showing that electrical power entering the railway near the Jolly Farmer Public House on the London Road - no longer a pub, the building is the American Golf shop.

Here’s a bit about the Jolly Farmer from Surrey Heath Museum’s local history:

“Other ‘gentlemen of the road’ who plied their dubious trade locally were William Davis, better known as ‘The Golden Farmer’ who lived (and was eventually hung) near the site of the ‘Jolly Farmer’ pub, on Jenkins Hill, and Claude Duval, a somewhat romantic figure, who is commemorated in Duval Close, Bagshot.”

Just nice to know that local history is preserved, if in an arcane way. If you want to visit the Woking Electrical Control, methinks you’ll have to wait until the Heritage Open Day next year.

So, you’ll have to make do with this bit of info.