EHL218. Southern Railway (S.R.) Air Tight Inspection Cover c1930. Location: Eastbourne Railway Station, Sussex, UK. what3words: rare.papers.every

Southern Railway was formed in 1923 mainly from an amalgam of three companies: the ‘London & South Western Railway’ (LSWR), mainly serving the south-west of England, the ‘London, Brighton & South Coast Railway’ (LBSCR), serving central southern England; and the ‘South Eastern & Chatham Railway’ (SECR), serving the south-east of the country.  The SECR itself had been formed from the ‘South Eastern Railway’ and the ‘London, Chatham & Dover Railway’ (LCDR).  Over time these major companies had taken over smaller companies, such as the ‘Surrey Iron Railway,’ the first railway company in the world; and the ‘Canterbury & Whitstable Railway,’ which was the first to use a locomotive to haul a passenger train.

There is another identical cover nearby at the side entrance to the station adjacent to the taxi/coach ranks.