Brian Sturt's article on the relationship between the Greenwich Railway and the local gas companies is very interesting and detailed - would I be allowed to add even more? It is after all the anniversary of the line.
As Brian has said the Railway Company set up their own gas company from which to supply gas for lighting the line. Landmann was the engineer to this gas company - and it is interesting to note that he had previously been engineer to the Intercontinental Gas Association. Another point of interest is that he owned land on the other side of Old Kent Road to the South Met's works.
However the Railway Company also approached the existing local gas companies. Landmann had detailed discussions in l834 with South Met. to supply gas for lighting the line - he had offered to let South Met. lay pipes for gas charging the costs to the railway and invited them to supply the railway with gas for some years. The railway wanted lights 21 yards intervals on each side of the line and at the stopping places at each end - about 700 lights - and it would be left to the option of the gas company to lay the pipes at the foot or on top of the railway. Landmann told them that soon the railway work would pass through a sewer which will be dried for this purpose and thought they might be able to use this to lay their pipes through.
South Met. Minute Books record no further dealings with the Greenwich Railway and by the beginning of l836 the Railway Company had approached Phoenix for a supply of gas and when that September Phoenix Company complained written to the railway that South Met's gas was being used - the railway company replied that it was not.
Sources for this: Phoenix and South Met. Minute books, some deeds in the possession of Southwark Libraries and an unpublished history of ICGA (in that company's possession).
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