 In 1903 Robert Selbie was appointed Secretary of the Metropolitan Railway , working on the electrification of the London sections of the line ; by 1905 the route was electrified as far as Harrow , although the sections north of Harrow , including the Chesham branch , continued to be worked by steam power . In 1908 he was appointed General Manager , a position he was to hold until 1930 . Selbie realised that Watkin 's schemes and the expensive electrification project had left the company with major financial liabilities , and that the MR 's core business in central London would come under significant pressure as the use of automobiles increased and as the new Underground Electric Railways of London tube lines improved their services . Selbie set out to reshape the MR as a feeder route for goods and passengers into London . 
