The station was opened in 1844 by the South East Railway, and it was to become one of the more eye catching stations on the line, being as it nestled right next to the river Medway.
It started life however as just a dropping off point with a basic wooden platform and no facilities. This changed quite quickly however, as an imposing yet beautiful two story red brick station building was erected on newly brick built platforms on the Strood bound side. Mock Tudor in design, it certainly stands out proudly overlooking the river. A similar style building would later be built at Aylesford, however this would be made from Kentish ragstone. A station masters house was built next door, of similar but smaller design.
Freight facilities were excellent here, with a double tracked goods shed, which frequently was used by the local brewery for transportation. The yard lasted until 1963; however the time of writing, the building is still used today by Network Rail for storage, ensuring this grand building still stands.
The fine signal box was installed in 1892, manual gates being provided, and these remained until automatic barriers were installed in the 2010’s.
Another thing of interest is that the station didn’t get a footbridge until the 1960’s, when the foot crossing was deemed unsafe after the line was electrified. Also it was one of the last stations on the line to retain semaphore signals, these being replaced in 2005, as part of a re-signalling scheme.
At time of writing, passenger traffic is provided by class 375 electric multiple units.
Wateringbury is a superb station to visit. The old signal box and goods shed alone would make it interesting, but couple that with the elaborate Grade 2 listed station building, and of course the fabulous views across the river Medway, make time here a pleasure. Sight lines for the enthusiast are excellent, whether at platform or bridge level, so photography and videography will gain you great results.
Here is a video of the station, filmed by myself in 2022 :
Thanks for reading, come back soon and remember:
“If you can, get out there, get on the railway, and see where it takes you” (c)
The essence of a true commuter station, very quiet during the day but in the morning and evening a hive of activity. Served only by the SouthEastern Railway and serving only Kent and Sussex, this central London hub has a varied but solid history.
A Brief History
The South Eastern Railway Company started construction in 1863, from a design by Sir John Hawkshaw. The railway entered via a 706ft bridge which at this stage only carried 5 lines. This was increased to 10 during the late 1800’s. The engine shed roof was an impressive 190ft wide and more than 680ft long, with a central lantern section which ran almost the entire length.
On the bridge side, two towers sit either side of the bridge, each adorned with a square domed roof and spire. It was found during restoration in 1986, that the east tower contained a water tank, either for replenishing the locomotives or for use in powering the stations hydraulic lift systems.
A hotel was built on the front entrance of the station. At only 5 stories it was one of the smallest station hotels, but had turrets mirroring those of the main towers. Like most railway hotels however, the popularity waned in the early 1900’s and it closed to customers in 1931.
The station officially opened in September 1866, and provided additional services to and from Charing Cross via a 7 minute shuttle, considerably quicker than the 35 minute walk. However, the advent of the district railway a few years later would render these shuttles almost useless.
The trainshed roof was extensively damaged during an air raid in 1941, and engineers deemed that replacing the glass would not be possible. The structure stood in skeleton form until 1958, when it was demolished in the first re-model of the station.
The new office complex which replaced the hotel was derided by critics, and certainly wasn’t as grand as the original Hotel. It was followed in the 1980’s by a ‘floating’ office block above the station platforms, held up by a 6000 ton metal frame. The block nearest the river has a roof garden, and slightly protrudes the two towers.
A quick view of the station today
Going in via the right hand steps on Cannon Street itself, you are greeted by a British Rail Sign hanging from the roof and a blue “Welcome to Cannon Street Station” sign. Immediately at the top of the two flights of stairs to your right is the entrance to the Underground station.
The low ceiling, clad in silver stripes with bright lighting makes you feel penned in. The floor, a cream tile with grey borders almost makes it feel like a department store. This aside, you remember that this is just a “people mover” station, so modern clean almost clinical lines wont be noticed by the thousands using it each day.
View to the station entrance from platform 7
To the right is a coffee shop, then the ticketing office and finally the toilets. Straight ahead are the gatelines to platforms 4-7. Look to your left here and a statue called “The Plumbers Apprentice”, which commemorates 400 years of the Worshipful Company of Plumbers. Their hall was once on the ground of the station.
The Plumbers Apprentice
Carry on past the statue and on your right will be ticketing machines and the gatelines to platforms 1-3. Directly ahead is a retail outlet and a pub/restaurant. Turning back towards the street and by the steps on your right is the lift down to the Underground Station.
Moving onto the platforms, ex Network South East overhead clocks continue to click away, and the pillars in the centre of the platform still contain the Network South East colour banding at the base.
As you move outside, to the left is a view over the River Thames to Tower Bridge, HMS Belfast and The Shard. To the Right you will see both Southwark and Blackfriars bridges, as well as the Tate Modern.
But look back towards the station and the full glory of the two original towers rise before you. A very impressive site, and totally at odds with the office block in the middle, yet somehow it does fit together. In my view it only goes to enhance the old structure.
The two towers of Cannon Street
Cannon Street with all its stark modern looks deceives you, and the small things like the Statue, Network South East reminders and of course the towers are reasons to just spend a little more time looking around you, rather than rushing to get that train home.
A gateway to Europe, the finest of stations, but nearly demolished in the 1960’s. An amazing station, with plenty of history, a huge trainshed and a 5 star Hotel attached. The story of St Pancras is long and full of near disaster moments, but now it stands proud as the main Termini of Eurostar, and with it the first station many overseas travellers will see.
A Brief History
The Midland Railway was desperate to get away from sharing Kings Cross with the Great Northern Railway. So when a bill was passed in 1863 for a railway between London and Bedford, they jumped at the chance to construct a new station between Kings Cross and Euston. It would be known as St Pancras, after the local Parish.
William Barlow designed a radical trainshed for the station, 245ft wide, 689ft long and 100ft high, it was the biggest single span roof in the world for a time.
The void left by excavation works was used to store beer and other goods, and was known as ‘the vaults’. This is now a superb shopping arcade linking the station down its spine underneath the trainshed.
The hotel was built to rival the one next door at Kings Cross, and was a highly flamboyant affair, the architecture lending itself to Italian and Belgian influences. It is often seen as the face of St Pancras. However it never seemed to make a profit and was closed in 1935, only to later be used as crew sleeping quarters and offices for British Rail Catering Division.
A concerted effort by many historians and railway enthusiasts (including Sir John Betjeman) stopped the bulldozers destroying the station in the late 1960’s. This however didn’t stop the station from falling into dis-repair.
Amazingly though, a major lifeline was given when in 1994 the government approved St Pancras as the Terminus for the new Eurostar service. A major renovation project started in 2001, and by 2007 after restoration and modernisation (including a modern extension to the trainshed, if not in keeping with the original), St Pancras re opened fully.
A quick view of the current station
As you enter via Pancras Road, through a huge glass façade, the concourse opens out in front of you. To the left, escalators take you down to the underground station, while a lift to your right either takes you down also, but will take you up to the SouthEastern High Speed platforms.
Moving forward slightly, turning right past a coffee shop, ahead is a new pub restaurant and also 3 sets of escalators. Two sets take you up to the HighSpeed platforms, the middle set taking you down to the Underground.
Turning past the pub, moving forward past a retail outlet on your right and food to your left, another retail unit is in front of you. Turning right here will take you to lost property, toilets and the station office. Turning left and carrying down the corridor you will come back to the main concourse, where a departure and arrival board sits above other retail outlets.
Now turn right and go down towards another exit, this is the Midland Road entrance. To your right as you walk down is a ticketing centre, and at the end on your right, access to the Thameslink platforms, seen below.
Thameslink underground platforms, labelled platform A and B
Back up from Thameslink, go straight on into the old Vaults, which is now a great arcade full of mainly high end retailers, with a few pianos in the centre aisles for the public to use! This area also gives you the first real glimpse of the original trainshed, a glance upwards reveals its vast nature. A quarter of the way down on the left is the entrance to the Eurostar terminal.
A view down into the arcade from the Grand Terrace
Going up a set of stairs brings you to the Grand Terrace, and a statue of Sir John Betjeman. He is looking up, almost encouraging you to do so. The massive trainshed extends out from here and is a superb sight. Looking towards the back, the Hotel can be seen, as well as a clock and an art installation by Tracey Emin. This is part of a series of artworks commissioned by The Royal Academy.
Moving toward the Hotel, another statue is very prominent. This is called “The Meeting Place” and stands at 30ft high. Along its base are castings of various railway events.
Turn 180 degrees and the Eurostar platforms and trainshed are before you.
If you go to the other end of the trainshed on this level, you will come to the platforms for East Midland Trains. Going back downstairs, head back to the back of the arcade and through into the Underground station. Here you will find information, ticketing and entrance to the Circle, Hammersmith and City and Metropolitan lines.
Carry on down this corridor and on your right, you will see a dedication to the Kings Cross fire in 1987.
Following this corridor to the left will take you down to the entrances for the Victoria, Northern and Piccadilly lines. There is also a piano here, if you feel so inclined!
Carry on down the corridor and you will have come full circle if you take the escalators up to the main concourse.
A great station, made better by design, yet old charm can be found if you look for it. Speaking of which, as a little challenge to those who don’t know, try to find this gem in the Underground Stations network of entrances and exits!
The advent of High Speed 1 to link London with the Channel Tunnel would not only mean faster services for the Eurostar, but also could enable the population of Kent to enjoy a new faster way of travel. As early as 2003, formal approval was given to allow domestic High Speed services on High Speed 1. The award in 2006 of the 2012 Olympics to London further enhanced the need for such a service to exist.
Hitachi won the right to supply the new High Speed stock to SouthEastern Railway, their first rail contract in Britain. In total 29 were built. The service to be provided meant that the trains had to be “duel electric”, to accommodate both 750 DC third rail and 25 kV AC overhead lines. The third rail extends from Ashford to Folkestone, then onwards through the Medway Towns and finally Ebbsfleet International, where the 3rd Rail shoe is retracted and the Pantograph raised (or visa-versa).
The train is based on the 400 series “Mini Shinkansen”, and comprises of 6 carriages, which can be driven from either end. The front nose of the train can be retracted to allow automatic coupling to another 6 car unit. Power is through the middle four cars, powered by pantographs/shoes on the outer two cars. Each 6 car train has 340 seats and two toilets, one of which is disabled accessible.
Additional training had to be given to train crews, to enable them to understand the TVM 430 signalling display system which was in use on the High Speed portion of the line. This is a lot different from the UK rail signalling, mostly as it is “In Cab”.
Services started fully in December 2009. During the 2012 Olympic Games, many services were run in 12 car formations, and a regular shuttle service was established from Ebbsfleet International to Stratford International, the home of the Olympic Park. In 2015, a circular route from St Pancras to St Pancras was introduced.
The trains are designed to travel at 140 mph on the High Speed section, but are limited to 70-90 mph on the old mainline from Ashford through Margate, Medway then to Ebbsfleet. They are exceptionally comfortable, and have benefitted from being fitted with dampers to reduce the effect of excessive wobble in the High Speed tunnel sections.
The train was given the designation of class 395, but due to the Olympics quickly gathered the nickname of Javelin, which was then established across the fleet. Initially, 11 of the Javelins were named after British Olympic medalists by public vote. This increased to 23 after the 2012 Olympics, with some named after Paralympians. Other noted named Javelins were 395014 “The Victoria Cross” (later 015) and 395016 “Somme 100”.
In 2018 to commemorate the 100 anniversary of the end of World War One, 395018 had special vinyl’s applied. These can be seen below on 11/11/18, a day after a special railtour had taken place through the south and east of the UK.
As of 2018, they continue to be the flagship of the SouthEastern railway network, and are very heavily used, even if they have a small premium applied to the ticket price.
I make no apologies for this blog. These are the trains from my area of the country (North Kent) when I was growing up in the 1970’s and 1980’s. The familiar sound of these “Slam Door” trains were the soundtrack to the rush hour, with the sound of said doors ringing through the major London Termini of Charing Cross and Victoria. So here is a short history of these workhorses of the North Kent and Chatham Main Line.
The 411 unit, also known as the 4Cep, were built for British Rail between 1956 and 1963, mainly ran on the Chatham/North Kent lines. A total of 133 units were made, mainly just passenger based, although around 22 had buffet cars installed, these were re-categorised as 4 Bep units. The 4 referred to the 4 car formation, two driving cars which also had standard seating, the middle two cars having a mix of 1st class corridor and standard class corridor coaches. They had a maximum speed of 90 Mph.
Each area of seating contained a door, which was inherently dangerous as it could be opened at any time. This lead to many doors being opened way before stopping, and people would literally jump from a moving train onto the platform. You really had to stand away from the platform edge when a slam door was coming in, otherwise you may have had a door in the head!
If you had ever ridden in one, or heard one you would not forget it. They were dangerous, accidents such as the Clapham Rail Crash of 1988 with Vep and Rep variants would prove to be catastrophic. Replacements such as the Networker and Electrostar would follow, with their automatic doors and safer designs. But they never quite recaptured the feel and seating comfort of these trains.
Continuing my look at stations in the Medway area, this time I shall look at a small station on the Medway Valley line – Cuxton.
Cuxton Station was opened in 1856, and from the outset had two lines. Two platforms served by an level crossing at the south end of the station allowed passengers to travel to Maidstone to the south, and Strood to the North. In 1862, a signal box was erected adjacent to this level crossing, and is still there today (2018)
In 1931 a small siding was opened to the south of the station, trailing off the “down” line, which served a national business (Besto Co.) making fruit baskets. This was followed in 1939 with a goods loop installed to the north of the station. Unfortunately, none of these sidings survive today, both having been removed by the end of 1990.
A footbridge was installed at the south end of the station in 1961, adjacent to the level crossing and the Signal box. A note about the level crossing, as it is still manually closed by the signalman at the time of this Blog (2018). A really rare sight, and (unfortunately) I will assume this will become automated at some time in the future.
Two views from Cuxton in 2016 follow. The first shows a light engine class 66, travelling on the “down” line towards Maidstone. This view is to the north, and the bridges across the M2 can be seen, the nearest one being the HS1 line.
The second view is to the south, showing the signal box, overbridge and level crossing, as well as a stone train travelling on the “up” towards Strood.
Currently at Cuxton, there is only a PERTIS (permit to travel) machine installed here, the majority of the station buildings being disused for many years. The station is served at this time by Southeastern, with 2 trains per hour (northbound “up” to Strood, southbound “down” to Maidstone (1 Tph continues to Paddock Wood, the other to Tonbridge). (correct as of June 2018)
A few freight trains run though the day, to or via Hoo Junction (to the north) or to the south, some of which come from or go to ARC sidings just outside Allington in Maidstone. Freight is mainly hauled by class 66 locomotives, although some class 70’s have also been seen on the line.
On Sunday 20th May 2018, new rail services were due to start between Rainham in Kent and Luton. Unfortunately, as well publicised in the media (here) things didn’t go according to plan. But this is not what this blog is about. This blog looks at the workhorse of that service, the new Class 700 unit, most of which at the time of this blog were owned by Thameslink (although Great Northern will have some).
The trains were built between 2014 and 2018 by Siemens in Germany. The initial order was for 60 Eight car trains and 55 twelve car trains. They are scheduled to replace all the class 319s on the Thameslink Network.
Their maximum speed is 100mph, and are electrically supplied with a third rail shoe (750 V DC) as well as a pantograph for overhead operation (25 Kv AC). They are fully fitted with air conditioning, and a regenerative braking system.
The units are capable of working as ATO (Automatic train operation), which means the train can drive itself. This is already in operation along the “Thameslink Core” which links the East Coast mainline to the network around St Pancras. The usual safety AWS is installed, as well as the ability to upgrade this easily to the new Digital Railway signalling as and when it is operational.
Two shots of the exterior of the train are below, one is of the information plate :
Interior shots of the train taken by myself at Rainham are below:
The images above show the standard configuration in standard class. 1st class carriages have slightly better seats and tables. As you can see, the train is totally able to be walked through, although first class carriages are separated. On the 8 car trains there are 3 toilets (1 disabled). I believe this is increased by one each om the 12 car trains. Luggage racks above the seats are large, plenty of space for a small case.
The new information boards show various information, including carriage loading indicators and information on the London transport network:
They also show the time and the next station stop, as well as the usual scrolling information about the service you are on and its destinations. Overall, these are very impressive and very informative.
As good and shiny as this train is though however, its glaring problem is the seating in standard class, which is well documented if you perform a basic internet search. Having done a full 2 and a half hour journey from Rainham (Kent) to Luton, I can indeed say that these seats are not built for that length of journey. They are quite hard, and realistically I see only around an hour and a half being the maximum journey time you would want on them.
This however is not a problem. The train is really designed with the commuter in mind, so the core user would only be using it for a short journey, either up to London from Medway, or up to London from Luton. As a modern train it really performs well, with good acceleration and the ride comfort in relation to bumps and jolts is really very smooth. All onboard announcements are clear and concise.
If the lessons from the seating can be learnt, then new variants of this train could be learnt and improvements made to what is in essence a very fine unit. As an addition to the fleet roster in the south east it is very capable, and notwithstanding the seats, a very enjoyable ride.
In this blog, I will write about the railway accident which occurred on 26th February 1971 at Sheerness-on-Sea railway station. All relevant links to content are at the foot of this blog.
On the evening of 26th February, the 17:16, 10 car train from Victoria to Sheerness entered the station but failed to stop and the first carriage ended up careering into the station, demolishing most of the booking hall. Unfortunately 1 person died and 13 injured, including the driver. A more detailed look at the accident is contained below.
The train itself was a 2-HAP built for the Kent Coast line between 1958 and 1963. This particular train comprised of 5, 2-car trainsets, all steel construction on standard BR bogies. The power to these trains was via a controller in the cab which requires it to be depressed at all times in order to take power. If this handle is not depressed, the brakes will apply automatically, with around a 2-3 second delay. This so called “dead man switch” still applies today, in various forms.
As noted by various eye witnesses, many of whom were railway staff, the train appeared to slow correctly when entering platform one, but was seen to be going too fast as it ran along the platform. Indeed one eyewitness – railwayman M.Gordon remarked to a colleague “that train is not going to stop”.
A few seconds later, the leading cab ploughed into the platform 1 buffer assembly, at what is believed to be around 10-15mph. The upper portion of the front coach detached from the bogie assembly and carried on over the concourse, demolishing most of the ticket office and taking out a centre beam before crashing though the front of the building and coming to rest.
The fatality was a Mrs Joyce Carr, who had just bought a ticket from the office. The 13 other injured were taken to Medway hospital, including a near term pregnant woman who gave birth 2 hours later.
The Official Report states the following conclusions to the accident.
The driver – Mr Rothwell, had suffered a head injury at Holborn Viaduct a year earlier, in which he was unconscious for around 8 minutes. After extensive testing and evaluation, he was passed fit to drive again July 1970, and re-examined in October the same year. Another test was planned for April 1971.
Mr Rothwell when interviewed stated that he remembered applying a slow brake to the train when entering the station, but that the next thing he remembered was being slumped over the cab after the accident. This was in agreement with at least two other witnesses who found Mr Rothwell in the cab afterwards
The overall conclusion is that the driver had blacked out, slumping over the controls, thus still providing the connection with the controllers Dead-Man switch. The train carried on at 10-15 Mph, before connecting with the buffers. This caused immediate application of the emergency brake, slowing the rest of the train. Indeed, only the second carriage was further damaged, most of that ending up on the detached bogie of the leading carriage.
Following the disaster, the station building was demolished, and a new one built to the side.
The following are links to the original source for this blog:
Part 3 of my small potted history of my local stations contained within the Medway area.
Chatham station on its current site opened on the 25th January 1858 by the London, Chatham & Dover Railway. This only took the line towards Faversham initially. The station at this time comprised of 3 running platforms, one serving the ‘down’ line towards Faversham. The other was an island platform serving 1 ‘up’ line and the other serving trio of loop sidings. Above the lines, a road bridge crossed, which has stairs down to the platforms and the station building, at this stage at platform level.
The station is situated in a tight cutting, and flanked either end by the Chatham and Fort Pitt tunnels.
Full running from Victoria to Ramsgate was realised from 5th October 1863. Around this time a major remodelling of the station took place. The main change was the addition of a main booking hall over the tracks on the road bridge, and the demolition of the original booking hall on the platform. The sidings were mostly removed at this time, however two still remained adjacent to the ‘up’ and ‘down’ platforms respectively.
Electrification arrived in July 1939, including electric lighting to the platforms. The mechanical signals were removed in 1959, replaced by 3 colour aspect signals, controlled from the new power box at Rochester. Two years later, new buildings on the ‘up’ platform were completed and the station has not really changed since, except the replacement of the signals during 2013-2017.
For more detailed information on Chatham Station, head to Kent Rail Website.
On August 16th 1944, a V-1 ‘doodlebug’ rocket was chased by a Spitfire pilot from Dover. After many unsuccessful attempts to shoot it down, he eventually managed to tip it with his wing, but unfortunately instead of landing in an empty field, the missile landed under the bridge of the railway line at Oak Lane, Upchurch.
It was found that a railway worker sheltering under the bridge was killed instantly. The bridge was totally demolished in the explosion, and unfortunately the 1535 Victoria to Ramsgate was speeding towards it, having just left Rainham. Despite the best efforts of the driver, the train encountered the now demolished bridge. Amazingly the main cab jumped the gap but the tender fell into it and the first few carriages were heavily damaged. In fact the 4th coach ended up straddling the gap completely.
In total 7 passengers lost their lives, they came mainly from the from the front two carriages. Many were severely injured, and were taken to several nearby hospitals. Miraculously the driver and fireman survived.
Being as this was the mainline through to the coast and up to London, after the investigations and clear up were completed, a new bridge was constructed in November 1944 at a cost of £3,800.
Rainham Rail Enthusiast 