European Railroad Discussion > In the Garden of England

About four weeks ago following a routine inspection, Network Rail placed a ban on locomotive hauled trains on a steel truss viaduct crossing the South Eastern Mainline at Lewisham in SE London, on account of significant and previously undetected corrosion. Whilst they work out what to do the freight operators have been forced into some elaborate and lengthy diversions. So on Wednesday I caught a train from Charing Cross to Tonbridge, and from there to Maidstone West, returning to Sevenoaks and, finally, Paddock Wood to get some shots of the diversions.

First off was the 6U40 Hither Green to Stewarts Lane. This train loads at Angerstein Wharf and recesses at Hither Green overnight. Normally Hither Green to Stewarts Lane via Lewisham is about five or six miles, the diversion is around 80 miles! Here it is about 2/3rds of the way round its magical mystery tour of Kent, approaching Tonbridge whilst being overtaken by the 08:14 Hastings to Charing Cross.

After hanging around Tonbridge and the GBRf West Yard for an hour or so I caught a Medway Valley train to Maidstone, where I shot the 6Y93 Purley to Cliffe empty hoppers, here approaching Maidstone West station.

And this is a Medway Valley train, a Southeastern Bombardier-built three car class 375, pulling in to Maidstone West from the direction of Strood.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 11/06/16 07:59 by 86235.

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Back at Tonbridge one of the numerous Railhead treatment Trains arrived back from its morning circuit with 66718 Sir Peter Hendy topping and 66713 Forest City tailing the flats carring the tanks and water jets

Two trains were due through just after lunch, one - the GBRf operated 4Y19 empty gypsum containers - is normally routed through Tonbridge the other, 59101 on the 6V18 Allington stone terminal to Whatley Quarry is one of the diversions. They both approached Tonbridge together, the latter overtaking the former.

Finally another GBRf working, running about 50 minutes late. The 6Z92 Bow to Tonbridge West Yard approaching Sevenoaks off the line from Swanley via Bat and Ball.

It was a most enjoyable day, feeling cooler than of late, possibly a portent of things to come?

Other pictures from the last week are here: https://nick86235.smugmug.com/Trains/2016/Autumn-2016/i-HJ45Wdc



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 11/06/16 08:05 by 86235.

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Very interesting photos.  Especially like those with Class 66 units.
ALLEN

Another great set of photos, I always look forward to your postings.

Malcolm
New Zealand

Nick - killer photos, as usual!

Thanks, it was a good day as the trains behaved themselves, which isn't always the case.

Anytime I see a posting from you Nick, I always open.  What blows me away is the complicated trackwork in England. Between the third/fourth rail electric to just straight standard gauge stuff, crossings and line mergers are increadably complex, a modellers dream.

Keep them coming...

CPRR Wrote:
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> Anytime I see a posting from you Nick, I always
> open.  What blows me away is the complicated
> trackwork in England. Between the third/fourth
> rail electric to just straight standard gauge
> stuff, crossings and line mergers are increadably
> complex, a modellers dream.

Thanks. I think it is especially so on the lines of the former South Eastern and Chatham Joint Committee in Kent in SE England. The two companies that made up the SE&CR were never very prosperous, there's no heavy industry in SE England and, until WW1, no coal so neither company - the South Eastern and the London, Chatham and Dover - made much money, in fact the LC&D went bankrupt in the 1860s. And to make matters worse they indulged in almost open warfare, building hopelessly loss making lines simply to get one over on the other. When they eventually formed a partnership (the SE&CR) in 1899 there was little money for grade separation improvements or electrification, consequently there are numerous flat junctions everywhere. Great to look at and model, but awful to operate day in, day out with the sort of intensive service that Southeastern runs today.