Sheerness line

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Sheerness line
Swale - one of the least used stations in England (geograph 3151710).jpg
Swale station, with the Sheppey Crossing (l) and Kingsferry Bridge (r)
Overview
StatusOperational
Owner Network Rail
Locale Kent
South East England
Termini
Service
Type Suburban rail, Heavy rail
System National Rail
Operator(s) Southeastern
Rolling stock Class 375
Technical
Line length7 mi 52 ch (12.3 km)
Track gauge 1,435 mm (4 ft 8+12 in) standard gauge
Operating speed75 mph (121 km/h)
Route map
Sheerness line.png
(Click to expand)
Sheerness-on-Sea railway station Sheerness-on-Sea railway station in 2008.jpg
Sheerness-on-Sea railway station
The Kingsferry Bridge Kingsferry Bridge - geograph.org.uk - 4251.jpg
The Kingsferry Bridge

The Sheerness line is located in Kent, England, and connects Sheerness-on-Sea on the Isle of Sheppey with Sittingbourne on the mainland, and with the Chatham Main Line for trains towards London, Ramsgate or Dover Priory. It opened on 19 July 1860.

Contents

History

The Sheerness branch line opened on 19 July 1860, [1] from Sittingbourne to, at first, a station in the Blue Town area of Sheerness, close to the southern edge of the Royal Navy dockyard. In 1883 a further station was added at Sheerness-on-Sea, accessed by a reversing curve from the original station, which was renamed Sheerness Dockyard. At this time, all trains had to run first to the Dockyard station, then reverse (after the engine had changed ends) to Sheerness-on-Sea, and vice versa for the return journey. The original line was built by the independent Sittingbourne and Sheerness Railway company, and taken over by the London, Chatham & Dover Railway (LC&DR) in 1876. After 1899, it was run by the South Eastern & Chatham Railway, formed by the working union of the LC&DR with the South Eastern Railway.

In 1902 the so-called Navy Tram Road was constructed from the Dockyard station into HM Dockyard for the transfer of good wagons. In 1922 a direct line to Sheerness-on-Sea station was built, bypassing the older station, from which date all passenger trains ran to the newer station, and the Dockyard station was used only by goods trains. Sheerness-on-Sea station remains open, but the Dockyard station was closed to all traffic in about 1968. Its site is now occupied by sidings serving Sheerness Steel, but the former Navy Tram Road still exists. The Royal Navy dockyard closed in 1961, but the rail link was kept in the belief it would continue to serve the new commercial docks on the former Navy site. [2] [3]

The line was electrified by British Railways on 15 June 1959 as part of the "Kent Coast electrification" in the 1955 Modernisation Plan. [4]

Accidents and incidents

Train services

Train services on the line are operated by Southeastern. From December 2019, three-car Class 375/3 Electrostars have operated on the line, replacing two-car Class 466 units. [9]

Sheppey Light Railway

There was a branch line from Queenborough to Leysdown, opened in 1901 and closed 1950 – see the Sheppey Light Railway.

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Isle of Sheppey</span> Island off the coast of Kent, England

The Isle of Sheppey is an island off the northern coast of Kent, England, neighbouring the Thames Estuary, centred 42 miles (68 km) from central London. It has an area of 36 square miles (93 km2). The island forms part of the local government district of Swale. Sheppey is derived from Old English Sceapig, meaning "Sheep Island".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Queenborough</span> Town in Kent, England

Queenborough is a town on the Isle of Sheppey in the Swale borough of Kent in South East England.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sheerness</span> Town in Kent, England

Sheerness is a port town and civil parish beside the mouth of the River Medway on the north-west corner of the Isle of Sheppey in north Kent, England. With a population of 13,249, it is the second largest town on the island after the nearby town of Minster which has a population of 16,738.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">London, Chatham and Dover Railway</span> British pre-grouping railway company (1859–1899/1922)

The London, Chatham and Dover Railway was a railway company in south-eastern England. It was created on 1 August 1859, when the East Kent Railway was given parliamentary approval to change its name. Its lines ran through London, and northern and eastern Kent, to form a significant part of the Greater London commuter network. The company existed until 31 December 1922, when its assets were merged with those of other companies to form the Southern Railway as a result of the grouping determined by the Railways Act 1921.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">South Eastern and Chatham Railway</span> British railway union

The South Eastern and Chatham Railway Companies Joint Management Committee (SE&CRCJMC), known as the South Eastern and Chatham Railway (SE&CR), was a working union of two neighbouring rival railways, the South Eastern Railway (SER) and London, Chatham and Dover Railway (LC&DR), which operated between London and south-east England. Between 1899 and 1923, the SE&CR had a monopoly of railway services in Kent and to the main Channel ports for ferries to France and Belgium.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sheppey Light Railway</span>

The Sheppey Light Railway was a railway on the Isle of Sheppey, Kent, England, which ran from Leysdown to Queenborough, where it connected with the South Eastern and Chatham Railway's Sheerness Line. It was engineered by Holman Fred Stephens and opened in August 1901 and closed on 4 December 1950. Originally there were stations at Sheerness East, East Minster on Sea, Minster on Sea, Eastchurch and Leysdown. Two halts were opened in 1905 at Brambledown and Harty Road.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Elmers End station</span> British railway station

Elmers End is a railway station and tram terminus in Elmers End, south London, England. It is in the London Borough of Bromley and on the railway it is 11 miles 7 chains (17.8 km) down the line from London Charing Cross.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">East Kent Railway</span>

The East Kent Railway (EKR) was an early railway operating between Strood and Faversham in Kent, England, during 1858 and 1859. In the latter year it changed its name to the London, Chatham and Dover Railway to reflect its ambitions to build a rival line from London to Dover via Chatham and Canterbury. The line as far as Canterbury was opened in 1860 and the extension to Dover Priory on 22 July 1861. The route to London Victoria station via the Mid-Kent line and the West End of London and Crystal Palace Railway opened on 1 November 1861.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Chatham Main Line</span> Main railway line in south-east England

The Chatham Main Line is a railway line in England that links London Victoria and Dover Priory / Ramsgate, travelling via Medway.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sittingbourne railway station</span> Railway station in Kent, England

Sittingbourne railway station is on the Chatham Main Line and the Sheerness Line in north Kent. It is 44 miles 59 chains (72.0 km) down the line from London Victoria. Train services are provided by Southeastern. Ticket barriers are sometimes in operation, depending on the time of day.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dover Priory railway station</span> Railway station in Kent, England

Dover Priory railway station is the southern terminus of the South Eastern Main Line in England, and is the main station serving the town of Dover, Kent, the other open station being Kearsney, on the outskirts. It is 77 miles 26 chains (124.4 km) down the line from London Victoria. The station and all trains that serve the station are operated by Southeastern. This station is a 25 min walk away from the Ferry Port.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tonbridge railway station</span> Railway station in Kent, England

Tonbridge railway station is on the South Eastern Main Line in England, serving the town of Tonbridge, Kent. It is 29 miles 46 chains (47.6 km) from London Charing Cross via Sevenoaks. Trains calling at the station are operated by Southeastern and Southern.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kemsley railway station</span> Railway station in Kent, England

Kemsley railway station is on the Sheerness Line in north Kent, England, and serves the village of Kemsley. It is 45 miles 20 chains (72.8 km) down the line from London Victoria. Train services are provided by Southeastern.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Swale railway station</span> Railway station in north Kent, England

Swale railway station is in north Kent, England, on the Sheerness Line 47 miles 15 chains (75.9 km) from London Victoria, at the southern end of the Kingsferry Bridge which, along with the more modern Sheppey Crossing, connects the Isle of Sheppey to mainland Kent. The nearest settlement is Iwade. Train services are provided by Southeastern.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sheerness-on-Sea railway station</span> Railway station in Kent, England

Sheerness-on-Sea railway station is on the Sheerness Line in north Kent, England, and serves the town of Sheerness. It is 51 miles 19 chains (82.5 km) down the line from London Victoria.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Queenborough railway station</span> Railway station in Kent, England

Queenborough railway station is on the Sheerness Line, on the Isle of Sheppey in northern Kent, and serves the town of Queenborough. It is 49 miles 22 chains (79.3 km) down the line from London Victoria.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kingsferry Bridge</span> Road-rail bridge in Kent, England

The Kingsferry Bridge is a combined road and railway vertical-lift bridge which connects the Isle of Sheppey to mainland Kent in South East England. The seven-span bridge has a central lifting span which allows ships to pass.

Transportation needs within the county of Kent in South East England has been served by both historical and current transport systems.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Queenborough Pier railway station</span> Former railway station in England

Queenborough Pier railway station was a railway station opened by the London, Chatham and Dover Railway in 1863. Initially serving for freight, it was extended in 1876 and opened for passengers. The passenger service ceased in 1914, due to World War I, although Admiralty passenger traffic continued to use the station. Attempts to reintroduce a passenger service post-WWI were unsuccessful. The station continued to serve freight traffic until the mid-1950s.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sheerness Dockyard railway station</span> Former railway station in England

Sheerness Dockyard railway station was the original terminus of the Sheerness line. It was built by the Sittingbourne & Sheerness Railway and opened in 1860. The station closed for passengers in 1922, closed for freight in 1963 and the buildings were demolished in 1971.

References

Commons-logo.svg Media related to Sheerness Line at Wikimedia Commons

Citations
  1. White 1976, p. 93.
  2. Mitchell, Vic; Smith, Keith (July 1993). Branch Lines Around Sheerness. Middleton Press. ISBN   1-873-793-16-2.[ figure needed ]
  3. Gray, Adrian (1984). The London, Chatham & Dover Railway. Meresborough Books. ISBN   0905270-886.[ page needed ]
  4. "Branch to Sheerness". Railway Magazine. Vol. 128, no. 971. March 1982. p. 112. ISSN   0033-8923.
  5. Bradley, D.L. (March 1979) [1960]. The Locomotive History of the London, Chatham & Dover Railway (2nd ed.). London: RCTS. p. 55. ISBN   0-901115-47-9. OCLC   59838998.
  6. "King's Ferry Bridge seriously damaged". The Times. No. 43217. London. 18 December 1922. col A, p. 9.
  7. Kidner, R. W. (1985). Southern Railway Halts. Survey and Gazetteer. Headington, Oxford: The Oakwood Press. p. 56. ISBN   0-85361-321-4.
  8. Moody, G. T. (1979) [1957]. Southern Electric 1909-1979 (Fifth ed.). Shepperton: Ian Allan Ltd. p. 212. ISBN   0-7110-0924-4.
  9. Nurden, John (12 December 2019). "Santa to ride new Sheppey trains this Saturday". KentOnline. KM Group. Retrieved 5 December 2020.
Sources