[Piermaster]

Another lot of pics from me, this time from Southend Pier Railway:

1949 stock (3ft 6in gauge 3rd rail electric) Motor Flat Car no.8 converted in 1970 from a driving motor car and now preserved at Mangapps, Burnham on Crouch.

Southend Pier's stations are officially named, but don't carry nameboards! This is North Station at the shore end with both 1986 stock (3ft gauge diesel) trains.

The mid-point passing loop of this 1.38 mile long pier.

South Station at pier head in January 2006, following the October 2005 fire

1986 Severn-Lamb 7-car diesel train in original livery bowling along Southend Pier.

Although I am a Scot, I was dragged up in Southend and now live 80+ miles away, but still get there about 3 or 4 times a year.

Dave.

 

[Geoff]

QUOTE (Piermaster @ 19 Sep 2007, 21:45) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>Another lot of pics from me, this time from Southend Pier Railway:

Snip

South Station at pier head in January 2006, following the October 2005 fire
Although I am a Scot, I was dragged up in Southend and now live 80+ miles away, but still get there about 3 or 4 times a year.

Dave.

As a Southend resident it was good to see pictures of the trains on our famous pier! Though following the last fire the pier head station has been completely demolished and the trains stop at a makeshift 'halt' about 100 meteres short of where the station used to be.

There is very little left now at the end of the pier, but I believe there are plans to rebuild and restore it. However this hasn't stopped the large number of visitors to the attraction either walking the 1.3 miles or riding the famous trains!

Perhaps I should go and take some more pictures for you?

Geoff

 

[7113]

Yet another interesting series of shots, I thought that the passing loop was interesting, especially in the light of a thread elsewhere on painting rails.

Regards

 

[7113]

damnation - double posted.................

Regards

 

[Thunder]

when we went for a day out it was allways southend, and i pestered mum and dad to let us travel on the pier train, i remember it as being a twin track, and had about 5 trains operating at once, maybe old age is catching up with me, nict to see the photos thou, any of it in its hey days?

 

[Geoff]

Good website here:

http://www.greywall.demon.co.uk/rail/spr.html

Gives the history and more pics of the Southend pier trains for those of you who are interested!

Geoff

 

[Brian Considine]

Thanks for the interesting link Geoff.

 

[pedromorgan]

thanks for the pictures.

I visited last year about 2 weeks before the fire. i noticed that the old car that was on display had been removed. do you know if it has been scrapped? it was in a very sorry state when i saw it the year before.

Peter

 

[Piermaster]

Thanks for the comments.

Thunder: There were 4, 7 car electric trains running on double track connected by scissors crossovers 400 yards from each station.

Pedromorgan: The preserved 'Toastrack' car dates from 1898 and saw service on Brighton's Volk's Railway from 1949 to 2001. After incurring heavy vandalism at Southend, the car is now at the Chelmsford Museum of Science & Industry, Sandford Mill, Chelmsford. The reason for being there is that it has Crompton Parkinson traction equipment and Crompton Parkinson was a Chelmsford company.

Some more pics for you all:

1986 built Train B 'Sir William Heygate' (named after Mayor of Southend who proposed the first pier back in the 1820s) in latest livery in October 2006.

Train B at the temporary South Station.

Castleline 3-axle battery railcar '1835' (after the year Southend Pier was first incorporated on Admiralty Charts) at temporary South Station in January 2006.

And there'll be more to follow!

Dave.

 

[Piermaster]

And now for the only funicular in the Eastern Counties!

The only funicular railway in Eastern England is the Southend Cliff Lift, built in 1912, it is 130 feet long and climbs 57 feet. The single car runs on 4ft 6in gauge track with a 1ft 9in gauge counterbalance beneath the main track.

Close-up of the two gauges (4ft 6in above and 1ft 9in in trough).

This railways has been closed for 5 years for refurbishment and awaiting spare parts for the car! It's another example of Southend Borough Council's clueless management styles!!

Dave.

 

[Geoff]

QUOTE (Piermaster @ 28 Sep 2007, 09:16) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>And now for the only funicular in the Eastern Counties!

[snip]

This railways has been closed for 5 years for refurbishment and awaiting spare parts for the car! It's another example of Southend Borough Council's clueless management styles!!

Dave.

Whilst I won't comment on Southend Borough Council's management style - I will say that the whole Cliff Lift looks so much better after the long refurbishment - even though it is still not running yet! It was looking very run down and derelict before the refurb.

Let's hope the spare parts arrive soon and it can regain it's former glory!

Geoff

 

[John Webb]

Re the Cliff lift - there appear to be two conductor rails on insulators close to the 4ft 6in running rails. Are these supplying power to the car for movement or just for lighting and/or signalling?

Regards,
John

 

[mikeyh]

Thankyou for this posting' as an ex-londoner (now living in France) Southend was our holiday resort. I have many memories of the pier and its railway. I had thought of modelling it in n gauge but it's just too big!

 

[7113]

Anyone got any piccies of the Folkestone one then?

Regards

 

[dwb]

QUOTE Anyone got any piccies of the Folkestone one then?
We haven't visited there yet, but I think my wife has a photo of the lift at Hastings. Then there's Bournemouth...

David

 

[Thunder]

Is it my imagination,or has the pier been reduced in width? there used to be double running track along the pier, but looking at the photos posted, there now only seems to be room for a single track what happened, or have i got it totally wrong

 

[Piermaster]

In answer to your questions:

Geoff: Southend Borough Council has always been noted for its indecision, even in the days of being a County Borough it still didn't know what to do with the town and pier - they tried to kill off its East End holiday town image to turn it into either another Bournemouth or a London commuter suburb - hence the widescale demolition of the town centre in the 60s and 70s.

John Webb: The insulated conductor rails are for the controller to operate and regulate the cable drum underneath the upper station. The car never ran in the dark!

Mikeyh: Southend Pier is 1.38 miles long, in 1:148 N it would be 49 ft 2.79 ins long!!! My Walmington Pier in HO equates at 261 feet or 0.049 miles long!

BRITHO/dwb: I've been on the Folkestone one which is water powered and Folkestone MRC have a beautiful O scale model of it as it was when built.

Thunder: The pier's structure is full width but the decking is for single track and full width is used for North Station and passing loop.

Full width used in loop area and in foreground, single track width with adjacent redundant steelwork.

The redundant structure is retained in case of double-tracking.

Hope this lot answers all your questions.

Dave.

 

[John Webb]

Dave,
Many thanks - this operating system makes the Southend cliff lift quite unusual, if not unique - most such lifts have the controller at the upper station and an attendent in the car(s) just to open and shut doors and signal to the controller when all is ready for the next move.

I recall in the fourth and fifth years at school (1961/2ish) we went to Southend for a day out towards the end of the Summer term - I always headed to the pier to see how quickly I could walk to the seaward end and then enjoy the train ride back. No camera at that time, alas! But I never spotted this cliff lift - what a shame.

Regards,
John

 

[bike2steam]

Ah memories, now as an 'Essex Boy' I have fond memories of days out to Southend in the 50's, and 60's, and many rides on the pier. Now talking about Funicular railways I spend hot summer days at a shared beach hut by Fisherman's Walk, Southbourne (Bournemouth), and my favourite place for weekends away is Lynmouth- now there is a magic place for it's spectacular funicular (?)
Paul

 

[7113]

As I will be in Folkestone this weekend for the annual exhibition I shall attempt to take a couple of shots of the funicular.

Regards