Southern Electric Group
Kent Coast Electrification Scheme
(Part 8)
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Southern Electric GroupKent Coast Electrification Scheme
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Although travellers to the Continent could make use of the regular express electric services to the ports of Dover and Folkestone, special provision was made for travellers to/from London in the electrification scheme. Mention has already been made of the motor luggage vans (MLV’s) built for this traffic, and in 1968 these were joined by 6 trailer luggage vans, or TLV’s.
The TLVs were 6 former BG (full brake) vehicles, numbered 80915/18, 80922/25/42/51, which were converted to work in multiple with the MLV’s, the normal formation of a boat train being, from the London end, MLV-TLV-Cep-Bep-Cep. The TLV’s were not provided with driving equipment. The vehicles were numbered in series 68201-06 and, like the MLV’s, carried no unit -lumbers. They provided additional luggage space to deal with an increasing level of traffic to the Continent, whilst avoiding the problems which had occurred when services had been operated using 2 MLV’s. (The latter arrangement was wasteful in itself, giving an unnecessary power-to-weight ratio, and when such a formation started from rest close to a sub-station, the circuit breakers therein came close to ‘tripping out’.)
The TLV’s did not have a long life, since they became the subject of an industrial dispute—EMU drivers considered the vehicles to be hauled vehicles and objected to carrying out coupling and uncoupling duties. Shunting personnel, on the other hand, did not like dealing with what they considered to be EMU vehicles. In consequence, the TLV’s were withdrawn early in 1975, and stored at Chart Leacon depot. Official withdrawal occurred in May of that year.
During the winter months, from the start of the Kent Coast electric services, 3 boat trains were provided from Victoria to Dover departing at 1000, 1030 and 1500, and to Folkestone departing at 0900 and 1530. In the summer, from June to September, additional services were provided to Dover, departing Victoria at 0800, 1430 and 2300.
In addition there were 2 Continental services of special note, these being the all-Pullman “Golden Arrow” and the “Night Ferry”, both of which were hauled by the new electric locomotives. The “Golden Arrow” for Paris usually consisted of 8 Pullman Cars, leaving London for Dover Marine at 1100, the connecting service reaching Paris at 1750. The through “Night Ferry” service ran to both Paris and Brussels via the Dover—Dunkerque train ferry and, until the advent of the Channel Tunnel, was the only through international service to operate in Britain. The service left Victoria nightly at 2000, arriving at Brussels Midi at 0858 and Paris Nord at 0900, the service running as 2 trains from Dunkerque. The “Night Ferry” comprised Wagon-Lits International sleeping cars and French luggage vans built specially to British loading gauge, together with ordinary coaching stock on either side of the Channel. Only the sleeping cars and luggage vans operated through from London to the Continent. Similar services operated in the reverse direction, of course. Both the “Golden Arrow” and “Night Ferry” are now trains of the past; the last “Golden Arrow” having run, on 30th September 1972 and the “Night Ferry” being withdrawn on 31st October 1980.
The electrification scheme produced a major increase -‘in traffic on the lines covered. During the 9 months following the introduction of Phase One services, traffic levels as measured by numbers of tickets sold increased by 32%. Certain stations showed quite spectacular increases in ticket sales—at Canterbury West, for example, sales increased by 49.5% comparing the first 9 months of electrification with the previous 9 months, whilst at Teynham the corresponding figure was 155%.
As stated at the start of this article it is intended to look at developments since 1962 to bring up to date the story of the development of railways in “The Garden of England” and so set the scene for a short glimpse into the future.
Firstly, the position regarding signalling. The following sections of line retained their semaphore signalling following electrification:
Of these sections, the only one to have been converted to colour light signalling is that from Otford to Ashford, where a new panel has been installed in the old box at Maidstone EaSt This scheme was commissioned during 1983-84 and provided for the abolition of the boxes at Barming, West Malling, Bearsted, Hollingbourne, Charing and Lenham. An intermediate box still remains at Hothfield, between Charing and Ashford, to control access to the Tarmac stone terminal there.
No resignalling schemes have appeared for the other sections mentioned above, although all semaphore signals at Minster were replaced with colour light signals from 5th April 1982 after remodelling work. The commissioning of the new Dartford power box in 1970/71 had a minor effect on the lines electrified in the Kent Coast scheme, just meeting those lines at Rochester Bridge Junction.
The major works of resignalling on the Victoria—Ramsgate and Charing Cross—Dover lines have, in both cases, taken place at the London end of the lines. The London Bridge scheme affected the main line from Charing Cross and Cannon Street to Elmstead Woods, and in particular was designed to increase traffic flow through the bottleneck of Borough Market Junction west of London Bridge where only one up and one down line give access to/from Charing Cross. Of those boxes built under Phase Two of the Kent Coast scheme, only Hither Green was superceded by the new panel. The scheme was commissioned between January and May 1976, as far as the main line was concerned.
The establishment of the new Victoria Area Signalling Centre at Clapham junction principally affected Phase One lines, and of the boxes built at that time Factory Jn, Shepherds Lane, Herne Hill, Beckenham Jn and Shortlands Jn were abolished. The Eastern panel at Victoria was Commissioned between May 1979 and June 1983.
Having discussed the alterations which have taken place on the signalling front, it is now convenient to turn to rolling stock developments. The short history of the TLV has already been mentioned, and the MLV are still operating as they have done throughout their lives, and indeed look like continuing to do so for the foreseeable future.
The principal developments concerning the passenger-carrying vehicles during the period since electrification have been the comprehensive refurbishment of the 4Cep and 4Bep units, withdrawal of buffet facilities from South Eastern Division services, and progressive reduction and eventual elimination of the 2Hap fleet from Kent. Replacement 4Vep units displaced 2Hap’s to other parts of the Southern, and their conversion to 2Sap and 4Cap.