East Kent Re-Signalling April 2016

Colin Price returned to East Kent on 13th and 15th April to view the changes after the new signalling had been commissioned over Easter.

The area from Meopham to Teynham is now covered by two new workstations in the East Kent Signalling Centre at Gillingham. The Rochester workstation covers Meopham to Chatham and includes Strood station as far as Higham tunnel. At Luton Arches between Chatham and Gillingham control passes to the Sittingbourne workstation which covers down as far as Teynham and also the Sheerness line. The new bay platform at Rainham has been commissioned and what will become Rochester down loop is currently an 8 car length bay platform facing towards London. The old Rochester signalbox will be dismantled and then the loop extended, scheduled to be done by December 2016.

All photographs on this page are by Colin Price unless otherwise credited.

(above) 13th April, 375705 leading 375901 into Rochester working the 16:07 Victoria - Dover. 375705 along with 375609 are the only units remaining in this livery, 375624 having been to Derby and come back blue.

(below) 13th April, 375603 and 375608 arrive at Rochester on the Up working the 15:54 Ramsgate - Victoria. In the background Rochester box is visible, although work has already started removing it.

(above) On a very wet 15th April, 375609 leads 375804 into Rochester working the 15:45 Ramsgate - Victoria. The newly commissioned signal on the down line is visible.

(below) Still very wet on 15h April, 375923 leads 375627 working the 16:37 Victoria - Dover. This shows the green banner repeater on the up platform, these having been introduced at several locations within the newly resignalled area. (The signal can also be seen reflected in the train windows).

(above) 15th April, 465910 arrives into the bay platform working the 16:34 Victoria - Rochester, the only afternoon train to use this platform, although there were currently three morning services.

(below) On 13th April we move down the line to Rainham. 395027 arrives working the 16:20 Ramsgate - St Pancras. Noticeable is that there is another signal before Newington loops on the down line, the old signal at Rainham had the lunar lights on for the divergence.

(above) 465918 in the new Rainham bay - platform 0 - the only train of the day currently booked to use it. 16:04 Victoria - Rainham then forming 17:38 Rainham - Victoria. On the left 375829 and 375830 depart with the 16:37 Victoria - Dover.

(below) Six and a bit weeks later and in much better weather 395005 reversed in platform 0 during UK Railtours' "A Bridge Too Far" railtour on Saturday 28th May.

photograph by Colin Duff