| Southend Pier Railway | |
| Image Alt: | A narrow gauge train, in green and cream livery, runs along the pier railway in Southend on the right side of the photo. The sky is blue with white fluffy clouds. There are people walking along the pier on the left side of the photo. |
| Type: | Light rail |
| Status: | Operational |
| Locale: | Southend-on-Sea |
| Start: | Shore station |
| End: | Pier Head station |
| Stations: | 2 |
| Routes: | 1 |
| Open: | 28 May 1890 |
| Owner: | Southend-on-Sea City Council |
| Tracks: | 1 |
| Signalling: | Automatic |
| Map State: | collapsed |
The Southend Pier Railway is a narrow gauge railway in the English city of Southend-on-Sea, Essex. It runs for 1.25miles along the 1.34miles length of Southend Pier, providing public passenger transport from the shore to the pier head.
A wooden pier opened in 1830, and a primitive tramway began operating along it in 1846. The pier was replaced by an iron structure around 1889, and a gauge electric tramway was laid along it. This proved popular, and the number of trains gradually increased from one to four, while the number of carriages in each train also increased in stages from one to seven.
In 1949, four new electric trains of seven carriages each were obtained from AC Cars of Thames Ditton, and the old trains were largely scrapped, although some were sold on. These trains continued to work until the 1970s, by which time only two were in service, and the railway closed in 1978, due to its poor state and the cost of repairs. Eight years later, the railway was relaid to gauge, and two new diesel trains were purchased to operate the service. The new railway was opened by Princess Anne on 2 May 1986. In 2020, Southend Council decided to upgrade the rolling stock again, and two battery-electric trains were purchased from Severn Lamb. These were expected to begin operating in mid-2021, but teething problems resulted in them not being fully operational until late 2022.
The original wooden pier built in 1830 employed a tramway from 1846, to convey goods and visitors to the pierhead.[1] It used wooden rails, and luggage was carried on trucks which were pushed along it by hand. There was also a truck fitted with a sail, which could be used when the wind direction was favourable. After being owned by a series of private individuals, the pier was offered to the Southend Local Board (later Southend Borough Council) for £12,000 in December 1873, who paid £10,000 for it after negotiations were completed. Within two years they had replaced the wooden rails with iron ones, and trams were hauled by a pair of horses in tandem. The tramway closed in 1881 due to the poor state of the track, and the problems of the horses putting their hooves through holes in the planks. A suggestion by a councillor to use an elephant instead of horses was not implemented. The tramway had been profitable during its operation, as the Local Board had used the profits to reduce rates significantly.
With the construction of the new iron pier, by 1889, about of gauge single track had been laid and a single toastrack motor car supplied by Falcon Works of Loughborough was run over it. An official opening took place on Friday 2 August 1890, when some of the members of the Local Board, accompanied by Dr Hopkinson and R E B Crompton, representing Messrs Crompton and Company of Chelmsford, who had constructed the pier and railway, travelled the length of the railway in both directions. Three days later on the Bank Holiday Monday, over 3,000 visitors used the railway, with the single car running continuously from 10:15 until 19:30. A further 2,500 sampled its delights on Tuesday.
The motor car was equipped with a motor taking current at 200 V DC from the pier's own generator. The compound-wound generator was belt driven from a Davey, Paxman & Co steam engine with a locomotive-type boiler. Current collection was from a centre rail consisting of a steel channel and copper strip mounted on petticoat insulators, with a carbon brush pickup on the motor cars. The return circuit was through the running rails. In 1890, the single track was completed and two trailer cars acquired to form a three-car train. By 1893, a second train of three cars had been purchased, and a passing loop near the half-way point was added in 1898.
Over the six years from 1893, traffic on the pier had developed to the point where another two trains were needed. At the same time, in 1899, a second generator was provided and the passing loop extended. However, in 1902, Southend Corporation established its own generating station in London Road and the pier plant became redundant and was removed. The new supply was at 500 V DC; so the four motor cars were refitted with new motors rated at each. The trains were made up to four cars each by the purchase of four new trailer cars from the Falcon Works. Trains were extended to five cars in 1909, when the motors were replaced by British Thomson-Houston 27hp motors, and to seven in 1913/14, when a second 27 hp motor was fitted to each motor car. Each train consisted of a non-driving motor in the middle, with three trailers and three driving trailers, although the precise order in which they were marshalled is not documented. The motor cars and two of the driving trailers were enclosed, while the rest of the formation consisted of toastrack vehicles. There were also two double-ended single cars for use in the winter, which had motors and seating for 30 passengers, some of it enclosed but some of it open. Two service vehicles were also used on the line, one to carry luggage and stores, and the other fitted with a water tank.
In 1911 the conductor rail was replaced with 45lb/yard steel rail, similar to the running rails, with new pickups, made of cast iron, being fitted to the motor cars. In 1919, the original track, now twenty years old, needed replacement, so new running and conductor rails were laid throughout the pier.
In 1923, experimental magnetic brakes were fitted to one train set. The experiment was evidently not a success as they were discarded after about a year. At the same time, new wheels with Bessemer steel tyres were fitted to all the cars.
The year 1928 saw the extension of the midway loop by a further and new loops were constructed extending from the North (shore) and South (pier head) stations. The following year these loops were joined up to form a double track railway 93 chains, long, along the length of the pier. The track came out of cover at pile 18, the two signal cabins were at piles 47/48 and 179/180, and the south station was at piles 217 to 225. At some stage, a workshop was built along the west side of the shore station to handle routine maintenance.
During the Second World War the pier was closed to visitors. It was taken over by the Royal Navy on 9 September 1939, and renamed HMS Leigh, and was used as an assembly point for convoys with anti-aircraft guns on the pier head. It was also the main shipping control point for the Thames Estuary.[2] The trains were used to supply the guns with ammunition and ferry casualties ashore from the ships. Masters of passing merchant ships used to complain the trains set off the acoustic aircraft early warning devices fitted to their vessels.
By 1949 the original rolling stock was approaching 60 years old and so it was decided to replace it. New stock was ordered from AC Cars of Thames Ditton, the survivors of which worked the line until its closure in the mid-1970s. Twenty-eight cars were supplied, forming four trains of seven cars each, consisting of three motor cars and four trailer cars in M-T-T-M-T-T-M formation, the motors cars being operated in multiple. Each train could carry up to 260 passengers. At a top speed of, the journey took four minutes each way, and during peak periods a train ran every five minutes, continuing until 11 pm. The record for passengers carried in one day stands at 55,000.[3] [4]
There were three common patterns of operation:
By the 1970s there were only two trains left in service, consisting of cars 1–7 and 22–28. One of the surplus motor cars was converted into a works loco, consisting of a driving cab at the south end and a flat bed mounted on the remainder of the chassis. This was used for the transportation of goods out to the bars and stalls at the end of the pier, and also acted as a permanent way train.
In 1978, the electric railway closed, due to deterioration and the cost of repairs. The 1949-built electric cars were withdrawn, although three preserved examples can be found in the Southend Pier Museum.[5] The trains remained on the pier until 1982, when they were removed for scrapping, although some were rescued.[6] It is noted that in 1982, after rail traffic had ceased, a 2w-2PMR Wickham trolley was present on site, although marked as Out of Use.[7]
During 1985, the railway was rebuilt as a gauge line. The work was undertaken by May Gurney Ltd, and during construction they used Motor Rail 10160 as the site locomotive, which they had acquired from Swinefleet Peat Works in 1984. When completed the railway was reopened by Princess Anne on 2 May 1986.[8] Two new diesel trains were built by Severn Lamb and introduced on a simplified line comprising a single track with a passing loop and twin-track terminal stations.[9] As originally delivered, the trains were liveried in all-over burgundy with a white waist-band, but were repainted to a two-tone blue in 2006, retaining the white waist-band. They also carried a Southend Borough Council logo.
A battery powered single passenger car, built by Castleline of Nottingham, entered service in November 1995 for service in winter. This car is numbered 1835, the year that Southend Pier first appeared on Admiralty charts.[10] There are also several wagons for maintenance trains.
On 9 October 2005, a fire severely damaged much of the pier head including the railway station. The station was temporarily re-sited, until a new and modern structure was opened on the original site in September 2009.[11] [12] Although the passenger trains were not damaged, two wagons used on maintenance trains were destroyed in the fire.
In September 2016, the railway was out of action due to emergency engineering works, though the pier itself was still open to the public.[13] The Pier Railway reopened in late 2016.[14] Two new trains, built by Severn Lamb, were scheduled to replace the 1986 built trains in 2021.[15] [16] A public consultation was hald in 2020, with three possible colour schemes and four designs for the nose cone. 3,466 people responded, and the modern nose cone with traditional green and cream livery were the most popular.[17] The new trains began arriving at the pier on 28 September 2021. They are painted in the green and cream livery carried by the earlier electric trains.[18] They were originally expected to be running in 2021, but delivery was delayed due to a problem with the paint. Commissioning testing took place after they were delivered, which was expected to be completed by February 2022.[19]
The new trains were formally unveilled by Prince Charles and Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall on 1 March 2022, while they were visiting the town to award it city status. Prince Charles named the first train Sir David Amess, after the former MP for the town who was murdered.[20] Further delays occurred, and the first passengers were carried by the new trains on 5 April.[21] There were problems on 28 April, when the doors failed to open and passengers were stuck inside the carriage.[22] Continuing teething problems resulted in the diesel train Sir William Heygate being put back into service in August, while problems with the new stock were rectified.[23] The first electric train returned to service on 22 September 2022, and the service was maintained by continuing to run the diesel train until commissioning of the second electric train was completed.[24]
The line is owned and operated by Southend-on-Sea City Council, and operates every day the pier is open. The normal service uses a single train, and runs every half-hour. As of 2024, the Council no longer state that at peak times a two train service is operated, providing a 15-minute interval service. Trains operate between stations known as Shore and Pier Head with no intermediate stops.[25]
After the reopening on 2 May 1986, the Southend Pier Railway operated two diesel trains, each consisting of a diesel-hydraulic locomotive at the southern end, five trailer coaches and, at the northern end, a driver control unit with passenger space. The two trains were named Sir William Heygate and Sir John Betjeman. The Sir William Heygate remains in service as a reserve train for the time being. The Sir John Betjeman has been decommissioned, the locomotive parked at the pier end station, and the carriage bodies removed from their chassis and reused as waiting shelters at various places in the station and around the pier.[26]
The service is now provided by two battery-electric trains. The first battery-electric train was named Sir David Amess in tribute to the murdered MP, by Prince Charles and Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall at a ceremony to mark the granting of city status to Southend on 1 March 2022.[27] The second train is named William Bradley after the pier head keeper from 1871 to 1891.[28] [29]
A twin-track island platform is provided at each terminus, and there is a passing loop in mid-pier, but otherwise the line is single tracked. The pier head terminus is in the open air, but the shore terminus is enclosed, and also provides rail access to a workshop for maintaining the trains. The Southend Pier Museum is situated below the shore station in the original workshops.[30]
| Class | Image | Type | Top speed | Number | Carriages | Built | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| mph | km/h | |||||||
| Severn Lamb locomotive | Diesel hydraulic locomotive | 10.0 | 16.1 | 2 | 2 sets formed of locomotive, 4 carriages plus 1 driving trailer | 1986 | ||
| AC Cars EMU | Electric multiple unit | 18.0 | 28.9 | 4 | 4 sets with 7 cars each Formation= DM-T-T-DM-T-T-DM | 1949 | ||
| Falcon Works EMU | Electric multiple unit | 4 | 4 sets of 7 cars Formation= DT-T-DT-NDM-T-T-DT | 1890, 1893, 1902, 1909, 1913/14 | ||||
In 1989 a museum was created in the old workshops at the shore end of the pier. As well as documenting the history of the pier, it housed four railway vehicles. Car 6 is one of the Falcon Works vehicles dating from 1890, and there were three of the 1949 AC Cars vehicles, driving motor cars No. 11 and No. 22, and trailer car No. 2.[31] In 2023, the displays were reworked, and two of the 1949 stock cars were removed, to be replaced by the driving trailer car from the 1986 diesel train Sir John Betjeman. In order to do this, part of the side wall of the museum had to be demolished, to provide access. and then rebuilt.[32] Car 22 remains, and the other two went to the Central Nursery, part of the Parks Department, where they joined car 7, which had been there since before 2012.
Two of the Falcon Works trailer cars were purchased by the Volk's Electric Railway in Brighton when they became redundant in 1949. They were regauged to and converted into motor cars numbered 8 and 9. They continued to operate in Brighton until the late 1990s, when they were again retired.[33] Car 8 was returned to Southend to join the Southend Pier Museum collection, but after some years was moved to Sandford Mill for refurbishment. This work was eventually carried out by Alan Keef Ltd in 2018, and the vehicle is displayed inside a glass case at Chelmsford Museum. Car 9 remained at the Volk's Electric Railway, but in 2008 extra storage space was needed. Ownership was transferred to the Volk's Electric Railway Association, which moved it to the South Downs Heritage Centre at Hassocks, where it was expected to be part of a transport display. However, this failed to happen, and it was stored under a tarpaulin for 15 years. In 2023 it was moved back to the Volk's Electric Railway to be part of their 140th anniversary celebrations. Since then, plans have been drawn up to return it to operational service, and it is probable that the centre two bays will be adapted to take passengers in wheelchairs.[34]