RMweb Gold Re6/6 Posted March 11, 2010 RMweb Gold Share Posted March 11, 2010 I was travelling between London and Gillingham and passed over the new CTRL at Northfleet and noticed down on the left hand side a tight 'new' spur which led sharply off the line to 90 degrees to the left and appeared to terminate in a very large blocked up tunnel mouth shaped opening in the high vertical chalk cliff. I was wondering if anybody has any knowledge of what this might be?.....and no, it's not the 'strategic steam loco storage' ! The map here shows nothing of it. It runs to the left of the track panels that were scattered about. Also note the old overgrown line going in a northeasterly direction into the woodland. All a bit puzzling. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jenny Emily Posted March 11, 2010 Share Posted March 11, 2010 I seem to recall a number of years ago staying in the hotel that is directly above the tunnel mouth of which you speak. Back then there was track in place but heavily overgrown to the tunnel. I believe it was once a spur that led to an industrial customer (cement terminal rings a bell, but cannot be sure). It seemed to have been long disused when I was there (about 2001). The new sidings shown on the satellite image look like stabling sidings. I can only guess that any new tracks that have appeared are to do with this. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
stewartingram Posted March 11, 2010 Share Posted March 11, 2010 Strategic Reserve - they are getting ready to drag out the 9F's for further use....possibly as Eurostar Thunderbirds? Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold Ramblin Rich Posted March 11, 2010 RMweb Gold Share Posted March 11, 2010 See eastwestdivide's Challenge layout here http://www.rmweb.co.uk/community/index.php/topic/5795-kent-cement-lament/ - link in the 1st post, I think this is what you saw! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ravenser Posted March 11, 2010 Share Posted March 11, 2010 I was travelling between London and Gillingham and passed over the new CTRL at Northfleet and noticed down on the left hand side a tight 'new' spur which led sharply off the line to 90 degrees to the left and appeared to terminate in a very large blocked up tunnel mouth shaped opening in the high vertical chalk cliff. I was wondering if anybody has any knowledge of what this might be?.....and no, it's not the 'strategic steam loco storage' ! The map here shows nothing of it. It runs to the left of the track panels that were scattered about. Also note the old overgrown line going in a northeasterly direction into the woodland. All a bit puzzling. It's the entrance to the new EuroTorchwood stategic facility. This is where the strategic d+e reserve is kept - class 21s spirited out of Barry, DP2, several of classes 55 and 60, a Shildon /Newport electric converted to 25kV, some 76s (well placed for access to the NS and SNCF 1500V networks) Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
eastwestdivide Posted March 11, 2010 Share Posted March 11, 2010 It looks very confusing - there are stabling sidings already connected up (not in use?), a new spur which isn't connected at all, and some remains of old track. To clarify the title, the spur isn't off the CTRL proper, but off the link between the North Kent line and Ebbsfleet high level. There's a PDF of plans for Northfleet here: http://www.kent-thameside.co.uk/files/downloads/Spotlight.pdf including a map (scroll down) showing the rail link to the new import terminal. Although it's a low resolution, the map *appears* to show the spur not connecting to the CTRL link at all, but going up beside Northfleet station where the old connection was. EDIT: should have read the text, which says exactly that. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
balders Posted March 11, 2010 Share Posted March 11, 2010 http://www.kentrail.co.uk/northfleet_cement_works_new_connection.htm Explains it quite well! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
eastwestdivide Posted October 13, 2011 Share Posted October 13, 2011 Update on Northfleet sidings and terminal - to be used as a staging post for excavated material from Crossrail tunnelling work, before going by ship to Essex. Northfleet works rail link reopening in 2012 (I saw work going on there in September), plus the footbridge over the NK line at the Gravesend side of Northfleet station has been reinstated, which might be a good vantage point for all sorts of activity. It appears that the new/reinstated spur is linked to the NK line, not the spur to HS1. Article here at rail.co Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
ess1uk Posted October 13, 2011 Share Posted October 13, 2011 what a good idea Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
eastwestdivide Posted June 21, 2012 Share Posted June 21, 2012 This spur at Northfleet seems to be in use now for Crossrail spoil, photo here. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Edwin_m Posted June 21, 2012 Share Posted June 21, 2012 There's an article about it in July's Modern Railways, including some cab views of the spur. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brake Compo Posted June 21, 2012 Share Posted June 21, 2012 Officially opened by the Thames Gateway Minister, Bob Neill, today (see photos below), although spoil trains actually started running a few weeks back. A throughly well organised do by Lafarge, much enjoyed by all. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold Re6/6 Posted June 22, 2012 Author RMweb Gold Share Posted June 22, 2012 It's good to see that the question that I put up over two years ago has now been cleared up. (I'd completely forgotten about it!) Thanks all. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fat Controller Posted June 22, 2012 Share Posted June 22, 2012 Do you reckon the 'bookends' in that last photo are twins..? Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
ZippyHG Posted June 22, 2012 Share Posted June 22, 2012 There is also a unused connection from Church Path Pit sidings the turnaround sidings at ebbsfleet, tried to insert bing map but couldn't, and from my experiences of working for the signalling department on the CTRL i believe it was installed in the hope that they would be able to use HS1 to transport the spoil from the Crossrail works. obviously this never went ahead and it comes via the "classic" lines. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brake Compo Posted June 22, 2012 Share Posted June 22, 2012 There is also a unused connection from Church Path Pit sidings the turnaround sidings at ebbsfleet, tried to insert bing map but couldn't, and from my experiences of working for the signalling department on the CTRL i believe it was installed in the hope that they would be able to use HS1 to transport the spoil from the Crossrail works. obviously this never went ahead and it comes via the "classic" lines. My understanding is that Union Railways originally viewed the Church Path Pit area as a potential site for their maintenance facilities, which were later constructed on the much more suitable site at Singlewell. The unbuilt third siding was the last vestige of this scheme and was originally intended to serve a laying out area for prefabricating s&c for renewals in the Ebbsfleet area, this idea was eventually abandoned. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
eastwestdivide Posted December 24, 2012 Share Posted December 24, 2012 Been meaning to post these for a while: I had a wander round Ebbsfleet and Northfleet in the autumn. There's never a better example of the phrase "the wrong side of the tracks". North of the N Kent line (in Northfleet), it's tea and burger vans, south (in Ebbsfleet) it's car parks and cappucinos. Anyway, there are some interesting viewpoints to be had, including this lot showing the "mystery spur", or the Crossrail Northfleet Works Tunnelling Logistics Facility, to give its full name: The former APCM/Blue Circle exchange sidings, looking west, with Northfleet station in the middle distance just below the rightmost pylon, and Ebbsfleet station on the far left: Turning round from the same viewpoint, there's this mishmash of lines. The N Kent line on top, the spur to the former cement works/now logistics facility on the left (connects to the NK line), the unused/under-used Church Path Pit sidings connection curving left (the 20mph sign) coming from the spur from Ebbsfleet to the NK line, then the down spur squeezing through, under and up, and the concrete viaduct for the up spur from the NK line to Ebbsfleet station. Church Path Pit from a down NK train: and the pit from the other side, near the church that it's named after. Taken doing an impression of a ballet dancer with one foot on a fence post, the other sticking out for balance, and leaning on a fence with a sheer drop the other side. zoomed version of the above, showing some of the acres of car parks at Ebbsfleet in the distance, plus the "room for expansion" which might one day become houses/offices. The angled abutment is where the down spur from Ebbsfleet to the NK line goes "under and up". Just to add: I couldn't see any connection between the electrified sidings (which connect with Ebbsfleet and the CTRL) and the spur into the former cement works (which connects to the NK line just to the W of Northfleet station) Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
eastwestdivide Posted December 24, 2012 Share Posted December 24, 2012 Then, walking round to the other side of the tunnel, to the logistics facility by the Thames: Some neat piles of spoil, plus various wagons, and Tilbury container port across the river. And another set of wagons, which had a 66 attached, most of which was out of sight in the tunnel I was out of luck in not seeing a Crossrail train on the move, but an interesting wander round none the less. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold Re6/6 Posted December 24, 2012 Author RMweb Gold Share Posted December 24, 2012 Many thanks for posting. They're fascinating images, answering some of the original questions. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
eastwestdivide Posted December 24, 2012 Share Posted December 24, 2012 And just for luck, a "now and then" shot of what I think is the same service, the Allington-Westbury stone empties, at the same location (the bridge over the curving line into Church Path Pit, in December 1983 and in November 2012. The angle might be a bit different, as that block of flats does still exist, but it's taken off the same footbridge. However, the footbridge has gained a very tight mesh to stop the locals throwing stuff, so I got some interference with the "now" photo from the mesh. A compact camera with a smaller lens would have worked better in this case! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
ess1uk Posted December 27, 2012 Share Posted December 27, 2012 Good stuff. Very interesting. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brake Compo Posted December 27, 2012 Share Posted December 27, 2012 I suppose that it would only be kind to supply a couple of missing photos... (but I am afraid there are very definate limits to what I will post). Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
shanks522 Posted December 27, 2012 Share Posted December 27, 2012 Excellent photo's, thanks for posting. Graham. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
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