Hi all,
Nice to read a thread about an interesting line little known outside of "Southern" circles. I was a secondman at Gillingham from 1987-91 and the service was mainly formed of 2 EPB's apart from one through Maidstone West to Charing Cross service in the morning rush hour which was an 8 CEP. When the EPB's went, the services were either CEP or VEP stock until 466's took over. Freight was still farely regular with Allington having stone trains with if I remember rightly either Class 56 then later 59's with Hither Green crews, twice weekly was a coal train to Brookgate Sidings (Kimberley Clark Paper Mill) accessed by reversing at New Hythe station, this was 56 hauled and was a Gillingham crew throughout (3.30 am start then pass to Hither Green and work the train via Sevenoaks and then up to Strood with the empty MGR where it went driver Only to Hither Green). I can dimly remember picking up the odd wagon of fertilizer from a dock siding at Maidstone West, there was also cement workings from the works at Halling (accessed through a ground frame released from Cuxton box). In addition were the numerous engineering trips from Hoo Jcn to Tonbridge & west Peckham Tip. It was a nice line to work with a family feel about it, shame to see the semaphores go as well as most of the "proper" freight.