Cliffe Gravel Works

Cliffe Gravel Works

The first line across the Hoo Peninsula was that to Port Victoria on the Isle of Grain, commissioned by the South Eastern Railway on 1st April 1882 in response to the LC&DR’s opening of Queenborough Pier on Sheppey. That was then followed by a branch to Allhallows-on-Sea, opened on 16th May 1932 and terminating to the west of the creek which separates the Isle of Grain from the mainland. In 1950, the oil refineries arrived on the island and Port Victoria closed on 18th June of the following year, although the wooden pier had for long been abandoned, it having rotted beyond repair.

This section aims to illustrate one of the Hoo Peninsula's younger spurs, the interesting single-track branch to Cliffe Gravel Works. The branch had started life serving the Portland Cement Works in 1961, when cement trains were initiated between Cliffe and Uddingston, Glasgow. The line remained in this capacity only until 1969, when the chalk pits at the site were exhausted and then flooded, the cement operation here ceasing: Northfleet became the main rail hub for this commodity the following year. The pits were flooded even with some of the cranes and machinery left in them - in one particular pit at least, a crane can be seen rising out from beneath the water! In 1970 the former cement works was taken over by Marinex Gravel Ltd, which used the location as a base for receiving gravel which had been dredged from the bed of the Thames. On the Thames, immediately adjacent to Cliffe Fort, deep water jetties were erected to moor ships which had been involved in sea dredging. These ships comprise of ''scoop'' apparatus which allows them to excavate gravel from the seabed, this of which is subsequently stored in the hull and then conveyed to the aforementioned jetties. Being deep water piers, ships can moor at any time, regardless of the tide. Between the jetties and the gravel works, there is a one mile long conveyer belt which transports the accumulated gravel from the moored ships to the works complex. At the works the gravel is then filtered between further conveyers, which ultimately pour the aggregate into waiting hopper wagons, these of which primarily have three destinations: Purley, Crawley and Stewarts Lane. The trio are holding sidings, where trains are re-marshalled into other formations for destinations elsewhere - it is known that ''London Concrete'' are at least based at Stewarts Lane.

Cliffe Gravel Works

The present layout at the gravel works. Drawn by David Glasspool

24th February 1998

On a Tuesday afternoon, Electro-Diesel Nos. 73131 and 73128 are seen positioning empty hoppers at the gravel

terminal, after arriving with the 09:36 working (6Y94) from Purley and Salfords. From Hoo Junction onwards,

the pair had been running on diesel power. © David Glasspool Collection

3rd July 1999

This first picture, showing the beginning of the walk to the gravel works, reveals that a farmer has utilised a

duo of redundant ventilated van bodies, to provide storage in a field. This field is located on the Higham side

of the level crossing in the next picture. Mike Glasspool

12th September 2007

We begin our look at the branch to Cliffe at the field level crossing. This is a northward view, with the parish

of Higham behind us. To the left, the branch heads to Hoo Junction, and to the right onwards to Cliffe and

Grain. David Glasspool

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