Dartford

The Bexleyheath works also included the enlargement of all areas east of the platforms. Two new sidings were laid in the goods yard immediately south of the existing tracks, to serve a row of coal staithes. The goods shed was nearly doubled in length. The small wagon turntable was completely abolished, and the locomotive turntable relocated to the ‘’down’’ side, beyond both river and road bridges. In their place, an eastward-facing bay line was laid behind the ‘’up’’ platform. This siding terminated at cattle pens, and can be regarded as an extension of the goods yard. Sidings within the cutting east of the station were increased in number from two to five. New signalling was provided for this enlarged layout, which included the provision of three signal boxes. The first was erected by independent contractor ‘’Evans, O’Donnell & Co’’ within the fork of the diverging Sidcup and Woolwich lines at Dartford Junction. The second cabin, which became ‘’No. 1 Box’’, was erected on the ‘’up’’ side slope of the embankment, little over 200-yards west of the station. This was an all-timber clapboard affair with a hipped slated roof and sash-style windows, built to the SER’s own in-house design. Finally, ‘’No. 3 Box’’ was located east of the station, on the ‘’down’’ side of the line. It was positioned immediately adjacent to the re-located turntable and, although built to the typical SER design, it featured a brick base and clapboard upper half. Readers will be relieved to know that a track diagram accompanies this description.

The SE&CR Joint Managing Committee was formed in 1899, and within the first ten years of its existence, further modifications were made to the station at Dartford. These included an eastward extension of the ‘’up’’ side canopy, so it once again covered the full extent of the main brick-built station structure. A ''double'' lattice footbridge, partially clad with timber, was erected between the platforms, immediately east of the station structures. This essentially comprised two independent lattice footbridges bolted together – one provided direct access to the ''down'' island from the station forecourt, avoiding platform 1, whilst the second linked both platforms. The canopy of the island platform was completely rebuilt into a pitched roof design, 160-feet in length, and now sported an attractive clover-patterned valance.

Almost immediately after the formation of the Southern Railway, electrification of ex-SE&CR suburban lines using 45-foot-long sections of flat-bottom conductor rail began. The first stage of electrification included the following routes:
 

·        Victoria/Holborn Viaduct to Orpington, via Bickley Junction

·        Catford Loop Line

·        Crystal Palace (High Level) branch

·        Bromley North branch

·        Charing Cross/Cannon Street/London Bridge to Orpington

·        All three North Kent routes to Dartford

At Dartford Junction, construction of a huge steel-framed red-brick substation took place within the fork of the diverging lines, behind the signal box. This contained a trio of 1500kW rotary converters, and converted electrical current, supplied from Deptford Power House, down to 660 volts D.C. All three platform lines at the station were electrified, and the berthing sidings within the cutting to the east of the station equipped with third rail. The platforms received Swan Neck lampposts and ‘’Target’’ name signs and, despite electrification, the turntable alongside ‘’No. 2 Box’’ was retained. A full electric service over the three North Kent routes was to commence in July 1926, but the General Strike between 10th and 16th May of that year forced a small number of electric services to run within steam timings during that period. Temporary electric services again ran from 6th June, when Cannon Street was closed for reconstruction of the approaches. The full electric timetable to Dartford finally came into use on 12th July 1926.

Soon to follow was extension of third rail to Gravesend Central. The current for this section was again supplied from Deptford Power House via Lewisham Distribution Switch Room, in addition to a new substation built at Northfleet. Scheduled electric services through to Gravesend commenced on 6th July 1930, beyond which steam working remained to Maidstone and the Medway Towns. These sections were subsequently electrified in 1939, such services commencing to Maidstone West and Gillingham on 2nd July of that year. Steam working, however, remained over the branch to Grain and Allhallows-on-Sea. At this time, the platforms at Dartford were fitted with concrete bracket lampposts equipped with electric lighting. Furthermore, the eastern end of the island platform was rebuilt using prefabricated concrete.

At this point, mention should also be made of ''The Railway Hotel'', the pub once located on the original Station Approach, directly opposite the clapboard booking hall. This is thought to have opened at the same time as the railway, in 1849. Known in the early years as ''The Railway Tavern'', and latterly carrying suffixes ''Inn'' and ''Hotel'', the pub was originally a substantial three-storey-high building of yellow brick construction, with a hipped slated roof and a tiled façade. It dwarfed the SER booking hall and was larger than the Station Master's house. This pub building survived until about 1938 when, in that year, it was demolished and replaced by a much less imposing brown-brick structure. This is the building which remained in use until spring 2012, when it closed as a pub for good.

During the war years a double-track loop, ⅓-mile in length, was laid between the North Kent and Dartford Loop Lines, creating a triangular junction. This came into use on 11th October 1942 and allowed direct running between the two routes, avoiding the need for a reversing manoeuvre at Dartford. The link was known as the ‘’Dartford Loop’’, confused easily with the ‘Dartford Loop Line’’ via Sidcup. It was commissioned as a precautionary measure: should Blackheath Tunnel be bombed, direct access to Woolwich via an alternate route would still be possible. Austere brick-built signal boxes came into use at either end of the loop to control the junctions with the Woolwich and Sidcup routes; these cabins were named ‘’Crayford Spur A’’ and ‘’Crayford Spur B’’ respectively. After the war, the loop became useful for empty stock movements and services which bypassed Dartford.

In the early 1950s, under British Railways auspices, measures were taken to tackle severe overcrowding on peak-hour services on South Eastern Division suburban lines. The two Bulleid ‘’Double Decker’’ electric sets were deemed an impractical measure, so it was instead decided to run ten-vehicle train formations using 1951-introduced EPB stock. As part of this scheme, work commenced in 1954 to extend the four ‘’up’’ side berthing sidings at Dartford, within the cutting east of the station. Signalling was also rationalised by the closure of ‘’No. 1 Box’’, its functions being taken over by ‘’No. 2 Box’’ on 13th June 1954. Thereafter, points and semaphores at the western end of the station were electrically worked, and between Dartford and Littlebrook Junctions the running lines were track circuited. Littlebrook Junction was located ⅔-mile east of Dartford and had come into use on 3rd October 1937 with a mile-long single-track line to a then new power station out on the marshes. The junction and a trio of sidings were controlled from a signal box positioned on the ‘’up’’ side of the line, this of which was replaced by a ground frame on 28th August 1960. Ten-vehicle formations began running via Bexleyheath, Sidcup, and Woolwich routes on 14th June 1954, 15th June 1955, and 4th March 1957 respectively. It is probable that during these works, the turntable at Dartford was finally removed.

A busy station at the convergence of three commuter routes, Dartford’s major limitation had always been the existence of no more than three platform faces. Eventually, a major reconstruction scheme to improve capacity was enacted, sadly at the loss of much historic SER architecture. A prelude to this was a complete re-signalling of the North Kent routes, which saw the replacement of semaphores with colour lights and the abolition of a multitude of mechanical signal boxes. A new two-storey-high glass-clad ‘’power box’’, measuring 65-feet by 45-feet, was erected on part of the goods yard site, about 40-yards south of the main station building. At this time, the yard was still operational. The ‘’power box’’ came into use on 1st November 1970, superseding the former ‘’No. 2 Box’’ at the station and the cabin at Dartford Junction. Three-aspect colour lights were used from Dartford to Rochester Bridge Junction, whilst westwards from the former on all three North Kent routes, four-aspect colour lights were used. Semaphore signals beyond Northfleet, to Denton Crossing on Gravesend’s eastern peripheral, were not replaced by colour lights until 14th March 1971. Similarly, colour lights were later commissioned on Denton Crossing to Higham and Higham to Rochester Bridge Junction sections on 16th May and 17th November 1971 respectively. The Dartford Panel’s scope extended to Mottingham, Falconwood, and Woolwich Arsenal in the west, and Rochester Bridge Junction in the east. All three lines between Dartford Junction and the station were signalled for reversible running.

The goods yard at Dartford formally closed on 1st May 1972, and it was in this year that reconstruction of the station commenced. All structures on the ‘’up’’ side were obliterated, the footbridge taken down, and a new glazed booking hall, measuring 60-feet by 50-feet, erected 10-yards north of the ‘’power box’’. A fourth track was laid on the former site of the main ‘’up’’ side buildings, and the platform here rebuilt into an island; considerable lengthening took place at its eastern end. The ‘’down’’ island was, too, lengthened at its eastern end, and a 95-foot-long section of the existing SE&CR canopy retained, albeit with simplified timber valance. A 145-foot-long fully enclosed footbridge, complete with lifts, was erected to link both islands with the new booking hall. CLASP offices and waiting rooms came into use on the ‘’up’’ island, and a short corrugated metal canopy, 35-feet in length, was installed at the bottom of the footbridge staircase. A 50-foot-long corrugated metal canopy came into use on the ‘’down’’ island, again at the bottom of the footbridge staircase. The western half of the goods yard site was transformed into a station car park, whilst the eastern portion was sold off and subsequently redeveloped into council offices. The site of ‘’No. 2 Box’’ became host to a CLASP structure used by the permanent way department. The four platform lines, signalled for reversible running, became fully operational on 5th August 1973, but general rebuilding work was still not complete two years later.

In January 2000, the Dartford Area Signalling Scheme got underway, which included the replacement of Dartford Power Box with a new panel installed within Ashford IECC. ‘’Railtrack’’, by then the owner of former British Rail infrastructure, subcontracted this work to ‘’Westinghouse Rail Systems’’. Re-signalling was completed in May 2001.

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