Southend Pier Railway

By 1889 about ¾ mile of single track had been laid and a single motor car was run over it. This was equipped with a 13hp motor taking current at 200v dc from the pier`s own generator. The compound wound generator being belt driven from a Davey & Paxman 25hp 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 1¼ mile single track was completed and two trailer cars acquired to form a three-car train. In 1893 a passing loop had been completed and a second train of three cars added.

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 (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 disposed of. The new supply was at 500v dc so the four motor cars were refitted with new motors rated at 18hp each. The trains were made up to four cars each by the purchase of four new trailer cars.

In 1909 a further four trailer cars were purchased to form four trains of five cars each. The motor cars proved to be underpowered for this load and in 1910 each motor car was refitted with twin BTH 27hp motors. 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 1914 another eight cars were purchased and the trains made up to seven cars each. 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 150 yards 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 but was used as an assembly point for convoys with anti-aircraft guns on the pier head. The trains were used to supply them with ammunition and ferry casualties ashore from the ships.

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 Ltd of Thames Ditton, the survivors of which worked the line until its closure in the mid seventies. 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. There were three common patterns of operation:

• Peak: all four trains in service. At any time two trains would be moving, one in each direction, while two more were sitting at the stations. As a train was on its way in to a station, the waiting train would depart, so passengers arriving at a station would normally - but not guaranteed - find a train waiting.
• Off-peak: two trains were sitting locked up, while the other two ran a service.
• Low season: one train ran a shuttle service on one track while all the other trains were stored, at one end or the other, on the other track.

The pier and railway featured in the opening titles of the Thames TV series Minder

The pierhead was badly damaged by fire on the evening of Sunday 9th October 2005, the South station being one of the structures destroyed, along with a pub and restaurant. As a result the pier, with its railway, was closed until August 2006. The train service currently operates as far as the landward end of the damaged area.

From November to March trains operate on Weekends and School Holidays only.

The latest information can be obtained from the Southend-on-Sea Borough Council Website.