Guess the Place

[John Walker]

Somewhere between Rainham and the River Medway?

[Stewie]

Happy though I am to continue with railway themed GTP's I have the following for your enjoyment! Mrs Stewie and myself went for a circular walk on Sunday before enjoying tea in a very nice tea shop. On our walk we passed this pill box. Not really my thing but doubtless someone on here can fill in the details.
So, where was I when I took this picture?

[johnfilmer]

My family moved to a bungalow about a mile towards Rainham from Newington, with our back garden ending at the base of the railway embankment, in April 1958. There were two signals on the down line just before the bridge over Breach Lane, where many freight trains would be kept awaiting the faster passenger trains to pass.

My bedroom was the only one to face towards the line, which was quite spectacularly illuminated by arc lights and welding flashes as the new rails went in.

The embankments were then relatively new, so were only grass (and an amazing display of escaped lupins) which used to get burnt off occasionally.

[John Walker]

Thanks Stewie - very interesting.

Reminds me of my train spotting days in the 50s when we used to travel to the busy Ashford Station.  Quite often a slow train would pull into the platform on the outer rails while an express would pass on the middle tracks.  It was really frustrating having our view of the more exciting express blocked by a mundane slow train. 

You've got to feel for these guys ...

[Stewie]

In the late 1950’s there was still a lot more f freight being carried on the railways particularly to Dover. The accelerated timings introduced by the new electric multiple units could be seriously hampered by a locomotive hauled freight. The middle two lines between Rainham and Newington were provided as freight loops where one or more freight trains could await passing passenger trains before continuing on their way.
Passenger trains would use the outer tracks with the platforms at Newington and the points at either end were designed for higher speed running.
After the implementation of this layout, freight usage on the railways declined and so the layout has never really been used for its primary purpose.

[John Walker]

Out of interest, why does the line currently change from two tracks to four from Newington station?

[Stewie]

It is indeed Newington. In my haste I only quickly checked Legh Street, but after I had posted checked the pubs web site and there it was, so I reasoned that it wouldn’t last long.

I originally thought it was Rainham but the mechanical signal box there was on the up side next to the crossing. The name of Church Lane helped because I knew there was a church to the north of Newington station and that the layout was completely remodelled for the 1959 Kent Coast Phase 1 Electrification project which fitted the clue. I visit the station sometimes to photograph the occasional steam specials that pass this way.
I will put a new one up this afternoon.

[MartinR]

The 1880 (Wesleyan) Methodist Chapel has indeed been pulled down, the site is now the car park for the "new" (1983) Methodist Church.  That date is a little suspect however, the "new" church is in fact the schoolroom for the old chapel, and so is probably older than the "old" chapel.  Quite often on sites like this the schoolroom was put up first, quite quickly, and used as a chapel until the larger (and more expensive) main building could be built.

See:

• https://www.google.co.uk/maps/@51.3522079,0.6691266,3a,89y,300.55h,87.48t/data=!3m6!1e1!3m4!1sMJQ3wNYkFLWtnjZnAkcZ9A!2e0!7i16384!8i8192!5m1!1e1?entry=ttu
• https://www.mywesleyanmethodists.org.uk/content/chapels/kent/newington-wesleyan-methodist-chapel
• https://www.nkmethodists.org.uk/churches/medway-swale/newington.html

The NLS overlay on the1892-1914 25" OS map https://maps.nls.uk/geo/explore/#zoom=19.2&lat=51.35221&lon=0.66843&layers=168&b=1 shows the change, but be aware there is a slight east-west misalignment between the map and the current view.

[johnfilmer]

It is indeed Newington. In my haste I only quickly checked Legh Street, but after I had posted checked the pubs web site and there it was, so I reasoned that it wouldn’t last long.

The Methodist church has been replaced, the station rebuilt to accommodate the four lines that start there and run nearly to Rainham, and most of the pubs and useful village shops of my youth are gone. Even the public toilets that stood by the bus stop have long gone. Progress?

Back to you Stewie 😀

[MartinR]

Grr, beaten to the post whilst I checked!  Well done Stewie.

I notice that Legh Street is now Station Road (that one had me chasing around Manchester).  The station's pub is now "Medi-Aid (UK)"  the Wesleyan Chapel is now simply the Methodist Church.  The Widows' home is still standing, but now appears to be private houses, I was looking for an almshouse there.  Out of interest, the spot heights in Church Lane are given in your map as 89' and 100' whereas the 1892-1914 25" OS map gives 90' and 98' respectively.

[Stewie]

Newington?

[johnfilmer]

Apologies for delay, unexpected visitors.

Following on from Stewie's question, I've gone for a railway one, a simple map (1906/8).

Where is the station? It still exists, in much altered form, but still a station.

[John Walker]

That was a good(s) one Stewie. Can you forward a link to that map please - it looks a good one as I only have earlier ones linked.

[Stewie]

Yes Johnfilmer it is the goods yard at Rochester (although known as Chatham Goods Yard). There is a good link to the history of this building here:

https://kentrail.org.uk/rochester_goods_depot.htm

The shed was very large and the left hand door in the picture was for rail traffic with road traffic via the central door to the right. The wooden platform that I was standing on allowed from the transfer of goods from rail to road and vice versa. At the time I took the picture, the office attached to the building was still in use for booking freight.

The building can be seen (circled) on the 1936 OS map of the area as a comparison against the present layout of houses, shops and a hotel occupying the former yard now.

Over to you johnfilmer

[johnfilmer]

Rochester goods shed?