It has been suggested that Shore railway station and Pier Head railway station (Essex) be merged into this article. (Discuss) Proposed since June 2024.
Southend Pier Railway
A new Severn Lamb train runs towards Pier Head Station 2023
Overview
Status
Operational
Owner
Southend-on-Sea City Council
Locale
Southend-on-Sea
Termini
Shore station
Pier Head station
Stations
2
Service
Type
Light rail
Services
1
History
Opened
28 May 1890
Technical
Track length
2,046 yd (1,871 m)
Number of tracks
1
Track gauge
3 ft (914 mm) c.1830–c.1889
3 ft 6 in (1,067 mm) 1890–1978
3 ft (914 mm) 1986–present
Operating speed
18 mph (29 km/h)
Signalling
Automatic
The Southend Pier Railway is a 3 ft (914 mm) narrow gauge railway in the English city of Southend-on-Sea, Essex. It runs for 1.25 miles (2.01 km) along the 1.34 miles (2.16 km) length of Southend Pier, providing public passenger transport from the shore to the pier head.
The original wooden pier built in 1830 employed a horse tramway from 1846, to convey goods and visitors to the pierhead.[1]
With the construction of the new iron pier, by 1889, about 3⁄4 mi (1.2 km) of 3 ft 6 in (1,067 mm) gauge single track had been laid and a single motor car was run over it. This was equipped with a 13 hp (9.7 kW) motor taking current at 200 V DC from the pier's own generator. The compound-wound generator being belt driven from a Davey, Paxman & Co 25 hp (19 kW) 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 1+1⁄4 mi (2.0 km) single track was completed and two trailer cars acquired to form a three-car train. By 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, in 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 500 V DC; so the four motor cars were refitted with new motors rated at 18 hp (13 kW) each. The trains were made up to four cars each by the purchase of four new trailer cars from the Falcon Works at Loughborough. Two of these were purchased by the Volk's Electric Railway in Brighton when they became redundant in 1949. They were converted into motor cars numbered 8 and 9. These cars continued to operate in Brighton until the late 1990s, when they were again retired. Car 8 was returned to Southend to join the Southend Pier Museum collection, and car 9 is on display at the South Downs Heritage Centre at Hassocks.[2]
^"Book Review". The Tramway Review. Vol. 25. 2003. p. 78.
^"Cars No. 8 & 9". Volk's Electric Railway Association. Retrieved 14 May 2022.
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