Gravesend West

''The Diamond Line'' and High Voltage Cable Link

By Peter Dunne

During the 70s and 80s I was a British Rail Cable Jointer's Mate whose duties included maintaining the High Voltage Cable Link (33,000 Volts) from Fawkham Junction Substation, on the Main Line, to Northfleet Grid, now adjacent to Sainsbury's. Apart from the occasional natural cable breakdown, there were also some foolhardy people whose idea of getting rich quick would be to unearth the buried cable, for the most part in concrete troughing. We never actually found any bodies, but on one occasion found a hacksaw part way through the outer sheathing; they or he were so lucky! We also witnessed the last train which ran to the coal depot at Southfleet Station, which must have been in 1976. My boss at the time had been on the railway since the 1930s and he always referred to it as ''The Diamond Line'', it being the preferred route of Diamond Merchants fleeing the Nazis from Amsterdam, en route to Holborn Viaduct for Hatton Garden.

The route of the High Voltage Cable ran from the National Grid site, which is still adjacent to the A2 and Hall Road, in a south westerly direction, obviously following the old track bed across the now demolished A2 steel overbridge on raised metalwork about knee high, still in concrete troughing, but covered in cement for added security. So the cable only ran roughly half the length of the actual line, and had no actual purpose for the line itself as of course it was not electrified. This was a vital link to Fawkham Junction to feed local Southern Railway Substations, which then converted the 33,000 volts down to 650 or 750 volts DC for the 3rd rail voltage. These substations are normally spaced at roughly 3 mile intervals along the track.

I would add that working on that particular line compared to the rest of the larger patch was a pleasurable experience, just like a walk in the countryside without the hassle of avoiding high speed trains coming at you!
 

Gravesend West: The Demolition

Somewhat out of the blue, the demolition of what remained of Gravesend West (the brick viaduct and pier) began in September 2006 - a belated completion of the destruction which began nearly two decades ago. This course of action appears to be in accordance with Gravesham Council's ''Regeneration Review'', first published in 1998 and which outlines redevelopment and restoration of the town centre and its immediate peripheral. Whilst it is proposed to return a number of shop façades to their Victorian glory, the Gravesend West station site has evidently fallen into the ''redevelopment'', rather than ''regeneration'', category. At 1¼ centuries old, the structure's removal is perhaps offset by the restoration of a nearby gem of the former London Tilbury & Southend Railway: Gravesend Town Pier. It seems appropriate now to ask oneself how much of the Gravesend West branch is still in existence. After the incurrence of the Channel Tunnel line at Fawkham Junction, coupled with this latest structural demolition, remains are becoming few and far between. However, there are some structures of particular note which still exist: the first is the tunnel on the former Gravesend West approach, which is now utilised by the entrance road to a retail park (and is pictured on the previous page). The second is the old Station Master's house at Southfleet which, as opposed to the station of this name which resided in a cutting, is positioned at road level. Indeed, an original overbridge survives just beyond Fawkham Junction, alongside the Channel Tunnel line, and is pictured on that page.

Conrad McGlinn has kindly submitted the following pictures for inclusion, depicting the destruction of the site.

This Thames-bound view from 20th October 2006 reveals substantial demolition from the road, up to the pier.

A look at the pictures on the first page reveal that this part of the viaduct was used for storage, with four

upward-sliding doors having once been in evidence. Conrad McGlinn

What a mess! Crumbled remains are observed on 20th October 2006 and, in the background, a probable

indication of what will later be built on the site. Conrad McGlinn

The end: the viaduct is seen after being completely flattened, 20th October 2006. Notice that the pier

remains untouched - will this escape demolition, or will it also be removed in due course? Conrad McGlinn

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