Strood
Mention should now be made of the engine shed. This was opened to the south of the tunnel entrance, on the ''up'' side when the SER completed its extension of the North Kent Line to Maidstone in 1856. Originally the building only accommodated a single dead-end track, but this was latterly doubled to house a total of eighteen engines by the time of the SE&CR. A 40 foot turntable and water tower, complete with offices, were also original installations, although the former was enlarged to 45 foot concurrent with the increase in the shed's engine capacity. The shed remained very busy, right up until Southern Railway days, but with this company's suburban electrification schemes of the 1930s, its decline was inevitable. The death blow was dealt with the extension of third rail to Maidstone and Gillingham on 2nd July 1939, which saw the withdrawal of the locomotive allocation, some of this going to nearby Gillingham, and the removal of the turntable. The shed building, complete with water tank, remained intact, however, and until 1970 was used as a goods depot, after which time it was demolished. The two carriage sidings at the Maidstone end of the station were also electrified to store EMU stock.
Now returning to the station itself. In connection with the aforementioned 1939 electrification, a pair of SR-designed ''glasshouse'' signal boxes came into use. ''Strood Tunnel'', comprising 40 levers, appeared beside the ''up'' line, immediately before the tunnel portal, in close proximity to the engine shed. The second, ''Strood Junction'', equipped with 70 levers, controlled the connecting spur (''Toomer Loop'') linking the North Kent Line with the ''Chatham'' main line, and was positioned immediately south of the point of divergence. The replacement signal boxes were commissioned on 29th January 1939. As part of these works, the station platforms had been extended at their London ends using prefabricated concrete, bringing their total length to 600 foot, and they were to be joined by new station buildings, replacing the existing SER clapboard structures. However, economical measures put in place during World War II ensured that this did not occur. With reference to the island platform, this had previously had the central section rebuilt in brick, although the two ends remained wooden until being rebuilt in prefabricated concrete during the aforementioned 1939 works. With more powerful locomotive classes now appearing on Kent Coast Expresses via the ''Chatham'' line, such as the ''King Arthurs'', the SR took the opportunity in 1927 to replace the central span of the flyover with stronger components.
Now onto the years of decline. The dock basin went out of commercial use in November 1962, but goods traffic remained at the station until August 1971 - at least the tunnel portal had received a new brick fascia in the previous year. The signal boxes remained in use just beyond the commissioning of the Dartford Panel, most likely due to the presence of the goods sidings, finally going out of commission on 17th October 1971. Now attention must be turned to the station itself, and British Rail undertook the task which World War II had prevented the SR from doing: complete structural replacement. Unfortunately for Strood, this was done in the era when station architecture was at an all time low. In 1973, the platforms became host to the undesirable ''CLASP'' modular system, which seemed to perpetuate the ''cheap'' station policy of the SER - at least the latter's had style.
1986
Andrew Barclay shunter ''Telemon'' is seen in action is this 1986 view, fronting a pair of coal hoppers
and what is thought to be a china clay wagon. Chris
6th March 2003
A general overview of the station is seen on 6th March 2003, looking southwards. The original
SER station was obliterated in 1973, and sadly replaced by a totally featureless array of platform
structures, typical of 1970s British Rail architecture. Like at Dartford, however, a section of the
original SER brick platform remains! The shuttle service to Maidstone West and Paddock Wood
usually uses the far right platform. David Glasspool
25th February 2006
We are steaming through Strood on 25th February 2006, behind a visitor to the line: LMS 5MT
No. 45407 ''Lancashire Fusilier''. It is hauling the ''Granville Express'' Kent circular tour, which
was made extra special by travelling via the North Kent Line. The platform face on the far right
serves the shuttle service to Maidstone West and Paddock Wood. There have been no direct trains
to Maidstone from the North Kent Line for many years now. David Glasspool
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