Sidcup reversing siding

I was always under the impression that the original centre reversing siding at Sidcup was commissioned at the time of resignalling (with control from Dartford) in November 1970. However, i recently saw a photograph from earlier in 1970 showing the reversing siding in use. Sidcup signal box was still operational, as evidenced by a mechanical shunting disc controlling the crossover, and the semaphore up home signal. Access to the reversing siding and the down loop that bypassed it was controlled by a colour-light signal, presumably worked from the box.

Was this reversing siding in use for a long time prior to the resignalling, or was it put in in the months leading up to it, with control temporarily from Sidcup box?

Grateful for any info.

According to the book "Lewisham to Dartford via Bexleyheath and Sidcup" by Vic Mitchell and Keith Smith (Middleton Press, 1991) this reversing siding dates from around 1968 or 1969.

John Webb said:

According to the book "Lewisham to Dartford via Bexleyheath and Sidcup" by Vic Mitchell and Keith Smith (Middleton Press, 1991) this reversing siding dates from around 1968 or 1969.

Click to expand...

Did it not go in for the 1967 timetable recast, same as Kent House turnback?

30907 said:

Did it not go in for the 1967 timetable recast, same as Kent House turnback?

Click to expand...

The Middleton Press book has a photo of the signal box taken in 1969 and says "Just prior to this date, an electrified siding was added on the down side, to facilitate the termination of peak hour trains." So the dating is not very precise!

G T Moody - the "Bible" of the Southern Electric , describes the £500,000 investment on the "Eastern Section" for the 10th July 1967 new timetable refers to advance works , as being the new connections Met Junction to Cannon St (for ECS) , Southwark Depot , signal alterations at Cannon St and London Bridge and a new crossover at Kent House and a center reversing siding at Sidcup.

The new reversing siding was used by two peak commuter trains - one fast to Waterloo East , the other fast New Eltham to Waterloo. Very attractive I would have thought for the Daily Telegraph and Readers Digest reading commuters.

I seem to recollect that although nonstop from Sidcup to Waterloo looks a bit of a thin load, the idea was that those from stations further out on the line would take the preceding train, running to Cannon Street, and change at Sidcup, rather than at the overloaded interchange at London Bridge, with the Charing Cross train running nonstop through there, which was a novelty.

Thanks for all the helpful replies - I've now found the reference in Moody. I commuted from Bexley to London in the late 1970s, and at that time - during the morning peak - there were services to Charing Cross fast from Sidcup to London Bridge every 20 minutes. These were packed by Sidcup, so the following Sidcup starters (which also ran to Charing Cross) did a good trade. A similar pattern in the down direction operated in the evening peak, with the Sidcup terminators arriving just in front of the fast from London Bridge.

I believe the layout was changed sometime in the 1980s, placing the reversing siding on the down side in place of the former down loop. This simplified the layout, but it did mean that trains using the siding always blocked the down line when they emerged to regain the up line, which they didn't under the previous arrangements.