Corringham Light Railway

Corringham Light Railway
The site of the junction between on the left (lines lifted) Corringham, on the right Kynochtown (later Corytown) and in the foreground Thames Haven.
Locale	Corringham, Essex
Dates of operation	10 July 1899–20 September 1971
Successor	Mobil Oil
Track gauge	4 ft 8 1⁄2 in (1,435 mm)

[v · d · e]Corringham Light Railway
Legend Corringham Kynochtown Shell Haven ( To London, Tilbury and Southend Railway ) Thames Haven

The Corringham Light Railway (CLR) served the town Corringham, Essex, England. It was incorporated on 10 July 1899 and opened to freight on 1 January 1901 and to passengers on 22 June 1901. It closed to passengers on the 1 March 1952 and was absorbed into the Mobil Oil Company on 20 September 1971.

Overview

The London, Tilbury and Southend Railway had a branch from Thames Haven Junction, near Stanford-le-Hope, to Thames Haven on the Thames Estuary. There was a passenger station at Thames Haven but it closed before the CLR opened.

The CLR ran from a junction with the LTSR near Thames Haven to the Kynoch explosives works at Shell Haven with branches east to Kynochtown (later re-named Coryton) and west to Corringham.

In its later years the CLR was owned by the Mobil Oil Company serving its Coryton Refinery.

It was some 2+³⁄₄ miles (4.4 km) in length.

The site of the Corringham Station on Fobbing Road is still apparent from the satellite view of Post Code SS17 9DB. The trees that lined the track as it ran north and curved westward into the station are still present. If you enter a small development of houses called The Hawthorns, the rear of the brick built platform is still visible behind "Station House" to your right. Coryton Station is known to still survive within the confines of the refinery and was restored cosmetically by BP in 1985.

The end

After the refinery transferred ownership to Vacuum Oil Company, later called Mobil. Improvements were made to the branch of the CLR that entered the refinery. The last passenger train however ran from Corringham station on Saturday 1 March 1952 at 12.20pm, by 12 April of the same year. Corringham station and the Corringham branch of the railway were noted as being demolished.

The end of the CLR as a company finally came on the 20 September 1971 when the remaining constituents were wound up and became part of Mobil Oil.

Locomotives

• 0-4-0T, Cordite ex-West Lancashire Railway, built by Kitson & Co. works No' T109 of 1893, Arrived at CLR by Sea. Withdrawn C1914 scrapped by 1935.
• 0-4-2T Kynite, built by Kerr Stuart Works No' 692 of 1901, Withdrawn C1919, Last steamed to provide steam in conjunction to building works at Corys 1922/23 scrapped March 1952
• 0-4-0ST Cordite, built by Kerr Stuart Works No' 1283 of 1915 transferred away C1919.
• 0-6-0ST, 2 built by Avonside Engine Company Works No 1771 of 1917, Withdrawn Between 1955 and 57. Scrapped 1957.
• 0-6-0ST, 1 (second-hand) Previously at MOD in Shoeburyness Essex, built by Avonside Engine Company Works No' 1672 of 1914. Same class as No 1, arrived at CLR in 1933, Withdrawn prior to 1955 with condemned fire box. Scrapped August 1957

After the line was taken over by the Mobil Oil Company, diesel locomotives were used but details are not known.

Rolling stock

For the opening of the line two toast rack carriages were supplied by Kerr Stuart, the first being a 1st/3rd composite (with the first class area enclosed) the second being all 3rd all open. Originally only one carriage was used at a time as the Kitson Locomotive was unable to draw two fully loaded carriages up the incline to Corringham station. These two carriages were added to by 1905 by a 4 wheel all 3rd carriage of LTSR origin. During the 1st world war three more of these carriages where acquired due to a further influx in staff to Thames works.

Sources and Reference

• The Corringham Light Railway (Locomotion Paper No. 155) by Ivor Gotheridge, published by Oakwood, 1985? ISBN 0-85361-311-7
• Minor Railways of England and their Locomotives by George Woodcock, published by Goose and Son, Norwich, England, 1970
• The Corringham Light Railway A New History by Peter Kay Published 2008, ISBN 978-1-899890-42-2

External links

• Brief details
• Closure date