Editing Dartford Loop Line (section)

==History==

In June 1862 the [[South Eastern Railway, UK|South Eastern Railway]] obtained powers for a second {{convert|10|mi|km|adj=on}} line between London and Dartford from a junction with the main line at [[Hither Green]] to its existing [[North Kent line]] to reduce congestion on the existing line and to give a more direct route between London and Dartford. This was to be routed via the town of [[Sidcup]].

The Dartford Loop Line opened on 1 September 1866. A loop line in railway terminology is a line which leaves the main line at one location, and then rejoins in another place. The line initially had only five new stations: [[Lee railway station|Lee]], [[Mottingham railway station|Eltham]] (now Mottingham), [[Sidcup railway station|Sidcup]], [[Bexley railway station|Bexley]] and [[Crayford railway station|Crayford]].  The station at [[Hither Green railway station|Hither Green]], near [[Lewisham]], where the line deviates from the main line, was built after the opening of the third North Kent route, the [[Bexleyheath Line]] in 1895.

Pope Street, now [[New Eltham railway station|New Eltham]] station, opened in 1878 between Eltham and Sidcup stations. Hither Green finally opened in 1895 serving both the Dartford Loop Line and the main line via [[Tonbridge railway station|Tonbridge]]. The final station to open was [[Albany Park railway station|Albany Park]] in 1935. The Loop Line originally passed through mainly open country and farm land but it stimulated development around the new stations.

In 1899 the Lee Spur, a double track link between the up line of the Dartford Loop Line and the [[Hither Green marshalling yard]], was built. The spur is occasionally used by freight and engineering [[work train]]s.

The Loop Line was electrified by the [[Southern Railway (UK)|Southern Railway]] in 1926 along with the two other lines to Dartford.

In 1942 a double-track loop (the ‘Crayford Spur’) came into operation between the North Kent and Dartford Loop Lines, creating a triangular junction. This allowed direct running between the two routes, avoiding the need for a reversing manoeuvre at Dartford.

In 1955 the platforms on all Loop Line stations were extended to accommodate ten-coach trains, whilst continuing standard operation of eight-car trains. Most stations had goods yards which closed during the 1960s and were converted into car parks.

In the late 1960s the Dartford Loop Line along with the two other North Kent routes were re-signalled which saw the replacement of semaphores with colour light signals.  In November 1970 most of the mechanical signal boxes on the line closed. In the mid-late 2000s the Dartford Area Resignalling Scheme saw the line resignalled.<ref>{{cite book| title=A Regional History of the Railways of Great Britain - Volume 3 Greater London| first=H.P.| last=White| edition=3rd| publisher=David & Charles| year=1987}}</ref>{{page needed|date=September 2017}}<ref name=LondonSuburban>{{cite book| title=London Suburban Railways - Lewisham to Dartford| first1=Vic| last1=Mitchell| first2=Keith| last2=Smith| publisher=Middleton Press| year=1991}}</ref>{{page needed|date=September 2017}}<ref>{{cite web| url=http://www.bexley.gov.uk/index.aspx?articleid=10699| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120425130025/https://www.bexley.gov.uk/index.aspx?articleid=10699| archive-date=25 April 2012| title=The Dartford Loop Railway| website=London Borough of Bexley}}</ref><ref>{{cite web| url=http://www.kentrail.org.uk/Hither%20Green.htm| title=Hither Green| website=Kent Rail| first=David| last=Glasspool}}</ref>