22nd April 1989

One curious fact of this London terminus station is that it has no direct link to the Underground. It may be one of the smallest terminal stations in the capital, but today it is amongst the most intensively used. Modern development surrounds the station today, but back in 1989 it was very much as it had always been, and with slam-door stock operating a fairly hum-drum service the trains were pretty old too!

Late-fifties vintage Class 302 EMU no. 302224 is waiting to leave on the 10.45 Fenchurch Street to Shoeburyness, via Dagenham. I'll be on board, if my memory serves me well, although another Shoeburyness service via Basildon was on the other platform, so it could have been that one I took. We'll never know....!