When did Kings Cross thamelink Station get fitted with overhead wires?

Question

Looking back into the stations history it once had a 3rd rail set up as well as st pancras. When did it change over to overhead electrification

Answer 1

Sometime in the mid- to late-1980s when the Snow Hill tunnels reopened. Farringdon became the changeover point from DC to/from AC traction.

Answer 2

The Thameslink service from Bedford to stations south of the Thames commenced in May 1988 at which time King's Cross Thameslink came back into use. The overhead electrification would have been installed slightly prior to that date. Previously the station had been used by services to Moorgate from ex-GNR stations such as Stevenage and Hertford. These gained the route southbound via King's Cross, York Road Station which lay on the east side of the mainline station, and York Road curve. I think these services were steam hauled until closure, but am open to correction. There will have been 3rd (and 4th) rails as the station formed the Metropolitan Railways King's Cross station and remained as such until that was moved to its present site in 1941 It was also part of the Met's 'Widened Lines' which added two tracks to the layout between King's Cross and Farringdon/Moorgate. There was a junction constructed in 1926 west of the station to allow underground services to access these lines but this was only used by underground trains from 1926 - 1935 and thereafter for stock movements from the Great Northern and City branch of the Northern line which ran from Finsbury Park to Moorgate (now used for mainline trains) - the stock needing to obtain access to Neasden Depot.

Incidentally, the third/fourth rail had nothing to do with the fact that the Thameslink services change from AC to DC traction at Farringdon - that post dates the time when K'sXTL had DC traction supplies which, as explained above, were to do with Underground services and not the ex- Southern Railways DC system.

Later. It's odd how people who cannot be bothered to give their own answer give a thumbs down to an answer from someone who knows the subject. However, be that as it may, I said services over York Road curve ended with steam. I now think that is wrong as I recollect that sometime during the late 60s/early70s I saw a GN suburban set in Moorgate hauled by a diesel. Services may have lasted until the 'Bed-Pan' (St. Pancras electric suburban services) ceased upon the creation of Thameslink and started using the Widened Lines in 1988. The original King's Cross Thameslink station was 3 platforms - one on the north for services off the York Road curve and two - the original King's Cross Met station for Met services (until 1941) and for northbound GN services which gained the main line via Hotel Curve on the west of the main line station. I'm not sure which platforms the present two represent.

Answer 3

In 1988, but that station closes permanently in two weeks time.