Here is the start of Pioneer’s travels, you can take a bus number 7 from the train station to reach Paston Place in Kemp town. It is a 15 minute walk eastwards from Brighton Palace Pier.
When you cross over the main road towards the sea on Madeira drive, you can see the strong concrete sea defence wall called Banjo Groyne.
Currently Madeira drive has some major works going on so you may not walk this route to the Marina. Instead return to the main road level until it is clear.
If you prefer you can start in Brighton Marina, here parking is free for 5 hours in the multi-storey, or take no 7 bus from Brighton train station. Find the village green, not far from Asda and head east to via the main boulevard The Strand, you will see Pioneer travelling along .. search for it on the road, by the apartments and then watch as it travels out sea towards Rottingdean from the end of the Marina.
See the Pioneer crossing the marina amongst the boats and shops for approximately 1.3 miles, before returning to Kemptown, with a nice option to end at the pub Daddy longlegs that also serves food.
If you continue along Undercliff walk you will capture great images of it at sea, on its original tracks, if there is a low tide you can stand underneath in on the rock pools.
If you are returning to Brighton you will pass along the route back to its original departure place, opposite Paston Place in Kemptown, you will see the concrete structure called ‘Banjo Groyne’ – a pedestrianised pathway to the sea. It is here the Pioneer electric rail in the sea used to allow passengers to embark or join the existing Volk’s electric railway.
I cannot say with any conviction whether this photograph was taken before or after the brief active life of the tramway (1896-1901). There is no sign of the generator or of the overhead wires, and the condition of the rails suggests that they had been in position for some time, so I think it dates from soon after the closure in 1901.
Daddy longlegs 