Crayford station was opened in September 1866. The original station building, like most of the Dartford Loop Line stations, was built cheaply of clapboard. The station had a brick-built goods shed on the up side. The goods yard had only two tracks with no direct connection to the adjacent waterworks, brickworks and gravel pit. Two additional sidings were eventually constructed on the down side. For many years there was no connection between the two platforms except for a track crossing. A footbridge was provided at the eastern ends of the platforms in 1926 when the line was electrified. A SER-designed signal box at the western end of the down platform was built around 1892.