Tonbridge

During the mid 1830's a possibility was raised for the provision of three new main line railway routes to the coastal towns of Brighton, Dover and Southampton, all of which have access to the English Channel. Construction of these routes would commence one after the other and work would be undertaken from east to west, therefore the London to Dover line would be built first. Dover has for long been an important port and has the distinction of being the closest town in Britain, to the Continent. The Romans founded the coastal resort on their arrival in Britain and since then it has been a key military strategic point in addition to being the ''gateway to the Continent'' and therefore a must to be served by the railway.

Final plans of the proposed line suggested that the intended route from the capital to the Kent coast would begin at the London & Croydon Railway's Reigate Junction (now known as Redhill), pass through Tonbridge (at that time called ''Tunbridge''), thence onto Ashford and Folkestone, before finally reaching Dover. Parliament had previously decreed that only one railway entrance to the south of London was required, therefore the South Eastern Railway - which had been incorporated to build the route - were forced to use the metals of the London & Croydon between London Bridge and Reigate Junction. A period of stillness ensued after finalisation of route planning and work did not commence on the new trunk route until 25th November 1837, by which time the South Eastern Railway (SER) had appointed an engineer, namely William Cubitt, to oversee the construction of the line. Building of the section of line through Tonbridge had commenced in November 1837 and delivery of railway track had begun in May 1841. Track laying ensued from the delivery of rails and by 20th November 1841, three miles of line had been laid between Edenbridge and Tonbridge, with the line between the latter and Staplehurst being half complete. The line from Reigate Junction to Tonbridge was officially opened for traffic on 26th May 1842 and until the completion of the section of line to Ashford on 1st December 1842, Tonbridge served as the terminating point for services from London Bridge. Through running to Dover commenced on 7th February 1844.

The sharing of lines from Redhill to London Bridge with the LB&SCR (which had absorbed the London & Croydon) was causing problems for the SER and there were frequent disputes between the mutually hostile companies. Furthermore, the company's main rival, the LC&DR (originally the ''East Kent Railway'') had reached Dover in July 1861, when the concern had extended its line from Faversham, introducing the first form of competition for the London to Dover rail journey. In response to these troubles, the SER concluded that it was necessary to shorten its London to Dover route and run into the capital over its own metals. The company's solution was to construct a new route which would diverge from its existing North Kent Line at St Johns, proceed via Chislehurst, Orpington and Sevenoaks, before joining the original route from Redhill to Dover at Tonbridge. Construction of the twenty-four mile line was authorised on 30th June 1862 and the new detour route would reduce total distance from London to Tonbridge and beyond by some 12½ miles, avoiding delays caused by heavy traffic and congestion at Redhill. On 1st May 1868, SER passenger services began running to Tonbridge from the capital via the then new cut-off line, this route becoming the more important of the two lines into the town. Freight had already begun using the cut-off line, the first such traffic running in early February.

28th July 1949

At Tonbridge on 28th July 1949 was ''R'' Class No. 1703, also still wearing the last carnation of

the Southern Railway livery, complete with an ''S'' prefix before its number (not recognisable in

this scan). The station canopy behind the locomotive dates from 1935 rebuilding work.

David Glasspool Collection

15th August 1985

On 15th August 1985, ''Hastings'' DEMU No. 1018 is seen trundling into Tonbridge with a

service from its namesake, bound for Charing Cross. In terms of the infrastructure, the main

difference between this view and that of the previous picture is the presence of the third rail.

All structures in this view are of 1935 origin, excepting the arches of the road bridge in the

background, which date from 1868. David Glasspool Collection

15th August 1985

''Hastings'' DEMU No. 1005 trundles into the station on 15th August 1985 with a service from

Charing Cross. These six-car units arrived on the Hastings Line in 1957 and like the steam-hauled

stock they replaced, the class featured straight sides to physically fit through the narrow tunnels

beyond Tunbridge Wells Central. David Glasspool Collection

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