Folkestone Harbour
The British Railways era witnessed the coming of the Western Region to Kent. In
1959, the elderly R1 Class tank engines, which had served the Folkestone Harbour
branch well, were replaced by ex-GWR Pannier Tanks. Of the ‘’5700’’ series,
these engines ran off Folkestone Junction shed, and remained on banking duties
along the line until the last examples were re-allocated to Nine Elms and
Salisbury sheds in November 1961. On 18th February of the following year, new
colour light signalling was introduced as part of ‘’Phase 2’’ of the Kent Coast
Electrification scheme. This system was controlled by a then new power box
installed at Folkestone Junction; the SE&CR cabin at the northern end of the
Harbour station remained in use to operate the level crossing and the points of
the platform lines. The full accelerated electric timetable along the ex-SER
Weald of Kent route, via Tonbridge and Ashford, commenced on 18th June 1962.
Goods facilities were withdrawn on 17th August 1968, resulting in the lifting of
all those sidings east of the station. The cessation of steam-hauled services
had also made the carriage berthing sidings to the west of the platforms
redundant, and their removal finally allowed a substantial southward extension
of the ‘’up’’ platform. This became significantly longer than the ‘’down’’
platform, and was ultimately extended to the end of the concrete pier, complete
with a simple upward-slanting glazed canopy. It is worth noting that at the
southern end of the ‘’down’’ platform, the layout narrowed to single track, and
third rail was not extended beyond this set of points.
In 1980, an enclosed transparent footbridge was erected over the top of the
station, just south of where the long-gone SER lattice footbridge would have
resided. This provided the ‘’up’’ platform with a direct link to the passenger
ferry terminal situated immediately adjacent the ‘’down’’ side of the station.
Folkestone Harbour continued to be served by regular boat trains for many years
and indeed, outlasted its counterpart Dover Western Docks (Marine) when this
closed in 1994, in response to the opening of the Channel Tunnel. Despite
surviving closure, boat traffic to the Harbour station was drastically reduced,
and in its final days it only had two scheduled connecting services: one from
Charing Cross, connecting with the 11:15 Sea Cat service to Boulogne, then
another at 13:15, connecting with the return working. With the transference of
the Sea Cat to Ramsgate in September 2000, rail services to the Harbour station ceased,
such occurring shortly before the Summer 2001 railway timetable came into use. The third
rail was de-energised later on in the same year and the track work subsequently
deteriorated to the extent that the ''up'' line was taken out of use. Reviving
fortunes seemed to occur in May 2002 with the installation of TPWS along the
branch, but the rails of the ''up'' line were later lifted, although charter
services did soon commence. In April 2006, new plans were published showing a
total redevelopment of Folkestone Harbour. This included the conversion of the
whole harbour site into a marina and the permanent closure (and presumably,
demolition) of the railway branch.
Folkestone Harbour: Life after Death
The closure date of this station is currently not clear, and when a particular
service seems to be the final one, another event appears on the schedule! The
last VSOE service was originally scheduled for 9th November 2006, followed by
the final train of the year - in the form of the ''Blue Pullman'' - on 14th
December. A stay of execution was seemingly granted, and a steam-hauled charter
ran on 27th January 2007. On 12th April 2008, it really did seem like the end of
the line for the Folkestone Harbour branch: a final steam-hauled charter,
fronted by Bulleid Light Pacific No. 34067 ‘’Tangmere’’, ran to mark the
ultimate closure of the line, and this service was followed by a trio of Class
73 Electro-Diesels (Nos. 73204, 73205, and 73209) traversing the route. However,
despite this final ‘’closure’’ event, VSOE services continue to use the Harbour
branch every Thursday, running from London Victoria. With Network Rail receiving
a number of objections to the closure of the branch from rail bodies, including
the Department for Transport, perhaps this renowned appendix of the South
Eastern Division railway network is not doomed after all. The original intention
was to concentrate VSOE services at an improved Folkestone West station. For the
time being, the VSOE service continues to run down the Folkestone Harbour branch
from London Victoria, every Thursday and Sunday.
1995
This 1995 southward view from the level crossing shows the station when it was still fully operational, complete
with two energised platform lines. The majority of the infrastructure seen in front of the modern footbridge dates
from the station rebuilding of 1893. David Glasspool Collection
1995
A landward view from the ''down'' platform shows the tight curvature of the platforms to good effect. At this
time, Folkestone still retained a ferry service to Boulogne. Both tracks here have guide rails, and at the time
of this photograph, the enclosed footbridge was operational. The V-shaped canopy of the ''up'' platform, dating
from 1893, can be seen in the background. Notice that the canopy design on the left is of a different ilk. After
the closure of the rolling stock berthing sidings to the west of the station, the ''up'' platform was greatly extended
seaward. The brown brick retaining wall on the left is on the former site of the single-track connection from the
berthing sidings. The SER canopy and white-washed platform offices mark the extent of the 1893 station.
David Glasspool Collection
1995
The signal box is not quite as old as those structures dating from the SER 1893 rebuild. This attractive cabin
was erected by the SE&CR in about 1915, during a track layout revision programme. Its design origins clearly
come from those pre-1900 products of signalling contractor Saxby & Farmer. In 1995, the signal box continued
to control the lifting barriers of the adjacent level crossing. David Glasspool Collection
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