The Branch Railway
The branch line was constructed by the South Eastern Railway from the first permanent station to the east of the Foord Viaduct and logically named ‘’Folkstone’’ (without a middle ‘e’ and later Folkestone Junction) to a coal jetty at the newly acquired harbour and opened to traffic on 18th December 1843.
The original harbour station |
The real objective of the company was to connect with steamer services across the English Channel for reducing travel time to Paris. Unfortunately the 1836 Act of Incorporation didn’t allow the company to operate its own steamer so they started the own, nominally independent company the LD&DR which quickly became obsorbed into the main company in 1844.
The railway was and is unique in that it has only one station at the bottom of a 1325 yard double-track branch line, descending at a gradient of 1 in 30. Trains did operate from the platforms at Folkestone Junction to Folkestone Harbour but this depended on them heading straight into the sidings in order to reverse direction before descending the ‘hill’ to the harbour.
The harbour jetty was the existing double track viaduct flanked on either side by wooden piers holding a single line. It wasn’t until 1847 that a swing bridge was constructed to a new quay against an existing area of shingle. Land reclamation work was carried out to extend the length of the line across the shingle allow the construction of a terminus station and a large warehouse. Passenger services to Folkestone Harbour commenced on New Years Day 1849 but the station was only completed in the following year.
In 1893 the complete rebuild of the station area began with construction of two platforms built around a tight curve to give access to a timber pier. Stone-faced single-storey offices appeared on both platforms together with canopies that still survive as the northern four spans of the present station. The platforms were linked by an enclosed lattice footbridge and a second adjacent to the level crossing. The goods yard expanded to a complete maze of tracks mirroring the station platforms with their tightly curves sidings. Two signal boxes were built, one at the north end of the station that is still in existence and the other an all-timber one at the south end controlling the junction between the platform lines and the carriage sidings.
In 1905 a single wooden platform with flat canopy was erected alongside the ‘Up’ line, south of the existing station and physically separated from it by sidings emerging from the west.
1915 saw the ‘Down’ track wagon turntable removed. The present signal box came into use upon the northern end of the ‘Up’ platform, built by the now South Eastern & Chatham Railway to a Saxby & Farmer design.
In 1930 the Southern Railway removed the original swing bridge; replacing it with the present one. The Southern tested the use of ''W'' Class 2-6-4 and ''Z'' Class 0-8-0 engines on the harbour branch however these didn’t last long due to restricted clearances and banking duties remained with 0-6-0T R1 tank locos built in 1910.
1938 saw the ‘Down’ platform extended to double its previous length and new canopies installed, virtually doubling its length.
The ‘Up’ platform could not be lengthened because of the single track trailing connection with the carriage berthing sidings. This meant that the ‘Down’ platform could hold a full length train whereas the ‘Up’ platform was split and could only hold reduced length ones. At the southern extremities of both the ‘Down’ and Pier platforms an Exmouth Junction constructed enclosed concrete footbridge was installed.
In 1959 50 year old R1 Class tank engines were replaced by ex-GWR Pannier Tanks until on 18th February 1960 new colour light signalling was introduced as part of the Kent Coast Electrification scheme. This was controlled by a then new power box installed at Folkestone Junction with the SE&CR cabin remaining in use to operate the level crossing and the points of the platform lines. Boat trains moved to electric multiple units from 18th June 1962.
Freight facilities were withdrawn on 17th August 1968, resulting in the lifting of all sidings to the east of the station and use of the land for car ferry purposes. The carriage berthing sidings to the west of the platforms were also removed and the ‘Up’ platform extended to join with the pier platform.
In 1980, an enclosed transparent footbridge was erected over the top of the station. This provided the ‘Up’ platform with a direct link to the passenger ferry terminal situated immediately adjacent the ‘’down’’ side of the station.
Courtesy Roy Thornton collection. |
In 1994, the opening of the Channel Tunnel led to the majority of passengers moving to Eurostar services with the result that only two services per day were using Folkestone Harbour to connect with the Hoverspeed SeaCat services. These were moved to Ramsgate and Folkestone Harbour closed to regular rail traffic in 2001 although the Venice Simplon Orient Express continued to use the branch.
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. Astonishingly in May 2002 the TPWS safety system was installed along the remaining line.
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 with permanent closure and demolition of the railway to make way for a dual carriageway road on the basis that the railway split Folkestone in two whereas the road wouldn’t.
On 12 April 2008, a closure ceremony, together with an official last train took place but objections by EWS, the Department for Transport and Southeastern meant that this was put off, the Venice Simplon Orient Express continuing to use the branch until 13th November and a number of charter trains continued to access the branch, many under the guise as “the last rain”.
On Sunday 21 December 2008 we ran a railtour to the branch using Hastings Diesels DEMU No. 1001.
On 14th March the last passenger train operated over the branch hauled by 70013 Oliver Cromwell before Network Rail announced, on 20 March 2009, that they had begun the formal process to close the line and this threat still hangs over the line.