A steam charter train headed by 34067 'Tangmere' leaving Folkestone Harbour.
Folkestone Harbour station was a railway station built to serve the port of Folkestone in Kent, one of three stations in the town. It was at the end of the short 1-in-30 Folkestone Harbour Branch Line, joining the South Eastern Main Line at Folkestone Junction. The branch and harbour station provided a rail connection for boat trains from London which connected with the ferry services to Calais and Boulogne. The branch is short but sharply inclined meaning that steam engines had to be banked. For most of its life, its main traffic was passengers travelling on boat trains direct to London, albeit with a change of direction (reversal) at Folkestone East. On 20 November 2013 the Department for Transport published a proposal to close the line and station serving Folkestone Harbour. Consultation on the closure ended on 28 February 2014, and the line was formally closed on 31 May 2014. The special train shown in the photograph, hauled by the preserved steam locomotive 'Tangmere' was one of a number of special trains which ran in the lead up to closure of the line.
Size: 5179px × 3420px
Location: Folkestone Harbour, Folkestone, UK
Photo credit: © patrick nairne / Alamy / Afripics
License: Licensed
Model Released: No
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