Station Name: FOLKESTONE EAST

[Source: Nick Catford]

Folkestone East Station Gallery 2: c1950 - August 1960

Folkestone Junction looking east from the east end of the up platform c1950. The three-road engine shed is seen at the far end of the down platform to the rear.
Photo from John Mann collection

Folkestone Junction station looking east from the up platform c1950. The second SER goods shed is seen on the right. The siding running through it has been removed and the two openings at the rear have been bricked up. The office at the back of the building has also gone. Compare
with 1890 picture.
Photo from John Mann collection

Looking west from the west end of the down platform in August 1952. The boarded crossing between the two platforms is in the foreground. The down side goods shed which was opposite the up platform, and is seen in the picture above, appears to have gone. No.31128 was built to a James Stirling design in 1892. Originally a 0-4-4T, it was rebuilt by Harry Wainwright in 1913 then renumbered to A128 on passing to the Southern Railway. In 1931 it dropped the ‘A’ and received a ‘1’ prefix. Nationalisation saw it renumbered to 31128 and it was withdrawn from 70A, Nine Elms shed during August of 1959 and scrapped the following January.
Photo from John Mann collection

Folkestone Junction station looking east towards Dover from the footbridge circa early 1950s. The west portal of the Martello Tunnel can just be made out in the distance. The Folkestone Junction signal box is seen at the end of the platform with the three-road engine shed to the rear. Exchange sidings for the Folkestone Harbour branch are seen on the right. A train is seen on the harbour line in the distance on the right. The tall chimney is a refuse destructor in the rail-served Folkestone Corporation yard.
Photo from John Mann collection

Folkestone Junction station looking west circa early 1950s. Two sidings seen on the right now occupy the site of the down goods yard. A new BR Southern Region green running-in board is seen on the wall to the left of the canopy. Other BR signage is seen under the canopy; the first room reads 'Gentlemen'. The Southern Railway target signs seen in earlier picture have gone but there is no evidence of BR totem signs yet; the signs, when installed, would be of the ‘fully flanged’ (rather than the earlier ‘half flanged’) design which was adopted c1957.
Photo from John Mann collection

Folkestone Junction signal box at the west end of the down platform in March 1957. This is the second box on this site. The signal gantry controlled the main line and entry to the exchange sidings on the right. Two locomotives are seen in the shed road behind the signal box. The west portal of Martello Tunnel is seen in the distance with Martello Tower No.1 on the hillside above.
Photo by Ian Scrimgeour

Looking east from the station footbridge in March 1957. A down main line train is seen on the left and in the distance on the right a boat train has arrived at the junction from Folkestone Harbour. The loco will run round its coaches before negotiating the several crossovers in the sidings in the centre to gain the westbound main line. The tall chimney of the Folkestone Corporation refuse destructor is seen on the right. The private siding serving the Corporation works is still in use at this time.
Photo by Ian Scrimgeour

A un-rebuilt Battle of Britain Bullied Light Pacific storms through Folkestone Junction station heading west circa 1958 The state of the locos on the Kent Coast lines was appalling by this stage and only on the ‘Golden Arrow’ was any attempt made to present a clean engine to the public. No.34066 'Spitfire' was built in September 1947 and survived in service for 19 years before being withdrawn on 30 May 1966 to be cut up by J Buttigiegs of Newport a year later.
Photo by Patrick Kevill-Davies from Flickr photostream

No.31174, together with another unidentified loco, is seen in the old coaling road at Folkestone Junction shed, a sub-shed of Dover, in April 1959. These Harry Wainwright rebuilt R1s were used extensively on the Folkestone Harbour branch. No.31174 was built in 1892 at Ashford works. It was transferred to Nine Elms shed shortly after this picture was taken and withdrawn on 31 August 1959. The 65ft turntable installed in 1918 is seen in the foreground. The curved roof of the water tower, seen in the 1936 picture, has been replaced with a pitched roof.
Photo by Peter Winding


Class R1As had been a regular sight at Folkestone for many years. Folkestone shed, a sub-shed of 74C (73H from 1958 - 1961) Dover shed is out of view to the left. The shed closed on 12 June 1961. Folkestone Junction signal box is seen to the rear. No.31337 was built at Ashford works in June 1888 to a design by Stirling and was rebuilt by Wainwright. Having been transferred to Nine Elms shed this loco was withdrawn on 28 February 1960 to be cut up three months later.
Photo from John Mann collection

The 1.30 pm train from London Victoria to Folkestone Harbour hauled by Battle of Britain class '249 Squadron' is seen approaching Folkestone Junction station. No.34073 was built in May 1948 and was withdrawn from Eastleigh shed in June 1964. This loco has survived into preservation and is now on the Mid Hants Railway. Note the unfinished extension to the down platform built to coincide with the electrification of the Dover line.
Photo by Alfred Harrison from 30937 Photograph Database

West Country class 34091 'Weymouth' hauls the 2.50 pm Dover Harbour to London Victoria service through Folkestone Junction station on 21 August 1960. Both the West Country and Battle of Britain class locos are a lightweight development of Bulleid's 'Merchant Navy' class. No.34091 was built in September 1949 and was withdrawn from Salisbury shed on 31 October 1964 to be cut up two months later by P. Woods, shipbreakers, of Queenborough. The extension to the up platform is not as advanced as the down platform seen above.
Photo by Alfred Harrison from 30937 Photograph Database



Click here for Folkestone East Station Gallery 3:
August 1961 - 2014



 

 

 

[Source: Nick Catford)




Last updated: Thursday, 18-May-2017 11:56:07 CEST
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