Folkestone harbour Railway station . 2017 restoration as now started скачать в хорошем качестве

Folkestone harbour Railway station . 2017 restoration as now started

Folkestone Harbour railway station Disused and Abandoned Built to serve the port of Folkestone in Kent, Folkestone Harbour is one of three stations in the town. Although now in a dilapidated state and earmarked for demolition, the station once served as a terminus for boat trains from London, connecting with the ferry services to Boulogne and Calais. Folkestone Harbour railway station, Folkestone, Kent, England, UK A view looking east across the harbour showing the brick built railway pier leading to the harbour station on the right (just out of view) History The line from London, via Reigate and Tonbridge arrived in Folkestone in June 1843 with the connection to the Harbour station being completed some six months later. The local topography meant that the line to the harbour had to be built on a steep downward gradient, dropping 111 feet for a distance of 1328 yards. The railway then arrived at right angles to the harbour, with the pier across the sheltered waters splitting the harbour into two, the Inner and Outer Harbours. Initially, there was no swing bridge provided on the pier, which prevented trains gaining access to steamer berths on the harbour's south side - this was rectified six years later, allowing passenger boat trains to operate for the first time. Unfortunately, the South Eastern Railway found that it was not legally possible to operate their own steamers, and had to sub-charter vessels from the New Commercial Steam Packet Company. Folkestone Harbour railway station, Folkestone, Kent, England, UK Looking north from the station towards the main line. After crossing the pier, the line turns north-east and climbs a steep gradient to meet the main line at the site of the former Folkestone Junction station. Cross channel services commence The cross channel steam packet service opened with much razzamatzz on 1 August 1843, with the 190 ton steamer City of Boulogne steaming into the harbour. This was promptly followed by the steamship, The Sir William Wallace, heading off to France with 75 passengers onboard, with The Emerald arriving later that day with 142 passengers from France. The Times reported that the Folkestone – Boulogne crossing took 1 hour 45 minutes in June 1847, making it possible to reach Paris from London in 14 hours. After the railway reached Boulogne in 1848, the journey time from London to Paris was reduced to 12 and a half hours, being further reduced to a sprightly 11 hours by the time of the Great Exhibition of 1851. Folkestone Harbour railway station, Folkestone, Kent, England, UK A view of the swing bridge section of the pier, just to the north of the Harbour station. Unhappy with the restrictions of chartering ships, the railway's directors formed the South Eastern and Continental Steam Packet Company, receiving parliamentary sanction to operate its own steamers in 1853. The cross channel service continued to prove popular, registering 31,594 passengers in the first half of 1854 (the more lengthy Dover-Calais crossing could only manage 12,132 passengers over the same period). By 1884, London to Paris (via Folkestone-Boulogne) was reduced to a sprightly 8 hours, being shortened to 7 hours 30 minutes in 1891. In 1923, the South Eastern & Chatham Railway was absorbed into the Southern Railway, with passenger services suspended during WW2 - these weren't restarted until July 1947, with all UK railway services being nationalised in January 1948.