Folkestone Harbour Station Gallery 4:
August 1960 - 14 March 2009

 ’Canterbury’ is seen leaving Folkestone Harbour station bound for Boulogne in August 1960. The vessel remained in service until 1964 making her last crossing to Boulogne on 27 September. After being laid up at Dover until July 1965, she was towed to Antwerp to be broken up. ‘Canterbury’ was the first Channel ferry to be fitted with radar.
Photo by Alfred Harrison from 30937 Photograph Database


 ’The third engine shed at Folkestone Harbour in September 1963. All three sheds were built on the south side of the goods yard, the third shed replacing its predecessor in 1910. None of the three sheds lasted long and this shed was closed in 1919 but was used for a number of other purposes including a bullion store. It survived until the mid-1960s.
Photo by from Roger Griffiths collection

The LCGB’Par de Calais’ railtour is seen at Folkestone Harbour station on 30 May 1965. Class 73 electro-diesel E6002 is seen in the up platform prior to taking the returning continental travellers back to Charing Cross. The tour included a trip from Boulogne to Abbeville.
Photo from Mike Morant collection

Looking north-west along platform 1 at Folkestone Harbour station in July 1974. Corporate identity signage is now seen.
Photo by Martin Young


The Sealink booking office behind the Folkestone Harbour up in August 1987. The footbridge which takes passengers to the ferry terminal was built in 1980. Part of this building is still standing and is used as an office for the Folkestone Harbour Company drivers. Another part of the building is now the Harbour Station Café; the south end of the building has been demolished. The building on the far right is the now-disused coastguard station. The building was demolished in August 2014.
Photo by John Mann


No.34027 'Taw Valley' is seen crossing the harbour viaduct having just left Folkestone Harbour station in September 1991. This special service put on by NetworkSoutheast visited Folkestone Harbour on both 12 and 13 September 1991 as part of the Shepway Festival. Taw Valley is a West Country Light Pacific designed by Oliver Bullied, built at Brighton works in April 1946 and withdrawn from service from Salisbury shed in August 1964. Twenty Light Pacifics have been preserved and are regularly seen on main line railtours and excursions.
Photo by Kevin Lane from his Flickr photostream

Motor Luggage Vans 9002 and 9001 have just attached to the front of green heritage 4-EPB unit 5001 in readiness to visit the end of the line beyond Folkestone Harbour station onto the non-electrified pier. The train is SEG/BR-NSE (Southern Electric Group / BR Network South-East) charter special 2Z40 11.15 Ashford to Folkestone Harbour Pier and return the 'Emerald Water Witch' railtour on 29 December 1991. The 1000hp 750v DC MLV's also had a battery traction supply for working into non-electrified sidings. They were generally to be found on boat trains to and from Dover and Folkestone to London Victoria before use in later years as mail van units. The battery traction was used to reach Folkestone Harbour Pier where luggage could be more easily transferred by crane onto the boat, and the same applied at Dover Marine where non-electrified tracks ran along the quayside outside
of the station trainshed.
Photo by Adrian Nicholls from his Flickr photostream


Class 415/1 4-EPB EMU set No.5001 working 2Z40, the 11.15 Ashford to Folkestone Harbour Pier ' Emerald Water Witch' railtour, stands alongside class 411/5 4-CEP No.1531 having arrived with the 11.10 boat train from London Victoria connecting with the 13.30 sailing to Boulogne. It was a standing joke with these 'Channel Train' services, as BR called them, that If a rough winter crossing of the English Channel failed to make passengers queasy the ride up to London above the 4-CEP's Mk4 motor bogie certainly would. The ride could best be described as ‘lively’ at 90mph!
Photo by Adrian Nicholls from his Flickr photostream

In March 1999 the entrance to the old booking office survived beneath the platform canopy, hidden by later panelling.
Photo by Bob Mitchell

Class 66 diesel-electric freight locomotive 66539 is seen at the dilapidated Folkestone Harbour railway station, on Pathfinder Tours' 'Hop and Stop' railtour round trip from Crewe on 11 May 1992. Network SouthEast signage is now displayed at the station. The up line was lifted the previous year after the end of regular service in May 2001.
Photo by Jonathan Willcox from his Flickr photostream


The Venice Simplon-Orient-Express (VSOE) made one of its twice-weekly visits to Folkestone Harbour station on 14 June 2007. The last VSOE service had been scheduled 14 December but closure was postponed and the service continued to run twice a week. On this date the service coincided with the 2007 Folkestone Harbour festival so there was a carnival atmosphere at the station.
Photo by Chris Fletcher

On 21 December 2008 The Remembrance Line Association organised a 'Thumper Tour' from Victoria to Folkestone Harbour in support of their campaign to turn the Harbour branch into a heritage railway. Hastings Class 201 diesel-electric unit No.1001 is standing at the down platform.
Photo from Mostly By Train Flickr photostream

Crowds gather at Folkestone Harbour station on 14 January 2009 for what is advertised as the penultimate railtour to visit the Harbour station, official approval for closure having been granted by the Department for Transport the previous July. The tour is Past Time Rail's Golden Arrow. Ian Haddingham describes the journey along the branch: 'As we inched our way down the branch, it became clear that we were going to be the main attraction of the day, with people climbing on roofs and taking up all possible view points as the steam engine took us down the branch. As we came out from between the final two houses and the harbour came into view, thousands of people were seen, and hundreds of shutters fired to record the event. Time has not served the station well: 15 years without regular service has left the station roofless, one track removed, and moss, grass and litter everywhere. Quite what the Orient Express passengers think of the surroundings in unclear, but it's not pretty for sure.' The tour was hauled by Battle of Britain class Light Pacific 34067 'Tangmere’'
Photo by Mike Cole from his Flickr photostream


The last railtour to visit the Harbour station followed seven weeks later on 14 March 2009 with the arrival of the RTC 'Golden Arrow' tour from Waterloo which was hauled by Britannia No.70013 'Oliver Cromwell'Photo by Mike Cole from his Flickr photostream

Click here for Folkestone Harbour Gallery 5:
24 February 201 May 2014