The line from Shepherdswell to Eythorne was originally going to be a line running across flat land around a small hill, however due to disagreements with a landowner, the 550 yard tunnel was excavated to make the connection between the stations.
Approaching from Shepherdswell, you find yourself in quite a deep cutting, and the tunnel itself has been bored wide enough to accommodate a twin-track, however only half the chalk was excavated inside the tunnel to save on costs. The tunnel officially opened for business in 1912, and closed 75 years later in 1987. The purpose of the line was to serve the freight purposes of the local collieries in and around the area, however passengers were also conveyed between Shepherdswell on the London, Chatham & Dover Railway’s Canterbury to Dover main line, to a junction at Eastry, from whence ran lines to Richborough Port and Canterbury Road.
The line from Shepherdswell to Eythorne has subsequently been reopened by a train preservation society, who in the summer months, run trains from Shepherdswell to Eythorne.
The train graveyard I presume, houses the trains that the preservation society drive to Eythorne and back. Sadly, some of these trains have seen better days, with grease still covering the wheels, they stand dormant, slowly depreciating hidden out of site behind Shepherdswell Railway Station. Others still seem in useable condition, and one of the trains had scaffolding up the side of it and was getting a new lick of paint. It is nice to see some people are not letting these fine examples of transportation go to waste.
I dont think I could ever forget a trip to London as a child, starting off at Dover with the sound of 40 odd doors being slammed all at once.
Approaching from Shepherdswell, you find yourself in quite a deep cutting, and the tunnel itself has been bored wide enough to accommodate a twin-track, however only half the chalk was excavated inside the tunnel to save on costs. The tunnel officially opened for business in 1912, and closed 75 years later in 1987. The purpose of the line was to serve the freight purposes of the local collieries in and around the area, however passengers were also conveyed between Shepherdswell on the London, Chatham & Dover Railway’s Canterbury to Dover main line, to a junction at Eastry, from whence ran lines to Richborough Port and Canterbury Road.
The line from Shepherdswell to Eythorne has subsequently been reopened by a train preservation society, who in the summer months, run trains from Shepherdswell to Eythorne.
The train graveyard I presume, houses the trains that the preservation society drive to Eythorne and back. Sadly, some of these trains have seen better days, with grease still covering the wheels, they stand dormant, slowly depreciating hidden out of site behind Shepherdswell Railway Station. Others still seem in useable condition, and one of the trains had scaffolding up the side of it and was getting a new lick of paint. It is nice to see some people are not letting these fine examples of transportation go to waste.
I dont think I could ever forget a trip to London as a child, starting off at Dover with the sound of 40 odd doors being slammed all at once.
