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Kentish Belle steam train tours Kent travelling past Bromley, Medway, Maidstone, Sheerness, Faversham, Canterbury and Dover

12:45, 13 November 2023

Pictures of a historic steam train which toured the county as part of Remembrance commemorations have been shared by those who turned out to see it.

The Armistice Kentish Belle travelled through Kent on Saturday, November 11 to mark Armistice Day on a route which included the county’s dockyards and Dover, which was the scene of the arriving troops in 1940 during Operation Dynamo, when 338,226 were evacuated from Dunkirk.

The Armistice Kentish Belle passing over Sheppey Bridge. Picture: Jason Arthur
The Armistice Kentish Belle passing over Sheppey Bridge. Picture: Jason Arthur

The Locomotive 45596 Bahamas, built in 1934, left London Victoria at 9.43am stopping at Bromley South at 10.17am before passing through through Sevenoaks to Tonbridge via the the South Eastern & Chatham main line.

It then used the Ashford line eastwards as far as Paddock Wood before following the River Medway all the way to Maidstone and onwards to Rochester and Strood.

At Strood, it then followed the North Kent line through Chatham towards Sittingbourne.

The train then crossed The Swale cutting across the Isle of Sheppey before arriving at Sheerness on Sea at 12.46pm.

The Armistice Kentish Belle. Picture: Jason Arthur
The Armistice Kentish Belle. Picture: Jason Arthur
Train fans waiting for the Kentish Belle at Sheerness. Picture: John Nurden
Train fans waiting for the Kentish Belle at Sheerness. Picture: John Nurden
The Kentish Belle passes over the Kingsferry Bridge. Picture: John Nurden
The Kentish Belle passes over the Kingsferry Bridge. Picture: John Nurden

After a 44-minute break, Armistice Kentish Belle continued its journey passing through Faversham and Canterbury East before it made a long climb to Shepherds Well summit.

The train descended steeply towards Dover, beneath the White Cliffs of Dover before returning to London Victoria at 5.43pm.

Run by The Railway Touring Company, tickets for adults started at £99.

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