The Armistice Steam Express

Can you imagine a more fitting way to commemorate Armistice Day than aboard a special steam hauled train travelling through the “Garden of England” between London and Canterbury? Sit back, relax and watch the Kent countryside go past your window as our steam locomotive is put through its paces hauling our train. We also remember the start of the armistice for the end of fighting at the 11th hour on the 11th November 1918.

Our steam hauled train leaves London Victoria mid-morning and travels via Bromley South where we pause to pick up passengers. We will then continue via the South Eastern & Chatham main line through Sevenoaks to Tonbridge. We follow the Ashford line eastwards as far as Paddock Wood, where we will leave the main line and join the Medway Valley line to Maidstone West and Strood. This attractive line follows the river Medway all the way to Maidstone and onwards to Rochester and Strood. It is also a route that does not see steam hauled trains all that frequently.

At Strood, we will reverse our direction of travel and run diesel hauled past Rochester Castle and Cathedral as we follow the North Kent line through Chatham, famed for its historic dockyards. On the approach to Sittingbourne, we will leave the main line at Western Junction and join the Sheerness Branch. We cross the river Swale and run across the Isle of Sheppey to the end of the line at Sheerness-on-Sea, where we take a short break. Apart from the town’s seaside connections, it was an important Royal Navy dockyard until its closure in 1960. The Port of Sheerness is still a significant importer of cars, plus fruit and vegetables.

We return to the mainline junction at Sittingbourne steam hauled now and make our way to Faversham where we will join the Canterbury East line. From Canterbury East, it is a long climb to Shepherds Well summit before we descend steeply towards Dover, a very busy cross channel ferry port.

We pass beneath the White Cliffs of Dover, and Shakespeare Cliff marks the point where Great Britain is closest to continental Europe. Deep below the line is the route of the Channel Tunnel, 50km in length and opened in 1994. Dover was also the scene of the arriving troops in 1940 during Operation Dynamo, when 338,226 were evacuated from Dunkirk. After Folkestone, where the surrounding area is dominated by the Channel Tunnel Shuttle Terminal, we head inland to Ashford, where we will follow the line to Maidstone East, passing over our earlier route taken through Maidstone West. After Swanley we retrace our previous route back through Bromley South to Victoria, after a very poignant but enjoyable and memorable day.

On Board Catering