Whitstable

Whitstable is a town in Kent, England with a population of 30,000. It is a seaside resort, situated on the North Sea coast, facing Essex across the Thames Estuary and the Isle of Sheppey across The Swale. It is technically within the city limits of Canterbury six miles inland.

The world's first steam-hauled passenger railway

In 1830 the world's first steam-hauled passenger railway opened (the first true passenger railway was opened on Swansea Bay, South Wales on 25 March 1807), linking the town with the cathedral city of Canterbury. It was William James who produced the plans for a railway from Canterbury to Whitstable, six miles long, and it was built at a cost of £83,000 and opened on May 3, 1830. Trains were first operated by stationary winding engines up the inclined planes and by a locomotive for the rest of the journey.

Related Topics:
Railway - Swansea Bay - South Wales - 25 March - 1807 - Canterbury - William James - May 3 - 1830 - Stationary winding engines - Inclined plane - Locomotive

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The Canterbury and Whitstable line was operated on by the Invicta, an 0-4-0 inclined cylinder tender locomotive built by Robert Stephenson of Newcastle for £635, which pulled three carriages.

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After 10 years, Invicta was retired and survived as scrap until restoration began in 1898 and continued intermittently until 1977. The painstaking restoration work was finally completed by the volunteers of the National Railway Museum in York, and the locomotive was returned to Canterbury in time for the 150th anniversary celebrations of the line on May 3, 1980.

Related Topics:
National Railway Museum - York - May 3 - 1980

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Whitstable was once home to the world's oldest railway bridge, but this was demolished during the 1970s. Whitstable harbour was built in 1832 and incorporated in Kent's first passenger railway service, locally known as the Crab and Winkle line, which ran from Canterbury to London by means of a steam ship passage from the harbour.

Related Topics:
1970s - 1832 - London

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