Deal operations in the 1950s

The primary main lines between London and Kent can be summed up very simply – the London, Chatham & Dover Railway (L&CDR) ran east, more or less following the line of the Thames and terminated at Ramsgate, while the South Eastern Railway (SER) ran almost south from London before turning east through Tonbridge and Ashford to terminate in Dover. In addition, an SER branch ran from Ashford to Ramsgate via Canterbury and Minster, whilst a second route to Minster was built piecemeal from Dover and included an end-on SER/LC&DR junction at Deal – its use enabled through running from London to Margate via Dover, Deal and a reversal at Ramsgate.

However, not long after the Grouping the Thanet area was completely remodelled when the line into the former SER terminus was extended as a link through to the nearby ‘Chatham’ route, opening on 2 July 1926 complete with a new ‘Ramsgate’ through station that saw both Ramsgate termini close, Town (SER) and Harbour (LC&DR). Margate and the new Ramsgate station were thus efficiently serving both main lines, although the train services themselves remained quite separate. Former ‘Chatham’ trains from Victoria ran via Chatham and Margate to terminate at Ramsgate, whilst ex-South Eastern services from Charing Cross ran to Margate via Ashford, Dover, Deal and Ramsgate. Curiously, the direct route from Ashford to Ramsgate via Canterbury was used as a branch with very few through trains to London.

Technically the SER and the LC&DR both existed until the Grouping, but from the public’s perspective it was under the guise of the South Eastern & Chatham Railway (SE&CR), a ioint committee established in 1899 (when the ‘Harbour’ and ‘Town’ names were bestowed on the Ramsgate stations), but 80 years later their lines were still operated separately with trains and staff be