Deal railway station
Encyclopedia
Deal railway station serves Deal
in Kent
, England
. The station and all trains serving it are operated by Southeastern
. The station is on the Kent Coast Line
9.5 miles (15.3 km) north east of Dover Priory
and 86.75 miles (139.6 km) south east of London Charing Cross
.
through Sandwich
and opened on 1 July 1847. This meant the original services to London ran via Canterbury
, Ashford
, Tonbridge
, Redhill
and Croydon
to London Bridge
. Local sources say Charles Dickens
attended the celebrations that accompanied the opening of the line. The link south to Dover
was delayed by commercial rivalry between the two Kent railway companies, the South Eastern Railway and the London, Chatham & Dover Railway
. However, the companies finally agreed to build the line jointly and it opened on 15 June 1881.
The original single platform with its 2-storey 1847 building became the new 'up' platform. This line now continued south under a new flyover carrying London Road and necessitated demolition of the middle houses in Sunnyside Terrace. The siding next to this was extended to become a through siding. Finally, a new 'down' platform was built to the west with buildings similar to those at Walmer
. The existence of this middle siding explains the gap between the current tracks. The footbridge, which originally had a roof, also dates to 1881.
Mileage on the line is measured from via and ; on this basis, Deal is 90 miles (144.8406 km) from Charing Cross. Hence the milepost on the 'up' platform at Deal says 90¾ (via Canterbury) but Deal is actually only 86¾ miles from Charing Cross (via Dover).
Deal used to have extensive coal yards (bordered by St Patrick's Road), goods yards (now Sainsbury's) and a locomotive shed and turntable (now Bridgeside). The locomotive shed was shut in 1930. Albert Terrace was built in the 1860s for railway employees in a line with Lower Queen Street before the railway was extended to Dover. Hence the London Road flyover was built with a 'kink' around them. The station-master's house received a direct hit during World War 2 (although a garden wall still exists), as did the goods shed. The substantial buildings on the 'down' platform were demolished about 1970 and replaced with small CLASP
-style buildings. These have since been replaced with a small modern shelter, as shown in the photograph on the right.
at the station and at Victoria Park. However as one of the last pockets of semaphore signalling in Kent, Network Rail
has scheduled these to be replaced by colour light signals during its East Kent re-signalling scheme in 2012.
The signal box
moved from the platform to the Western Road level crossing in 1939. It is a good example of a Southern Railway
odeon/art deco ‘glasshouse’ signal box (a Type 13). One siding remains, occasionally used for infrastructure trains.
began in 1903 and continued for many years, surviving as a daily through train to Wolverhampton
until 1962. There was also a daily train to Manchester
before WW1 and regular daily trains to Victoria until the 1960s. From 1948-1962, the peak 16:56 service from Cannon Street
that divided at Ashford was unusual in having both portions call at Deal. The portion via Dover called at Deal at 19:16, to Ramsgate. The portion via Canterbury called 3 minutes later, to Dover.
of 4 December 1957 in which 90 people were killed, including at least one person from Deal.
An earlier version of this service, the 17:00 Cannon Street to Deal via Minister, was also involved in a fatal crash
when it derailed at Sevenoaks on 24 August 1927. 13 people were killed.
tried to gate the station in the 1990s to prevent vandalism and improve revenue collection, it emerged that this right of way still exists as a legal covenant and the company was unable to gate the station.
as Phase 2 of British Rail’s Kent Coast Electrification Scheme. Some electric trains began running in 1961, with the full service beginning with the Summer timetable on 18 June 1962. There were 2 trains per hour (tph) off-peak, mostly from Charing Cross to Ramsgate, until May 1982, when the service was reduced to 1 tph off-peak (2 tph in the peaks).
and one train per hour to London Charing Cross
via Folkestone Central
and Sevenoaks
, augmented to half-hourly during peak hours.
From 5 September 2011, three services daily to St Pancras station via Dover and High Speed 1 were introduced, taking approximately 80 minutes. There are two return services from St Pancras each evening.
travelled from Ramsgate to Folkestone and spent the night at Deal's historic Royal Hotel. He explored local attractions including Walmer Castle
and the Timeball Tower.
The station building incorporates toilets (including disabled access and baby-changing facilities), staff facilities, photo machine and snack machines. There is a help-point and automatic ticket machine on the platform.
Due to former problems with cars clogging the vehicle access to the down platform, there is only pedestrian access to this platform. This means mobility-impaired passengers must either cross the footbridge or walk up the ramp to London Road. Many people choose to alight from down trains at Walmer as access from the down platform there to Sydney Road is easier.
In the early 1980s, the upstairs room housed the Deal & District Model Railway Society; it has lain empty for many years despite efforts to rent it.
Deal, Kent
Deal is a town in Kent England. It lies on the English Channel eight miles north-east of Dover and eight miles south of Ramsgate. It is a former fishing, mining and garrison town...
in Kent
Kent
Kent is a county in southeast England, and is one of the home counties. It borders East Sussex, Surrey and Greater London and has a defined boundary with Essex in the middle of the Thames Estuary. The ceremonial county boundaries of Kent include the shire county of Kent and the unitary borough of...
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
. The station and all trains serving it are operated by Southeastern
Southeastern (train operating company)
London & South Eastern Railway Limited, trading as Southeastern is a train operating company in south-east England. On 1 April 2006 it became the franchisee for the new Integrated Kent Franchise , replacing the publicly owned South Eastern Trains on the former South East Franchise...
. The station is on the Kent Coast Line
Kent Coast Line
The Kent Coast Line is railway line that runs from Dover Priory to Margate in the English county of Kent.It was electrified by BR under the 1955 Modernisation Plan.- Services :...
9.5 miles (15.3 km) north east of Dover Priory
Dover Priory railway station
Dover Priory railway station is the main station in Dover in Kent, with the other station being Kearsney situated on the outskirts of Dover. . All train services are provided by Southeastern...
and 86.75 miles (139.6 km) south east of London Charing Cross
Charing Cross railway station
Charing Cross railway station, also known as London Charing Cross, is a central London railway terminus in the City of Westminster, England. It is one of 18 stations managed by Network Rail, and trains serving it are operated by Southeastern...
.
Early Years
Deal was originally the terminus of a South Eastern Railway branch line from Minster JunctionMinster railway station
Minster railway station serves Minster in Kent and surrounding villages. The station, and all trains serving it, are operated by Southeastern.- History :...
through Sandwich
Sandwich railway station
Sandwich railway station serves Sandwich in Kent, England. The station, and all trains serving it, are operated by Southeastern. The station is 8¼ miles south of Ramsgate on the Kent Coast Line....
and opened on 1 July 1847. This meant the original services to London ran via Canterbury
Canterbury West railway station
Canterbury West railway station is one of two stations in Canterbury in Kent. It is north-northwest of the city centre. It is served by Southeastern....
, Ashford
Ashford International railway station
Ashford International railway station serves Ashford in Kent, England. Services are provided by Southeastern, Southern and Eurostar.International services use platforms 3 & 4, whilst domestic trains use the original platforms 1 & 2, and a new island built when the Channel Tunnel opened...
, Tonbridge
Tonbridge railway station
Tonbridge railway station is a station serving the town of Tonbridge in Kent, England. It is a junction between two important commuter routes; the South Eastern Main Line serving Ashford, Ramsgate and Dover and the Hastings Main Line serving Tunbridge Wells and Hastings, as well as a branch to...
, Redhill
Redhill railway station
Redhill railway station serves the town of Redhill, Surrey, England. The station is a major interchange point on the Brighton Main Line 21 miles south of London Victoria...
and Croydon
East Croydon station
East Croydon station is a railway station and tram stop in Croydon, 10.35 miles south of London Bridge in Travelcard Zone 5. It is the largest and busiest station in Croydon and the busiest in London outside Travelcard Zone 1 in terms of the number of passengers entering and exiting...
to London Bridge
London Bridge station
London Bridge railway station is a central London railway terminus and London Underground complex in the London Borough of Southwark, occupying a large area on two levels immediately south-east of London Bridge and 1.6 miles east of Charing Cross. It is one of the oldest railway stations in the...
. Local sources say Charles Dickens
Charles Dickens
Charles John Huffam Dickens was an English novelist, generally considered the greatest of the Victorian period. Dickens enjoyed a wider popularity and fame than had any previous author during his lifetime, and he remains popular, having been responsible for some of English literature's most iconic...
attended the celebrations that accompanied the opening of the line. The link south to Dover
Dover Priory railway station
Dover Priory railway station is the main station in Dover in Kent, with the other station being Kearsney situated on the outskirts of Dover. . All train services are provided by Southeastern...
was delayed by commercial rivalry between the two Kent railway companies, the South Eastern Railway and the London, Chatham & Dover Railway
London, Chatham and Dover Railway
The London, Chatham and Dover Railway was a railway company in south-eastern England from 1859 until the 1923 grouping which united it with other companies to form the Southern Railway. Its lines ran through London and northern and eastern Kent to form a significant part of the Greater London...
. However, the companies finally agreed to build the line jointly and it opened on 15 June 1881.
The original single platform with its 2-storey 1847 building became the new 'up' platform. This line now continued south under a new flyover carrying London Road and necessitated demolition of the middle houses in Sunnyside Terrace. The siding next to this was extended to become a through siding. Finally, a new 'down' platform was built to the west with buildings similar to those at Walmer
Walmer railway station
Walmer railway station serves Walmer in Kent. The station and all trains serving it are operated by Southeastern.-Service: the typical off-peak service from the station is one train per hour to Ramsgate and one train per hour to London Charing Cross via Folkestone Central and Sevenoaks.-External...
. The existence of this middle siding explains the gap between the current tracks. The footbridge, which originally had a roof, also dates to 1881.
Mileage on the line is measured from via and ; on this basis, Deal is 90 miles (144.8406 km) from Charing Cross. Hence the milepost on the 'up' platform at Deal says 90¾ (via Canterbury) but Deal is actually only 86¾ miles from Charing Cross (via Dover).
Deal used to have extensive coal yards (bordered by St Patrick's Road), goods yards (now Sainsbury's) and a locomotive shed and turntable (now Bridgeside). The locomotive shed was shut in 1930. Albert Terrace was built in the 1860s for railway employees in a line with Lower Queen Street before the railway was extended to Dover. Hence the London Road flyover was built with a 'kink' around them. The station-master's house received a direct hit during World War 2 (although a garden wall still exists), as did the goods shed. The substantial buildings on the 'down' platform were demolished about 1970 and replaced with small CLASP
CLASP (British Rail)
The CLASP system was a scheme developed in the 1950s by English local authorities to devise a method of designing and assembling prefabricated buildings for use in the public sector...
-style buildings. These have since been replaced with a small modern shelter, as shown in the photograph on the right.
Signalling
Deal retains its semaphore signalsRailway semaphore signal
One of the earliest forms of fixed railway signal is the semaphore. These signals display their different indications to train drivers by changing the angle of inclination of a pivoted 'arm'. Semaphore signals were patented in the early 1840s by Joseph James Stevens, and soon became the most...
at the station and at Victoria Park. However as one of the last pockets of semaphore signalling in Kent, Network Rail
Network Rail
Network Rail is the government-created owner and operator of most of the rail infrastructure in Great Britain .; it is not responsible for railway infrastructure in Northern Ireland...
has scheduled these to be replaced by colour light signals during its East Kent re-signalling scheme in 2012.
The signal box
Signalling control
On a rail transport system, signalling control is the process by which control is exercised over train movements by way of railway signals and block systems to ensure that trains operate safely, over the correct route and to the proper timetable...
moved from the platform to the Western Road level crossing in 1939. It is a good example of a Southern Railway
Southern Railway (Great Britain)
The Southern Railway was a British railway company established in the 1923 Grouping. It linked London with the Channel ports, South West England, South coast resorts and Kent...
odeon/art deco ‘glasshouse’ signal box (a Type 13). One siding remains, occasionally used for infrastructure trains.
Former services
During the 19th and early 20th centuries Deal enjoyed a higher status than now as a resort and, with extensive Royal Marine barracks, was a terminating/originating point for a number of trains travelling routes that seem unusual nowadays. Trains to/from London could run either north or south. For example, there were direct trains to Reading via Redhill, and a daily service to BirkenheadBirkenhead Woodside railway station
Birkenhead Woodside was a railway station at Woodside, in Birkenhead, on the Wirral Peninsula, England.-Background:Birkenhead Woodside railway station was opened on 31 March 1878 to replace the increasingly inadequate passenger facilities provided at Birkenhead Monks Ferry station.It was built...
began in 1903 and continued for many years, surviving as a daily through train to Wolverhampton
Wolverhampton Low Level railway station
Wolverhampton Low Level was a railway station on Sun Street, in Springfield, Wolverhampton, England .It was built by the Great Western Railway, on their route from London to Birkenhead via Birmingham...
until 1962. There was also a daily train to Manchester
Manchester Piccadilly station
Manchester Piccadilly is the principal railway station in Manchester, England. It serves intercity routes to London Euston, Birmingham New Street, South Wales, the south coast of England, Edinburgh and Glasgow Central, and routes throughout northern England...
before WW1 and regular daily trains to Victoria until the 1960s. From 1948-1962, the peak 16:56 service from Cannon Street
Cannon Street station
Cannon Street station, also known as London Cannon Street, is a central London railway terminus and London Underground complex in the City of London, England. It is built on the site of the medieval Steelyard, the trading base in England of the Hanseatic League...
that divided at Ashford was unusual in having both portions call at Deal. The portion via Dover called at Deal at 19:16, to Ramsgate. The portion via Canterbury called 3 minutes later, to Dover.
Accidents
The 16:56 service from Cannon Street was involved in the fatal Lewisham crashLewisham rail crash
The Lewisham rail crash on the British railway system occurred on 4 December 1957 just outside St Johns railway station in Lewisham, south London...
of 4 December 1957 in which 90 people were killed, including at least one person from Deal.
An earlier version of this service, the 17:00 Cannon Street to Deal via Minister, was also involved in a fatal crash
Sevenoaks railway accident
The Sevenoaks railway accident occurred on 24 August 1927 between Dunton Green railway station and Sevenoaks railway station. The Southern Railway's afternoon express from Cannon Street to Deal left London at 5pm, in charge of River Class tank engine No 800 River Cray. Several passengers later...
when it derailed at Sevenoaks on 24 August 1927. 13 people were killed.
Right of way
The 1847 terminus was built across an ancient right of way between St Leonard’s and St George’s Churches (Upper and Lower Deal). When Connex South EasternConnex South Eastern
Connex South Eastern was a train operating company in the United Kingdom. It was owned by the Connex Group and operated between 14 October 1996 and 9 November 2003. The company operated passenger services in South London and Kent...
tried to gate the station in the 1990s to prevent vandalism and improve revenue collection, it emerged that this right of way still exists as a legal covenant and the company was unable to gate the station.
Electrification
Services through Deal were electrified using the 3rd rail system at 750 volts DCThird rail
A third rail is a method of providing electric power to a railway train, through a semi-continuous rigid conductor placed alongside or between the rails of a railway track. It is used typically in a mass transit or rapid transit system, which has alignments in its own corridors, fully or almost...
as Phase 2 of British Rail’s Kent Coast Electrification Scheme. Some electric trains began running in 1961, with the full service beginning with the Summer timetable on 18 June 1962. There were 2 trains per hour (tph) off-peak, mostly from Charing Cross to Ramsgate, until May 1982, when the service was reduced to 1 tph off-peak (2 tph in the peaks).
Services
the typical off-peak service from the station is one train per hour to RamsgateRamsgate railway station
Ramsgate railway station serves the town of Ramsgate in Thanet in Kent, England, and is located about 10 minutes away on foot from the town centre. The station lies on the Chatham Main Line 127 km east of London Victoria, the Kent Coast Line, and the Ashford to Ramsgate line...
and one train per hour to London Charing Cross
Charing Cross railway station
Charing Cross railway station, also known as London Charing Cross, is a central London railway terminus in the City of Westminster, England. It is one of 18 stations managed by Network Rail, and trains serving it are operated by Southeastern...
via Folkestone Central
Folkestone Central railway station
Folkestone Central railway station is one of three railway stations in Folkestone. It is the more central of the two main stations in the town. The station, and all trains serving it, is operated by Southeastern.- History :...
and Sevenoaks
Sevenoaks railway station
Sevenoaks railway station serves the town of Sevenoaks in Kent. Train services are provided by Southeastern.Trains from the station run northbound to London Bridge, Cannon Street , Waterloo East and London Charing Cross via Orpington, to London Blackfriars via Swanley and Catford, and southbound to...
, augmented to half-hourly during peak hours.
From 5 September 2011, three services daily to St Pancras station via Dover and High Speed 1 were introduced, taking approximately 80 minutes. There are two return services from St Pancras each evening.
TV
Deal and its station featured in an episode of the BBC TV Great British Railway Journeys, Series 2, that aired on BBC2 on 27 January 2011. Presenter Michael PortilloMichael Portillo
Michael Denzil Xavier Portillo is a British journalist, broadcaster, and former Conservative Party politician and Cabinet Minister...
travelled from Ramsgate to Folkestone and spent the night at Deal's historic Royal Hotel. He explored local attractions including Walmer Castle
Walmer Castle
Walmer Castle was built by Henry VIII in 1539–1540 as an artillery fortress to counter the threat of invasion from Catholic France and Spain. It was part of his programme to create a chain of coastal defences along England's coast known as the Device Forts or as Henrician Castles...
and the Timeball Tower.
Current facilities and access
Deal station has a ticket office and waiting room open:- Monday to Friday 06:45 – 20:10
- Saturday 05:45 – 19:10
- Sunday 07:30 – 16:00
The station building incorporates toilets (including disabled access and baby-changing facilities), staff facilities, photo machine and snack machines. There is a help-point and automatic ticket machine on the platform.
Due to former problems with cars clogging the vehicle access to the down platform, there is only pedestrian access to this platform. This means mobility-impaired passengers must either cross the footbridge or walk up the ramp to London Road. Many people choose to alight from down trains at Walmer as access from the down platform there to Sydney Road is easier.
In the early 1980s, the upstairs room housed the Deal & District Model Railway Society; it has lain empty for many years despite efforts to rent it.