The embankment was dug by hand in the late 1820’s by gangs of ‘navvies’ navigating the route for, what was to be, the first ever scheduled, fare paying railway service. The seven mile track was to run from Whitstable harbour on the north Kent coast to the Cathedral City of Canterbury, to the south.
The track bed still exists for much of the route and there are still remnants such as railings that survive to this day. Most of the old track bed has been surfaced to provide a cycleway between Canterbury and Whitstable.
There were two significant obstacles on the route. Firstly, about a mile from the Canterbury Station, a hill needed to be negotiated in some way. Tunnels were common on the canals (see Horus’ very interesting A Tale of Two Tunnels) but it had never been necessary to dig a tunnel for passenger steam trains. The other problem was steep gradients. George Stephenson was appointed engineer for the project but the day to day supervision was done by his son Robert with Isambard Kingdom Brunel involved in the tunnels construction.
The tunnel which is about half a mile long was dug and lined successfully. The gradient problem was solved by installing static winding engines at the high point of inclines to haul the train up on cables. Two were originally installed but a third was added later. Construction of the line took four years.
During this time another engineer, Thomas Telford, was building the harbour at Whitstable where the line would end. So the finest engineers of the day were involved in the construction of the line which was to give access to the coast to those living in the Canterbury area, and to provide a transport link from the harbour to Canterbury.
The first locomotive on the line was The Invicta. This was built in 1829/30 at Forth Works, Newcastle upon Tyne by George and Robert Stephenson. It was designed after the style of Stephensons Rocket. It had a works number 24, and cost £635. It was shipped down the east coast to Whitstable and prepared for it’s maiden journey from there to Canterbury.
On Monday 3rd May 1830 The Invicta arrived at Whitstable Harbour with nearly 300 passengers having completed it’s first journey and making history as the first scheduled railway in the world. It soon became affectionately known as The Crab and Winkle Line and that name is perpetuated with a restauraunt of that name on the quayside, and the cycle track from Canterbury to Whitstable.
Invicta only produced about 12 horse power from its 10” x 18” cylinders at 40 psi of steam and could not cope with the gradients. She was replaced after a few years but has always remained in the Canterbury area and after a major refurbishment in1977 she is now on view in The Canterbury Museum.
A view across the small harbour today. Still have barges coming in there.
A little bit of social history at the bottom of my garden…….and beyond..
and what a beautiful view from the bottom of your garden - I'll be around at the weekend for a Barbeque 
