The Railway Touring Company‘s ‘The Kentish Belle Armistice Day’ steam train tour will this year mark the 40th Anniversary of the Falklands War
Each year, the Railway Touring Company runs an Armistice Day steam special and this year will see the tour mark the 40th Anniversary of the Falklands War.
The tour is set to be hauled by Jubilee class locomotive 45996 Bahamas which has been temporarily re-named as 45606 ‘Falkland Islands’ as a mark of respect to those who took part in the war.
45606 Falkland Islands was built back in 1935 and was withdrawn from service in 1964 and went on to be scrapped.
The Railway Touring Company’s ‘The Kentish Belle’ will see 45606 Falkland Islands riding the tracks once again in the special tour from London Victoria to Margate on Friday the 11th of November.
The train is set to leave London mid-morning and will provide a nostalgic trip through Kent, travelling through Bromley South, Swanley, Rochester and Gillingham. On reaching Faversham, the train will travel on the Whitstable line which runs near the Thames Estuary to Margate which has been a well-loved holiday destination for many for more than 250 years.
The tour’s return journey will see 45606 Falklands Island lead and will pass under the White Cliffs of Dover.
Those travelling onboard have a number of travel options available including the dining option which features buck’s fizz, morning tea or coffee with Danish pastries and a silver service four-course lunch.
45996 Bahamas was temporarily renamed and renumbered at a ceremony held at Swanage Station this September. The new ‘Falklands Islands’ nameplates have been cast from the original and were attached to the locomotive under the watch of a large crowd attending the event. It was hoped to hold a service with the nameplates unveiled by Falklands veterans but this was not possible.
After the ‘Kentish Belle Armistice Day’ tour, the Falklands Islands nameplate will be removed and will be given to The Royal Marines Association which is The Royal Marines Charity and will be auctioned as part of its annual charity fundraiser.
Keith Whitmore, chairman of Bahamas Locomotive Society, said, “We are delighted to have been able to facilitate a commemoration of the 40th Anniversary of the Falklands conflict and to remember the fallen on both sides of the conflict with our loco, as a one-off, carrying the identity of its long scrapped sister LMS Jubilee Class locomotive 45606 Falklands Islands.”
The Railway Touring Company’s MD, Kelly Osborne, said, “Our Kentish Belle Armistice Day steam service is warmly welcomed by those who wish to remember loved ones and mark the day in a special way. This year, with 45606 Falkland Islands hauling the train, the journey will be a poignant reminder of all those lost during this more recent conflict.”
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