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The historic steam locomotive ‘INVICTA’, will return to Whitstable in Kent on Sunday 16th June 2019, 189 years after she first arrived in the town, to run on the Canterbury & Whitstable Railway.
INVICTA, the sister engine to Stephenson’s ROCKET, will be craned over the Victorian rooftops before being positioned for permanent display in the Whitstable Community Museum & Gallery.
One of the few remaining early Stationary Winding Engines, which also operated on this historic line, will also be craned into position on this day.
Both INVICTA and the Stationary Beam Engine were built by Robert Stephenson & Co in their factory in Newcastle-on-Tyne and played a significant part in early national and international railway history.
The Canterbury & Whitstable Railway, colloquially known as ‘The Crab & Winkle Line” was incorporated in 1825 and was the first railway in England to convey passengers in steam hauled trains. Other world firsts include the first railway tunnel, the first container transport and it was also the first to issue season tickets.
Many famous names have been associated with this railway. George Stephenson, Joseph Locke, John Dixon and Robert Stephenson all played a part in the line’s construction, while the original Plan and Section of the line, for which the Company’s 1st Act of Parliament was obtained, were set out by William James, the so called ‘Father of the Railways’.
Isambard Kingdom Brunel also visited the line to experiment with the inclined plane through the half mile tunnel to evidence the feasibility of his proposal for a tunnel on the Great Western Railway.
INVICTA is owned by the Transport Trust and is on long term loan to the Canterbury Museum Service, which oversees the Whitstable Museum, which for the past 3 years has been operated by an independent Charitable Trust, Whitstable Community Museum & Gallery.
The 16th June will be a day of great celebration in Whitstable. Not only by the team of 70 volunteers who run the museum and who have worked tirelessly over the last few years in their efforts to make this happen, but also by the people of Whitstable, who have shown their support and offered encouragement throughout.
Chairman of the council’s Community Committee, Cllr Neil Baker, said: “This will be a very emotional day in Whitstable as Invicta arrives back to what many see as her natural home. Such is the interest in this historic locomotive, we expect people right around the world to be following what happens.
“It’s the start of a new chapter in Invicta’s life, under the careful and loving stewardship of a great team of volunteers who run Whitstable Museum. They have worked their socks off to make this happen over the last few years and I know they will make a success of showing off this fantastic piece of railway history.”
Chair of the Whitstable Community Museum and Gallery, Brian Hitcham said: “What an exciting moment, waiting for the arrival of Invicta! Who would have imagined this, four years ago, when the journey first began?
“It’s amazing what an enthusiastic, committed team of volunteers can achieve! My thanks go to everyone who has played a part in making this happen and I look forward to seeing the celebrations.”
The transportation and craning on 16th June will involve both road and footpath closures required to satisfy stringent Health & Safety precautions. Unfortunately, these safe guards will also have a major impact on the capacity for public viewing. Apologies are offered to residents and traders who may be affected by the closures, but it is hoped that the early 6am start will help to limit the inconvenience.
Once Invicta is in on site, it will take some time to be fully installed and exhibited.
The official launch and celebration will begin on Thursday 18th July 2019, and will involve various events throughout the summer months, with details being made available on www.whitstablemuseum.org shortly.
This project, has, in addition to the transportation and craning of the railway artefacts, involved extensive planning and building work. This could not have been carried out without support from the Officers and Councillors of Canterbury City Council which has also provided help with funding the move.
Other individuals and organisations have played a part in enabling the move and these include The Transport Trust for agreeing the move to the Museum, Mr Paul Addis and the late Mr Brian White of The Fred Goldfinch Trust, the South East Museums Development Programme, the Friends of Whitstable Museum & Gallery and the late Dr Brian Porter for funding. A considerable sum has also been raised by the museum volunteers.
Release ID: 521760