SANDWICH STATION BY FWGA June 2008

The station was opened on 1st July 1847 with the rest of the Deal-Minster branch. At the beginning the branch was double-tracked, but traffic was so light that by May 1855 the track has been singled, except for a passing loop at Sandwich. This was very unpopular with Deal, and in 1864 - 1865 the second track was restored. The original platforms were considerabily extended when the line was electrified in 1962.

The brick buildings of the passenger station seem to be original - at least they appear exactly as do those which illustrate the opening of the line - but there is a suggestion that he whole was re-built in 1893, though this may have been no more than extensions to either end of the original building.

The up side contains the main office buildings, which used to include the stationmaster's house, the down side retains what appears to be original (and by now very rare) lean-to roof wooden structure.

In 1904 the station was credited with having facilities for goods, passengers, furnitures vans, carriages, portable engines and machines on wheels as well as livestock and horses, together with a four ton crane. Carriages could be accomodated by passenger train - that is, it was possible for a passenger to have his personnal carriage loaded on to a flat truck be hitched to the passengere train in which he himself was to ride.

There was a small goods yards, with a delicated goods shed, but all these were swept away when freiht facilities were withdraw, and the site is given over to a small housing estate (Delfside). A ifting-barrier level crossing at the station is controlled from the signal-box : the original box stood at the Minster end of the down platform, but in 1938 this was abandoned in favour of the present box on the up side by the level crossing.