The Thanet

Thanet

Thanet is a local government district of Kent, England which was formed under the Local Government Act 1972, and came into being on 1 April 1974...

 Belle was a named train run by the Southern Region of British Railways

Southern Region of British Railways

The Southern Region was a region of British Railways from 1948. The region ceased to be an operating unit in its own right in the 1980s and was wound up at the end of 1992. The region covered south London, southern England and the south coast, including the busy commuter belt areas of Kent, Sussex...

 from 1948 until it was withdrawn in 1958 due to the electrification

Railway electrification in Great Britain

Railway electrification in Great Britain started towards of the 19th century. A great range of voltages have been used in the intervening period using both overhead lines and third rails, however the most common standard for mainline services is now 25 kV AC using overhead lines and the...

 of the route. It ran from Londonn Victoria to Margate

Margate railway station

Margate railway station serves the town of Margate in Thanet in Kent, England. Train services are provided by Southeastern.Trains from the station generally run to London Victoria via , or to via Ramsgate, Canterbury West and Ashford International...

, Broadstairs

Broadstairs railway station

Broadstairs railway station is on the Chatham Main Line in north Kent. It serves the coastal tourist town of Broadstairs and is located at the inland end of Broadstairs High Street. The station is south east of London Victoria...

 and Ramsgate

Ramsgate 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...

.

The train, composed of Pullman

Pullman train (UK)

Pullman trains in Great Britain were mainline luxury railway services that operated with first-class coaches and a steward service, provided by the British Pullman Car Company.-Origins:...

 stock, had its origins in the "Thanet Pullman Limited", introduced by the South Eastern and Chatham Railway

South Eastern and Chatham Railway

The South Eastern and Chatham Railway Companies Joint Management Committee , known by its shorter name of the South Eastern and Chatham Railway was a working union of two neighbouring rival railways, the South Eastern Railway and London, Chatham and Dover Railway , that operated services between...

 in July 1921, but which was withdrawn in 1928. The train was usually hauled by West Country and Battle of Britain class locomotives.

In 1951 three coaches were detached at Faversham

Faversham railway station

Faversham railway station is on the Chatham Main Line in north Kent, and serves the town of Faversham, 52 miles from London Victoria and 49 miles from London St. Pancras International. Train services are provided by Southeastern. Typical journey times for fastest services to Victoria is 70...

 and ran through to Canterbury East

Canterbury East railway station

Canterbury East railway station is one of two stations in Canterbury in Kent. It is south-southwest of the city centre and is served by Southeastern....

and the name was changed to "Kentish Belle".
This service was withdrawn after one year but the new name remained.

The Kentish Belle was withdrawn after 1958 as a result of the completion of the first phase of the "Kent Coast Electrification" in 1959.