BR class 5MT 4-6-0 No 73084 leaves Bromley South with the 11.35am Victoria to Ramsgate train including two Pullman cars on April 15, 1957.

Robert Waterman says "This was the winter version of the all pullman Kentish Belle (which only ran from June to September) and always included two or often three pullmans its formation inserted into BR standard 4 set 870. During periods of low passenger demand it ran as a 6 car train only - at other periods loose vehicles would be added to the front and/or back of the set and sometimes inserted inside the set. It ran to the same timings with the same stops as most of the the other Kent Coast services at this time.

The Sunday version of this train departed Victoria at 9.50/9.52am and I travelled from Victoria to Ramsgate on this service on the first Sunday of the winter 1958 - 1959 timetable - Sept 21st I believe - (the Kentish Belle had run for the last time ever the previous Sunday) when it was made up to an 11 car formation including 3 pullmans - one of which was a 12 wheeler - the other 2 from the Belle set (unusual in that they had British standard gangways with screw couplings rather than pullman gangways with buckeye couplings). This particular day the train was hauled by a U1 3 cylinder Maunsell mogul! Such was the SR South Eastern!
If anybody out there knows which one I would love to hear."

Photo: John Head/Rail Archive Stephenson