“Sporen over de Zee, Het verhaal van het treinveer Harwich - Zeebrugge.

[Hans Reints]

Recently Mainline & Maritime published a remarkable booklet entitled “Rails Across the Sea, The Harwich – Zeebrugge Train Ferry Story”. The book is bi lingual, the Dutch title being “Sporen over de Zee, Het verhaal van het treinveer Harwich - Zeebrugge. Kevin Hoggett signed as the author. It is the first full history of the Harwich – Zeebrugge train ferry service. The author worked for British Rail at Zeebrugge (Belgium) in the train ferry service. He had access to previously unpublished material and images (including maps, advertising and other ephemera). The story includes the history of the “precursor’services operated by the military in WW1.The Harwich – Zeebrugge train ferry service started on April 24th, 1924 and was set up by Great Eastern Train Ferries Ltd. (GETF). In a very short time it became very successful especially for transport of perishables from the European Continent to the UK. This was done in special temperature controlled wagons. During the big depression in the thirties, GETF was taken over by the London and North Eastern Railways (later becoming part of British Rail).
Due to the breaking out of WW2, the train ferry service was suspended on September 1st; 1939 and resumed mid September 1944. At the beginning of the war the three ferry-boats were taken over by the Royal Navy and converted to “Landing Craft Carriers”. Two of them did not survive the war.The service was finally stopped when the Chunnel, the canal tunnel under the Channel, became operational. Al those years the service was run on a daily basis, with up to four sailing in each direction. “Rails Across the Sea” (ISBN 978-1-900340-59-3) counts 80 pages, 96 images of which 35 in colour. It is available as softback (retailprice £14.95 exclusive P & P). The book can be ordered via the better bookshop, or direct with the publishers,
 Mainline & Maritime, 3 Broadleaze, Upper Seagry near Chippenham SN15 SEY, Tel. +44.(0)1275.845012.
 Ordering can also via the link https://mainline-maritime.myshopify.com/collections/maritime-1/products/rails-across-the-sea.

[Eric B]

Bedankt voor de tip Hans!

[Jean-Pierre]

  Boek besteld

[paazhaas]

Een zeer interessant boekwerk en zeker het bestellen waard.