Dover had a busy rail freight operation up until the mid-1990s using boats specifically designed for this, 
but the opening of the Channel Tunnel brought it to an end. A pair of class 33s were used to
see that the two rakes of wagons boarded the ferry equally so as to keep it on an even keel using a linkspan.
Sadly Dover Marine that served the Western Docks...from which I arrived by train and departed by ferry on my first trip abroard with
the school...has now been demolished. The hovercraft in this picture 'The Princess Margaret' seen entering Dover Harbour in 1998 
was indeed not far from ending her career crossing the Channel herself, one that would have seen relatively little involvement with rail
passengers or freight compared with 30 or more years ago.
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Photo from James & Martin's Picture Collection Copyright 'Jampics' m.hawkes7@ntlworld.com 
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British and Foreign Railway Pictures <A HREF="http://jampics.fotopic.net/"> Jampics Fotopic.</a>