KENTSTAYCATION
KENT BY RAIL
SITTINGBOURNE AND KEMSLEY LIGHT RAILWAY
Another historical station that honours Kent ’ s locomotive history is the East Kent Railway Trust ( www . eastkentrailway . co . uk ) based in Shepherdswell . Once a thriving industrial line serving the Kent coalfield , the four-mile round trip is today an opportunity for visitors to travel on a scenic journey between the pretty villages of Shepherdswell and Eythorne . Expect to revel at rolling countryside , steep chalk-lined cuttings and the fascinating Golgotha Tunnel , all features on your trip that will make this a visit to be remembered . Complete with an award-winning visitor centre , beautiful woodland walks and lovingly restored heritage trains as well as informative museums , a day at the East Kent Railway will be a day for all the family to enjoy .
Originally constructed between 1911 and 1917 to serve the growth of the Kent coal mining industry that was being developed in East Kent , the consortium of Kent colliery and landowners envisaged a line that would link the collieries with the mainline and a new port at Richborough . Today , the East Kent Railway is now home to two original signal boxes , one from Barham on the old Elham Valley line and another from Selling , near Faversham . Both signal boxes house interesting displays on the history of the East Kent Railway . The Walmer Model Railway Club is stationed at East Kent Railway , Shepherdswell , complete with an exciting model display in a beautiful LMS coach . Also calling the East Kent Railway home are the 400 Series Preservation Group , Southern Electric Group and the Trolley Bus Group . The railway runs trains on most Sundays throughout the year with the exception of winter months when a limited service may be in operation and a sweet little café serves refreshments from Tuesday to Sunday .
Another unique railway line in Kent that was built at the end of the Industrial Revolution in 1905 is the Sittingbourne and Kemsley Light Railway ( www . sklr . net ). Originally built to transport the raw goods for the manufacture of paper to the mill at Sittingbourne , the line , which is built to a gauge of 2ft 6in , continues to use the steam engines and rolling stock that were supplied to operate the railway in its working life prior to preservation in 1969 . Today , visitors can travel on board the train from Sittingbourne Viaduct station , which winds its way out of the town through Milton Creek Country Park , across the marshes and finally onto Kemsley Down station . The entire journey takes about 15 minutes at the beginning and end of which passengers can explore the two stations . The stations have a railway shop , original wagons , museums , a model railway and even a wildlife garden . The train itself is a tank engine which carries its own water and coal , so travellers can expect a truly nostalgic experience .
Paul Best , representative from Sittingbourne and Kemsley Light Railway , gave insideKENT some insight into the workings and history of this incredible attribute to Swale . “ We have a long history as an industrial narrow gauge railway - it ' s not pretty but it ' s still moving people over the original track with the original trains . In May , the very first locomotive , Premier , re-entered service after 24 years and a major rebuild . Leader , the second loco , retired from service and may take up to 24 years to return to traffic ! Over 400 people visited and enjoyed our Three Brazils Weekend , where we had our three Brazil class locomotives , Premier , Leader and Melior running at the same time - the first time in over 50 years and for that one weekend only .”
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