MATT LOVELL has been to this preserved line in Kent.
During the last Bank Holiday I visited a delightful little railway called the Romney, Hythe & Dymchurch Railway. First opened in 1927, this 15" light railway originally ran from port of Hythe to New Romney via St. Mary’s Bay and Dymchurch. The railway was later extended to Dungeness giving the railway an overall track length 13½ miles.
The section of track between New Romney and Dungeness was originally double track but during the Second World War the railway was damaged so the decision was made to keep it a single track. A special armoured locomotive was used by the military during this time and it can still be seen outside the the exhibition at New Romney station.
The railway has a total of seventeen locomotives, most of which still run up and down the line in all weathers. The locomotives I rode behind were Southern Maid and Hurricane.
At New Romney station there is a fantastic Model Railway Exhibition which includes a 5½" Gauge Adams Radial Locomotive and various historical models from Tin Plate O gauge right up to modern models. The main attraction in the exhibition is the model railway which uses a automated control system which is capable of running 24 trains without collision.
Not only is this railway a tourist attraction, it still serves as a public service for the small towns and villages between Hythe and Dungeness and is under contract to the local council to transport children to and from The Marsh Academy in New Romney.
It was a great day out and there is plenty to do for both kids and adults. Well recommended.
We do let Matt outside into the wide world occasionally....