The RCTS: then and now
KENT’S mainline in miniature – the Romney, Hythe & Dymchurch Railway (RHDR) – continues to go from strength to strength, as discovered on a recent visit.
The railway, a 15in (381mm) gauge light railway operating steam and internal combustion locomotives was first opened on July 16, 1927, by the Lord Warden of the Cinque Ports William Lygon, 7th Earl Beauchamp. The railway was originally the dream of millionaire racing drivers Captain John Edwards Presgrave (Jack) Howey and Count Louis Zborowski. However, Count Zborowski was killed in a motor racing accident at the Monza Grand Prix on October 19, 1924, before the Romney Marsh site was chosen, and Howey continued the project alone.
In his old age, Captain Howey had a summer house between the signalbox and engine shed at New Romney, where he could sit and watch his trains go by. His ashes lie in the rockery opposite.
The locomotives were designed by Henry Greenly who was commissioned by Howey to work on the construction of the entire railway and became its first chief engineer until his abrupt resignation in March 1929.
The railway was taken over by the military during the Second World War, with a miniature armoured train used on the line. It was also used by the Department of Petroleum Warfare in the construction of PLUTO (Pipe Line Under The Ocean), intended to supply fuel to the Allied forces after the D-Day Normandy landings.
During the latter stages of the construction of PLUTO, considerable damage was caused to the track on the extension to Dungeness when, to speed up the pipe construction work, lengths of pipe were dragged along the track bed by bulldozers, resulting in its reduction to a single track railway after the war.
The line reopened between Hythe and New Romney in 1946, the New Romney to Dungeness section following with a formal opening by Laurel and Hardy on March 21, 1947. Regular services started on March 29, 1947.
The RH&DR Association was formed in 1967 as a supporter’s association and today has become a significant contributor to the railway’s maintenance and refurbishment, with its members providing a significant input of voluntary labour. It became a registered charity on January 23, 2009. Stations in full or limited use are Hythe, Burmarsh Road, Dymchurch, St Mary’s Bay, Warren Halt, New Romney, Romney Sands and finally Dungeness.
Major changes to the line over the years include the reconstruction of New Romney station with a new track layout plus an overall train shed that spans platform 2 to 4 and the carriage sidings, allowing the majority of coaching stock to be berthed under cover.
In the last decade, a new workshop complex has been built at New Romney that enables both day to day light repairs to be carried out along with major locomotive and coach overhauls. Towards the Hythe end is a new permanent way depot for the stabling of works vehicles and heavy equipment needed for track maintenance.
For information on the Society visit www.rcts.org.uk