Hythe and Dymchurch Railway

The Romney, Hythe & Dymchurch Railway is a fifteen in gauge light railway in Kent, England, running steam and inner combustion locomotives. The 22.1 km line runs from the Cinque Port of Hythe through Dymchurch, St. Mary's Bay, New Romney and Romney Sands to Dungeness, close to Dungeness nuclear energy station and Dungeness Lighthouse. The railway was the dream of millionaire racing drivers Captain John Edwards Presgrave Howey and Count Louis Zborowski. The latter had constructed a railway at Higham Park, his home at Bridge, Kent and agreed to donate the rolling inventory and infrastructure to the mission.

However, he became killed on 19 October 1924 in a motor racing twist of fate at the Monza Grand Prix earlier than the Romney Marsh web site changed into chosen, and Howey continued the mission on my own. The railway turned into opened on 16 July 1927 by means of Lord Warden of the Cinque Ports, William Lygon, seventh Earl Beauchamp. The locomotives have been designed via Henry Greenly who become commissioned through Howey to work on the construction of the complete railway and became the railway's first leader engineer till his abrupt resignation in March 1929. Mountain Class Hercules hauled the inaugural train from Hythe to New Romney, with guests such as the mayors of the 2 towns and General Sir Ivor Maxse.