Romney, Hythe, Dymchurch Railway: Kent

When Captain Howey (the one with the money) and Count Zborowski (with even more money) put their interests together and failed to buy the Ravenglass and Eskdale Railway in the Lake District the Count ordered two locomotives to be designed by Greenly.  Unfortunately the Count was killed racing at Monza and Howey was left with two loco’s and commissioned Greenly to help find somewhere to run them.  Greenly came up with Romney Marsh.  Hercules hauled the train from Hythe to New Romney in 1927. My friend remembered it in 1973 and I saw it last week.

The Romney, Hythe and Dymchurch railway became famous and people loved to ride on the ‘smallest public railway in the world’.  It now covers 13.5miles from Dungeness to Hythe.

I rode from Dymchurch to Hythe. Honestly, it was the most uplifting hilariously amusing, quite comical and delightful train ride I have had in a long time.  Boots and I almost filled the carriage for 6….the long dog was so bemused at having his tail in one door and his nose in the other that he failed to consume (despite having noticed) the spilt packet of crisps under the floor (although to be fair he may not have done anyway as he doesn’t really ‘do’ eating between meals).  There was no time for eating on this extraordinary journey, just peering, and giggling.

The line was even requisitioned by the War Department and there are pictures along the railway line of those days.

It isn’t all steam:

and I think Boots much preferred the return journey.