Kent & East Sussex Railway
| Kent and East Sussex Railway | |
|---|---|
| K&ESR, KESR | |
 |
|
| The grand cavalade at Tenterden Town Station during a Steam Gala on the Kent and East Sussex Railway | |
| Locale |
Kent East Sussex South East England |
| Terminus |
Tenterden Town Bodiam |
| Commercial operations | |
| Built by | H. F. Stephens |
| Original gauge | 4 ft 8 1⁄2 in (1,435 mm) standard gauge |
| Preserved operations | |
| Owned by | Kent and East Sussex Railway |
| Operated by | Kent and East Sussex Railway |
| Stations | 5 |
| Length | 11.5 miles (18.5 km) |
| Preserved gauge | 4 ft 8 1⁄2 in (1,435 mm) standard gauge |
| Commercial history | |
| Opened | Freight: 26 March 1900 Passenger: 2 April 1900 |
| Closed to passengers | 4 January 1954 |
| Closed | 12 June 1961 |
| Preservation history | |
| 1974 | Partial re-opening |
| 1977 | Line extends and re-opened to Wittersham Road |
| 1990 | Line extends and re-opened to Northiam |
| 2000 | Line extends and re-opened to Bodiam |
| 2012 | Line extends to Junction Road Halt (no station built or planned, special events only) |
| Headquarters |
Tenterden Town (main facility) Rolvenden (loco depot) |
| Website | |
| http://www.kesr.org.uk/ | |
The Kent & East Sussex Railway (K&ESR) refers to both an historical private railway company in Kent and East Sussex in England, as well as a heritage railway currently running on part of the route of the historical company.
By the mid nineteenth century, Tenterden was in the middle of a triangle of railway lines. The South Eastern Railway had opened its line from Redhill to Tonbridge on 12 July 1841. The line was opened as far as Headcorn on 31 August 1842 and to Ashford on 1 December 1843. The South Eastern Railway opened its line from Ashford to Hastings on 13 February 1851.
The third part of the triangle was the line between Tonbridge and Hastings which had opened as far as Tunbridge Wells on 24 November 1846, Robertsbridge on 1 September 1851, Battle on 1 January 1852 and to St Leonards on 1 February 1852. Running powers over the London, Brighton and South Coast Railway's line to Hastings having been negotiated.
The Ashford - Hastings line had originally been promoted to run via Headcorn and Tenterden, but Parliament preferred the more southerly route. In 1855, a proposed railway from Headcorn via Cranbrook to Tenterden failed to obtain its Act of Parliament. In 1864, a proposed railway from Paddock Wood via Cranbrook and Tenterden to Hythe (the Weald of Kent Railway) also failed to obtain its Act of Parliament. A proposed roadside tramway from Headcorn to Tenterden suffered the same fate in 1882. In 1877, the Cranbrook and Paddock Wood Railway was incorporated, and powers obtained to build the northern section of the Weald of Kent Railway to transport agricultural produce and livestock from low-lying land adjacent to Wittersham Road to a better mainline connection. Powers were obtained in 1882 to extend the line to Hawkhurst. The line opened to Goudhurst in 1892 and Hawkhurst in 1893.
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