Romney, Hythe and Dymchurch Railway

The Romney, Hythe and Dymchurch Railway is a miniature railway in Kent. It runs for 21.7 kilometres from Hythe to Dungeness, passing through Dymchurch, St Mary’s Bay and New Romney. The line is built to a 381-millimetre gauge and carries steam and diesel locomotives. North of New Romney the track is double, while south of the town it is single. The route ends close to Dungeness lighthouse and the nuclear power stations. The railway was the idea of racing driver Captain Jack Howey and Count Louis Zborowski. Zborowski supplied the first locomotives and rolling stock, but died in 1924 before the route was chosen. Howey secured the necessary light-railway order in 1926 and opened the line in 1927. It was extended to Dungeness the following year, built directly on the shingle with minimal earthworks. During the Second World War the line carried military traffic and helped build the PLUTO fuel pipeline. Visitors find a working railway with stations at Hythe, Dymchurch, New Romney and Dungeness. The route crosses Romney Marsh, offering wide views of the landscape. Special trains run to Warren Halt, which links with the Romney Marsh Visitor Centre. The railway carries more than 150 000 passengers each year and remains a popular attraction on the Kent coast.