Bowaters Paper Railway
Encyclopedia
The Bowaters Paper Railway was a gauge narrow gauge industrial railway
. It had the distinction of being the last steam-operated industrial narrow gauge railway in Britain when it closed in 1969.
In 1913, as Milton Creek began to silt up, the paper making company began work on the construction of Ridham Dock, a deepwater facility on the Swale estuary, where seagoing ships could unload raw materials and load finished paper products. At the start of WW I the railway and the dock was taken over by the Admiralty and the railway was extended to connect the dock. At the end of the war the railway was returned to the paper company. In 1924 a second paper mill opened at Kemsley Down, and further extended in 1936. By this time, the railway reached its maximum length of 10 miles.
, resulted in the closure of the railway. By this time the railway was the last industrial narrow gauge railway in Britain operating steam locomotives. The Locomotive Club of Great Britain (LCGB) was granted a lease of the southern portion of the railway between Sittingbourne and Kemsley Down in 1970. Much of the rest of the equipment went to form the Great Whipsnade Railway
. The LCGB formed the Sittingbourne and Kemsley Light Railway Company to operate the railway. The company operates the railway under the name Sittingbourne & Kemsley Light Railway (S&KLR).
The S&KLR was threatened with closure at the end of 2008. The current owners of the railway land, the Finnish paper company M-real, closed the paper mill at Sittingbourne in 2007
and sold the paper mill at Kemsley to another company. M-real gave the railway company notice to quit the site and to remove all their locomotives and equipment by the end of December 2008, however as of February 2009,although trains are not running during the winter period, negotiations to keep the line intact are continuing.
Industrial railway
An industrial railway is a type of railway that is not available for public transportation and is used exclusively to serve a particular industrial, logistics or military site...
. It had the distinction of being the last steam-operated industrial narrow gauge railway in Britain when it closed in 1969.
History
The manufacture of paper at Sittingbourne dates back to the C17th. The paper mill was originally supplied with raw materials by barges that sailed to wharves at the head of Milton Creek. A short horse-hauled tramway moved pulp to the mill. Two steam locomotives were introduced in 1908.In 1913, as Milton Creek began to silt up, the paper making company began work on the construction of Ridham Dock, a deepwater facility on the Swale estuary, where seagoing ships could unload raw materials and load finished paper products. At the start of WW I the railway and the dock was taken over by the Admiralty and the railway was extended to connect the dock. At the end of the war the railway was returned to the paper company. In 1924 a second paper mill opened at Kemsley Down, and further extended in 1936. By this time, the railway reached its maximum length of 10 miles.
Closure, preservation and uncertain future
In 1969 a time and motion study by the then owners, BowaterBowater
Bowater was an American pulp and paper company based in Greenville, South Carolina. Bowater had 12 pulp and paper mills in the United States, Canada and South Korea and 13 North American sawmills. It had approximately 10,000 employees...
, resulted in the closure of the railway. By this time the railway was the last industrial narrow gauge railway in Britain operating steam locomotives. The Locomotive Club of Great Britain (LCGB) was granted a lease of the southern portion of the railway between Sittingbourne and Kemsley Down in 1970. Much of the rest of the equipment went to form the Great Whipsnade Railway
Great Whipsnade Railway
The Great Whipsnade Railway, also known as The Jumbo Express, is a gauge narrow gauge heritage railway that operates within Whipsnade Zoo.-Overview:...
. The LCGB formed the Sittingbourne and Kemsley Light Railway Company to operate the railway. The company operates the railway under the name Sittingbourne & Kemsley Light Railway (S&KLR).
The S&KLR was threatened with closure at the end of 2008. The current owners of the railway land, the Finnish paper company M-real, closed the paper mill at Sittingbourne in 2007
and sold the paper mill at Kemsley to another company. M-real gave the railway company notice to quit the site and to remove all their locomotives and equipment by the end of December 2008, however as of February 2009,although trains are not running during the winter period, negotiations to keep the line intact are continuing.
Locomotives
| Name | Builder | Wheel arrangement | Works Number | Built | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Alpha | W.G. Bagnall W.G. Bagnall W. G. Bagnall was a locomotive manufacturer from Stafford, England. It was founded in 1875 by William Gordon Bagnall and ceased trading in 1962 when it was taken over by English Electric Co Ltd. The company was located at the Castle Engine Works, in Castle Town, Stafford... |
0-6-2 0-6-2 Under the Whyte notation for the classification of steam locomotives, 0-6-2 represents the wheel arrangement of no leading wheels, six powered and coupled driving wheels on three axles, and two trailing wheels on one axle... T |
2472 | 1932 | On display at the S&KLR |
| Chevalier | Manning Wardle Manning Wardle Manning Wardle was a steam locomotive manufacturer based in Hunslet, Leeds, West Yorkshire, England.- Precursor companies :The city of Leeds was one of the earliest centres of locomotive building; Matthew Murray built the first commercially successful steam locomotive, Salamanca, in Holbeck, Leeds,... |
0-6-2T | 1877 | 1915 | Acquired from the Chattenden and Upnor Railway Chattenden and Upnor Railway The Chattenden and Upnor Railway was a narrow gauge railway serving the military barracks and depot at Upnor and associated munitions and training depots... in 1950. Sold to the Great Whipsnade Railway Great Whipsnade Railway The Great Whipsnade Railway, also known as The Jumbo Express, is a gauge narrow gauge heritage railway that operates within Whipsnade Zoo.-Overview:... , later resold to Bill Parker |
| Conqueror | W.G. Bagnall W.G. Bagnall W. G. Bagnall was a locomotive manufacturer from Stafford, England. It was founded in 1875 by William Gordon Bagnall and ceased trading in 1962 when it was taken over by English Electric Co Ltd. The company was located at the Castle Engine Works, in Castle Town, Stafford... |
0-6-2T | 2192 | 1922 | Sold to the Great Whipsnade Railway Great Whipsnade Railway The Great Whipsnade Railway, also known as The Jumbo Express, is a gauge narrow gauge heritage railway that operates within Whipsnade Zoo.-Overview:... , later resold to the Phyllis Rampton Trust Phyllis Rampton Trust The Phyllis Rampton Narrow Gauge Railway Trust is a British charity which is registered with the British Charity Commission as 292240 under the classification of "Education/TrainingEnvironment/Conservation/Heritage"... |
| Excelsior | Kerr Stuart Kerr Stuart Kerr, Stuart and Company Ltd was a locomotive manufacturer from Stoke-on-Trent, England.-History:It was founded in 1881 by James Kerr as James Kerr & Company, and became Kerr, Stuart & Company from 1883 when John Stuart was taken on as a partner... |
0-4-2 0-4-2 Under the Whyte notation for the classification of steam locomotives, 0-4-2 represents the wheel arrangement with no leading wheels, four powered and coupled driving wheels on two axles, and two trailing wheels on one axle... ST |
1049 | 1908 | Sold to the Great Whipsnade Railway Great Whipsnade Railway The Great Whipsnade Railway, also known as The Jumbo Express, is a gauge narrow gauge heritage railway that operates within Whipsnade Zoo.-Overview:... |
| Leader | Kerr Stuart Kerr Stuart Kerr, Stuart and Company Ltd was a locomotive manufacturer from Stoke-on-Trent, England.-History:It was founded in 1881 by James Kerr as James Kerr & Company, and became Kerr, Stuart & Company from 1883 when John Stuart was taken on as a partner... |
0-4-2ST | 926 | 1905 | Running on the S&KLR |
| Melior | Kerr Stuart Kerr Stuart Kerr, Stuart and Company Ltd was a locomotive manufacturer from Stoke-on-Trent, England.-History:It was founded in 1881 by James Kerr as James Kerr & Company, and became Kerr, Stuart & Company from 1883 when John Stuart was taken on as a partner... |
0-4-2ST | 4219 | 1924 | Running on the S&KLR |
| Monarch | W.G. Bagnall W.G. Bagnall W. G. Bagnall was a locomotive manufacturer from Stafford, England. It was founded in 1875 by William Gordon Bagnall and ceased trading in 1962 when it was taken over by English Electric Co Ltd. The company was located at the Castle Engine Works, in Castle Town, Stafford... |
0-4-4-0 0-4-4-0 In the Whyte notation for the classification of steam locomotive wheel arrangement, a 0-4-4-0 is a locomotive with no leading truck, two sets of four driving wheels, and no trailing truck. Examples of this type were constructed as Mallet, Meyer and Double Fairlie locomotives... T |
3024 | 1953 | Sold to the Welshpool and Llanfair Light Railway Welshpool and Llanfair Light Railway The Welshpool and Llanfair Light Railway is a narrow gauge heritage railway in Powys, Wales. The line is around long and runs westwards from the town of Welshpool via Castle Caereinion to the village of Llanfair Caereinion. The track gauge is .... |
| Premier | Kerr Stuart Kerr Stuart Kerr, Stuart and Company Ltd was a locomotive manufacturer from Stoke-on-Trent, England.-History:It was founded in 1881 by James Kerr as James Kerr & Company, and became Kerr, Stuart & Company from 1883 when John Stuart was taken on as a partner... |
0-4-2ST | 886 | 1905 | Running on the S&KLR |
| Superb | W.G. Bagnall W.G. Bagnall W. G. Bagnall was a locomotive manufacturer from Stafford, England. It was founded in 1875 by William Gordon Bagnall and ceased trading in 1962 when it was taken over by English Electric Co Ltd. The company was located at the Castle Engine Works, in Castle Town, Stafford... |
0-6-2T | 2624 | 1922 | Running on the S&KLR |
| Superior | Kerr Stuart Kerr Stuart Kerr, Stuart and Company Ltd was a locomotive manufacturer from Stoke-on-Trent, England.-History:It was founded in 1881 by James Kerr as James Kerr & Company, and became Kerr, Stuart & Company from 1883 when John Stuart was taken on as a partner... |
0-6-2T | 4043 | 1920 | Sold to the Great Whipsnade Railway Great Whipsnade Railway The Great Whipsnade Railway, also known as The Jumbo Express, is a gauge narrow gauge heritage railway that operates within Whipsnade Zoo.-Overview:... |
| Triumph | W.G. Bagnall W.G. Bagnall W. G. Bagnall was a locomotive manufacturer from Stafford, England. It was founded in 1875 by William Gordon Bagnall and ceased trading in 1962 when it was taken over by English Electric Co Ltd. The company was located at the Castle Engine Works, in Castle Town, Stafford... |
0-6-2T | 2511 | 1934 | Running on the S&KLR |
| Unique | W.G. Bagnall W.G. Bagnall W. G. Bagnall was a locomotive manufacturer from Stafford, England. It was founded in 1875 by William Gordon Bagnall and ceased trading in 1962 when it was taken over by English Electric Co Ltd. The company was located at the Castle Engine Works, in Castle Town, Stafford... |
2-4-0 2-4-0 Under the Whyte notation for the classification of steam locomotives, 2-4-0 represents the wheel arrangement of two leading wheels on one axle, four powered and coupled driving wheels on two axles, and no trailing wheels.... F |
2216 | 1924 | A rare narrow gauge fireless locomotive. Now on static display at Kemsley Down station |
| Victor | W.G. Bagnall W.G. Bagnall W. G. Bagnall was a locomotive manufacturer from Stafford, England. It was founded in 1875 by William Gordon Bagnall and ceased trading in 1962 when it was taken over by English Electric Co Ltd. The company was located at the Castle Engine Works, in Castle Town, Stafford... |
0-4-0F | 2366 | 1929 | A rare narrow gauge fireless locomotive. Scrapped in 1967 |
| Rattler | W.G. Bagnall W.G. Bagnall W. G. Bagnall was a locomotive manufacturer from Stafford, England. It was founded in 1875 by William Gordon Bagnall and ceased trading in 1962 when it was taken over by English Electric Co Ltd. The company was located at the Castle Engine Works, in Castle Town, Stafford... |
0-4-0 0-4-0 Under the Whyte notation for the classification of steam locomotives, 0-4-0 represents one of the simplest possible types, that with two axles and four coupled wheels, all of which are driven... T |
Acquired from the Cape Copper Company, Swansea Swansea Swansea is a coastal city and county in Wales. Swansea is in the historic county boundaries of Glamorgan. Situated on the sandy South West Wales coast, the county area includes the Gower Peninsula and the Lliw uplands... in 1942. Loco was in poor condition and did little work. Scrapped in 1945. |
||
| Hudson Hunslet Hunslet Engine Company The Hunslet Engine Company is a British locomotive-building company founded in 1864 at Jack Lane, Hunslet, Leeds, West Yorkshire, England by John Towlerton Leather, a civil engineering contractor, who appointed James Campbell as his Works Manager.In 1871, James Campbell bought the company for... |
4wDM | 4182 | 1953 | Running on the S&KLR with the name Victor | |
| English Electric English Electric English Electric was a British industrial manufacturer. Founded in 1918, it initially specialised in industrial electric motors and transformers... |
4wBE | 1921 | Scrapped in 1928 |
External links
- Sittingbourne's Steam Railway, Sittingbourne and Kemsley Light Railway Limited official website