Rye and Camber Tramway
Encyclopedia
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
narrow gauge railway in East Sussex
East Sussex
East Sussex is a county in South East England. It is bordered by the counties of Kent, Surrey and West Sussex, and to the south by the English Channel.-History:...
. It was of gauge. It operated from 1895 until 1939, connecting Rye
Rye, East Sussex
Rye is a small town in East Sussex, England, which stands approximately two miles from the open sea and is at the confluence of three rivers: the Rother, the Tillingham and the Brede...
to the nearby coast at Camber
Camber, East Sussex
Camber is a village and civil parish in the English county of East Sussex, three miles south-east of Rye. The village is located behind the sand dunes that occupy the estuary of the River Rother, where the seaside settlement of Camber Sands is situated.The village of Camber takes its name from...
. It was a short line, only about 1+3/4 mi in length, and had three stations - Rye, Golf Links and Camber Sands. It operated mainly to transport golfers from Rye to the nearby golf links
Links (golf)
A links is the oldest style of golf course, first developed in Scotland. The word "links" comes from the Scots language and refers to an area of coastal sand dunes and sometimes to open parkland. It also retains this more general meaning in the Scottish English dialect...
and holidaymakers to the coastal dunes.
History
This railway was constructed between January and July 1895 and ran entirely on private land. The track gauge of is relatively unusual amongst British narrow gauge railwaysBritish narrow gauge railways
There were more than a thousand British narrow gauge railways ranging from large, historically significant common carriers to small, short-lived industrial railways...
. It was the first designed by consulting engineer Holman F. Stephens
H. F. Stephens
Colonel Holman Fred Stephens was a British light railway civil engineer and manager. During his lifetime he was engaged in engineering and building, and later managing, 16 light railways in England and Wales.- Biography :...
who went on to build and run small railways all over the Country.
The line was originally built to convey golfers to the Rye Golf Club and ran from Rye station to the golf club. In 1908 the first extension to Camber Sands station was opened and the intermediate station renamed "Golf Links". The position of the distant Camber terminal was moved to a more accessible site and a tea hut was opened at the end of Summer 1938, however this only used for a few months as the war intervened the next year.
Although initially quite successful, increasing competition from automobile and bus transport eventually caused the tramway to enter a gradual economic decline, as was the case with many small railways. Passenger service was ended at the outbreak of World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
but was extensively used by the Government to convey parts for the P.L.U.T.O.
Operation Pluto
Operation Pluto was a World War II operation by British scientists, oil companies and armed forces to construct undersea oil pipelines under the English Channel between England and France. The scheme was developed by Arthur Hartley, chief engineer with the Anglo-Iranian Oil Company...
(Pipe Line Under The Ocean) project for which a special siding leading to a new pier near Golf Links Station was constructed by Canadian troops.
The line was in such a run-down a condition by the end of the war that it was deemed irrecoverable and was sold for scrap in 1947. The Rye & Camber Tramways Co. Ltd. was liquidated in February 1949.
Rolling stock
There were two small BagnallW.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...
steam locomotive
Steam locomotive
A steam locomotive is a railway locomotive that produces its power through a steam engine. These locomotives are fueled by burning some combustible material, usually coal, wood or oil, to produce steam in a boiler, which drives the steam engine...
s, "Camber" and "Victoria", but in later years a small petrol locomotive was used exclusively.
The tramway had two enclosed carriages and several locally built four wheel trucks which were used to convey sand from the beach for local builders. Several short term temporary sidings were constructed at the Camber end for this purpose, where the dug out dunes can still be seen.
Remains
A number of relics, including the frame and bogies of one of the carriages, can be seen at the Colonel Stephens MuseumKent and East Sussex Railway
The Kent & East Sussex Railway refers to both an historical private railway company in Kent and Sussex in England, as well as a heritage railway currently running on part of the route of the historical company.-Historical Company:-Background:...
at Tenterden
Tenterden
Tenterden is a Cinque Port town in the Ashford District of Kent, England. It stands on the edge of the Weald, overlooking the valley of the River Rother....
.
Golf Links station building still survives virtually intact. Some track is still embedded in concrete along the trackbed in the vicinity of the station as the trackbed was used as a roadway during wartime. Most of the route of the trackbed from Rye to Camber is a footpath, although a short section has been destroyed by gravel workings.
The line has a prominent part in several novels by Rye resident E.F. Benson.
Locomotives
| Name | Builder | Type | Date | Works number | Cylinders | Total wheelbase | Boiler pressure | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Camber | 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... |
2-4-0T | 1895 | 1461 | 5in x 9in | 5 ft 6in | 140 lb/sq in | Scrapped at Rye in 1947 |
| Victoria | 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... |
2-4-0T | 1897 | 1511 | 6in x 10in | 6 ft 5in | 140 lb/sq in | Sold in 1937 |
| Kent Construction Company | 4wPM | 1924 | 1364 | n/a | n/a | Based on the Motor Rail Motor Rail Motor Rail was a British locomotive-building company, based in Bedford. Formed in 1911 as The Motor Rail & Tramcar Co Ltd, they built petrol and diesel engined locomotives, mainly narrow gauge. During World War I over 900 locos were supplied for use on temporary military supply railways... "Simplex" design. Sold October 1946 |