Wittersham Road

The line had always been a light carrier of traffic, both freight and passenger, and went into receivership in 1932. Losses had been recorded as early as 1924, but the railway remained independent from the Southern Railway. This autonomy did not last for the line’s entire operational career, and as a result of the 1948 nationalisation, it became part of British Railways. The BR era is, naturally, associated with branch line culls and a severe pruning of the rail network, but the demise of the K&ESR came long before the era of Dr Richard Beeching. The end of a number of Colonel Stephens’ railways in the south east came swiftly. Passenger operation over the East Kent Light Railway ceased on 30th October 1948, but the presence of the Kent coal fields justified the retention of the line on freight grounds. The Sheppey Light Railway to Leysdown-on-Sea closed completely on 4th December 1950, and withdrawal of passenger traffic from the K&ESR was not far behind, such occurring on 2nd January 1954. The Tenterden Town to Robertsbridge section remained in use purely for goods traffic until 12th July 1961, after which the station site at Wittersham Road was completely obliterated. Just the ammunition dump and crew hut of World War II origin were left standing in the former goods yard area. This was not the final chapter in the station’s history, and reviving fortunes were soon on the cards.

Services were restored between Tenterden Town and Rolvenden on 3rd February 1974, under the guise of the preserved K&ESR. For Wittersham Road, a completely new station was established using components recovered from various other railway sites around the country. Even the platform surface made use of coping stones recycled from Heathfield station, which had closed to passengers upon the delightfully named ‘’Cuckoo Line’’ between Eridge and Polegate on 14th June 1965. A station building was salvaged from the Aberystwyth-bound platform of Borth station, on the Cambrian Line on the Welsh coast, where it had been in use as a waiting shelter. Unlike the original H.F. Stephens corrugated iron structure, the replacement building was of tongue-and-groove timber construction, but nevertheless fitted the character of the line well, bearing a close resemblance to its predecessor. Further historic artefacts were acquired to complete the scene: railings, gas lamps, and a name board were salvaged from Cranbrook station, on the closed Hawkhurst branch.

Through running between Tenterden Town and Wittersham Road was possible from 5th March 1977. In 1980, as a result of partial re-signalling of the ‘’Chatham’’ line in the vicinity of Dover, which involved increasing the scope of the Dover Priory panel, the opportunity to acquire a signal box presented itself. The Saxby & Farmer cabin at Deal Junction became redundant, after an operational life of nearly one century. The signal box had originally come into use with the ‘’Kearsney Loop’’ on 1st July 1882. It was subsequently dismantled and delivered to Wittersham Road, where it was reconstructed in-between the new platform surface and the level crossing gates. To complete the scene, a water tower emerged at the Tenterden end of the platform surface. This itself was of H.F. Stephens origin, for it was rescued from the engineer’s Shropshire & Montgomeryshire line, where it had been in use at Shrewsbury Abbey, the eastern terminus of the line. This route was comparatively short-lived for passenger traffic, services being withdrawn as early as 1933, but freight continued to be carried until 1962.

On 25th April 1983, a mile-long westward extension from Wittersham Road, to a temporary stop at Hexden Bridge, was commissioned, which was followed seven years later by the running of passenger services to as far as Northiam. Today, Wittersham Road acts as the base for the Permanent Way Department. A pair of sidings have been laid in the former goods yard area, and a feature which the station did not have in its pre-preservation history, a passing loop, has been laid.

25th February 2009

Another prominent second-hand item at the site is the booking office. This had previously been in use as a waiting shelter on the Aberystwyth-bound platform of Borth station, on the Cambrian Line on the Welsh coast. Although of timber construction, rather than corrugated iron, it still bears a close resemblance to the original structure. © David Glasspool

25th February 2009

The goods yard has become home to the preserved railway's Permanent Way Department, and a variety of cranes, wagons, and even a modern-day tamping machine, can be found parked in the sidings. This is also the location where visiting locomotives are loaded and unloaded. © David Glasspool

25th February 2009

A Tenterden-bound view shows two sidings on the former goods yard site, on the left, and the converging passing loop occupied by a trio of flat-bed wagons. In the background, on the left, can be seen an ex-Balfour Beattie track tamper. © David Glasspool

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