Background By the mid 19th 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 Ashford–Hastings line had originally been promoted to run via Headcorn and Tenterden, but the government preferred the more southerly route. In 1855, a proposed railway from Headcorn via
Cranbrook to Tenterden failed to obtain an 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 an 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 in the
Cranbrook and Paddock Wood Railway Act 1877 (
40 & 41 Vict. c. clx) 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 the
Cranbrook and Paddock Wood Railway Act 1882 (
45 & 46 Vict. c. cxxxii) to extend the line to
Hawkhurst. The line opened to
Goudhurst in 1892 and
Hawkhurst in 1893. The '''''' was the next to be proposed, running from
Maidstone to Hastings via Headcorn, Tenterden, and
Appledore. The section from Headcorn to Appledore was authorised in 1895, and agreement was reached in 1896 with the South Eastern Railway over the operation of the line. In 1898, the proposal was abandoned in favour of extending the Cranbrook and Paddock Wood railway to Tenterden and Appledore. This was abandoned in 1899 as it was deemed too expensive to construct, and the South Eastern Railway again backed the Tenterden Railway, but no work was done and powers to construct the line lapsed in 1901. With the passing of the
Light Railways Act 1896, a group of citizens of Tenterden, led by
Myles Fenton, proposed a railway line from Robertsbridge to Tenterden—the Rother Valley Railway. Assent was granted to construct the line under the act. The contract for the construction of the line was won by London and Scottish Contract Corporation, who sub-contracted the work to Godfrey and Siddelow. The work was overseen by
Holman F Stephens, who was appointed general manager in 1899 and managing director in 1900. Stephens attained the rank of lieutenant colonel in the
Territorial Army (TA) in 1916 and was subsequently known as Colonel Stephens.
Opening and growth The Light Railways Act 1896 allowed for cheaper construction methods in return for a speed restriction. The line was authorised to be built with rails but was actually built with rails. Speed was to be limited to , but under the terms of the Act was soon raised to . The line was opened for freight between Robertsbridge and
Rolvenden on 26 March 1900, and to passenger traffic on 2 April 1900. A
wind pump was provided at Robertsbridge to supply water for locomotives. The original Tenterden station, later renamed Rolvenden was some from the town. The first train departed at 7:30 am, carrying some 60.2 passengers. The lukewarm reception was partly because of the distance of the station from the town, and partly due to fears that the opening of the light railway from Robertsbridge would prevent a more heavily engineered line being built from Headcorn. The South Eastern Railway abandoned its plans to build the Cranbrook to Appledore line; the scheme was adopted by the Rother Valley Railway. Opposition from the South Eastern Railway meant that the Tenterden to Appledore section was dropped. Authorisation was received in December 1899 to build the
Cranbrook and Tenterden Light Railway from
Cranbrook via
Benenden to the Tenterden terminus of the Rother Valley Railway, and to extend further into the town of Tenterden itself. A proposal was promoted in 1900 to build a line from Robertsbridge to
Pevensey, which was to be worked by the Rother Valley Railway. The East Sussex Light Railway was authorised in 1901. This was a line from
Northiam to
Rye. Only the section from the original Tenterden terminus to
Tenterden Town was actually built of all these schemes. The extension to Tenterden Town opened on 15 April 1903.
Operation The Kent & East Sussex Light Railway was operated as two separate sections, Robertsbridge - Tenterden Town and Tenterden Town - Headcorn. The extension to Headcorn had been built with heavier rails than the Robertsbridge - Rolvenden section, and thus had a higher
axle loading allowing the use of heavier locomotives. The section between Tenterden Town and Headcorn was largely paralleled by roads, and was open to competition from road transport. Although the Rother Valley Railway and the Kent & East Sussex Light Railway originally ran separate passenger and freight trains, by the 1920s mixed trains were the norm. The first railbus was introduced in 1923. Although these were light and economical to run, they did not provide much in the way of passenger comfort. Between 1928 and 1933, a through coach was added to the 5:15 pm from
Cannon Street to Hastings, which was detached at Robertsbridge and worked on to Tenterden. In the
hop-picking season, special trains were run to bring the hop-pickers down from
London. One such train in 1936 is recorded as having consisted of four Southern Railway bogie carriages, two K&ESR six-wheeled carriages and a van. The train was hauled by the ex
LSWR Saddletank No 4. The K&ESR's own stock was generally confined to that system. The Southern Railway refused permission for some of the K&ESR carriages to be taken to
Lydd in 1947 citing safety reasons. The carriages were required for use in the filming of
The Loves of Joanna Godden. Tickets were usually issued on the trains, although the K&ESR did not acquire any corridor carriages until 1944. The tickets were printed at Rolvenden. Tickets for other lines under Colonel Stephens's control were also printed here.
Accidents • In 1916,
Hesperus was derailed when the locomotive ploughed into a snow drift. • On 9 January 1929, the Ford railmotor was derailed at
Junction Road (for Hawkhurst). • No 7 was derailed at an unknown date. • On Saturday 26 March 1949, A1 32678 was derailed between Northiam and the Rother Bridge working the 5:50 pm from Bexhill West. A month passed before 32678 was recovered. • In May 1983, Manning Wardle 'Charwelton' was derailed between Wittersham Road and Rolvenden causing damage to approximately 100 yards of track and to the locomotive's axle boxes. ==Preservation==