Sittingbourne and Kemsley Light Railway

Sittingbourne’s Steam Railway is an industrial heritage railway which operates between Sittingbourne Retail Park and Kemsley Paper Mill using the original steam locomotives, coaches and wagons. Trains have operated over this route since 1905 and the very first steam locomotive ‘Premier’ re-entered service in May 2022. The second locomotive ‘Leader’ retired from service the same weekend.

The quirky narrow-gauge railway (2ft 6in between the rails) used to link Sittingbourne Paper Mill (now Morrison’s supermarket and adjacent housing estate) to Kemsley Paper Mill (Britain’s largest) and Ridham Dock on the banks of the Swale Estuary. Since 1969, the Railway has been preserved between Sittingbourne Viaduct and Kemsley Down stations. The Railway is celebrating its 50^th Anniversary as the Sittingbourne & Kemsley Light Railway this year.

The first section of the two-mile journey from Sittingbourne Viaduct, heads out of town on a century-old reinforced concrete viaduct, then passes through Milton Creek Country Park and across Church Marshes before arriving at Kemsley Down station, within Kemsley Paper Mill and on the banks of Milton Creek.

The 2023 Season starts in April and runs through to the las weekend in September. Trains are running every Sunday and Bank Holiday Monday throughout this period, and additionally on Wednesdays in August. There are also two additional 'Special Timetables' on 24-25 July and 30 September-1 October.

Full timetable can be found here

Information on Special Events can be found here

There are two main timetables in operation:

• Green timetable – the ‘usual’ timetable – trains depart Sittingbourne Viaduct station hourly on the hour 1-4pm and from Kemsley Down 1.35pm, 2.35pm, 3.35pm & 4.45pm
• • Orange timetable – the longer timetable – trains depart Sittingbourne Viaduct station at 11.30am, 12.30pm, 2pm, 3pm & 4pm and from Kemsley Down at 12.05pm, 1.35pm, 2.35pm, 3.35pm and 4.45pm. Please note: there is no 1pm train from Kemsley Down, passengers on the 12.30pm train can’t return to Sittingbourne Viaduct station until 1.35pm
• Some events have special timetables which will be published closer to the time on the Railway’s website – www.sklr.net
• The journey takes 15 minutes each way.

The Railway has step-free access from the car park to the platform at Sittingbourne Viaduct and from the platform to the rest of the site at Kemsley Down, however, there is still a step to board the train – check the website for the accessibility statement. There are accessible toilets at both stations.

2023 Fares are:

• Adult: £4 single (one way), £8 return (round trip), £11 rover (all trains, all day)
• Senior Citizen: £4 single (one way), £7 return (round trip), £10 rover (all trains, all day)
• Child (aged 3-15 years): £3 single (one way), £4 return (round trip), £7 rover (all trains, all day)
• Infants (aged under 3): free
• Family (2 adults and up to 4 children): £22 return (round trip)

The Railway is also part of the Wheels of Time project, linking museums across Kent with an activity to earn an exclusive badge for each site. It’s free and for children aged 5 to 11, find out more at www.wheelsoftime.uk