page_title: Hawkhurst branch line
section_title: Passengers
hierarchical_section_title: Hawkhurst branch line / Operations / Traffic / Passengers
caption_attribution_description: Platform ticket issued by the British Transport Commission in respect of Hawkhurst railway station, five days before closure of the Hawkhurst Branch Line.
context_page_description: The Hawkhurst branch line was a short railway line in Kent that connected Hawkhurst, Cranbrook, Goudhurst and Horsmonden with the town of Paddock Wood and the South Eastern and Medway Valley lines, a distance of 11 miles 24 chains.
  The line was promoted by the Cranbrook and Paddock Wood Railway, which was incorporated in 1877, but took until 1892 to open the first section of the line to Hope Mill. Services were worked by the South Eastern and Chatham Railway. The line was extended to Hawkhurst in 1893. In 1900, the SECR absorbed the C&PWR. Sunday services ceased in 1917. In 1923, the SECR was absorbed into the Southern Railway at the Grouping. The line became part of British Railways at Nationalisation on 1 January 1948. The line was closed in June 1961, before the Beeching Report was published.
context_section_description: Passenger traffic was always light on the branch, and the addition of through coaches to London in the 1890s failed to encourage patronage. The inaugural passenger service of ten trains daily each way (two on Sundays) remained unchanged until 1917 when, as a result of economies imposed by the First World War, the frequency was reduced to four weekday services with no service on Sundays. Initially, passenger trains were worked by Cudworth 118 class 2-4-0 locomotives. Later, Cudworth E class 2-4-0s were used, with the occasional use of Stirling B Class and F class 4-4-0s. Since at least 1912, services had been drawn by an ageing Stirling Q class 0-4-4T locomotive. After the First World War, Kirtley R and R1 class 0-4-4Ts were introduced. These provided the mainstay of services until they were withdrawn in the 1950s and replaced by Wainwright H class 0-4-4s. In 1922, the timetable showed six down trains and seven up trains daily except Sundays. The maximum speed allowed on the line was 30 miles per hour (48 km/h), with a restriction of 10 miles per hour (16 km/h) at Smugley Farm occupation crossing, which was between Pattenden Siding and Cranbrook station.
  By 1925, the frequency had increased to eight with the introduction of push-pull working by former LCDR R1 class 0-4-4T locomotives.  In 1926, a Sentinel-Cammell steam railbus was trialled on the line for a month. Two extra services had been added by 1928 and an extra Saturday afternoon Paddock Wood working was added in 1930. By 1938 the timetable had taken on its final form of seven up and six down services plus the Saturday afternoon working; by special regulation, the push-pull services were guardless except for the first train of the day.
  On 6 July 1950, the Queen Mother travelled the line as far as Cranbrook when she visited the National Sanatorium at Benenden. The five-coach Royal Train was pulled by a Maunsell E1 class 4-4-0 No. 31067, Her Majesty using a Pullman car named Malaga, which was flanked by two corridor composites; there was a corridor third brake at each end of the train. Malaga was one of six twelve-wheel first-class kitchen cars which had been built in 1920–1; and following an extensive refit in late 1949, was occasionally used in the Royal Train. It was withdrawn in 1961, and is preserved close to Shepperton railway station.
caption: A platform ticket issued at Hawkhurst on 7 June 1961, five days before the closure of the line
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