page_title: Sittingbourne and Kemsley Light Railway
section_title: Preservation
hierarchical_section_title: Sittingbourne and Kemsley Light Railway / Preservation
caption_attribution_description: Map of the Sittingbourne &amp; Kemsley Light Railway Author: Dan Crow
context_page_description: The Sittingbourne & Kemsley Light Railway in Kent is a 2 ft 6 in narrow gauge heritage railway that operates from Sittingbourne to the banks of The Swale.
  The line was developed as an industrial railway by paper maker Frank Lloyd in 1904, to transport pulp materials and finished products between Ridham Dock, on the Swale, and the company's paper mill at Sittingbourne, and from the mid-1920s to a second mill at Kemsley.
  In the late 1960s, the railway faced closure by its then owners Bowater, but the Locomotive Club of Great Britain accepted an offer to operate the railway from 1970. However, the section of line from Kemsley Down to Ridham Dock was abandoned for redevelopment of the paper mills.
  In 2008-09, the line survived a threat of closure due to the owners of Sittingbourne Paper Mill closing the mill and selling the land. The lease then held by the railway expired in January 2009, but negotiations resulted in the railway being saved, although no public trains ran in 2009.
context_section_description: The railway is now operated by the Sittingbourne & Kemsley Light Railway and operates over almost 2 miles (3.2 km) of the original main line from Sittingbourne Viaduct station to Kemsley Down station. It crosses one of the first and longest reinforced concrete viaducts in the world between Sittingbourne Viaduct and Milton Regis Halt stations.
  The main fleet of locomotives worked the railway before it was preserved. "Barton Hall" was the first new arrival on the railway in over 25 years on long term loan and was eventually purchased by the railway to assist with railway operations.
  In 2005, the railway had its first ever visit of a steam loco: 'Chevallier' returned to the railway after being sold to a new owner. It arrived at the railway on a low loader days before the centenary celebrations and stayed on site until early 2006, when it was taken away for restoration. 'Chevallier' was originally built for the Admiralty's Chattenden & Upnor Railway before being sold to Bowaters for use on the Paper Railway, and later moved to the Great Whipsnade Railway. Excelsior, Conqueror and Superior also moved to the Great Whipsnade Railway when it officially opened in 1970.
  The railway was closed to the public for the 2009 season.
caption: Map of the Sittingbourne & Kemsley Light Railway
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