Elham Valley Railway
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The Elham Valley Railway is a disused railway line that runs through the Elham Valley connecting Folkestone and Canterbury in East Kent. It was operational from 1887 to 1947.
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[edit] History
The first concept of a line connecting Canterbury to Folkstone occurred in 1830 when a group of landowners and priests began to discuss the possibility of the line however this was not a concerted effort and each group had their own interest. They started the Elham Valley Light Railway company. However despite initial success they failed to convince either of the big two railway companies in the south east to support them - South Eastern Railway (SER) and London, Chatham and Dover Railway (LCDR). The company wanted to build a single track line with stations at Elham, Barham, Canterbury West and Shorncliffe. The matter was quietly dropped. However the scheme re-emerged when the LBSCR planned to link Canterbury East to Folkestone through the Akham Valley. This alarmed the SER and their chairman Sir Edward Watkin. For a period of time both railways argued that their scheme was superior. Eventually the SER came out on top. However if it was built as a light railway it could not be considered an integral part of the SER network.
[edit] Construction (1884 - 1889)
So it was decided to construct it as a double track line to mainline standards. This was a bad move for a railway that promised little in a way of return. The railway was sanctioned in 1866 and was constructed on behalf of the South Eastern Railway. Work began in 1884 but the entire line was not finished until 1890. It opened in two stages, from Shorncliffe (now Folkestone West) to Barham on 4th July 1887. The stretch from Canterbury to Barham though was a very difficult time for the SER. Rich landowners objected to trains passing through their land. The most stubborn was Matthew Bell who refused to see trains pass by the back of his mansion. Reluctantly the SER agreed to build a tunnel instead of two bridges thus Bourne Park tunnel came into existence. Canterbury South station was a problem too.The South Eastern Railway wanted a station close to Wincheap but for the first time planning permission was refused. So the South Eastern had to settle for a station much further south. Despite this, Canterbury was reached in 1890 where it joined the Ashford - Ramsgate line at Harbledown Junction.
[edit] South Eastern and Chatham Railway control (1899-1923)
When the two companies SER and LCDR merged to form the South Eastern and Chatham Railway (SECR) nothing much happened aside from livery changes at the stations. And railmotors were introduced although these struggled to cope with the rather steep climb up from Cheriton junction through Etchinghill tunnel and onto Lyminge.
[edit] Southern Railway control (1923 - 1947)
When the grouping act of 1923 came into act the Elham valley railway was absorbed by Southern Railway (SR or just "Southern"). They immediately announced they would single the line and undertake staff reductions in order to save money. The line was singled between Harbledown Junction and Lyminge. The section from Lyminge to Cheriton remained double tracked. Apart from this nothing else really changed.
[edit] World War II
The line led a peaceful existence up until the start of World War II in September 1939 when a huge anti aircraft gun appeared named the ‘Boche Buster’. This huge gun could fire shells of 1.4 tons over a range of 12 miles. This gun found its home in Bourne tunnel, an earthwork strongly resisted when the line was first built. The line was taken over by the military which ran it until 1945. The Elham Valley railway had some important visitors including Mrs Roosevelt, Mrs Churchill and Winston Churchill. Just after D-Day the line was returned to the Southern Railway who immediately resumed a freight service and a passenger shuttle much like before.
[edit] Closure
After World War II the line was returned to its normal purpose but unable to compete with the roads the Southern railway closed the line. This happened in 1947. There were pleas from locals but the SR carried on anyway. Lifting of the line occurred in 1950-54. This was just the beginning of the end for branch lines like this however it managed to avoid the Beeching Axe. However because it closed in 1947 there are hardly any known films documenting the route. The trackbed is largely covered by vegetation.
[edit] The route
The railway ran from Canterbury West and finished at Shorncliffe. The line had intermediate stops at Canterbury South, Bridge, Bishopsbourne, Barham, Elham and Lyminge. The line stretched for 16 miles and is generally regarded as one of the most attractive English branch lines.
[edit] The railway today
Many of the tunnels survive, as does much of the trackbed and three stations live on. Lyminge is a public library and Bishopsbourne station is a private residence. Bridge station is also a private residence. The trackbed is largely covered by vegetation. However the sections between Canterbury South to West and Lyminge and Cheriton junction have been obliterated. The Lyminge section has been built over by the Channel Tunnel terminal building. Canterbury South has been lost to housing developments.
There is a museum at Peene, near the Channel Tunnel railway station, which contains many precious artifacts of railway history and a working model railway of what the line would have been like in SER days.
