Dates of operation 1916–1919 Length 4,828 m | Headquarters Davington Locale England | |
Track gauge 1,000 mm (3 ft 3 ⁄8 in) metre gauge | ||
The Davington Light Railway was a narrow gauge railway built to serve the armaments factories near Davington, in Kent, England. It ran between Davington and Uplees.
Contents
History
The main reason the line was built was to transport workers from Davington, near Faversham to the factories of the Cotton Powder Company and the Explosives Loading Company, located between Uplees and Harty Ferry.
The carriages were all open sided, with curtains to keep the weather out. As well as the terminus stations, there was also a halt at Oare. Separate trains were provided for men and women, on account of the coarse language the men used.
Freight was also carried, including acid, coal, cotton, detonators, mines and shells. Four wagons from the Davington Light Railway were purchased by Colonel Stephens for use on the Rye and Camber Tramway.
The line closed at the end of World War I, and the line and its equipment were sold by auction. During World War II, the tunnel at Oare was used as an air raid shelter. The station sites at Davington and Uplees have been obliterated by development, but the route of the trackbed at Oare can be traced, and the tunnel under the road at Oare still exists.
Locomotives
One of the locomotives is believed to be still in existence. Often quoted as works number 1916, the actual locomotive would appear to be works number 1915, carrying the worksplate of its sister.
Gauge
According to Taylor, the gauge was 3 ft 3 in (990 mm) but some other sources give 1 metre. The exact gauge will probably never be known.
The Davington Light Railway was built to the gauge that was already in use at the explosives factories. The first locomotive there was a German-built Deutz petrol locomotive, delivered just before the start of World War I. Possibly this was of 1 metre gauge and the track was built to fit it. The Deutz locomotive was later supplemented by five Ruston Proctor petrol/paraffin locomotives, one of which is owned by the Vale of Rheidol Railway and stored at Aberystwyth, where it is shown as ex-Cotton Powder Company Ruston Proctor 4wPM, works no 51168 of 1916. It was built to gauge 3’ 3 3⁄8” which equates to 1 metre gauge.