The Davington Light Railway was a narrow gauge railway built to serve the armaments factories near

Davington Davington is a suburb of Faversham in Kent, England. Davington Priory is a local government ward within the Faversham Town Council and Swale Borough Council areas. Until the civic boundary changes were brought into effect in 2004, the electora ...

, in

Kent Kent is a county in South East England and one of the home counties. It borders Greater London to the north-west, Surrey to the west and East Sussex to the south-west, and Essex to the north across the estuary of the River Thames; it faces ...

England England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe ...

. It ran between Davington and

Uplees Uplees is a remote hamlet north of Faversham, Kent in southeast England. It was a key part of the Faversham explosives industry during World War I, with the Cotton Powder Company importing raw materials via the deepwater channel of the Swale, and ...

History

Munitions have been produced at Faversham since 1561. Three

gunpowder Gunpowder, also commonly known as black powder to distinguish it from modern smokeless powder, is the earliest known chemical explosive. It consists of a mixture of sulfur, carbon (in the form of charcoal) and potassium nitrate ( saltpeter) ...

factories had been established by 1786, though a serious explosion in 1847 put a temporary end to production. In 1873, the Cotton Powder Company built a factory to produce

gun cotton Nitrocellulose (also known as cellulose nitrate, flash paper, flash cotton, guncotton, pyroxylin and flash string, depending on form) is a highly flammable compound formed by nitrating cellulose through exposure to a mixture of nitric acid and ...

on Uplees Marsh. In 1912, a second factory was built by the Explosives Loading Company, with a third by Eley Brothers Ltd. established nearby at Harty Ferry. The outbreak of the

First World War World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fig ...

saw a massive increase in the need for munitions. The mills in the marshes near Faversham were a major production centre, sending their output by river barges to the

Royal Arsenal The Royal Arsenal, Woolwich is an establishment on the south bank of the River Thames in Woolwich in south-east London, England, that was used for the manufacture of armaments and ammunition, proofing, and explosives research for the Br ...

at Woolwich. Hundreds of workers were travelling daily across the marshland from nearby villages and towns to work in the mills. 1916 was a particularly wet year, and these journeys became intolerable. In order to efficiently move workers to and from the factories, the Davington Light Railway was laid between Davington and between Uplees. 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 Rye and Camber Tramway was an English railway in East Sussex. It was of narrow gauge, relatively unusual amongst British narrow gauge railways. It operated from 1895 until 1939, connecting Rye to the coast. It was about in le ...

. The line closed at the end of

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was List of wars and anthropogenic disasters by death toll, one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, ...

, and the line and its equipment were sold by auction. During

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the World War II by country, vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great power ...

, 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.

Route

The southern terminus of the railway was at Davington, where there was a station with goods yard and locomotive shed. The line headed northwards across the marshes. The first station was about north at Oare, where a halt was provided. The line then entered the Oare Tunnel, passing under a minor road. The line was climbing through the tunnel and continued to the low summit. From there it dropped down towards

The Swale The Swale is a tidal channel of the Thames estuary that separates the Isle of Sheppey from the rest of Kent. On its banks is a biological Site of Special Scientific Interest which stretches from Sittingbourne to Whitstable in Kent. It is a ...

as it crossed Uplees Marches. The northern terminus of the passenger line was at Uplees Station.

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,Taylor, M. Minter, see sources the gauge was but some other sources give . 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 German(s) may refer to: * Germany (of or related to) **Germania (historical use) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizens of Germany, see also German nationality law **Ger ...

-built

Deutz Deutz may refer to: People * Emmanuel Deutz (1763–1842), German-born French rabbi * Rupert of Deutz, (–), Benedictine theologian and writer * Simon Deutz (1802–1852), German-born French courtier Places * Deutz, Cologne, a former town, si ...

petrol locomotive, delivered just before the start of

. Possibly this was of gauge and the track was built to fit it. The Deutz locomotive was later supplemented by five

Ruston Proctor Ruston may refer to: Place names ;United States * Ruston, Louisiana * Ruston, Washington ;United Kingdom * East Ruston, Norfolk, England * Ruston, North Yorkshire, England * Ruston Parva, East Riding of Yorkshire, England Companies * Ruston (en ...

petrol/paraffin locomotives, one of which is owned by the

Vale of Rheidol Railway The Vale of Rheidol Railway ( cy, Rheilffordd Cwm Rheidol) is a narrow gauge heritage railway in Ceredigion, Wales, between Aberystwyth and Devil's Bridge; a journey of . It opened in 1902, and from the withdrawal of main line steam on Bri ...

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 .

References

Sources