This week (15th-21st July 2024)

Trains running on Sunday afternoon

We’re running trains on Sunday, operating the Green Timetable. Come along for a nostalgic trip on an industrial railway behind 119 year old steam locomotive ‘Premier’. It takes 15 minutes to cross the kilometre-long Milton Regis Viaduct, pass through Milton Creek Country Park and Church Marshes into Britain’s largest paper mill at Kemsley Down.

Spend a quiet afternoon at Kemsley Down or go for a walk along England’s Coastal Path, bring a picnic or buy light refreshments from the Footplate Café and visit our new museum.

Feel free to buy your tickets online at TicketSource or arrive about 10-15 minutes early to buy your tickets at the ticket office at Sittingbourne Viaduct station.

Trains will depart Sittingbourne Viaduct station at 1pm, 2pm, 3pm & 4pm.

Trains depart Kemsley Down at 1.35pm, 2.35pm, 3.35pm & 4.45pm. 

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Wild West Weekend – next weekend!

The settlers of Spearfish Creek will be setting up camp for Wild West Weekend. You will be able to walk around the settlement and learn more about life in the Old West.

Your visit will start with a bang (lots of bangs actually), as a shoot-out will break out shortly after the train arrives at Spearfish Creek (aka Kemsley Down) station. Once it is over, you will leave the train to explore Spearfish Creek, pick up refreshments in the Footplate Café, visit the shop, museum and wildlife area.

Trains will depart Sittingbourne Viaduct station at 11.30am, 12.30pm, 2pm, 3pm & 4pm, returning from Spearfish Creek at 12.05pm, 1.35pm, 2.35pm, 3.35pm & 4.45pm. Normal fares apply.

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What’s happening?

This month (July)

• Saturday 20th – Chatham Show – the Railway is Stand 36 at model railway exhibition which has returned to Chatham Historic Dockyard this year
• Sunday 21st – green timetable – trains depart Sittingbourne Viaduct station at 1pm, 2pm, 3pm & 4pm
• Sunday 21st – Chatham Show – the Railway is Stand 36 at model railway exhibition which has returned to Chatham Historic Dockyard this year
• Saturday 27th – Wild West Weekend – trains depart Sittingbourne Viaduct station at 11.30am, 12.30pm, 2pm, 3pm & 4pm
• Sunday 28th – Wild West Weekend – trains depart Sittingbourne Viaduct station at 11.30am, 12.30pm, 2pm, 3pm & 4pm
• Wednesday 31st – green timetable – trains depart Sittingbourne Viaduct station at 1pm, 2pm, 3pm & 4pm

Next month (August)

• Sunday 4th – orange timetable – trains depart Sittingbourne Viaduct station at 11.30am, 12.30pm, 2pm, 3pm & 4pm – please note there is a long gap between the 12.30pm departure and 1.35pm return trip
• Wednesday 7th – green timetable – trains depart Sittingbourne Viaduct station at 1pm, 2pm, 3pm & 4pm
• Sunday 11th – orange timetable – trains depart Sittingbourne Viaduct station at 11.30am, 12.30pm, 2pm, 3pm & 4pm – please note there is a long gap between the 12.30pm departure and 1.35pm return trip
• Wednesday 14th – green timetable – trains depart Sittingbourne Viaduct station at 1pm, 2pm, 3pm & 4pm
• Sunday 18th – orange timetable – trains depart Sittingbourne Viaduct station at 11.30am, 12.30pm, 2pm, 3pm & 4pm – please note there is a long gap between the 12.30pm departure and 1.35pm return trip
• Wednesday 21st – green timetable – trains depart Sittingbourne Viaduct station at 1pm, 2pm, 3pm & 4pm
• Sunday 25th – orange timetable – trains depart Sittingbourne Viaduct station at 11.30am, 12.30pm, 2pm, 3pm & 4pm – please note there is a long gap between the 12.30pm departure and 1.35pm return trip
• Monday 26th – orange timetable – trains depart Sittingbourne Viaduct station at 11.30am, 12.30pm, 2pm, 3pm & 4pm – please note there is a long gap between the 12.30pm departure and 1.35pm return trip
• Wednesday 28th – green timetable – trains depart Sittingbourne Viaduct station at 1pm, 2pm, 3pm & 4pm

On days in bold underline, ‘Premier’ is scheduled to be the locomotive of the day.

On days in bold, ‘Premier’ and one of our diesel locomotives (shown as *) will be hauling trains.

Fares

Here are the return fares:

• Adult – £8
• Senior Citizen – £7
• Child (aged 3-15) – £4
• Family (2A + 4C) – £22
• Other fares are available – click here for more information.

A small number of tickets are available for pre-booking on each train from Sittingbourne Viaduct – click on the button below or call the TicketSource hotline on 0333 663366. There is no need to pre-book, this option is for those who feel more secure having done so. There is a small booking fee for booking through TicketSource.

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Future events (click on the images to find out more)

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Photo of the Week

Last Friday, we carried out a ‘mega-shunt’ of Kemsley Down to move ‘Unique’ to the new plinth track, constructed by Network Rail volunteers last month. Here’s ‘Premier’ shunting ‘Unique’ onto the siding where a special low loader truck took it to its new home (just off the photo to the left).

 

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Find out more…

To find out more about the Railway – visit our website (www.sklr.net), call 01795 424899, see our page on Facebook, or find us on X (formerly known as Twitter), Threads or Instagram or Tumblr as @SandKLR. To contact us, email info@sklr.net or call 01795 424899.

We now have a new telephone system – you can be connected straight through to TicketSource to book tickets over the phone, listen to a 4 minute-long talking timetable message or leave a message for one of our volunteers to get back to you if you would like to know about group bookings, footplate experiences, private hire, birthday parties etc. (details are also available on the website) – all by calling 01795 424899.

 

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Travel information

We recommend using a live journey planner such as Google Maps due to the large number of road works in the area.

For more information on key closures of the M25 for the Wisley Interchange works click here and for more information on the A249/M2 interchange works at Stockbury Roundabout click here.

To keep abreast of the Kingferry Bridge closures which affect both road and rail see above or click on the image to be taken to the relevant page on the Southeastern website.