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The Romney, Hythe & Dymchurch Railway (RH&DR) is a gauge light railway in Kent, England. The line runs from the Cinque Port of Hythe via Dymchurch, St. Mary's Bay, New Romney and Romney Sands to Dungeness, close to Dungeness nuclear power station and Dungeness Lighthouse. ==History== Construction began in late 1925 and the railway opened on 16 July 1927. It was the dream of millionaire racing drivers Captain J.E.P. Howey and Count Louis Zborowski. The latter had constructed a railway at Higham Park, his home at Bridge, Kent, and agreed to donate the rolling stock and infrastructure to the project. However, he was killed on 19 October 1924 in a motor racing accident at the Monza Grand Prix before the Romney Marsh site was chosen, and Howey continued the project alone. The locomotives were designed by engineer Henry Greenly who worked with Howey〔Steel, E. A. and Steel, E. H. "The Miniature World of Henry Greenly." (1973, Model & Allied Publications). (ISBN 0852423063)〕 and served as the railway's first chief engineer. Mountain Class ''Hercules'' hauled the inaugural train from Hythe to New Romney on 16 July 1927, with guests including the mayors of the two towns and General Sir Ivor Maxse. Howey was not happy with just of track from Hythe to New Romney and he extended the railway from New Romney to Dungeness, double-tracked throughout. The line was taken over by the military during World War II, and a miniature armoured train was used on the line.〔(【引用サイトリンク】title=Liberal England: The Romney, Hythe & Dymchurch goes to war )〕 During the conflict, damage was sustained on the extension which resulted in it being reduced to a single track after the war. The line re-opened between Hythe and New Romney in 1946, the New Romney to Dungeness section following with an opening by Laurel and Hardy on 28 March 1947.〔Hythe Reporter Friday, 28 March 1947〕 Between 1977 and 2015, the railway provided school trains to transport children to and from the Marsh Academy in New Romney. The last such train ran on 24 July 2015, with services ceasing due to falling usage. The railway role as part of the local public transport network was extended when Warren Halt re-opened in 2009, providing a transport link to the Romney Marsh Visitor Centre. Further discussions with local councils took place regarding the possible expansion of Burmarsh Road and the provision of a new station at the gravel pits in West Hythe, in connection with both the proposed extensive new housing construction and the need to provide alternative transport to the A259 coast road. The railway, which carries 100,000 passengers each year, celebrated its 80th birthday in 2007 with a week of celebrations including reconstructions of scenes on the railway from the previous eight decades. 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Romney, Hythe and Dymchurch Railway」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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