6 Heritage & Steam Railways in Kent You Can Ride Today (Local’s Guide)

There’s something wonderful about steam railways, isn’t there? The hiss, the smell of coal smoke, the gentle sway of an old carriage. I’ve been a big fan for years and Kent happens to be one of the best counties in the country for getting your steam fix.

I still remember riding the Romney, Hythe & Dymchurch Railway back in the early 2000s. I took my mum and we had a great day out travelling all the way to Dungeness and stopping off at Romney Sands to have a swim at Greatstone Beach along the way. Those tiny carriages were a great experience and the story behind it was so fascinating.

I also spend a fair amount of time researching dismantled railways (yes, it’s a bit of a rabbit hole), so it’s lovely to see so many Kent lines that have been saved and are still chuffing along today.

1. Kent & East Sussex Railway

Running between Tenterden and Bodiam, this is a beautiful stretch of preserved standard-gauge line that originally opened in 1900 as part of Colonel Holman Stephens’ light railway empire.

Holman Stephens was a fascinating character who ran a small network of rural light railways across Britain on a shoestring budget and his Tonbridge office is now preserved as a museum at Tenterden.

It closed to passengers in 1954 and to freight in 1961, before the volunteer preservation society reopened the first section in 1974 and this was one of the earlier preservation success stories.

The line now runs lovely Edwardian and Victorian coaches behind proper full-size steam locos. Last time I visited I really enjoyed the Pullman dining car, fish and chips while watching the Rother Valley roll past is hard to beat.

Stations along the line & what to see

Tenterden Town — the main station and HQ, with the Colonel Stephens Museum next door (free entry and brilliant for railway history buffs).

Rolvenden — the engineering hub where you can sometimes see locos being restored. Open days here are great if you want a proper behind-the-scenes look.

Wittersham Road — a lovely rural request stop with picnic benches and a small heritage signal box.

Northiam — a charming village worth a stroll, with Great Dixter House and Gardens (Christopher Lloyd’s famous garden) just up the road.

Bodiam — the southern terminus. Bodiam Castle (National Trust) is right next to the station and is one of the most picture-perfect moated castles in England, built in 1385.

• Location: Tenterden Town Station, TN30 6HE
• Opening Times: Most weekends year-round, daily during school holidays
• Tickets: £30 adult return, Children (3-15 years), Senior £26.50, family ticket £60 (buy online for these prices otherwise is more expensive), Platform Tickets are £1

2. Spa Valley Railway

Based at Tunbridge Wells West, this line uses part of the old LBSCR route to Eridge that closed in 1985, which was one of the last Beeching-era closures in the south east.

The preservation group got going almost immediately and reopened the first short section in 1996, with services extended all the way to Eridge by 2011 after years of volunteer track-laying.

What’s fascinating is that at Eridge you can actually change onto the national network. The Spa Valley Railway is one of very few heritage lines where this is possible. The original 1866 engine shed at Tunbridge Wells West, designed by the LBSCR architect Charles Henry Driver, is still there and well worth a look.

Stations along the line & what to see

Tunbridge Wells West — the main station with the original 1866 engine shed and a great café. The Pantiles (Tunbridge Wells’ famous Georgian shopping colonnade) is a 10-minute walk away and there is plenty to see in Tunbridge Wells, so you can easily make a whole day trip out of it.

High Rocks — a request stop right next to the High Rocks pub and the amazing sandstone rocks popular with climbers. The rocks area is wonderful to explore on a foot too.

Groombridge — a beautiful village stop, and Groombridge Place (the moated manor used in the 2005 Pride and Prejudice film, now private) is just nearby.

Eridge — the southern terminus and the only heritage line in Kent where you can interchange with the national network (trains to London Bridge and Uckfield).

• Location: West Station, Tunbridge Wells, TN2 5QY
• Opening Times: Weekends March to October, plus Wednesdays in summer
• Tickets: £16 adult, £15 senior (60+), Child (2-15 years) Free, Family £32

3. Romney, Hythe & Dymchurch Railway

This is the one that started it all for me. Opened in 1927 by racing driver Captain John Howey and his pal Count Louis Zborowski (of Chitty Chitty Bang Bang fame — Zborowski sadly died in a crash before it opened), the RH&DR runs one-third scale steam locomotives across 13.5 miles of Romney Marsh.

The line was actually requisitioned during WWII and used by the military, even running an armoured train fitted with anti-aircraft guns to defend the south coast.

The original locos were built by Davey Paxman in Colchester between 1925 and 1927 and remarkably most of them are still in service today, nearly 100 years on. What I love about this railway is that people actually used it to get to work and not just at the weekends to visit the beach! The carriages are wonderfully small, I rode it back in the early 2000s for the first time and still remember having to duck slightly to get in.

Stations along the line & what to see

Hythe — the northern terminus and a great starting point, with a lovely café and the main ticket office. Hythe historic town itself is worth exploring before or after your ride, including the medieval church of St Leonard which has a fascinating ossuary with thousands of skulls in the crypt.

Dymchurch — handy for the beach and the Martello tower (number 24), one of the best-preserved Napoleonic defences in the country.

St Mary’s Bay — a quieter request stop, good for a peaceful seaside walk.

New Romney — the main hub and railway headquarters with shop. Don’t miss the model railway exhibition here, it’s wonderful and has one of the largest “OO” gauge layouts in the south.

Romney Sands — close to Greatstone beach and the amazing WWII sound mirrors (huge concrete “listening ears” built in the 1920s to detect incoming aircraft).

Dungeness — the southern terminus and honestly one of the strangest, most beautiful places in Britain. You’ve got the old lighthouse, the working nuclear power station, Derek Jarman’s famous Prospect Cottage garden and the brilliant Britannia pub for fish and chips.

• Location: New Romney Station, TN28 8PL
• Opening Times: Daily April to October, weekends in winter
• Tickets: All day travel £30 adult, £20 children (3-17 years), Individual tickets from station to station also available (for example single ticket from Hythe to Dungeness is £20)

4. Sittingbourne & Kemsley Light Railway

This one’s a real gem and not as well known as it should be. It’s a 2ft 6in narrow-gauge line that was originally built by Edward Lloyd Ltd to serve the local paper mills, dating back to 1906 and at its peak it moved thousands of tons of pulp, coal and finished paper between the mills and Ridham Dock.

When the mills wound down their rail use, Bowaters (the later owners) handed it over and volunteers stepped in to save it in 1970.

The route takes you across the wonderful Milton Creek viaduct, which was built in 1913 and a great place for photos. Some of the locos here, like Premier (built by Kerr Stuart in 1904), are historic working machines and among the oldest operational narrow-gauge steam locos in Britain.

Stations along the line & what to see

Sittingbourne Viaduct — the main station, reached by a footpath from Sittingbourne town. The viaduct itself is fascinating – it was built in 1913 to carry the line over Milton Creek.

Milton Regis Halt — a request stop and a great place for photos of trains crossing the creek.

Kemsley Down — the northern terminus with a museum, picnic area and the engine shed where you can usually see the historic locos up close. There’s a lovely woodland walk from here too.

• Location: Sittingbourne Viaduct Station, ME10 2XD
• Opening Times: Selected Sundays Easter to October
• Tickets: All day rover ticket £15, return ticket £10 adult, £6 single ticket (adult), children (3-15 years) £5 return ticket, Family ticket £27

5. East Kent Railway

Running from Shepherdswell to Eythorne, this was originally part of Colonel Stephens’ East Kent Light Railway, opened in 1916 to serve the Kent coalfield! I know this sounds fantastic, but yes, Kent really did have coal mines, including Tilmanstone, Snowdown and Chislet collieries all linked by this railway line.

The railway once stretched out towards Wingham and Richborough Port, with grand plans for a network that never quite materialised, because of funding shortages. Most of the network closed when the pits shut in the 1980s, but volunteers reopened this stretch in 1993.

It’s a lovely little line and brilliant for anyone who enjoys learning more about the coal mining history in Kent and finding out more about dismantled railways. I have also walked the Miners Way Circular Trail that passes through Shepherdswell and connects all the interesting towns, villages and collieries in this area, including the Betteshanger Coal Mining Museum and park.

Stations along the line & what to see

Shepherdswell — the main station and HQ, with a small museum about the Kent coalfield and Colonel Stephens’ railway empire. The village pub, the Bricklayers Arms, is a great place for lunch or a drink. You can arrive on the regular train (between Dover and Canterbury) and walk to the heritage train station.

Eythorne — the current terminus, where the old Tilmanstone Colliery branch used to head off. There’s good interpretation here about the lost colliery lines and you can see where the railway once continued towards Wingham.

• Location: Shepherdswell Station, CT15 7PD
• Opening Times: Sundays April to October, plus Saturdays in summer
• Tickets: £12 adult return, £8 children, family £35, Concessions £8

6. Bredgar & Wormshill Light Railway

A proper hidden treasure this one — a private 2ft gauge line built from scratch by enthusiasts in the 1970s, the brainchild of brothers William and Edward Best who started laying track in 1972.

It only opens on a handful of days each year, which makes a visit feel quite special. The collection of small industrial steam locos is amazing, with engines from old quarries, plantations and factories from around the world — including locos from Sri Lankan tea estates, Indian sugar plantations, and German industrial works.

The whole place has a lovely countryside atmosphere, with a Victorian-style station, signal box and even a small museum.

Stations along the line & what to see

Warren Wood — the main station with a Victorian-style booking office, signal box, and the small museum of industrial railway artefacts. There’s also a vintage car collection on site (the Best brothers were big motoring fans too) and a lovely picnic area in the woods.

Stony Lane — the far end of the line with a turning loop, where you can watch the locos run round before heading back.

• Location: The Warren, Bredgar, ME9 8AT
• Opening Times: First Sunday of the month, Easter to October
• Tickets: £20 adult, £10 children, under 4s free, Family £50

This blog post was originally published on 7 June 2026 and last updated on 7 June 2026