In the south-east of England is to be found the Romney, Hythe and Dym-church Railway. This railway is of more than passing interest, in that it shares with the Eskdale Railway, in the north of England, the distinction of employing the narrowest gauge used at present for railways conveying passenger traffic, the gauge being 15in.

The construction of this unique railway, which has 8 ¼ miles of track, was commenced in 1926. Captain J. E. P. Howey, the famous racing motorist, is associated with the enterprise in the capacity of Chairman of the company.

The most remarkable feature of the railway is that it utilises scale model locomotives one-third full size of the actual standard gauge machines. The line is double tracked throughout. Practically the only class of revenue earning traffic is gained from transporting the holiday passengers in the summer months. A restricted service, worked by a small petrol-driven car, is maintained during the winter period for the convenience of local residents.

Lilliputian Stations.

The main terminus at New Romney is rather an elaborate proposition for so small a line. Four platforms are provided, a signal box (with 17 lever frame and full tappett locking), numerous points, crossovers and signals, and even an overhead bridge for foot passengers. It is doubtful whether other than sight-seers who wanted to obtain a good view of the station would utilise the footbridge when they wished to cross the tiny tracks! At each terminus a turntable is provided for the locomotives. Owing to the small size of the engines the driver has to ride on the front of the tender, with his feet protruding into the cab. During inclement weather it is possible for the driver to edge up closer to the boiler and obtain a certain amount of protection by sheltering under the large cab roofs provided on all the miniature locomotives.

The little railway had an auspicious informal opening in August, 1926, when H.R.H. the Duke of York, acted as driver of one of the first trains. Since then many well-known people, railway officers, and others, have been at the throttle at one of the locomotives. Mr. H. N. Gresley, Chief Mechanical Engineer of the L.N.E.R., and designer of the wonderful high-pressure express locomotive described in “Our London Letter,” in a recent issue of this Magazine, takes a keen interest in the line, and has driven the locomotives on several occasions.

The rails in use are of flat bottomed section, 24lb. to the yard. The largest engineering feature on the line is a skew bridge of 56ft. span over a deep drainage canal. Trains usually run at forty to sixty minute intervals, a more frequent service being provided on Sundays. The trains usually take half-an-hour to cover the distance of 8 ¼ miles.

The Locomotive Stock.

The locomotives (which all bear appropriate names) of the Romney, Hythe and Dymchurch Railway, number eight. Two are of the eight-coupled class, with leading bogie, very similar in appearance to the X class engines in use on sections of the Main Trunk Line. A small four-wheeled engine of German origin and used for shunting duties, is known as “The Bug.” The balance are six-coupled outside cylinder locomotives, resembling in miniature very closely our well-known Ab class engines, except that they do not have a tender with circular water tank. Two of the six-coupled class engines have three cylinders, No. 7 “Typhoon” and No. page 47 8 “Hurricane.” All the engines, from the illustrations published in various overseas magazines, appear to have full Walschaert valve gear. Some of them have air pumps and brake gear, and a simplified air brake is installed on the passenger rolling stock.

A large proportion of the passenger rolling stock is four-wheeled. They are roofed, but open at the sides. Entirely closed-in vehicles are used in the winter months. The engines take loads of twenty to twenty-two cars, fully loaded, and reach a speed of about 30 m.p.h. on level straight sections of the road.

Mountain Railways

In parts of Europe, notably in Switzerland, Italy, Austria and Germany, mountain railways are a feature of transportation. Of the many clever systems of movement favoured, cable railways rank as the most important alternative to the ordinary conventional railway in districts where normal methods of transport would be impossible.

A cable railway which promises to prove of the greatest utility in opening up the Swiss winter sports district of Davos is now being constructed from Davos Dorf to Parsenn-Weissfluhjoch. This will be the highest funicular railway in Europe, and it is to be built in two sections. The first, 2,070 yards long, will have a rise of about 2,100 feet, and the second, 2,300 yards long, a rise of approximately 1,500 feet. The first section is practically complete, and with the passing of the heavy snows the second section will be tackled. Intermediate and upper stations on the line will be provided with electric equipment for the haulage of cars up and down the cable. The track, upon which the cars will run, is of 2ft. 7 ½in. gauge, and most of the track is embedded in concrete. Travel in these quaint cable railways of Central Europe affords a convenient and comfortable means of scaling what would otherwise to most people prove quite unclimbable heights.

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