Sheperdswell – East Kent Railway

Sheperdswell 4mm OO

The original plan for this layout was to use the old East Kent Railway as a basis but it has become more of a near prototype model of the old Colonel Stephens line that lasted into nationalisation. Most of the line shut in the early 1950’s. The truncated line served Tilmanstone colliery until the mid 1980’s. The passengers service finished not long after nationalisation in 1948 and the loco shed was demolished a few years later. Today the line between Shepherdswell and Eythorne, about 2.5 miles is now a preserved railway.

However, in order to make the layouts operation more interesting we have changed the history to allow workmen’s trains to run and that the line wasn’t nationalised, with the engine shed remaining in use longer, maintaining industrial locos for other lines. Also coal trains can be seen swapping locos in the yard with the occasional box van etc. to and from the colliery.

Control is by Digitrax Digital Command Control.  We also use touch screen PC’s to monitor and control the layout.  Some locos are sound fitted.

As the layout is set in the early 1960’s around the time that the Kent mainlines were electrified, both steam and diesel locos can be seen at work.

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