Oxted, Bowaters & Hayling Island Railways

From the collection of

Screen Archive South East at the University of Brighton
Screen Archive South East at the University of Brighton collects, preserves, catalogues and provides public access to its collection of films and magic lantern slides. The collection charts the rise of screen culture in the region and the nation and captures many aspects of life, work and creativity in the South East from the late 19th century to the present day. It is available for research, screenings, creative re-use and commercial access.

Oxted, Bowaters & Hayling Island Railways


There's plenty of steam action in this amazing quadruple bill featuring Kent's farewell to steam, a railway with combustion issues and rides on the late lamented Hayling Billy

This film, with its quirky commentary, journeys along East Surrey's Oxted line, before showing the February 1962's Kentish Venturer Railtour commemorating the end of steam running in Kent. This is followed by a visit to the Bowaters Paper Railway, where all the narrow gauge locomotives have spark-arrestor chimneys - for obvious reasons when working in a paper mill. Finally, we see Marsh's A1X Terriers at work on the Hayling Island branch line prior to its closure in 1963.

Though much that is seen in this quadruple bill has long disappeared from the modern railway - particularly when speaking of atmosphere and character - many of the locomotives featured have since been preserved and are running on numerous heritage railways across the country - to this very day.


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