The Railway That Never Was (From the 1998 Newnham Village Appraisal Report)
The Railway That Never Was Based on an article "Beyond the Maidstone Extension" by Tom Burnham
In the last century, before the motor car, railways were the main means of passenger and goods transport. Britain's rail network was almost complete by 1890. However, some sparsely populated areas still lacked railways, and the Government passed the Light Railways Act in 1896 to encourage further new low-cost railways to serve these areas.
Rail links from Maidstone to Sittingbourne and Faversham have always been indrect, a consequence of the barrier of the North Downs. but despite the difficulty, a company was formed to build a railway linking Maidstone with Faversham , via Newnham. The company, called The Maidstone and Faversham Junction Light Railway Co. Ltd was registed in 1899.
The railway was to be just under 12 miles long. The route left the Maidstone to Ashford line midway between the Hollingbourne and Harrietsham stations. It gradually diverged from the main line, climbing steadily, at a gradient of about 1 in 50, until after 4 miles it had risen 327 feet. For the next 4 miles it descended, again at 1 in 50, past Wychling and Doddington to Newnham, from where it followed the road with much gentler gradients to a junction with the main line near Ospringe.
The Light Railway Commissioners held a public enquiry at the Institute in Faversham on Thursday 3 November 1899. The principle objection to the line was from the Sittingbourne & Sheppey area, who maintained that a railway from Maidstone to Sittingbourne would be more useful. However, most of the local authorities and landowners in the area to be served by the line supported it. For example, the Vicar of Doddington, the Rev. S.H.W. Hughes_Games said that the population of the parish had fallen (it went down from 580 in 1881 to 492 in 1901) and it was very isolated. Mr W.M. Chapman, a farmer, traction engine proprietor and owner of the gravel pits at Newnham, had great difficulty getting his goods to Faversham and thought the railway would make it easier.
The Commission recommended that the order be granted. However, the required financial backing was never achieved and the scheme was never carried out.