Sunday 16th August 2026 – Diesel special timetable

Following the Government Alert regarding the nationwide risk of wildfires, diesel locomotive ‘Victor’ will be standing in for steam locomotive ‘Premier’ on Sunday 16 August 2026.

Trains will depart Sittingbourne Viaduct station at 12pm, 1.30pm & 3pm. The journey will take around 20 minutes. Passengers who have pre-booked will be notified separately.

Trains depart at the time shown above, so please make sure you arrive about 15 minutes before that. Advanced booking (by 5pm the day before travel) is available for only 20 seats on all trains but tickets can be purchased on the day by card or cash at the ticket office.

Take time to chill-out, enjoy the short steam train ride to Kemsley Down, behind the first locomotive that operated the line in 1905.

This is an industrial steam railway so you will carried over the industrial outskirts of Sittingbourne and Milton Regis on the century-old Milton Regis Viaduct, then through Milton Creek Country Park and under the Swale Way road bridge before crossing the marshes into Kemsley Paper Mill, where Kemsley Down station is located.

Kemsley Down is a working site, we are currently working on ‘Melior’, ‘Dougal’ and ‘Superb’ in the engine shed and our track gang often work on Wednesdays and Sundays so you may see them on the lineside or at Kemsley Down.

The air-conditioned Footplate Café, railway shop, museum, picnic area, wildlife area, museum walk and garden railway can all be found here. The garden railway is only operational when there are enough volunteers.

We are having giant fun with Giant Ker-Plunk and Giant Guess Who? And we have child-safe axe throwing! There is a crate of outdoor games for fair weather days, if you can’t find them, please ask in the Footplate Café.

We recommend allowing two hours for your visit, this will give you plenty of time to look around, have a drink and maybe venture out onto the King Charles III England Coastal Path (not suitable for wheelchairs or buggies) and look across to the Isle of Sheppey and Little Murston Nature Reserve. The marshes on either side of the Railway are freshwater and saltwater which attracts different birds and other wildlife, Milton Creek is on the saltwater side.

Trains return from Kemsley Down to Sittingbourne Viaduct station at 12.45pm, 2.15pm & 3.45pm. Feel free to return on any train.