Colonel Stephens was the engineer of this railway from its inception in
1896 through authorisation in 1899 to opening in 1901. Ownership and control
passed to the SECR in 1905. It was in every way typical of his construction
methods but operation was in the hands of the South East and Chatham railway,
and subsequently the Southern Railway and British Railways, thereby losing
much of the special light railway character. At first moderately successful
it lost out to electric tram and other road competition and closed completely
in 1950.
Further reading:
The Sheppey Light Railway. Brian Hart. Wild Swan Publications. 1992
