Rye & Camber Tramway 2-4-0 Locomotives in Great_Britain

Class Camber (Locobase 10710)

Data from "The Rye & Camber Steam Tramway," The Locomotive Magazine, Vol XV (15 May 1909), p. 101. See also [] . Colonel Holman Fred Stephens, leading constructor of light railways in England, built this "small and comparatively unknown line" that measured 1 3/4 miles long and connected Rye to the sandy stretch of beach that covered the original site of Winchelsea. This part was opened in 1895; a later extension reached the Camber beach. According to the 1909 report, the tramway served "...many purposes. It conveys golfers to the Rye links, fishermen to the Keadle net fishery, where millions of mackerel are caught, and to the famous deeps sea fishery of which Rye harbour is the depot."

Perhaps surprisingly, the R & C maintained a passenger service up to the eve of World War II in 1939, even as it met competition from automobile traffic. Factors in its relatively long life seem to have been a steady traffic demand for the golf links and the light (26-lb rail), simple (hand-thrown switches) construction of the line.

The LM report pointed out that so sandy was the alignment that the piston rods and crossheads were cased in to protect them. Also, only one of the two locomotives was steamed up at one time and the driver also served as fireman. The two tanks (see also Locobase 10711) operated on the R & C until the mid-1920s, when they were replaced by a gasoline-engined 4-wheeler that was based on the Motor Rail Simplex design.

Camber was scrapped at Rye in 1947.

Class Victoria (Locobase 10711)

Data from "The Rye & Camber Steam Tramway," The Locomotive Magazine, Vol XV (15 May 1909), p. 101. Works number was 1511.

See Locobase 10710 for a description of this tramway. The Victoria followed the Camber by two years and was about twice the size of the latter; it was originally painted blue with yellow lines. The LM report pointed out that so sandy was the alignment that the piston rods and crossheads were cased in to protect them. Also, only one of the two locomotives was steamed up at one time and the driver also served as fireman.

Victoria was scrapped in 1937.