SOS - Save Our SKLR / Save Our Steam railway

Official Sittingbourne & Kemsley Light Railway Photographs

31st August 2008

The Sittingbourne & Kemsley Light Railway could be forced to close down on Boxing Day, 26th December 2008, unless there is a dramatic change to circumstances.

Future trains are very unlikely unless the current land owners M-real change their minds and allow the Railway to buy the land over which it operated. Perhaps they were running Sittingbourne paper mill at a loss and did need to cease production but did this Finnish company have to have total disregard for the history that they were entrusted with? This history goes back nearly 150 years to the day when Edward Lloyd first started paper production in Sittingbourne and which carried on successfully via Bowater's and UK Paper.

Sittingbourne's Steam Railway was given notice to quit the land on which it operates at the beginning of 2008 when their landlords Messrs M-real decided to pull out of Sittingbourne including closing Sittingbourne paper mill, which is currently up for sale. The railways licence to operate on the land expires on 28th January, 2009. By that date we are supposed to remove all the locomotives, coaches, wagons, buildings and all other paraphernalia. How can a charity that has struggled to survive for most of the 40 years it has operated afford to make such a move and where to?

Following on from an idea from one of the railways junior members a poster/car sticker campaign has being launched - you can download a SOS (Save Our Steam railway) poster or car sticker now from our website (http://www.sklr.net) or collect them from the Railway. We are asking the public to display these in their windows, on their cars, everywhere.

To contribute to the Fighting Fund to pay for legal fees, posters, advertisements etc please visit http://www.justgiving.com/sklr or send cheques payable to SKLR to SKLR (SOS Campaign), PO Box 300, Sittingbourne, ME10 2DZ. Please also send letters of support to that address or email info@sklr.net or join the Sittingbourne & Kemsley Light Railway group page on Facebook.

Only public opinion can save what is South East England's only preserved former industrial narrow gauge railway. Your opinion counts.

2008-08-23 14:40:58 Buy Print	2008-08-23 14:41:07 Buy Print	2008-08-23 14:44:14 Buy Print	2008-08-23 15:08:17 Buy Print
2008-08-23 15:08:32 Buy Print	2008-08-23 15:08:35 Buy Print	2008-08-23 15:08:59 Buy Print	Lord Faulkner of Worcester visited the Railway on behalf of the Heritage Railway Committee 2008-09-21 12:53:55 Buy Print