Headcorn and Maidstone Junction Light Railway

In 1874 a branch was built by the London, Chatham and Dover Railway from Swanley to the current Maidstone East station.

[1] The line was seen as an extension of the Kent & East Sussex Railway northwards from Headcorn, making an end-on junction and crossing the SE&CR main line by a bridge of 60 feet (18 m) span and climbing towards Sutton Valence, 244 ft in 2+1⁄2 miles (74 m in 4 km).

Having reached Sutton Valence the line then had to drop 300 ft in 4+1⁄4 miles (91 m in 6.85 km), passing the quarries at Boughton Monchelsea and following the Loose Valley to link up with a branch from the Medway Valley Line at Tovil across the River Medway to a goods station in Tovil,[1] which had opened in 1886.

H F Stephens said that the proposed line would bring benefits of development of the local stone quarries at Boughton Monchelsea, then in decline, and lead to an increase in the population of the villages served.

His main objections were that the line would mean demolition of cottages he owned, and that smoke from the engines would ruin handmade paper produced at the mill.

Green raised further objections based his insurance premiums rising considerably in view of the increased fire risk.

[3] Amongst the changes made were a bridge over the main road at Sutton Valence instead of a level crossing, and a 428 yards (391 m) long tunnel at Loose.

The mouth being some 100 yards (91 m) from Hayle Mill was acceptable to Herbert Green, who said that "the longer the tunnel was the less the chance that the line would actually be built."

[1] The authorised share capital was raised to £96,000 from £78,000 and additional loan borrowings were increased to £32,000, the extra being to cover the cost of the tunnel.

The builder was Hawthorn Leslie & Company (works number 2587/1904) and it became K&ESR No.4 Hecate, later Southern Railway No.