Mid-Kent Railway
{{Use dmy dates|date=January 2018}}
{{Use British English|date=January 2018}}
The Mid Kent and North Kent Junction Railway (usually referred to as the Mid Kent Railway) was an early railway in Kent England. (Note the name is given both with and without the hyphen in different sources.)
History
=Origins=
{{Infobox UK legislation
| short_title = Mid Kent Railway Act 1855
| type = Act
| parliament = Parliament of the United Kingdom
| long_title = An Act for making Railways from the Farnborough Extension of the West London and Crystal Palace Railway to the North Kent Line of the South-eastern Railway, and to the London, Brighton, and South Coast Railway, with Branches therefrom; and for other Purposes.
| year = 1855
| citation = 18 & 19 Vict. c. clxix
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| territorial_extent =
| royal_assent = 23 July 1855
| commencement =
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| millbankhansard =
| original_text = https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukla/Vict/18-19/169/pdfs/ukla_18550169_en.pdf
| revised_text =
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The Mid Kent Railway was formed by the {{visible anchor|Mid Kent Railway Act 1855}} (18 & 19 Vict. c. clxix) on 23 July 1855 to construct a 4.75-mile line between the South Eastern Railway (SER) at Lewisham and the Farnborough Extension of the West End of London and Crystal Palace Railway (WEL&CPR) at Beckenham, later renamed Beckenham Junction.{{cite web | title = Kent Rail: Addiscombe | url = http://www.kentrail.org.uk/addiscombe.htm | accessdate = 6 October 2019}} The intention then was to extend this line to Croydon at a later date.{{cite news | title = Railway Intelligence. Mid-Kent. | newspaper = The Times | location =London | pages =7| date = 1 Mar 1858}} The line opened 1 January 1857 and was operated by the SER under a ten-year agreement.
=Addiscombe Line=
Although the company later abandoned its intention of building a line to Croydon, an extension to "Croydon (Addiscombe Road)" from {{rws|New Beckenham}} through {{rws|Elmers End}} was completed in 1862 which was also leased to the SER on completion.
=Dissolution=
{{Infobox UK legislation
| short_title = South-eastern Railway (Mid-Kent) Act 1864
| type = Act
| parliament = Parliament of the United Kingdom
| long_title =
| year = 1864
| citation = 27 & 28 Vict. c. cccxi
| introduced_commons =
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| territorial_extent =
| royal_assent = 29 July 1864
| commencement =
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| amendments = {{ubli|South-eastern Railway (Mid Kent Amalgamation Completion) Act 1866}}
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| millbankhansard =
| original_text = https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukla/Vict/27-28/311/pdfs/ukla_18640311_en.pdf
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{{Infobox UK legislation
| short_title = South-eastern Railway (Mid Kent Amalgamation Completion) Act 1866
| type = Act
| parliament = Parliament of the United Kingdom
| long_title = An Act for facilitating the carrying into effect of the Act for the Amalgamation of the Undertaking of the Mid-Kent Railway Company with the Undertaking of the Southeastern Railway Company.
| year = 1866
| citation = 29 & 30 Vict. c. ccxxxv
| introduced_commons =
| introduced_lords =
| territorial_extent =
| royal_assent = 16 July 1866
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| repeal_date =
| amends = {{ubli|South-eastern Railway (Mid-Kent) Act 1864}}
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| millbankhansard =
| original_text = https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukla/Vict/29-30/235/pdfs/ukla_18660235_en.pdf
| revised_text =
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}}
The remaining interests of the company were taken over by the SER in August 1866 under the {{visible anchor|South-eastern Railway (Mid-Kent) Act 1864}} (27 & 28 Vict. c. cccxi) and the {{visible anchor|South-eastern Railway (Mid Kent Amalgamation Completion) Act 1866}} (29 & 30 Vict. c. ccxxxv).{{cite news | title = Business and Finance: Mid-Kent. | newspaper = The Times | location =London | pages =5| date = 14 Aug 1866}}
The Crays Company
{{visible anchor|Mid Kent Railway (Bromley to St. Mary Cray) Act 1856}} (19 & 20 Vict. c. cxxv) was passed authorising the Mid-Kent (Bromley and St Mary Cray) Railway to construct a 4 mile line between the WEL&CPR terminus at "Bromley" (now {{rws|Shortlands}}) and {{rws|St Mary Cray}}. The MK(B&SMC)R was commonly called The Crays Company.{{cite book |last= Gray |first= Adrian |title= The London, Chatham & Dover Railway |year= 1984 |at= p. 33 |publisher= Meresford Books |location= Rainham, Kent }}
It was assumed that the Crays line would be operated by the SER in conjunction with the Lewisham to Beckenham line, and eventually acquired by them. But the shareholders heard that the SER was planning a competing line and transferred their allegiance to the East Kent Railway (EKR). After negotiation with the EKR, the Crays Company only built the line from the WEL&CPR at Bromley to "Southborough Road" ({{rws|Bickley}}). St Mary Cray to Southborough Road was built by the EKR as part of their Western Extension from Strood.
The Crays line was leased to the London, Chatham and Dover Railway (LC&DR, successor to the EKR) in 1862.{{cite news | title = Railway Intelligence. South-Eastern. | newspaper = The Times | location =London | pages =11| date = 6 Jun 1862}}
Despite the similarity of name, the Mid Kent and North Kent Junction Railway and the Mid-Kent (Bromley and St Mary Cray) Railway remained separate and independent until absorbed by the SER and LC&DR respectively.
Legacy
The Lewisham – Elmers End and the Shortlands – St Mary Cray sections now form parts of the Hayes line and the Chatham Main Line, respectively.