 The line ran from Shepherdswell to Wingham (Canterbury Road) Station with a branch from Eastry through Poison Cross to Richborough Port.Built primarily to serve colliery traffic, the line was built with many spurs and branches to serve the mostly unsuccessful mines of the Kent coalfield, with cancelled plans to construct several others.The success of Tilmanstone colliery allowed the main line of the railway to continue operation until 1986, when the remainder of the line became a heritage railway.