capital. A section from Rye to Golf Links Halt opened on 13 July 1895, followed by a extension to Camber Sands, opening on 13 July 1908. The line was closed in 1939 following competition from bus services and was temporarily part-converted to road during the war. It was returned to railway after hostilities ended, but the line was impractical to repair to full use and hence closed permanently. In 1901, the East Sussex Light Railway proposed a connection from on the Kent and East Sussex Railway to Rye. The SECR objected, and it was abandoned. Branch to Dungeness and New Romney The SER had tenuous plans to build a cross-channel passenger ferry terminal at Dungeness, which would provide a dedicated route from London to Paris. In 1859, the Town Clerk of New Romney suggested a line should be built from Folkestone to Rye via Dymchurch and Lydd, but the SER was not interested. However, in 1866 they became favourable about a branch line from Appledore, as it could support their international train proposals. An Act of Parliament to build the line was obtained on 30 July that year, which included a branch to Denge Beach. On 5 August 1873, the SER were authorized to extend the line to Dungeness with a pier and landing stage. Progress stalled on the line in the 1870s and the SER were in danger of a rival railway taking over construction. The development of the artillery range at Lydd increased the potential for traffic, so the newly formed Lydd Railway proposed their own bill to work on the Appledore–Lydd branch line. Work began on 8 April 1881 and opened to Dungeness on 7 December that year. Most trains ran through to Ashford, though a few services terminated at Appledore. An act for the northward branch to New Romney was granted on 24 July 1882, with the line opening on 19 June 1884. The line was not a financial success, and the Lydd Railway was absorbed into the SER in 1895. By the early 20th century, trains were running direct from Charing Cross to New Romney via Ashford and Appledore on summer Sundays. The branch line became important during World War I, when numerous Army camps were established on the shingle wasteland between Lydd and Dungeness. During this time, the line catered for both infantry and horse traffic. A passing loop past Appledore was removed in