opened on 28 October 1850 by Thomas Farncombe, Lord Mayor of London, who inserted the last brick in both the Ore and Mount Pleasant tunnels, but not all work had been completed so the full ceremony was postponed. A second proposed opening date of 1 January 1851 was cancelled following signalling problems. The line eventually opened on 13 February 1851, though this was hampered by the rivalries between the companies. The SER blocked LB&SCR trains entering Hastings, not recognising them as the legal successors to the BLH. After a court case the two companies agreed to share the station's facilities for both lines. Even after opening, there were complaints in early 1852 that the line was not completely finished, and it was still marked "nearly complete" in March 1853. The dispute between the SER and the LB&SCR was not fully resolved until 5 December 1870, when the former was allowed to run trains to . The railway opened with four intermediate stations between Ashford and Hastings at Ham Street, Appledore, Rye and Winchelsea. There were almost no other places of significance along the line. Some stations were built a considerable distance away from the settlement they were supposed to serve; for example, Appledore station is around from the village itself. Four trains per day ran each way on the line, reducing to two on Sundays. Few changes were made to the railway after construction during the 19th century, aside from minor signalling work and some additional buildings. It was not declared profitable by the SER until 1895. To make money and boost traffic on the line, the SER agreed to hold unlicensed boxing matches on Romney Marsh. On 29 January 1856 a special train ran from to Appledore for a prize fight between Tom Sayers and Harry Poulson. Sayers won the fight, which was reportedly rigged by the SER for £1,000. The company was accused of "aiding and abetting a breach of the peace". Branches from Rye In 1846, a short branch was proposed from Rye station towards Rye Harbour. It was long and only used for freight, ending by the River Rother at a pier. The line opened in March 1854. It was almost derelict by 1955, and closed on 29 January 1960. The Rye and Camber Tramway was a separate gauge line the other side of the river. It was proposed in 1895 and funded with a £2,800