Hythe came to life over the weekend of 23rd and 24th July to celebrate the centenary of the pier train encompassing the ‘Rock the Pier’ music festival day.

The celebrations started with a short ceremony conducted by HPHA chairman Anthony Smith during which the 16307 locomotive arrived down the pier bang on time to join its visiting sibling loco 16303 (courtesy of the Amberley Museum) at the pier station. A birthday cake was cut and the crowd joined in with a rendition of ‘Happy Birthday’. While ‘Rock the Pier’ got under way over on the Promenade there was plenty to interest visitors to the pier, including rides on the pier railway and historic Hythe Pier and Ferry artefacts. Adjacent to the pier at the Hythe Shed were exhibits from the Volks Electric Railway in Brighton, and the Romsey Signal Box. Also on display were vintage vehicles from the National Motor Museum in Beaulieu and the Waterside Christmas Fire Engine. A short distance away at the Community Centre the Romsey & District Railway Modelers Society set up an exhibition of working model railway layouts.