The Sittingbourne Spark: Victa’s First Big Move

Sometimes, all it takes is a cup of tea and a good idea!

As we celebrate Victa Railfreight’s 30th anniversary, this post is part of our Victa at 30 series—looking back at the milestones, people, and projects that shaped our journey:

In 1994, Neil received an enquiry from Transrail about moving steel coils from South Wales to Chatham. The challenge? Finding a location and agent to handle unloading and delivery.

Neil Sime mid 1990's

Over tea with the customer, a plan was born. Using an underutilised railhead at Sittingbourne, 1,500 tonnes of coil were delivered on time. That success proved the potential—and it was time to formalise the business.

Victa Railfreight was born in the summer of 1995, ready to meet the needs of a changing industry. Pictured in our gallery are the Sittingbourne Railhead in the mid 1990s, the loading of the steel coils from road to rail and the train ready for departure.

Sittingbourne Railhead mid 1990s

The steel coils are loaded awaiting departure

Loading of the steel coils at Sittingbourne for Transrail

In our next post, we’ll explore how Victa formalised its operations and officially entered the rail freight market—marking the beginning of a new era.