Rother Valley Railway

Harold, I think there's a bit of collective leg- pulling going on here

 

Whose bright idea is this? The last time I turned a loco the haulier delivering another one agreed to do the job for £50 on top of the delivery job. It was a while ago but I bet in similar circumstances it wouldn't cost much, even today. It added about an hour to the hauliers day. I think the idea of hiring the teatable as you have suggested will result in nil custom unless the railway concerned does not have the ability to offload in both directions

 

See: https://national-preservation.com/threads/rother-valley-railway.38105/page-131#post-2862484

 

It's sad that your idea was not taken up. I'm sure local drivers would have loved to have taken their cars for a spin on a sunny weekend.

 

This idea is not as daft as it sounds and the principle has been used in the past. The difference is that it has not been to cross a road but a waterway. Railways provided swing bridges with a central pivot that could be opened for shipping when necessary. That is essentially the same as you jokingly suggested. Whether they could rotate 360 degrees I don’t know (probably not) but there is no reason why not. It would be a solution where there is a relatively small difference in height between road and rail. There are also plenty of examples of road swing bridges in similar circumstances.

 

Yes i know the suggestion is only a bit of fun, but watching a 100 ton loco spinning in mid air would be a sight to behold...

 

... and if any (car) driver crashed through the barriers they'd end up where they deserve - in the pit

 

Now you're talking. I wouldn't bother making a special trip to see a turntable, but a teatable sounds like a great idea. I'll have a Lapsang Souchong please, my wife will have Assam.

 

Lazy Susan

 

the local owls could have watched from their high vantage points and thought ! What a twit, or two

 

Brilliant!

 

Steam locomotive Britannia is coming to Rother Valley Railway at Robertsbridge on the 1st & 2nd of June!!

https://www.railadvent.co.uk/2024/0...mbu0eWImTi8niUTnlOlnXtWs1l7esioOIVsvOBhjN-cn0

Mike Hart

 

Work is being carried out at Robertsbridge to re-install the three-way point - see here - This will enable access to the engine shed.

 

Will the shed be large enough for a Britannia or a 9F? Or the turntable long enough?

 

As I understand it the Turntable and shed is to enable servicing of locomotives from main line tours. Will need to check the planning consent for details of the shed for dimensions.

 

The shed is also intended to be able to stable a service engine at Robertsbridge, to allow one service to start from there. The turntable wasn't in the original plans, but since it's been acquired, had a full overhaul, and been fitted, it would seem rude to not use it.

 

The turntable is 65', more than long enough for most locos. A Brit's wheelbase is 58' 3". A Lizzie will just about fit as well.

 

Just about -eek think it would be very tight for pacifics apart from the Bullieds and Standards which are quite compact. 9F no problem.

 

An A4 is 60' wheelbase. It's really only LMS Pacifics that might struggle, and loading gauge rather than turntable length will be more of a concern on the Southern.

 

Nearer to 61ft, that surprises me what with the 8 wheel tender...lets hope it sees plenty of use.