Rother Valley Railway

This was a sometimes quoted myth in the early days of this thread but I don’t believe ORR or Highways Agency ever insisted on this.

The proposed A21 dual-carriageway certainly was a MoT ‘thing’ in the ‘60s and, as you say, is one reason why running beyond Bodiam wasn’t allowed when the KESR reopened. The full history is in Nick Pallant’s Holding the Line.

However when the A21 Robertsbridge bypass was finally built in the ‘80s this was a single carriageway road with no provision (e.g. in the design of junctions etc) for future dualling.

By the time ORR and Highways Agency (now National Highways) were created there were no more thoughts of a dual carriageway anywhere near Robertsbridge (except occasional lip-service by local politicians who probably knew it would never happen). There was no mention of it in the ORR or HA responses both to the Planning and TWAO applications. If there had been it’d’ve killed any idea of the A21 level-crossing stone dead.

 

Not heard of Nick Pallant's book but I've located one in good second hand condition - that will make an interesting read.

Incidentally the Dean Forest railway crosses the dual carriageway Lydney by-pass [A48] via a level crossing. This is National Highways road like the A21. The railway was in operation before the road was constructed which probably made a difference. Should National Highways [as they are now] decide to dual the A21 then they will have to solve how to cross the railway.

 

Nick has also produced a second book, detailing the later preservation story. I've yet to read it, but I am told it is very good. I work closely with Nick on something else, and he has a definite way with words.

 

I don't see what the problem with crossing a big road is, plenty of people do it


All you need is 6000 HP, and a big horn.

 

I still advocate the 'turntable' option for level crossings, so that any driver violating the red light ends up in the pit (dug low enough for the bridge to swing right over so's not to delay anybody else).

 

I love the way they're all edging their cars forward, presumably to gain some millisecond advantage .
And how the crossing warning sounds like a woodpecker

 

"Aurens, not this way." "No prisoners!.. NO prisoners!"

 

That's a bit of a stretch of the definition of dual carriageway. The A48 actually has an island either side of the railway on what's otherwise on this stretch a single carriageway

 

The Russians actually have a very effective system for preventing peoople from crossing when the lights are red:

All they need now is to get the timing right

 

A bit more on the East Sussex project.
https://rvrailway.blogspot.com/2025/07/gully-5-summer-25.html

 

Thanks Trevor - excellent pictures.

 

Thanks for that, Trevor, and a couple of questions if I may;
Firstly what is what looks like a long fissure running parallel with the eastern embankment shoulder? Its visible in several of your pictures. Is this a man-made or natural occurrence/?
And secondly, do we know what the embankment repairs will entail? For example, will it include soil-nailing?
Cheers.

 

Network Rail are undertaking repairs to their embankment alongside, and north of, our RVR loco shed site. This is one of the remaining jobs planned to improve the integrity of the Tonbridge to Hastings mainline railway with some of those slippage issues dating back to the original, rather poor, construction of the line. Monitoring of the slip adjacent to the Robertsbridge headshunt has demonstrated signs that the existing slip against the headshunt siding is not fully stable and could ultimately spread to the mainline. Helpful those repairs also provide the side benefit for RVR of enabling the near 300m long NR headshunt siding being recommissioned and so much longer trains able to access the RVR site. The repairs comprise digging back the slumped section of the embankment and rebuilding that with stone placed against it, but from top down at a gentler slope and on decent footings in the bit of extra width taken in the field at the bottom. Mike Hart

 

If you zoom in you can see that the cables that were located within the "fissure" i.e trench have been lifted clear and tied to the remaining track to keep them clear of the work area. I have done something similar in the past as it was easier than cutting and jointing them.

 

Thank you Mike, that's much appreciated.

 

It's also probably more noticeable as it looks like the concrete troughing has been recovered too. You can see it stacked in the, currently disused, four foot.

 

Its good to see that their contractors are following best SECR practice by reusing everything they can

 

Another update today here - this relates to the station building which now has the roof sheets fitted.

Part two has been posted with more pictures - see here.

 

See whats just turned up at Rolvenden (eventually bound for Robertsbridge)
https://rvrailway.blogspot.com/2025/07/baguley-railcar.html?m=1
Looks like a very useful piece of kit (and much more homely than a Wickham Trolley!)
There is also a prequel, covering its acquisition, which it looks like we all missed, plus a short update on "Charwelton"'s progress.

 

Baguley Drewry Railcar arrival
https://rvrailway.blogspot.com/2025/07/baguley-railcar.html
Seems someone got ahead of me on my own post