Kent & East Sussex Railway

Perhaps not push-pull but KESR do have two Maunsell coaches that 263 can pull.
Would be nice to recreate all Hawkhurst, Hundred Of Hoo and Westerham branch lines!

 

If you'll forgive the correction, 263 was bought by a private group that later came to be based at Bluebell, likewise 65 was bought by an individual and ended up on Bluebell considerably later, so your characterisation isn't really fair.

 

Already disassembled in the works; awaiting a new cylinder block I believe.

Tom

 

Has that loco plan survived first contact with changing realities? - If a 5-car Pullman set can be formed (and I suspect it might need an additional vehicle as a brake) that's going to be closer to a 6-7coach train in weight.

 

Certainly looks like a realistic plan, given the available overhaul capacity & budget, and great that they're upfront about it. Interesting that they've paused previously planned overhauls of 6619 (not so long ago this was reported as about to start) and 1638 (overhaul commenced by a contractor but now on hold) and seem to've prioritised a pair of Austerities instead. No doubt in each case there's a knackeredness/cost/time/benefit formula which led to these decisions.

 

6619 was stripped to make an initial assessment of works required, and the likely funding needed. 1638 went to Leaky Finders for work on the bottom end. Once there, it was found that the work required was a LOT more than initially thought, and more than available funds would permit, hence the pause. The intention when 1638 went to LF was for repairs, not for an overhaul. It may become an overhaul, but, again, funds would have to permit.

I'm not sure which Austerities you mean, but Northiam was already in service, albeit stopped for repairs. The KESR has a contractural obligation to overhaul no.23 within a set period of time after withdrawal from service (although Covid, and the resulting delays in the overhaul of the USA tank, have delayed this.) If the KESR were to overhaul 6619 next, it would be massively in breach of it's contract by the time it got round to no.23.

Sapper and Swiftsure have pretty much held our service together this year, and we are extremely grateful to their owner for letting us have them. Not everyone loves an Austerity, but in a straight choice between one of those and no service at all, it seems purely common sense to use what you have.

I believe it is hoped that the USA tank, Poplar and 4253 will all return next year. Hastings has been undergoing maintenance, and we hope that it will be one of our service engines throughout next year. 4253 are waiting with bated breath for the return of the boiler from HBSS, which can't be far away.

On the diesel side, D9504 is back in service, and looks superb. It's a real credit to all who've worked on it, none more than the late, and sadly missed, Jon Grimwood. The intention is that some services next year will be diesel hauled. The trains with the class 33 this year, when advertised in advance, proved pleasingly popular.

 

Thanks @Fireline for your comprehensive reply, and I confirm I’m a Bucket lover. The Austerities listed in the plan for overhaul during ‘24 are 23, as you say, and Sapper (off-site and possibly back in time, it says, for the ’24 Santas).

 

Nice to read a positive update on the Ford diesel. Its not the most practical from a haulage capacity but its an interesting curio and the blueprint (cab at each end and all the engine gear in the middle) for a good number of mainline locomotives that followed a few decades later.

 

IMHO the Ford diesel is a very historic loco and the more opportunities there are to see it at work the better.

 

In another thread it’s reported Pullman cars Lydia & Isle of Thanet’ll be moving to the K&ESR

https://www.national-preservation.com/threads/pullmans-moving-to-kesr.1423175/

 

Won't get any disagreement from me here.

 

It'll certainly need a kitchen car and recently introduced RU(B) 1987 has been modified with a brake compartment. https://kesr.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2023/02/RU1987_19.jpg

 

Pedantry alert. On the southern, the term used was "Pull-push". I think it was only the GWR who reversed the term to push-pull.....

 

A link to the Westerham Branch would be nice. When the battle for Westerham was lost to the Ringway 4 road scheme (later the M25) the society merged with the Kent & East Sussex so it would be an appropriate nod to our preservation heritage.

 

The the GWR even use push-pull? I thought they used the term 'auto train'.

 

Shows how to true the Western I really am!

I think it would just be nice to see 263 on a line other than the Bluebell.

 

Wasn’t it the LMS who used the phrase push-pull? Dating back to Midland Railway days?

 

The more common SR term was "motor train".

Tom

 

Thank you for your elaboration, though one might suggest that the 263 owners and 65 owner might well have thought that there would be more scope at a much more extensive Bluebell Railway rather than the slowly emerging K&ESR, don't you think? Of course, it is more important that they both survived and we can see them both. (Even though I would like to see 263 on K&ESR metals at some juncture.)

 

65 was essentially hidden from the late 1970s until 1997, by which time the KESR was well established?

Tom