Kent & East Sussex Railway

Hoping to come over to see 78019 in action on some of the post Christmas trains.
Does anyone know which days and which duty’s it is scheduled to work?

 

It had to be that way round, unfortunately, in order for 78019 to be able to take water. That timetable allows for taking water at Northiam for the Robertsbridge end engine, and at Rolvenden for the Headcorn end engine. However, the watering at Rolvenden has to be while the passing train is still approaching Rolvenden, not once it has gone. 78019 would have been far too tight on a signal to take water at Rolvenden (if it wasn't actually foul, that is.)

 

Ahh thank you for the explanation - I thought there was probably a good reason for it. Hope you enjoy/enjoyed the video too

 

78019 working all four days; first and third departures Dec 29-31, second and fourth Jan 1 (or so I was told when I enquired before Christmas; as ever that could change.)

 

Has the fact one train is pure steam and the other is not led to any negative feedback?

 

None that I've heard of. All arriving passengers were greeted by the sight of a steam engine. Both sets had steam heat. Unless they went and looked at Tenterden, they were unlikely to know that the 20 was on the back! To be honest, most just want the kids to see Santa.

 

All trains looked well loaded today. The 2MT is now on trains 2 and 4, but struggled up Tenterden bank (almost slipping to a halt) and was banked on the last run by Sapper. As I left there were suggestions it would run top and tail all day for the rest of the weekend.

A quick photo of 78019 running round after that first trip.

 

We were also there on Friday on the 14.05 from Tenterden Town. Sapper was used on the other set, and banked our train from Rolvenden up the bank after it had come down light engine from Tenterden. Photo at Bodiam.

 

78019 was switched to the 5 coach set on the 01/01/24. It was banked up Tenterden bank by the Class 20 on the first trip, and by Sapper on the second. There is a video somewhere showing Sapper trying to give it's own fireworks display in the dark while banking!

 

Interesting to hear that 78019 has struggled a bit. Given that the railway’s standard traction is Austerities which are nominally BR power class 4, I did wonder how a class 2 would manage. However I haven’t heard anything during December so is this just a consequence of the bad weather in recent weeks making the railhead slippery?

 

The hire agreement limits 78019 to a four coach set, unless assisted up the bank Rolvenden to Tenterden. The locos have been rostered to comply with that.

 

Could you help (2)

UPDATE

We are so astonished and grateful to have reached our initial target of £1,200 to fund the first visits within just a few hours of publicising this initiative. We have therefore raised the goal to £6,000 so that we can provide a fund to bring further groups of children from Tower Hamlets (or other pupils similarly excluded from enjoying a heritage railway) to K&ESR. Thank you for enabling us to increase our ambitions and to benefit more children.

It may be that some of my business or legal friends have access to funds available to support community projects which might help us reach our new target. The Terrier Trust is able to accept such donations directly.

ORIGINAL REQUEST

Could you help?

Back in 2022 it was the 150th anniversary of Terrier locomotive ‘Poplar’ and I was privileged to be one of the organisers of an event in Poplar, East London. Working together, three non-profit organisations – The Kent & East Sussex Railway, The Terrier Trust CIO and Global Learning London – with the assistance of National Lottery funding, were able to take the engine to the Docklands Light Railway (‘DLR’) depot in Poplar, and there we hosted 6 days of school visits for over 500 primary school children and a weekend opening for the local community attended by over 400 people.

Most of the children had never seen a steam loco before and none had ever stood on the footplate. All of the children came from schools within walking distance of the depot and as we talked to them about the engine and the history it has witnessed, it was obvious that most of the children were practically excluded from experiencing the delights of a heritage railway, it simply being unaffordable for them.

But more than that, many had never been out into the English countryside.

Docklands is very close to my heart. Before WW2 my family had lived there for eight generations and more recently I have had professional connections with Tower Hamlets Borough.

Since 2022 it has been an ambition of the three organisations to bring groups of school children from the Docklands out into the Kent coutryside to the K&ESR to ride behind a steam engine to follow up on the static exhibit at DLR.

A group of 60 schoolchildren from Tower Hamlets is able to attend the K&ESR ‘Evacuation’ event in May 2024, to start to fulfil this ambition. The children will be part of a re-enactment of a WW2 war-time evacuation to understand more about the social history in which railways have played such an important part both in the UK and around the world.

Would you consider supporting this initiative with a donation. This cannot be funded from school budgets and it will cost £1,200 to provide this experience for children who otherwise would not have the opportunity.

Here is the link for your support

https://lnkd.in/ebHaUzY4

All contributions, of whatever size, would be most welcome.

Thank you,

Robin Moira White

 

Robin,

Excellent, well done.

May I suggest that a Hop Pickers themed event might be very relevant?

 

That had occurred to me too. The K&ESR has a replica hoppers' hut and a tiny but perfect hop garden at Bodiam. Hopping dahn in Kent was very much an East End thing 70+ years ago.

 

South London too, I remember my Dad & Grandmother telling me about it.

 

Hence the traditional folk song 'Hopping Down in Kent' - recorded by amongst others 'The Albion Dance Band'. It is played by many bands at local Barn Dances in the area.

 

Thanks Harold. For a rendition on You Tube, see:

See also, this excerpt from British Pathe on Hop Pickers down at Paddock Wood in 1957:

 

The 2024 Diesel Gala on 12, 13 & 14th April.

So it is now time for....

Colonel Stephens' Bingo:

- It will split the points
- The bridges will collapse
- The rails will break
- Will the Terriers be running at the Diesel Gala?
- Colonel Stephens would have bought a Class 37 had he remained alive.
- It won't fit a light railway image
- None of the crews are trained to drive these.
- It is too big to fit through St Michael's Tunnel.
- Surely the route availability is too great?
- It will foul the platforms
- Colonel Stephens never had one
- Have the railway thought about the permanent way before hiring this locomotive?
- William Austen never had one
- It will look ridiculous at Frittenden Road station
- It will never make it up the bank.
- It does not look like a Bucket (aka austerity 0-6-0)
- Will it be facing Bodiam or Tenterden?
- William Austen would have bought a Class 37 had he remained alive.
- These locos never ran on the pre-preservation KESR
- Is it coming in via Robertsbridge?

 

Suely should include the locals will complain about the noise of the 37 up the bank

 

Don’t call our friend Shirley