Rother Valley Railway

After the IOW has taken over Island line and extended back to Ventor and Newport

More seriously, the nice thing is that the job is never done, there will be people saying well 'Hinderton Hall hasn't steamed since 1979 we should restore it' or people will have the crazy idea to turn the Bluebell into a network of lines, or say 'what about this loco, or these carriages.' There are probably projects that we've never even thought about out there that will come off.

Even after 60 years of preservation, there are still projects like the Cambrian that are at the 'just starting' stage, some projects that have stagnated and are coming back into their own, some that seem to spend more time arguing over who gets to be in charge of the paperclips.

I enjoy watching projects like the Corris Railway, I am sad when things don't come off like with Penhyrn Quarry. I am happy to ride on the MHR or the SVR even though there are no new extensions, or major restorations. The IOW is very good at what it does, lovely coaches, a nice slow ride to nowhere in particular and back again. WHHR is good as well, I'd never tell someone at Gelert's Farm that they were wasting their time because the FR/WHR is already there.

I've said elsewhere that I walked the WHR as a kid and never thought it would see trains again, I walked the S&D at Midsomer Norton and never thought it would see trains again, was told I'd only see the L & B in books or at exhibitions.

The nice thing is that for as much as railway preservation is 'backwards looking' in that it seeks to preserve a form of the past, it is also forward looking and looking for new ways to do that. It is something that should be celebrated and encouraged. Life is too short to spend time telling people to not do things.

 

That is a great way you have put that. Yes, preservation and the heritage movement is just as much about looking forward as looking back.
And the sheer, brilliant cussedness of human nature being what it is, you can bet your life that as soon as something is branded as "impossible", someone is going to have a damn good try at proving otherwise.
And even though there may be tears along the way, long may it be so. Our movement has over the years quite literally, moved mountains, and will continue to do so.

 

Again, and again, and again, and again, and again, and again.....

 

I had to go to Battle East Sussex Friday last on the way I pulled into a lay-by just before the Robertsbridge by pass, I had an interesting chat with the chap who runs the choke & puke there who does a decent bacon sandwich by the way (3 rashes) he told me all the wrangling with land has been sorted out and its just a matter of getting the money together to get the line up and running, the objection against the level crossing on the A21 got passed as it came out the Railway operate about half a dozen crossings over a weekend but the pelican crossing at the start of the by pass is operated about 150 times a day, his words not mine but he seems to believe its all done and dusted.

 

I think your friend is perhaps a little optimistic about the land wrangling given the very public objections by the two landowners. It would be great if agreement is possible but, if so, we will not know unless the RVR and/or landowners announce the good news.

Concerning the level crossings, including the A21, the TWAO documents include a letter from ORR confirming they have no objections and an email from the Highways Agency saying essentially the same thing. Both, of course, subject to detailed conditions and Level Crossing Orders.

The TWAO documents, on the RVR website, also include letters of support from the local MP; Network Rail; National Trust; Kent County Council; East Sussex County Council; Rother District Council; and Ashford Borough Council.

Of course nothing is in the bag until the final decision by Chris Grayling (or whoever becomes SoS for Transport after Mrs. May’s next Government crisis).

 

Of course all of us,hope that agreement has indeed been reached, but I have to agree with Miff, That its too premature to say yet, why else have all the public outrage in the papers, if you have reached a deal? it makes your case look flimsy in the extreme , not to say anything about how locals would think about it.
So best keep your powder dry and see what happens, the RVR has sleepers and rail stockpiled I assume its enough to relay from Northbridge street to Junction Rd, assuming that the RVR do get the order to acquire the remaining land, and that clearance can start, will they start from Austin's bridge, and transfer the sleepers and track to the relaying site, or start from Northbridge street where the stockpile is?

 

As I said earlier I was told this from a chap who operates a roadside eaterie who also live in Robertsbridge and is all for the railway reinstatement, maybe he was jumping ahead of himself a bit but he seemed perfectly serious when he was speaking to me, also the article in the Daily Mail reminded me of my days on British Telecom in that a position would be advertised internally but had already been filled weeks earlier, could be that the Daily Mail article was the same.

 

There is a very active campaign against the railway now, posters were up at the roundabout and at the level crossing site but were removed quite quickly too.

All the cars at the Heathfield Show on Saturday were had an anti RVR leaflet under their wipers, so I think this will get quite bitter and unpleasant.

 

Roadside cafes and the Daily Mail - both great places to hear all the local gossip, but no way of telling whether it’s accurate or not although I’m sure your chap is sincere in repeating whatever he’s heard. Hope he’s right

 

things like that don't help, I'm assuming this action has the support of the two landowners, because, if it comes to light that they have settled, and that this is some one else jumping on the bandwagon, it will indeed get bitter and unpleasant

 

It certainly sounds like it could. This has all the caste of a political circus in the making, but no one does themselves any favours by anonymously putting up roadsigns under cover of darkness, putting flyers under wipers, or behaving like Momentum activists. Their anonymity alone will alienate people. it's not how things get done in this country, particularly in rural areas, where enmity can last for decades afterward.
If these people get a reaction, then they will have partially succeeded. Please. I strongly advocate that we stay mute on this issue, as tempting as it is to react, and instead let the law of the Land take its course. MT

 

Pity I didn't know about this earlier. I live within walking distance of the showground. I went there last year but decided to give it a miss this time. If only! I would have bought a ticket and gone round removing them from all the parked cars.

 

Anyone who wishes to make a positive contribution to the T&WAO process can do so by e-mailing the Secretary of State, rather like you would do for a Planning application.

The RVR website www.rvr.org.uk explain BD their position on the various issues, and the protesters’s site ‘the great robertsbridge train robbery’ has useful links.

The deadline is 31.5.18, so only a couple of days left.

You may not live in the local area but if you support use of the national Rail network, or work, volunteer, travel on or live close to another heritage railway, then you have a useful contribution to make.

An e-mail to the SoS costs nothing but a few minutes of your time.

Robin

 

And how is that then?

 

Very helpful of the anti lot to tell us where to send our submissions in support of the Railway! I've just sent mine.

 

Likewise. Thanks to the protesters links, I have just sent my letter of support, too.

 

Added my support too.

 

Spin, half-truths, omission, anonymity. Ok, that may be a bit of an exaggeration, the protesters aren't yet hiding behind balaclavas...

 

So have I, So where do they get the 18 level crossing operations from? 4 round trips, that's 8 by my maths 10 , at the most if you run an hourly from 10 to 4, and the accident black spots are the other side of the roundabout, most likely to do with the pedestrian crossing and cars coming off the roundabout or the layby.

 

Silverhill is a blackspot, bends, gradients, etc. Robotsbridge bypass, AFAIK, not so. Quite a bit on that website is iffy, not least inferring that Huw Merriman is anti, wheras we all know otherwise.