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K&ESR Members e-newsletter No 35

K&ESR Members e-newsletter No 35

Kent & East Sussex Railway

Members e-newsletter No.35

Hello   

 

Welcome to the latest edition of your e-newsletter - we hope you are keeping safe & well

‍From the Chair

What a difference a fortnight makes. The country is gradually opening up again and we are all getting used to the new reality while at the same time wondering whether there will be a second peak of the virus.

I have an important announcement, for those who haven’t already picked it up on the grapevine or been informed in advance.

The Kent and East Sussex Railway, in keeping with our principle that we should reopen as soon as it is safe and appropriate to do so, has decided to plan to start running steam-hauled public trains from Saturday 18 July.

This is of course subject to any unexpected contingencies and we shall have to watch Government and other advice very closely. As has always been the intention we shall start small – two round trips at weekends only – but we shall retain the option of scaling up quickly should the demand be there. There will be an element of financial and other risk, but we want to be ready to catch the tide of people looking for days out.

Assuming all is well, and that cannot be taken for granted, tickets will go on sale online early in July, and there may be opportunities for members to participate in the trial runs that will be necessary as part of the preparation process.

If we can bring it off this will be a great boost for us, but I should like to add two notes of caution.

First, it does not mean that we can go back to where we were before the virus hit.  We shall need to build up cautiously and not run before we can walk. For example, we shall bring back furloughed staff only as and when we absolutely need to. And for the longer term we must still, as I have said before, take a very hard look at what we do and how we do it within the resource that we can reasonably expect to be available. Your trustees are already considering this and will continue to do so through the early summer.

Secondly, a lot needs to be done on site and behind the scenes in the next month or so. We shall require volunteers to help do it and to staff the service when it starts, and Shaun and the management team will shortly be appealing for help with specific tasks. The work will need to be planned to avoid a free-for-all, and of course it must all be done in strict accordance with the whatever Government guidance is currently in force. We may also need to restrict numbers (including members and volunteers) on site.

I mentioned volunteers. Volunteers will be more important than ever, and I’m pleased to see from the recent survey that nearly three quarters of the two hundred respondents want to come back as soon as they can subject in most cases to suitable safety measures being put in place. We know that we need still more people, and now that our re-opening plans are firming up I shall be asking for work to be done to address this.

In the meantime, as ever, donations whether to the Railway as a whole or to one of our extant Appeals are always welcome and very much needed.  All our Appeals remain open - to see how you can help us through this challenging period visit https://kesr.org.uk/donate/

I said last time that this period would be challenging and a test of our can-do culture, and that the pioneering spirit would be important.  I also said that I was optimistic. All this remains true as we start to get going again.

 

Stay safe, look after your wellbeing, and remember to talk about the Kent and East Sussex Railway to your friends and on your social networks.

And I look forward to seeing as many as possible at Tenterden in the next month or so – subject of course to social distancing requirements!


Simon Marsh

 

Chairman


‍Infrastructure

The Permanent Way team are preparing the Rother Bridge for repainting, with a safe working area created ready for a week of needle gunning before repainting.

The team have also been busy making good progress with the continuing development of the container park, ready for the first two containers that have now arrived. These were delivered to Wittersham Rd and are being taken to site by train - thought to be the first such move on the K&ESR! Where possible, new containers are being purchased (funded by the respective groups, such as: On Track Plant; TREATS & KESR Adventures) as many of the existing are life expired. Further new containers are due to arrive this week.

‍The Bodiam Group have had a small team working to keep on top of the on-going gardening and maintenance at their station. New vine wires have been fitted in the Hop Garden, courtesy of our helpful neighbour, Nick Eastwood.

Weeding has continued at Tenterden Town Station, as nature was attempting a takover of the platform. Veronica Hopker has again generously donated some lovely hanging baskets to brighten up the station

‍At Northiam Station, the Hills Bridge training school classrooms have been installed at the end of the yard, ready to start courses in the next couple of weeks. It's encouraging to note the serious interest for places, together with interest in becoming a K&ESR volunteer.

Forrestry & Conservation have been out & about, with work in Tenterden headshunt to remove a tree that was an issue for our neighbouring landowner and felling of a dead oak tree at Cemetery Crossing


Happy 80th Birthday No 20


The 6th June 1940 is an auspicious date in the life of the Railcar W20W. It was on this day eighty years ago, that G.W.R. Railcar No.20 arrived at Newport shed. Thus conferring on our Railcar the title of being the first of this final batch to be accepted into service.

 

The “in service” date for No. 20 preceded that for No. 19 by about five weeks: No. 19 had been used for the test build, publicity photography, trial runs and to identify any issues.

 

Approval for this batch of 20 ‘new design’ railcars (19 - 33 being single car units; car 34 being a parcels van; and 35 - 38 being twin cars) had been given by the GWR in 1938. This, the last Railcar design, was based upon No.18, a one off concept trial prototype dating from 1937. The design, although closely monitored by the GWR, was to the AEC specification, as was the power unit. However the GWR stipulated that the underframes, bogies, brake gear and bodywork would be built by the GWR at Swindon. GWR costs were £3102 and AEC £3128, giving an overall cost of £6240….. considerably less than No. 20 is costing us to restore!


The main batch of cars, No. 19 - 33, were intended for branch line and local services and geared to give a maximum speed of 40 mph, but were also capable of hauling a load of 60 tons (equivalent to two standard coaches). However No 19 and our No 20 were fitted with dual-range gears (image below) giving a maximum of 40 mph or 60 mph when cars were running alone. 

‍No 20 saw service from Reading, Bristol (SPM) and Weymouth depots and by the end of 1950 had run a total of 378,513 miles. In 1956 it was finally transferred to Worcester shed where it remained until being condemned in August 1962.

 

Following an inspection in 1964, the Railcar was purchased by the K&ESR for £415. Due to a dispute with British Railways over moving it as an out-of-gauge load through the narrow tunnels on the Tonbridge - Hastings line, it was not until April 1966 that No.20 was finally delivered to Robertsbridge.   

 

After arrival, the Railcar received an extensive refurbishment, including repainting in the company livery of chocolate and cream, and various mechanical issues were addressed. In February 1974 it secured its place in preservation history when it comprised the first scheduled passenger train on our line.

 

For most of the 1980’s W20W was unserviceable, but in 1990 a small team led by the late Andrew Webb, along with Chris Davis, began the current restoration. Terrific progress has been made over the past couple of years and at one stage it was wondered if W20W could be virtually completed by 2020. However this sadly proved impossible due to financial and manpower constraints, compounded by the need to remove the vehicle from the C&W shed to make way for the pressing overhaul of the DMMU. Since then, the COVID-19 restrictionshave made this aspiration unachievable.

‍A clear illustration of the work undertaken to date

However, the current team of volunteers are still determined to see W20W complete and running as soon as possible and can’t wait to get back to work. As can be seen in the images, much progress has been made towards the end goal of completing the restoration. However there is still a way to go before the vehicle may be used for public service again, including producing all the documentation and certification necessary to ensure compliance with statutory regulations.

 

Clearly finances will be tight when we emerge from the shadow of COVID-19, but rest assured that the team will make the very best use of donations received towards completion of this historic vehicle.

 

Obviously, if you’d like to buy the old girl a ‘birthday drink’ (or 80!), a collection box is always available.....

 

Chris Mileman

Neil Edwards


‍News from the General Manager

Appointments

I am pleased to advise that Neil Edwards M.B.E. has been appointed to Project Manager for the GWR Railcar with immediate effect. Neil joined the K&ESR as an S&T volunteer back in 1981 and joined the GWR team in the mid 1990’s, working with the late Andrew Webb.


Neil is ideally suited to manage the project, engage with the interested parties and motivate the team. His background includes the T.A. Royal Signals, Post Office Telecommunications, the Metropolitan Police Civil Staff and the Civil Service where, from 1995, he was Assistant Director, Head of Technology. Having signed the official secrets act the rest of his CV is redacted! In recognition of his work he was awarded an M.B.E in the 2001 Honours List.


We look forward to working with Neil and the GWR team.


Restart

You will have read the earlier announcement from our Chairman. Limited passenger services will restart from 18th July and as we regain competency across the railway we will build our services flexibly in accordance with passenger demand.  

Of course there is a great deal to be done, But the railway will not be open house regardless. The start up phase will be dependant on department, people and timing. We will work in accordance with the Covid-19 risk assessments and in conjunction with site clean up we will concentrate solely on the specific staff and tasks we need to get up and running and to support the ongoing operation.

Please watch out for department communications and updates on HOPS. Also please be prepared for plans to change at short notice, for example an anticipated reduction in social distancing requirements will have a big effect on both what we can do and what we can provide, so remaining flexible and in good humour is important.


 

Shaun Dewey

 

General Manager


‍4253

During this difficult time, the 4253 sales stand will be unable to attend events, resulting in a challenge to our financial position. So to help us finance the continued good progress on the boiler of 4253, we are offering readers the unique opportunity to acquire a traditional egg timer.

 

Re-engineered from an original boiler tube of GWR loco No: 425, these are a useful and great addition to any kitchen - there's even one carried in the Wealden Pullman! They are approx. 120mm high and priced at just £18 including the postage and packing

 


‍K&ESR Strategy to 2024

Tenterden Station

A quick recap of the ground covered so far in this series of brief strategy articles. We started with governance, setting out how the railway is professionally managed with a structure appropriate for a major charity and tourist attraction operating in a highly regulated field. Then we turned to safety, our top priority for visitors, staff and volunteers, looking at what the Office of Rail and Road expect of us. In the last e-newsletter the topic was commercial – the experiences we provide for paying visitors, focussing on how we take the opportunity following the pandemic to concentrate on the activities that contribute the most to supporting our charitable aims.

 

Today’s focus is education. We must never forget that we are an educational charity and enshrined in our purpose is that we ‘preserve, restore and operate .. the railway .. as a permanent public exhibition and museum for the advancement of technical, historical and general education..

 

Some of my most memorable days on the railway have been the ‘evacuation experiences’ that have been staged around the 1940’s event. Coach loads of primary school children arrive, usually dressed in some period attire and carrying a make-shift gas mask, the creation of which has no doubt been a class activity in the weeks before. Northiam station’s signs are replaced with those of a small town in Wales, and as the children make their journey there they interact with local residents who were evacuees and share their memories and show some artefacts from the time. What a superb way to bring to life some history in which our railways played a significant part.

 

Last year an experience day was trialled for secondary school children, concentrating on the engineering that was behind the railways and including a visit to Rolvenden and interaction with the loco department staff. These kinds of school activities are things we can build on in the coming years.

 

We should not think of education as just something for the young. Telling the fascinating story of our line is to bring to life a time of entrepreneurial railway builders and operators, the farming of hops where today we see vines or livestock, and a social history of seasonal workers descending from the towns to bring in the harvest and experience a different life. Here our on-train guides, static displays, themed days like ‘hop-pickers’ and our jewel of a museum all play a part. We do a great job in these areas and can further develop our approach in the future.

 

Just as education is not just for the young, neither is it only for visitors. Passing on the knowledge of how a heritage railway operates is essential to K&ESR’s future health. This happens in many different ways across different departments, and we now have some experience in apprenticeship schemes. Acquiring new skills is very much part of the volunteer experience, and much of what is learnt through roles and responsibilities undertaken at the railway is valuable in the wider world.

 

An innovative education initiative is the new partnership with Hills Bridge outlined in an earlier e-newsletter. The scheme will directly help people to gain the qualifications needed to develop a successful career on the ‘big railway’, whilst benefiting us in practical ways during their education.

 

We are committed to having education at the core of what we do and, as always, we are keen to hear your views. If you have ideas as to how we can develop our approach in this area, please do send in them in via email to newsletter@kesr.org.uk

 

Preserving our railway as living history – making memories that matter

 

David Nibloe

 

Trustee


‍K&ESR Reader Offer

Lockdown and ‘social distancing’ may be starting to ease, but there’s no doubt this has been perhaps the most challenging year yet for the heritage railway sector.

 

So we’ve joined forces with three of Britain’s leading magazines to bring you a great offer… one which will also directly benefit the K&ESR.

 

If you subscribe (at a special offer price) to any of The Railway Magazine, Heritage Railway or Rail Express, the K&ESR will receive part of the proceeds, helping us to keep going through these toughest of times.

 

The Railway Magazine, Britain’s biggest rail title and a fixture in the news stands since 1897, offers in-depth coverage of news of the entire rail sector, from modern to historic – you could even access the entire 123 years of history by building on your subscription. Heritage Railway provides in-depth news and features from the world of steam preservation, while Rail Express is the magazine for the modern rail enthusiast and modeller, but always with an eye to the history of the sector.

Now you can take out a special subscription to any of these titles at a discount price, PLUS  when you take out a subscription the publisher, Mortons Media Group, will donate £4 directly to the Kent & East Sussex Railway, especially welcome in these tough times.

Offer expires December 31, 2020


The Queen Mother is coming

– recollections of the day

Neil Sime concludes his account of a Royal Visit

 

Wednesday 9th June 1982 dawned bright and warm, I drove mum and dad on an early journey from Suburban North Kent to the railway, which was already a hive of activity. Dick Dickson was driving the diesel shunter with Graham Williams marshalling the Royal Train stock whilst the station was getting its final spruce up. At Rolvenden, locos 25 (specially turned to face down the bank for the occasion) and 22 were being prepared for their important duties. I distributed the notices put together the previous day on a “need to know” basis and briefed those directly involved.

As the morning wore on, there seemed to be more and more people wanting information and, with no radios, and long before mobile phones were invented, this involved much climbing on and off the platform, locos and coaches. 

In due course the local Police arrived and I briefed them on the arrangements for the level crossings at Cranbrook Road and Rolvenden, where special arrangements were in place to allow the train to pass over without stopping. In addition to this, the documents obtained from the Rules section at Beckenham outlined the requirement to lock the crossing gates across the road for ten minutes prior to the train passing. At Rolvenden, the train was to stop with the rear coaches over the crossing in order that Her Majesty could alight from Pullman Kitchen Car ‘Dianna’. 

Later in the morning the locos came up to Tenterden and the crews received their briefings and prepared for the planned “dummy run”. Some gentlemen in dark suits and prominent bulges under their jackets arrived, asked to see the Person in Charge of the train (me!) and were given copies of the documents which they seemed satisfied with (I was later told that the similarity to British Rail Royal Train Notices gave them confidence that we knew what we were doing!). 

Having arrived somewhat earlier than originally planned, my mum (who has been disabled for many years) was “volunteered” to take the place of Peter - the disabled son of the late Dave Sinclair. Dave was the driving force behind the conversion of Petros and was to be presented to the Queen Mother and travel on the Royal Train.  Mum was duly loaded on the train and with various people (including the aforementioned “men in black”) riding with us, we descended the bank, running as the Royal Train would do and stopped at Rolvenden for the precise stopping point to be agreed.

The train then returned to Tenterden and was positioned ready for the Royal Train itself (code named “Deepdene” in accordance with standard railway practise). Police with sniffer dog examined the train as part of a thorough security check, whilst staff disappeared to change into suits or clean uniform. Number 25 looked resplendent with Fred French and Jack Hoad in charge, its Royal Train Headcode of four white headlamps finishing the scene off. 

In due course our honoured guest arrived and the well-rehearsed arrangements swung into action. The Queen Mother performed various duties prior to boarding the train and was shown to her allotted seat in ‘Diana’ and the train was soon on its way. The short journey passed without incident and after leaving Rolvenden (from where the Queen Mother was taken by road to join her helicopter for her next engagement) there was a more relaxed atmosphere. A brief pause at Wittersham to transfer the train staff from one loco to the other, and we set off back to Tenterden from which our other guests dispersed. 

It was planned to run a train for the assembled crowds (many people had come to witness this historic event) and I quickly changed out of my suit back into overalls and was intending to find mum and dad, when I was summoned by Adrian Landi and Paul Hatcher on No 22 and invited to ride on the loco for the round trip – it would have been rude to refuse! Now operating under normal arrangements, the special headed out to Wittersham and back to Rolvenden, at which point 25 was detached from the rear leaving 22 to haul six coaches up the bank.  I had been “allowed” to drive back from Wittersham and with Adrian preparing a suitable fire, and Paul Hatcher grinning in the corner, I was allowed to drive the train up the bank, which I did in fine style, a cracking end to a busy but memorable day!!

In 1990 I was again privileged to act as the Officer in Charge on a Royal Train when the Duke of Gloucester formerly opened the Northiam extension. On this occasion the paperwork was in place a little more than 20 hours before the train ran! These two duties are naturally amongst the most memorable events in my forty six year railway career.

As a postscript, the climbing about during the morning of the Royal Train gave me quite a painful back. I had become quite friendly with a certain Nicola Orpin who had become a volunteer in 1981 and later that week she offered to massage my back to ease the pain. I took her upon the offer an within six weeks (on my 21st birthday) we started going out……….. and the rest as they say is history. We often joke that our relationship is “By Royal Appointment”!

 

Neil Sime


‍Marcia

Alan Crotty provides an update ont he work to restore Marcia to steam

 

Following the production of a drawing, the wonderful folk at Goddard's provided an agreeable quote for the necessary boilerwork.

 

Brian Richards kindly took the boiler to their works and, despite the lockdown, progress has been very good. The following work has been completed to date:


  • Dismantle old boiler
  • Make two new barrel sections
  • Make a new firebox
  • Repair various sections of the outer firebox
  • Replace internal mainstream pipe
  • Assemble outer sections of the boiler
  • Fit new firebox
  • Make and fit new stays, 100 off
  • Retube boiler, 47 tubes


The work has been overseen by the K&ESR approved boiler inspector, Andrew Reen, who confirms he's very pleased with the standard of workmanship evident.


The boiler is now ready for hydraulic test and will soon be returned to Rolvenden, where a number of regular volunteers have offered to help get Marcia back together for which Dick Beckett (Marcia's owner) and I are most grateful.


As soon as safe to do so, a work plan will be created to complete the re-fitting of the boiler at Rolvenden, which ensures progress of other work is not adversely impacted.

 

Click on the image below to view a selection of images


From all of us here at the K&ESR, our very best wishes

Kent & East Sussex Railway
Tenterden Town Station, Station Road,
Tenterden, Kent TN30 6HE
www.kesr.org.uk
Registered charity 262481