K&ESR Members e-newsletter No 53

‍  Read this online 

‍Kent & East Sussex Railway

Members e-newsletter No.53

‍Hello   

‍Welcome to the October issue of the e-newsletter.

‍From the Chair...

Planning is continuing apace for the all-important Santa season. Tickets are  nearly sold out, having been able to add extra capacity, and our hard-working managers believe they are managing supply chain issues. What we now need is enough of our people to cover all the turns, and for the Covid situation not to take a turn for the worse. The first is down to all of us, but the second is something over which we have no control!

We are continuing to invest in new equipment. A cherrypicker has been purchased for the Infrastructure Department, and this will enable a whole range of large and small tasks to be carried out safely and efficiently. We have also bought a van which will be invaluable for ferrying items between our sites without always having to reply on individuals’ personal transport. It would be nice to be able to use trains to do this but that’s not always possible. As we are increasingly saying, heritage on the outside and 21st century on the inside.

We’re also getting better at looking after what we’ve got. A lot of cleaning has been taking place recently, and the yard at Rolvenden is undergoing a bit of a makeover – all credit to the Locomotive Department for this.

Much remains to be done, and this will always be the case. We don’t always get it right and sometimes it feels as though we are taking three steps forward and one back, but we’ve got a lot to be proud of.

‍Talking of pride, I had the pleasure recently of hosting a special train for local Mayors and their supporters. It was the first time we had done this for at least a couple of years, and the numbers were not as high as we would have wished, but collectively the Railway put on a superb show. All the level crossings were covered meaning that we ran non-stop from Northiam back to Tenterden, an elegant cream tea was served, we were able to open the Cavell Van at Bodiam, and a good time was had by all.

I’d like to think we could do more of this kind of networking, for important local stakeholders as well as other premium guests. But that’s for next season, which will be on us sooner than we think. Once, of course, we have successfully delivered the Santas.

Simon Marsh

Chairman

‍ANNUAL GENERAL MEETINGS

Details of the Railway's Annual General Meetings have been circulated much earlier in the year however for those who require a reminder of the details, details are via the below link for these November meetings.  

Click Here for AGM details

‍Remembrance Day

A short act of Remembrance will take place at Bodiam station outside the Cavell Van on Thursday 11 November.

The station will be open to those who wish to participate from 10.30am and the ceremony will commence just before 11.00am when the two-minute silence will be observed.

The ceremony will be led by Rev Canon Christopher Irvine, Priest-in-Charge of the Parishes of Bodiam and Ewhurst.  We are pleased to be welcoming children from the local primary school for the service, subject to the weather forecast!

All are welcome to join in this act of Remembrance and the Cavell Van will be open for viewing following the ceremony.

Some parking will be available adjacent to Bodiam station with further facilities at the National Trust’s Bodiam Castle a short walk away.

In addition to the above service on the 11th, a wreath also will be laid at the War Memorial in Tenterden on behalf of the Railway on Remembrance Sunday.

David Nibloe

Trustee

‍Volunteering Committee

SOCIAL EVENT - Invitation to Bonfire Night

On Saturday 6th November a staff social event will be hosted at Tenterden Town Station.  The evening will begin from approximately 5pm onwards with a BBQ and drinks. The lighting of the bonfire will take place at 6.30pm with fireworks starting around 7.30pm. Please wrap up warm as the chilly nights are drawing in!

If you intend to attend please drop me an email to let us know via stagart@kesr.org.uk

On behalf of myself and the volunteer committee, hope to see you there!

Sarah Tagart

Volunteer Committee

Commercial News

‍‍South-Eastern Community Rail Partnership visit

‍October half-term

This October half-term we continued to build on our nature and wildlife theme with an activity pack being issued to all of our younger passengers which inclueded a new activity booklet about animals going in to hibernation at this time of year and a fun wildlife mask to make in addition to our year round "What to see from the train" spotter sheets. This will be further developed next year with specific seasonal offerings for spring and summer.

‍New! Yuletide Special

This December we are trialling a new event to sit alongside our traditional family-focused Santa Specials to appeal to an adult audience. There will be a late morning and mid-afternoon departure from Tenterden to Northiam which will include enjoying a choral performance on the station concourse whilst sipping on mulled wine or non-alcoholic punch, an on-board magician and hot drink and mince served in the comfort of seats on-board the train. Our 4253 colleagues are also keen to encourage visitors to purchase raffle tickets and other wares from their stall! The Christmas model railway village can also be visited upon the return of the trains at Tenterden.

This new product shows encouraging sales with our groups market and if Friday 10th December sells well, we are positioned that we could add a second date of Friday 17th December.

Volunteer plea

We are keen to make all of our December events as magical as ever, especially with so many of our loyal customers having transferred their bookings from last year and we really can’t deliver this without your help. Calls have already gone out to working members and the commercial events roster will be going live shortly, so if you can spare a few hours to help and maybe fancy doing something slightly different, please do sign up or contact me via email hpackham@kesr.org.uk to chat through further. Thank you in advance for your help!

Heather Packham

Commercial Officer

‍New Year Train Services

‍This new year we are planning to operate trains from Friday 31st December to Monday 3rd January 2022.  This train service will shortly be published on our public website, as two steam engines in operation with 4 departures from Tenterden Town station daily.

In addition, it is intended that an additional departure will take place on Saturday 1st January at 15:35 for a "members special", not advertised to the general public. A link to prebook tickets for this special departure will be provided in the November newsletter.

‍K&ESR on the Big Screen

Following pre-pandemic and more recent filming, the following productions have some footage shot at KESR.

‍

A Very British Scandal will be launched shortly, BBC media details are here: https://www.bbc.co.uk/mediacentre/2021/a-very-british-scandal-casting-first-look

Additionally, Claire Foy, who is the lead actor for the above forthcoming production, also appears in "The Electrical Life of Louise Wain" by Studio Canal, trailer for which can be viewed below - with Norwegian leading the opening scene!

‍K&ESR on your computer screen

‍Following the success of earlier "Second Thursday" virtual sessions in lieu of meeting in person, your commercial team will be presenting the detail of plans for Santa Specials including covid measures and changes to the format from our traditional offering.

A note will be circulated to working members via HOPs with a link to join the session, however please hold the date and time of 11th November 2021 from 18:45 for a sharp 19:00 start.  

In the meantime, roster clerks would love to hear from those who are willing and able to help us deliver Santa's, which is so important to see us through our winter closed maintenance period.

Thank you for your support.

Helen Douglas

Sales & Marketing Manager

‍Infrastructure Department

‍The Wednesday group have been reduced in numbers again this month, due to holidays & keeping the service operating, as the group are members of other departments inc guards, signalmen, crossing keepers, platform staff, TTI, station masters.

‍The team have addressed the ponding water at the rear of Tenterden station at the gabion wall; this involved removing a large amount of vegetation & rodding the drain outlet, which has now resolved the issue.

Cranbrook toilet is completed except another coat of paint, this is ready to be installed in the next couple of months, as time/resources allow, as this requires the Permanent Way team to create the level space for it to be sited.

Much unseen work has gone into the events programme this month, moving stuff from A to B to C as storage space is still a problem.

‍Despite its small size, being narrow enough to fit through a doorway, it will allow us to reach 11m in the air, with 6m outreach.  This eliminates the need for costly scaffolding, which has prevented some jobs taking place.

One of the first jobs, will be a full inspection of the C&W cladding, which would have required an expensive multi-lift scaffold.  The saving from this job alone, goes a long way towards the cost of the machine.

Many thanks to Graham, Malcom & Veronica for the work their groups have done this year, so often working behind the scenes & not seen by the public.

And to my Wednesday group at Tenterden, who have turned their hands to many different projects, or filled many vacant roles, to keep the Railway running.

We were pleased to welcome our newest recruit Paul a couple of weeks ago - if you too would like to join us to help with our varied programme of works, contact me via infrastructure@kesr.org.uk.  A warm welcome awaits!

Brian Richards

Infrastructure Manager

‍Model Railway Enthusiasts Required – Apply here!

‍At the moment this is very much an exercise in exploring the ‘art of the possible’. If we were to proceed, the layout would need to be permanently housed and displayed, most likely at Tenterden Station (in either a repurposed or newly built building) and most importantly, would need to be built and run by a dedicated team of enthusiasts. One idea is that the display could initially be opened to our visitors as a ‘work in progress’ whilst it is being created and developed, before becoming a fully-fledged operating railway layout.

But most importantly what would be needed to turn this dream into reality is people. People with a shared passion for model railways to form a dedicated group to create and manage the display. This could be people from within the existing K&ESR membership and volunteer family, or people new to the K&ESR who would like to share their expertise in model railways.

So our next step is to understand if we have anyone who would like to be part of this project. Obviously building a large display from scratch would take both time and effort (we’d envisage years rather than months), but if this is a challenge that you or someone you know would like to be part of, please contact us by email at projects@kesr.org.uk 

Andy Papworth

Project Assessment Committee

‍Robert suffered a stroke 12 years ago which has reduced his mobility and a few weeks ago was diagnosed with a terminal illness. He had just seven locomotives left to see, and Sandra, is determined to help him finish his list.

‍They had visited KESR previously, but 5668 was inaccessible in a siding covered in a tarp. So, with thanks to Frim and Dan for shunting 5668 into Witt Road siding, we were able to uncover the locomotive for Robert to visit on Friday 17th September. He then came back to the bunkobooth for a cup of tea and have a look at the water tanks we are building for 5668.

They had just travelled down from Aviemore where he was able to see two of the locomotives on his list. Now that he has seen 5668, he only had four more to go.

Their next stop after us was the Forest of Dean, where we have been informed, he was able to see 9681 and 9682! Everyone at 4253 Locomotive Co wish them well on their journey to see the final two on his list.

Kelvin Williams

Volunteer

For latest 4253 project news visit the website and social media

‍Newsletter Archive

Have you missed a newsletter? Have you recently joined us? Whatever the reason, you can browse recent editions of this newsletter at https://kesr.org.uk/members-e-newsletter-archive/

Tenterden Terrier Online

As a member of the K&ESR, you can access ‘The Tenterden Terrier’ magazine in electronic format by registering your details at https://kesr.org.uk/tenterden-terrier-online/

‍Support the K&ESR when you shop!



Did you know that whenever you buy anything online – from your weekly shop to your holiday – you could be raising free donations for the Kent & East Sussex Railway with easyfundraising?

There are over 4,000 shops and sites on board ready to make a donation – including eBay, Argos, John Lewis, ASOS, Booking.com and M&S – and it won’t cost you a penny extra to help us raise funds.

All you need to do is:

1. Go to https://www.easyfundraising.org.uk/causes/kesr/?utm_campaign=raise-more and join for free.

2. Every time you shop online, go to easyfundraising first to find the site you want and start shopping.

3. After you’ve checked out, the retailer will make a donation to Kent & East Sussex Railway at no extra cost to you whatsoever!

There are no catches or hidden charges and we’re really grateful for your donations.

Amazon Smile

If you’re an Amazon customer, you can support the K&ESR at no additional cost by using Amazon Smile – simply click the link below and setup the K&ESR as your selected charity.

‍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

‍ Unsubscribe