Kent & East Sussex Railway
Members e-newsletter
Special Edition
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Welcome to a Special Edition of the e-newsletter in which our General Manager, Robin Coombes, shares some thoughts on our Railway |
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The following submission was written for inclusion in the September edition of the Members e-newsletter, but was unfortunately omitted as a result of a technical issue: our apologies to Robin & Members! |
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I have now been in post for one month.
As our Chairman, Simon Marsh, has noted, September was overshadowed by the sad news of the death of Queen Elizabeth II on 8 September 2022, the period of official mourning, and the funeral on Monday 19 September 2022. The Railway had reviewed its Operation London Bridge procedures in advance and was therefore able to issue its message of condolence and lower flags to half-mast within ten minutes of the announcement. The Railway organised a community event for the funeral by opening the Tenterden Station Refreshment Rooms and live streamed the funeral service. The locomotive, No. 25 Northiam was adorned with a wreath and a traction engine, Buller, were present at the station. Both sounded their whistles as a tribute to the life of Queen Elizabeth II following the national two-minute silence and the lone piper playing a lament. The wreath was later laid at the town’s War Memorial along with other community flowers and tributes.
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My focus during the remaining period has been:
· To be visible as the KESR General Manager (physically about the railway, in the traditional print press and on social media)
· to understand the overall operating environment of the railway and
· to listen to staff and volunteers – their ideas, concerns and aspirations.
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I have taken part in a series of events and activities which provide a snapshot of the variety of the railway. These have included: Hop Festival, vintage Bus Rally, the Wealden Pullman, the vintage set, Fish & Chip and Real Ale Trains, Teddy Bears’ picnic, volunteer awards evening, Pop Up Cinema, loco cleaning, signalling, booking office, footplate, carriage and wagon, lineside walk (part) and the evacuation experience. |
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The evacuation day was particularly good and demonstrated what the railway does best. It was well organised, well attended by volunteers and re-enactors, the children were totally engaged with what was an important educational experience, which they will remember and maybe, just maybe, spark a lifelong interest in steam and heritage railways |
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My overall impression after one month is of a charming, friendly, welcoming railway with much to offer its visitors and supporters. The jewels in the crown are the Wealden Pullman service and the vintage train. The Railway has, however, suffered under-investment over many years - in rolling stock, infrastructure and people, with some single points of critical failure.
The Railway appears to be too reliant on a small number of key committed individuals who are often covering shortages. These areas of concern are recoverable and fixable on a step-by-step basis, but we clearly need more volunteers and funding to run the railway we all want to see.
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 Driver Heidi Mowforth preparing her engine for service. Image courtesy of Robin Coombes.
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The picture is made more complicated by the external environment. It is easy to use words such as ‘unprecedented’ and it is a fact of life that the future is unknown and thus uncertain, but not since the Second World War are we all facing a combination of circumstances most of us have never experienced – climate emergency, cost of living crisis, war in Europe while recovering from a global pandemic, and this month we have both a new King and Prime Minister and we've seen the pound in freefall.
All these will, in one way or another, directly affect the future success of KESR. Be it the affordability to travel for visitors and volunteers, the cost of materials skyrocketing, feelings of fear, stress and helplessness, changes in operating conditions due to extreme weather conditions, together with changing social trends and the need for continual renewal of assets and succession.
Effective leadership, maintaining a positive cash flow and agile responses to rapidly changing events will, I believe, be the key to our survival. I do not minimise the importance and significance of the word ‘survival’. We, along with every heritage railway, need to prove our resilience like never before.
Due to previous under-investment on the KESR our overall starting position may be regarded as weak, though we do have strengths in committed people, a light railway culture of ‘make do and mend’, no major infrastructure (viaducts, tunnels, significant embankments, cuttings, large buildings etc) and currently cash in the bank.
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During the last month or so I have visited a number of external events, both railway and non-railway, and all but one was significantly quieter than I had experienced in the past. Our own passenger numbers show a similar pattern. In my base year 2018/19 (Nov –Oct), there were 81,107 visitors, in 2021/22 we will struggle to achieve 55,000 by the end of October, a reduction of 32%, and the cost of living is only just starting to bite. For August, our busiest and most recent month, the figures are 12,481 down to 9,537 a drop of 24%.
The big question is what will next year look and feel like? Unfortunately, even though the crystal ball is very cloudy, we must make decision now on next year’s timetable, events and what we will be charging for tickets. I have listened to one of biggest frustrations: last minute changes to the programme and rosters.
The Strategy going forward will be to maximise revenue (the positive contribution each train and event makes to the overall bottom line) and to have visibility of events for the full year, but we will need the ability to change as circumstances evolve.
What success looks like will be to meet and exceed the 2023 revenue budget, with minimal changes to agreed programme.
Where we are is that a version of the timetable has been produced. The Marketing and Commercial departments are producing a list of proposed events and activities; this will be married with the timetable into its next version. The strategy for events is for ‘something’ to happen on as many weekends as our volunteers can resource. This will vary from low key events - a behind the scenes tour, Col Stephens’ talk; mid-scale events such as a car rally or film night; to larger events such as to ‘VJ style’ Day, Steampunk, Gala, Fright Week and Santa.
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My objective is to present a final signed off version to our Board of Trustees Board on 26 November 2022, together with a plan to communicate this as soon as possible.
Only then can the loco requirements be generated, though I appreciate that this is an iterative process as the Railway only has a limited availability of locomotives.
I am still at the stage of asking lots of questions about every aspect of the railway. I am also very happy to hear advice, have suggestions made or ideas put forward. My door is open, and I am regularly standing on the platform, or travelling along the line. Our margin for error going forward is going to be ever smaller, and we need to make timely decisions based on the best information and data we have available, rather than be rushed, basing them just on opinions, what we have always done, or what we only wish for. Everything we do has to be in the best interests of the whole Railway.
Although the outside world is still uncertain, there is so much to be positive about. We are a repository to a unique collection of historic assets; we are an important part of the community and bring much economic value and social benefit. We are a place to make friendships (many lifelong), learn skills, have fun, enjoy our hobby. We can inspire and give educational experiences to the next generation and when visitors walk through the gate, we can create a little magic and nostalgia for a time gone by whether, fine dining on the Pullman or riding in Victorian carriages.
I often pinch myself when I walk along the platform at Tenterden and see my favourite view of the station, gardens, level crossing, signal box and onward to the rolling Kent countryside that it is real, not just a model railway layout. It is something very precious of which we perhaps need to remind ourselves of how special what we have is.
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Finally, another good news story the railcar has been relocated from the Carriage Starage Shed at Rolvenden to our C&W Workshop at Tenterden for restoration work to recommence in earnest. There will be a fund-raising campaign titled ‘20 for 20’ which will be a major feature in Trackside magazine. In the article I have stressed the importance of the Railcar both to K&ESR and the wider preservation movement. I have made a public commitment to have the railcar in service for 3 February 2024 (50th anniversary of the KESR reopening) along with the Ford Diesel and a Terrier. Let us all make this happen.
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 Fitting the roof sheets to the GWR Railcar in the C&W Workshop
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Dr Robin Coombes
General Manager
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Kent & East Sussex Railway
Tenterden Town Station, Station Road,
Tenterden, Kent TN30 6HE
www.kesr.org.uk
Registered charity 262481
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