K&ESR Members e-newsletter No 69

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‍Kent & East Sussex Railway

Members e-newsletter No.69

‍Welcome to the February 2023 edition of the K&ESR's e-newsletter

‍‍From the Chair...

‍As we begin to gear up for the start of the main season, I’d like to remind everyone of the Kent and East Sussex Railway’s common values and behaviours. Successful organisations, such as we aim to be, all work to a set of common values. These set out how things should be done, and the expectations that are placed on people. They may not always be adhered to in every detail, but they provide a benchmark and a standard to aspire to. And they are part of what gives an organisation its distinctive character.

They are especially relevant in an organisation like ours which has under its wing people from a wide range of backgrounds carrying out different tasks in different locations and which is committed to being a welcoming environment for all.

Our values apply to everyone in the Railway family and will be highlighted at forthcoming staff events.  It is worth us all taking some time to refresh ourselves and to consider how they apply to each of us, values documents are available to view on HOPS, 

Our values will be especially relevant in the forthcoming season, one in which we need to pull together if we are to meet and overcome the challenges that will face us. 

Another aspect of the new season will be a continued focus on safety. Many of you will have seen that the Great Central Railway recently had an incident in which a passenger was seriously injured alighting from a carriage door which was not fully in the platform. It is being formally investigated by the Government’s Rail Accident Investigation Branch, as well as by the ORR. We really do not want to be in that place. Safety is everyone’s responsibility and there can be no exceptions; if you see something that worries you, speak up by reporting it.

Like all heritage railways, we are not exempt from the current recession. We are carefully balancing our expenditure with our income. We are doing everything we can to bring in customers. Conversely, we must spend as little as possible. This is real; this is not a training exercise. Other Railways are in serious trouble. Please do your bit to reduce our costs. Every little really does help.

‍‍From the General Manager

February has been overshadowed by the tragic news of the death of Jon Grimwood. Only in his mid 30's, Jon, who died at home, was a much-valued employee of the K&ESR and responsible for keeping our diesel fleet in good order. In the six short months that I have known him, I found a lovely, helpful man always with a smile, a welcome greeting, and passionate about the railway and diesels. Everyone is devastated by the news, coming as it did as a great shock. Our thoughts are with his wife Danielle, their daughter Lexi, Jon’s son William, and Jon's father Mike, one of the great stalwarts of this railway. This is a time for our Railway Family to come together to support Jon’s family and his many friends and ensure his legacy is never forgotten.

Both locomotives carried a wreath during February in memory of Jon and on Sunday ‘Sapper’ also carried a wreath for Kay Dickson, a very longstanding member of the Railway Family.  

Visiting Locomotive 257 Squadron

On the positive side there has been much to celebrate this month. The decision was made, and, barring any last-minute hitches and signing of the paperwork, Bulleid Light Pacific No. 34072, 257 Squadron, will be coming to the K&ESR in April and May. Now comes the hard work, to attract people to enjoy the experience of riding behind it, to cover its not-insignificant hire and running costs. And yes, I get it, it will not please everyone, but we are now in a very different world from 5 years ago, let alone 50 years ago, and as a Railway Preservation Charity we need to be on the front foot to do public good and educate each new generation.

We will be recreating the ‘Man of Kent’, a train that ran from London to the Kent Coast. Who knows we may also recreate the 'Kentish Belle'. I would like to thank the Southern Locomotive Ltd, Spa Valley Railway and K&ESR Guest Engine Club. Thanks also to all the people behind the scenes that all worked so hard to make this happen - Ops, Commercial, Marketing, Loco, P.Way.

Half Term Running

We started the new season by running during the February half-term week. The first weekend was poor with 177 passengers on Saturday and only 119 passengers Sunday, well down on what we need to cover even the direct operating costs. However, the sun came out and the mid-week trains were well loaded, there was standing room only on one service. The second weekend was also good, helped by several large bookings from 'Fox and Edwards' for  cream tea on the train. On the final Sunday the number of passengers booked was 541. It is too early to draw conclusions for the forthcoming year, but it proved, if the product is good and well marketed, people will come.

Young Engineers

The railway is more than just how many passengers we carry, albeit it is vital in making ourselves viable. At heart the K&ESR is an educational charity. On the first Saturday of February the fulfilment of this objective was encapsulated by a local group of young budding engineers, 'Involve Kent' joining us for a Junior Engineering experience with Chris Vine, the author of the Children's book series Peter's Railway. This group visit was about young people gaining an understanding of science and engineering concepts - pressure, weight, mass through practical demonstrations.

The day included a ride along the line and visits to our workshops, giving the young visitors the opportunity to learn about the work that goes on behind the scenes to keep a railway running.

‍On the first trip the Family Saloon was used for a volunteer welcome day and on its final journey it was used for an impromptu tea party of mums travelling with their children. Who knows if later in life one of those children will remember their trip and want to volunteer. When asked what was the best bit of the journey, one little boy answered "the cake" (thank you to Meg for the best cupcakes there are!).

Sustainability

Sometimes you sit in a meeting that is truly inspirational. The right people coming together with a common aim and can-do attitude. There is so much doom and gloom about, particularly among some heritage railways who appear to be on a cost cutting spiral. The railway attended a meeting of the Mayor, Landowners, Charities and Trusts, about sustainability in the true sense of the word. The aim was to discuss the key role the railway can play in the community by improving biodiversity along its 10.5-mile corridor and offering a unique perspective on the historic Weald landscape.

The Weald is an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB) with some of the darkest skies in the South East. Working in Partnership we are developing opportunities for visitors to explore this landscape in new ways using both cutting edge technologies and old-fashioned feet on the ground or simply observing from a train window. Each year new discoveries are made within this rich medieval landscape and its place in the history of England, most recently Lossenham Friary.

The railway travels through what was once, as recently as 1400's, the sea, with ship building at Small Hythe. By 1600 Queen Elizabeth had raised Tenterden’s Mayor to ‘Baron of the Cinque Ports’. The importance of the meeting was to rethink the role of railway to be more than ‘just a ride along the line’ but a new immersive experience relevant to new audiences and increase accessibility.

On a personal note, I had a day trip to Manchester to talk to the Stephenson Locomotive Society on sustainable heritage railways and there was a four-page feature on the K&ESR and its approach to sustainability in the latest Steam Railway Magazine.

Terrier "Poplar"

Following its withdrawal from service after an incident at the Bluebell Railway in 2022, an insurance inspection has now taken place and hopefully further progress will allow the necessary repair work to commence.

Looking Forward

Next week will see the Forestry and Conservation group cutting back sections of lineside vegetation.

Planning is progressing for the proposed renewal work at Northiam Level Crossing. This is a major project which will result in the weekend closure of the A28 between 4th & 5th March.

There will be a number of departmental training sessions over the coming month. Without this level of dedication and commitment from volunteers we could not run our railway.

Robin Coombes

General Manager

‍Board Review Session

January is traditionally a time for reflection and to look forward to the forthcoming year. The Board therefore took some time at a special session early in January to consider leadership and governance and review its own performance. A major part of this exercise was an evaluation against the ORR’s Risk Management Maturity Model (RM3), a key tool for organisational continuous improvement.

Your Board has responsibilities under both Company Law and Charity Law as well of course to the membership and wider stakeholders and balancing these sometimes competing priorities gets challenging at times. The session took time to review these legal duties and to consider both individually and collectively how we performed against them, measured in the style of an RM3 Evaluaytion. Generally, the view was we have made some progress and overall achieved “Managed” in RM3 terms with some “Standard” areas and some that need attention, scored as “Ad Hoc”.

We also reviewed and adopted the “tablets of governance” contained within the RM 3 Heritage Topic set, as so much of the successful operation of a safe and finically secure railway depends on getting these right.

‍Bodiam Group

Cold and wet weather has restricted the amount of outdoor work since Christmas. Indoors the S&T team have modernised the railway’s telephone system together with, hopefully, more reliable wi-fi in the booking office. Graham Holden is building a bespoke cupboard in a suitably sympathetic design to house (and protect) the new equipment. We have taken the opportunity to bring two platform benches into the waiting room to dry out and touch up the paintwork but the limited indoor working space means others will have to wait.

Problems with the flushing mechanism for the gents urinals have meant they were not fully functioning for the half term trains while replacement parts were awaited. Fingers crossed all will be resolved by Easter. Paul Randall and Chris Wady have reinstalled a simple bench, removed from beside the camping coach, to a new location with a pleasant view across the valley to the castle. In the coming weeks the tractor-mower will need servicing to be ready for grass cutting as the weather warms up.

Frank Wenham has trimmed the hedge at the back of the station platform so that it will look a lot straighter in the spring. The winter rains and excavation work made the yard surface very uneven so a delivery of ash is awaited to level it out and improve the access to the camping coach.

The restricted availability of locomotive power has meant that the Cavell Van has stayed at Bodiam this winter. Hopefully regular ventilating and checking will mean that it does not deteriorate by being outside.

Malcolm Burgess

Volunteer - Bodiam Group

‍Kitchen Car 1987

The project to restore this vehicle has not been without its challenges, but is now finally nearing completion. The coach was acquired back in 2001 (funded entirely by donations from our Wealden Pullman customers) with the desire to improve our resilience and to capitalise on untapped markets.

It's fair to say that the coach was not in the best of conditions when purchased, having been withdrawn from BR service in the 1980's: 20 years of open storage at another heritage railway had taken its toll, which was then compounded by a similar period of open storage at Northiam Station, looking increasingly derelict opposite the signalbox there.

‍Thanks to the generosity of donors and a grant from Kent County Council’s LEADER fund, the coach restoration finally got underway in the summer of 2018 when it was taken to Rolvenden and emptied of stored 'spares' before being sent for bodywork repair by contractors.

COVID restrictions & supply chain disruption significantly impacted the project, but following a return to the K&ESR in August 2021 our own Carriage & Wagon team have worked miracles.

The coach now includes a commercial kitchen fitted to modern spercifications, including an excellent ventilation system, commercial dishwashing machine (with a 90 second wash cycle!) powered by an off-grid battery inverter system, together with all the usual sinks, worktops and refrigeration that go into a full commercial kitchen.

‍Restoration has been a real team effort. Despite the time pressures and financial constraints, the standard of work has not been compromised and the results achieved are second to none.

Kitchen Car 'Diana' operated for 41 years in Wealden Pullman service, delivering 750,000 meals - a quite remarkable achievement. But that's not the end of the line for her, as 'Diana' now forms the base for our public service on-train catering and facilitates the significant improvements that drove the purchase of the new kitchen carriage all those years ago. The next chapter has already begun, for during three days of the February half-term, over 400 cream teas were served......

Andre Freeman

Commercial Manager

‍Dates for your diary

Annual Volunteers Meeting

The Annual Volunteers Meeting in Tenterden Town Hall will commence at 2.45pm on Saturday 25th March 2023.

If you're an active volunteer, this is your opportunity to hear from many departments about their plans for the year ahead, what is going on behind the scenes as well as an opportunity to have your questions answered. 

If you do have any questions, please submit them prior to the meeting via email to stagart@kesr.org.uk before 15th March and we will do our best to have an answer for you in the meeting.

There will also be an opportunity to socialise with the whole K&ESR family for a short period after the formal meeting has been completed with soft drinks and sandwhiches provided.

6619 Limited Shareholders Meeting

Prior to the Annual Volunteers Meeting, shareholders of 6619 Ltd are invited to a meeting at Tenterden Town Hall commencing at 1.30pm.

There will be a chance to meet the directors who will bring shareholders up to date with the condition of the locomotive and outline options for the future.

Shareholders will be sent a formal notice of the meeting to the address registered with 6619 Ltd in the next couple of weeks. If you are a shareholder but do not receive the communication and wish to attend, please e-mail jcobbett@kesr.org.uk and take the opportunity to update the address we hold for you.

K&ESR AGM

Annual General Meeting in St. Mildreds Church, Tenterden on Saturday 4th November 2023. More details will be circulated in July.

John Cobbett

Company Secretary

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 receive notification when ‘The Tenterden Terrier’ magazine is published online by registering your details at

https://kesr.org.uk/tenterden-terrier-online/

‍All editions of ‘The Tenterden Terrier’ are now available to view or download from our website: to access this fascinating archive, click on the image above or visit https://kesr.org.uk/terrier/

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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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