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‍Kent & East Sussex Railway

Members e-newsletter No.77

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

‍‍From the Chairman

The main season is now over. Was it successful?  

Yes, it was. There are lies, damned lies and statistics, but so far (with one month to go) income is around 25% up on the equivalent period last year, which is a creditable performance in times when every one of us and our visitors are feeling the squeeze. And we have met the 2023 budget predictions, which were deliberately stretching. We continue to out-perform 2022 for average passenger loadings, and this is partly due to the new policy of running fewer trains, especially at the shoulders of the season.   

‍Costs are still high, and they must continue to be controlled. We have done a lot on this, and it is now difficult to see how we can make further significant reductions without inflicting damage. Some of our uncontrollable costs, for example insurance, continue to rise without our seeing any discernible benefit.

All of which means that we must continue to be careful in the way in which we spend money and be very prudent in our judgements, however uncomfortable that may be.

The Board has now signed off the 2024 budget.  As ever, it will be challenging to say the least, and we shall need to make adjustments as we go, but we are confident that barring unexpected major expenditure or adverse changes to the national economy we can meet it. We shall be tracking it on a real-time basis, and formally reviewing progress each month. We know which areas it will be necessary to concentrate on, and there will be a focus on those.

Our situation may seem tight, and it is, but we do know that we are in a significantly better place than some other major heritage railways.

So a huge thank you to everyone who has contributed to getting us through 2023, no matter how large or small your part. Every input helps.

We continue to do our best to make our Railway a welcoming place for everyone and able to meet modern expectations. We have now signed off, subject to a few refinements, new safeguarding, whistleblowing and neurodiversity policies and these will be promulgated as soon as the final details have been applied.

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We do continue to need more people willing to take on the strain of leadership roles. Don’t just draw attention to apparent or real shortcomings, offer to be part of the solution. I’m very heartened to see that more of this is happening. Thank you again.

Last month, I said we were looking for a new Chair for the Project Assessment Committee (PAC). This committee was set up at the start of 2021 to provide governance and structure around the money we invest in our Railway. Since then it has reviewed and recommended for Board approval expenditure for activities in Infrastructure, Safety, Permanent Way, Commercial, Carriage & Wagon, and Loco, all of which have improved our railway and the way in which we operate. 

It has evolved and adapted to fit with the needs of the railway, and with its processes and methodology now firmly established, the existing chair has decided to focus on other – very necessary – activities at the railway, which means we need someone to pick up the reins. 

No-one has yet expressed an interest.  If you would like to consider taking on the role of PAC chair, and in so doing playing a part at the centre of things, please send a brief summary of your skills and experience to me at smarsh@kesr.org.uk

Now all we have to do to round off 2023 is to deliver the Santa season. It won’t be easy and there will be bumps along the way, but if we pull together as we always seem to manage, I am confident that we shall succeed.

Simon Marsh

Chairman 

‍General Manager

‍Railway Review: An Exciting Autumn of Events

It's been an exhilarating and vibrant month on the Railway, where we've been keeping the spirit of community alive and celebrating the wonders of nature. 

Wild About Wildlife Weekend (30th September & 1st October)

‍A remarkable "Wild about Wildlife" weekend took place at Tenterden Town Station, where we celebrated our thriving natural surroundings. The Mayor of Tenterden, Sue Ferguson, formally inaugurated the event on Saturday, setting the tone for a weekend filled with wildlife-focused talks, storytelling, and engaging activities. 

During the October half term last week, visitors joined us for "Autumn Wonders." With children traveling at a discount there were a range of activities including pumpkin carving and scary badge making.  

And last but certainly not least, our spine-tingling "Fright Night Express" returned on  Friday 27th of October. This Halloween event has always been incredibly popular, and this year was no different! 

We are pleased to share some images from the evening:

Looking Ahead:

It's been a month filled with community spirit, environmental awareness, and thrilling events. We look forward to the upcoming adventures for our famous Santa Specials - and for these, we need your help! There's a multitude of tasks to undertake, so if you've a few hours or more to spare, please do get in touch

• General help with the event preparations and delivery - hpackham@kesr.org.uk
• Help with Catering on the day or midweek preparations - catering@kesr.org.uk
• Saturday evening Wealden Pullman - mgooch@kesr.org.uk
• Serving our visitors in the Gift Shop - retail@kesr.org.uk

Robin Coombes

General Manager

Communication Across Our Railway

How many times have we all heard the comment, “we need to communicate better”. It's a challenge not unique to the K&ESR but one faced by organisations far and wide - poor communication. But it is...

Locomotive Policy

This is a breakdown of our locomotive plan in the simplest terms. We've got three important parts to talk about: the policy, the strategy, and the yearly plan...

‍‍Railcar W20 Update

Things proceed steadily:

The upholsterer has stripped all the seats and disposed of the rusty springs and horsehair!  He has returned a few frames to us where repairs are required to the timber frames and our carpenters/joiners will be making a start shortly.  All the seat ends have been rubbed down and varnished and green rexine has been applied to the recessed areas as per the original (see photo).

Fabulous work continues fitting all the wooden cappings and window surrounds internally; all looking beautiful with their varnished finish.

The new Headcorn-end front metal work has been fitted by our contractor following some adjustment and re-alignment of the restored framework by Alan Brice and some of his shed staff. This is now beginning to look the part. (See photo). Work has commenced to fettle and improve the Robertsbridge-end wood framing and metal-work similarly.

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The control wiring has been connected to the junction box in the Headcorn-end cab (see photo) and outgoing connections to the controller and the instrument desk will commence shortly. Completion of the instrument desk and controller wiring will have to wait until the cab fronts and domes have been finished.

‍The fireproof/soundproof flooring material has been delivered ready to fit out the large saloon in similar style to the luggage area and small saloon.  However, this cannot commence until all of the underfloor work, requiring ‘easy’ access, has been completed. One such job is the connection and testing of all the pneumatic piping and joints.  This job is “jolly arduous”, to paraphrase the words of one of our engineering volunteers from somewhere deep under the vehicle to his mate hanging down from an inspection hatch in the floor!

As ever, extra hands would be very welcome as the deadline comes steadily towards us. 

Please contact Chris Mileman via email chris_mileman@hotmail.com

Thank you.

Chris Mileman / Neil Edwards

GWR Railcar Team

‍‍Wealden Pullman

We are delighted to advise that we have been successful in negotiating for two further Pullman Cars to move to the K&ESR. ‘Lydia’ and ‘Isle of Thanet’ will arrive with us following a private purchase by a kind supporter.

The Cars date from 1925 and were constructed in Birmingham but worked initially on the Milan - San Remo – Nice - Cannes service. Having returned to Britain, the Cars were renovated and made their debut on 'The Golden Arrow’.

During World War II, ‘Lydia’ had the distinction of being retained for use by Winston Churchill and kept occasionally at Westerham, close to his Chartwell home. Following the cessation of hostilities, Lydia was to be found in the 'Bournemouth Belle', 'Queen of Scots' and 'Tees-Tyne Pullman' before returning once more to the Southern Region for Southampton boat trains and the 'Bournemouth Belle' until 1966.

‘Isle of Thanet’ has a similar history to ‘Lydia’. Initially named 'Leona', on her return to Britain she was renamed 'Princess Elizabeth' but suffered damage by enemy action during WWII. Following rebuilding in 1947 as a 'Guard-Parlour' for use in the 'Devon Belle', she transferred to the Southern Region in 1950 and was renamed ‘Isle of Thanet’ for her new role in the "Thanet Belle'. However much of her time was spent with ‘Lydia’ in the "Golden Arrow' and was included (with ‘Aries’) in the inaugural run of the electric-hauled Golden Arrow service in 1961. Withdrawn from service in 1967, she was selected for preservation and, at an official presentation at Kensington Olympia station, was offered to the American Ambassador by H.R.H. The Duke of Edinburgh. She subsequently resided with ‘Lydia’ at the National Railroad Museum, Green Bay.

Before that however, ‘Lydia’ and ‘Isle of Thanet’ were included in a special funeral train conveying the body of Sir Winston Churchill and family mourners from Waterloo to Handborough on 30 January 1965. ‘Lydia’ and ‘Isle of Thanet’ then accompanied Flying Scotsman on her tour of America in 1969.

Both Cars were privately purchased and returned to Britain in 2002 for restoration. Lydia was last seen at the National Railway Museum in York (as seen above), when she was exhibited as part of the 50th Anniversary of Winston Churchill’s memorial train. Following a change of ownership, both Cars will move to the K&ESR to join ‘Barbara’, ‘Theodora’ and ‘Aries’. Whist some work is first required, the Cars are in good order and will enable us to provide an all-Pullman dining experience for our customers rather sooner than we had previously envisaged. With services to Robertsbridge now firmly on the horizon, the release of the Maunsell carriages currently in the Pullman set will also prove invaluable.

Andre Freeman

Commercial Manager

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THIS WEEKEND

Saturday 4th November 2023 

St Mildred's Church, Tenterden

The Annual General Meetings of the following K&ESR companies:

• Tenterden Railway Company Limited at 10.30am
• Colonel Stephens Railway Enterprises Limited at 11.00am
• Robertsbridge 20/20 Limited at 11.30am
• 6619 Limited at 12.00pm
• Kent and East Sussex Railway Company Limited at 1.30pm.

More details are available on the website and by email from the Company Secretary: JCobbett@kesr.org.uk

THE DAY WILL CONCLUDE WITH BONFIRE NIGHT FIREWORKS FOR MEMBERS AT TENTERDEN STATION FROM 5:30PM

The First Year of the Bodiam Coach

‍The Bodiam Coach opened Summer 2022 offering holiday lets at cost to K&ESR Members. Much to our surprise, we received a continuous stream of requests from Members keen to book this experience and we were taken aback by the enthusiastic reception and constructive comments received from our guests. All this feedback, helped us to make a number of small adjustments in order provide the very best standard of holiday experience. Such was Member’s enthusiasm that we found ourselves still letting it to the membership as late as January this year.

We opened to the general public in March 2023, trading as The Bodiam Coach Company, rather than K&ESR. With an unknown brand and no previous reputation, it took some time to establish ourselves in the highly competitive holiday let market; this gave rise to a slow start in terms of bookings. However by the end of June we became flooded out with requests to hire and have been fully booked throughout the summer until mid November when we close to guests for the winter period.

What has perplexed many folk is what motivates people to book for a holiday break in a converted railway coach at Bodiam. The design of the coach, and our marketing has deliberately targeted older, mature customers. Bodiam itself has lesser appeal to the younger holiday market, as there is little to attract those seeking continuous fun, and this makes our enterprise easier to manage.

Most guests who are over 45 years seem to enjoy heritage, gardens, countryside and travel. They book the coach as couples or in pairs of couples, and occasionally small families without pets or children under 12 years. They seem to be delighted staying at Bodiam in a quirky setting, enjoying peace and quiet along with occasional heritage trains. Strangely most guests are not railway enthusiasts, however after a few days overlooking the platform they become very well informed about preserved railways. Most of the questions asked by guests are not about the facilities of the coach or local area, but how the Railway and volunteering is organised.

So far we have attracted guests from as far afield as Berlin and Aberdeen. However several guests who have returned on more than two occasions have come from places much closer such as Seaford, St. Leonards and Maidstone, proving it is not the distance travelled that makes a great short break but the change of environment.

‍A good barometer of customer opinion can be gained by scanning the comments found in the guest book left in the coach. What is striking is how much our guests appreciate our railway and the hard work of the volunteers they have met. We have selected just a few comments from the guest book which speak volumes for the achievements of K&ESR colleagues this summer: 

A beautiful haven of peace and tranquillity, in such fantastic accommodation. Wonderful to be able to watch the steam trains come and go, and chat to K&ESR staff, who do such a great job. It has been a perfect week and we will be recommending a Bodiam Coach holiday to others. Thank you ! J & T Handy July 2023.

We had a wonderful time here at Bodiam (much too short). The accommodation is absolutely unique and we appreciate the work and effort that has been done. We take home only positive impressions of the kindness of the railway staff and local people with their obvious passion for producing local products, especially cider and beer. Hope to return soon P, K and I - East Berlin. July 23

Have absolutely loved our time here. The trains, the unexpected pop band on our first night (Friday evening Real Ale Train) all made this fabulous. We were made to feel so welcome and part of K&ESR. We will definitely return as will other members of our family who visited and were all very jealous ! Thank you for making my birthday weekend so good. C, P, D and R. August 23

Our third stay; now done Autumn, Spring and Summer. Each season has brought a new find. This stay has been about the glow worms (found in the station garden). Even a windy and rainy day was a delight. Already booked for 2024.Vanessa and John

Friends of ours saw this carriage when travelling on the K&ESR earlier in the year, and recommended it to us. And boy! it didn’t disappoint. It makes a great base for nature and steam train days out. Batemans at Burwash, seeing bats, hearing owls, bunnies hopping along. Many magical days all rounded off with lovely meals in The Castle Inn. We are looking to come here again but via Robertsbridge on the train ! C, K and A. August 23

What a great place! I’ve stayed in hotels and inns which weren’t as comfortable or as well appointed. Love the railway and its volunteers, love the area, love the coach. A total “chill out “ experience. A. Sept 23

Our first visit to The Bodiam Coach and we were far from disappointed. The week has just sped by. Blessed with beautiful weather, this is just the best place to visit the surrounding area with plenty to see. A wealth of variety, and something to appeal to everyone. The carriage is well appointed and reveals the thought and attention to detail. We enjoyed talking to The Bodiam Maintainace Gang on Tuesday and to see all their hard work that they do. Our journeys both ways on the railway were a joy and all volunteers exuded pride and great interest in the railway. To add icing on the cake, we turned out to see the Wealden Pullman arrive and depart on Saturday evening. This provided a very atmospheric finale to our holiday. Congratulations to all the volunteers for bringing about a great holiday home. Sue, Alister, Dilys and Clive Oct 23

After reading the comments above, all volunteers should give themselves a big a pat on the back! You are true ambassadors of our railway. These comments (and many others in the book) show that what you are doing makes a big difference in the eyes of our customers and guests.

We are now closing the door of The Bodiam Coach until March 2024. The winter will see the coach used as a new HQ and residence for our General Manager. Work is underway for 2024. An improved website has been launched  with an availability calendar, and bookings for next season are already coming in. 

For further details please visit  railwayglampingcoach.co.uk or get in touch with us via bodiamcoach@gmail.com

Bryan Atkins

Volunteer 

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

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