We are delighted to announce that Chris Jackson has been appointed as the next Curator of the award-winning Colonel Stephens Railway Museum (CSRM) here at the Kent & East Sussex Railway. He takes over from Brian Janes, who stepped down last year after holding the post since 2010.
Chris has been a member of the K&ESR since 2005, and an active volunteer at the museum in recent years. He is a long-standing member of the Colonel Stephens Society, which like the museum focuses on the work of Lt-Col Holman Fred Stephens and the history of his various light railways. He is the current Editor of the society’s quarterly magazine The Colonel, and since 2023 has been serving as the CSS representative on the CSRM museum committee. Chris has also been a volunteer at the Bala Lake Railway since 1973 and was recently elected as a Vice-President of the Bala Lake Railway Society.
Professionally, Chris Jackson has worked for more than four decades at the world-leading business and technical magazine Railway Gazette International. He held the post of Editor between 2006 and 2022 and continues to contribute to the magazine following his retirement from that role. He is a Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Transport and an Affiliate of the Institution of Railway Signal Engineers.
“I am greatly honoured to have been appointed as the next Curator of the Colonel Stephens Railway Museum”, said Chris Jackson.
“It is without doubt one of the best railway museums in the country, with an unrivalled collection of artefacts and archives related to the light railway sector. Founding curator John Miller and his successor Brian Janes have worked hard to develop the museum over more than 25 years, and I hope that I will be able to continue that progress, with the support of a small but enthusiastic team of volunteers.
“I would like to express my thanks to Brian and to Assistant Curator Bob Clifford for their guidance and support, and to the museum committee led by Philip Shaw for their confidence in entrusting me with this important role.”