KENT AND EAST SUSSEX RAILWAY

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The 'Kent & East Sussex Railway' refers to both an historical private railway company in Kent and Sussex in England, as well as a heritage railway currently running on part of the route of the historical company.

Contents

Historical Company

Preservation

The railways

Rolling Stock

See also

External links

Historical Company

The Kent & East Sussex Railway was one of the light railways operated by Colonel H.F. Stephens, the railway engineer. It was originally opened, in 1900, as the Rother Valley Railway, with its first stretch of line running from Robertsbridge to Tenterden (the station later being renamed Rolvenden). The line extended into nearer to the centre of Tenterden to the Town station in 1903, and the railway's name was changed to the Kent and East Sussex Railway in 1904 in anticipation of extensions to Rye, Cranbrook and Maidstone via Headcorn. The line extended to Headcorn in 1905, but no further extensions were ever built.
The railway was built under the 1896 Light Railways Act, which allowed for cheaper construction methods in return for a speed restriction. The area was fairly sparsely populated with stations serving villages often several miles away. There was some farm traffic inwards and outwards with hops, artichokes, cured herrings, crayfish, grain and livestock being transported. Goods sidings served Robertsbridge Mills and the Guinness oast house at Junction Road Halt. Two Hawthorne Leslie 2-4-0 tank locomotives were bought new for the service, No.1 'Tenterden' and No.2 'Northiam' (which achieved fame 40 years later as the locomotive 'Gladstone' in the film Oh, Mr Porter!). A 'terrier' A1 class 0-6-0 tank engine was later purchased second hand and named No 3 'Bodiam'. This engine is still working on the line at the age of 135! Some new carriages were bought at the line's opening. In later years services were maintained using elderly coach stock, including an 1842 Royal coach; an unreliable steam railmotor, noisy but economical Ford Shefflex petrol railmotors (basically two buses with railway wheels coupled back to back) and locomotives nearing the end of their service lives. One oddity purchased by Colonel Stephens was a powerful 0-8-0T locomotive,'Hecate' bought for the hilly, planned but unbuilt extension to Maidstone. It was too heavy for the much of the line and was little used, being swapped years later for something more useful.
At its fullest extent, it ran nearly 22 miles (35 km), connecting Robertsbridge (on the Tonbridge to Hastings line) to Headcorn (on the Tonbridge to Ashford line). Between 1905 and closure, the stations on the line, running south to north, were:
Robertsbridge Salehurst Halt, Junction Road Halt, Bodiam for Staplecross, Northiam, Wittersham Road, Rolvenden, Tenterden Town, Tenterden St. Michael's, High Halden Road, Biddenden, Frittenden Road and Headcorn.
The company stayed independent after the 1923 Railway Groupings, run from an office by Stephens and after his death by his assistant, William Austin, at Tonbridge, Kent. Many other light railways in the UK were also run from there. The desk and other items from this office are preserved at the Colonel Stephens museum at Tenterden station alongside a huge collection of dusty old railway magazines.
Due to road competition, the line was unprofitable after the mid-1920s and went into receivership in 1932, and after nationalisation of the railways in 1948, the closure of the line became more likely. It was closed to passenger traffic and completely from Tenterden Town to Headcorn on 2 January 1954, and finally on 12 July 1961, the entire line was closed to all traffic.

Preservation

In 1974, the line partially reopened as a heritage steam railway, with a section of track between between Tenterden and Rolvenden. The current preserved railway runs between Tenterden Town station and Bodiam, where there is the major tourist attraction of Bodiam Castle. The line is a tourist attractions in the South East of England. It offers an 11 mile (17km) ride through the rural Rother Valley in vintage and British Railways coaches usually hauled by a steam engine. A special restaurant car service in Pullman dining cars is run. At Tenterden Town station can be found the Colonel Stephens Railway Museum, along with a bookshop selling Thomas the Tank Engine gifts, coach servicing depot and a cafe that was once the Maidstone & District Motor Services Ltd coach station building from Maidstone, Kent. The Colonel Stephens' absent maintenance and negative financial balances is a historical feature that the railway defends to the present day as part of its cultural tradition and rich heritage. The engine works are at Rolvenden station and have a special viewing platform overlooking a display of rusting former shipping containers. Many themed events are run through the year, connected with local history and the railway.
The railway has had a tempestuous history during its preservation years. A couple of serious financial crises hit the company along with major disputes between the volunteer cohort and their company board of directors. On the last occasion during the late 1990s, the company was almost bankrupted. It narrowly avoided action following a decision of the bank to continue support and to appoint Grant Thornton as unofficial administrators for a short period. The railway has also suffered a decline in membership figures created by an ageing membership some dissatisfaction. Within recent years the railway has had to increasingly rely on paid employees to secure its continued operation. On the whole, the railway has not sustained the same growth as experienced my many of its comparators of the 1970s and 1980s. Increasingly, the railway has had to rely on experience days to boost income as a substitute for operating less public passenger service days.

The railways

Additionally at Robertsbridge a separate railway preservation effort has been set up by Rother Valley Railway. It has the aim to restore track and services east from the main line railway station to Bodiam. To date (2007) barely several hundred metres of track have been laid and a platform constructed, as well as an exhibition centre and a tea room and shop. Several diesel shunters and restored and many derelict wagons and coaches can also be seen. Plans exist for the extension, but this has been hampered by a trunk road crossing and some very expensive bridge works required, as well as landowners wishing to maintain their livelihoods rather than selling their land for a preserved railway project. However at the current time the KESR is not interested in operating trains to Robertsbridge due to financial commitments on the 'Bodiam bonds'

Rolling Stock

In keeping with the "Light Railway" theme, most of the Kent & East Sussex Railway locomotives currently operating are small tank engines. The following are locos on the line:
Traction

★ Number 3 LB&SCR A1 Class 0-6-0T (Terrier) 'Bodiam'. In service.

★ Number 8 LB&SCR A1 Class 0-6-0T (Terrier) 'Knowle'. Awaiting repairs

★ Number 11 SECR P Class 0-6-0T. Awaiting repairs

★ Number 12 (small 0-4-0T) 'Marcia'. Nearing the end of a major Overhaul.

★ Nunber 14 (Industrial 0-6-0T) 'Charwelton'. Undergoing overhaul to be reassembled in 2007.

★ Number 19 Norwegian 2-6-0 . Undergoing major overhaul.

★ Number 21 SR USA Class DS238 0-6-0T 'Wainwright'. Awaiting overhaul.

★ Number 22 SR USA Class 0-6-0T 'Maunsell'. Undergoing overhaul, due back in steam in 2007.

★ Number 23 Standard War Department 0-6-0ST'Bucket Class' 'Holman F Stephens'. In service.

★ Number 24 Standard War Department 0-6-0ST 'Bucket Class' 'Rolvenden'. In service.Reduced to pulling 4 coaches due to poor condition.

★ Number 25 Standard War Department 0-6-0ST 'Bucket Class' 'Northiam'. In service.

★ Number 30 GWR 1600 Class 0-6-0PT no. 1638. Sent away for axelbox repairs.

★ Balfour Beatty (ex) TRAMM. 2 twin-axle flat wagons with a driving cab at each outer end

★ Plasser Class 07 Ballast tamper

★ Ford Diesel Electric Bo-Bo locomotives

★ Number 40 GWR Railcars W20W (undergoing restoration since 1983)

★ 1950's Class 108 Diesel Mechanical Multiple Unit.
The Carriage and Wagon Department has built itself a reputation as Britain's leading rolling stock restoration outfit on a preserved railway. Most notable has been their attention to their restoration of vintage carriages. They possess a fine collection of heritage British Railways Mark 1 vehicles which are maintained to a very high standard showing love, care and attention by the dedicated staff.
The railway has been a great collector of rolling stock over the years. Despite attempts to restore a few noticeable items of rolling stock including a fine line of five vintage carriages, a large volume has been neglected and is beyond economic repair. There is also a large number of Southern Railway and pregrouping carriages suffering from dry rot and wet rot and can be found hidden under tarpaulins on peripheral sidings. Sadly, these would have benefited from being donated to other preserved railways with the resources and capacity to restore such items before it was too late. A few items of rolling stock have also been condemned and consequently scrapped.

See also

★ Colonel Stephens Railways

External links

★ Kent and East Sussex Railway preservation society's website

★ Kent and East Sussex Railway museum website

★ The Robertsbridge based Rother Valley Railway