The line closed the following day, apart from a short stretch at Robertsbridge serving Hodson's Flour Mill, which became a private siding. Purchased secondhand in 1901. The first train departed at 7:30 am, carrying some 60.2 passengers. This is the reconstructed Robertsbridge Junction station, adjacent to the Network Rail station. Still in regular use in the 1930s. The final passenger train ran on 2 January 1954. Trains first ran again on the Kent & East Sussex Railway on 3 February 1974 between Tenterden to Rolvenden, the line gradually being restored and extended in stages, reaching Wittersham Road in 1977, Northiam in 1990 and finally Bodiam on 2 April 2000, exactly 100 years to the day since the original opening of the line to passengers. There is no surviving railway track on either farm. The initial plan was to work towards operating brake van rides on the site, but progress was slow due mainly to lack of funds. In May 1983, Manning Wardle 'Charwelton' was derailed between Wittersham Road and Rolvenden causing damage to approximately 100 yards of track and to the locomotive's axle boxes. kelseymarketplace.co.uk . With some additional help from the mainline railways in the form of deferred debts, it continued. Subscribe to Old Glory magazine today and receive your first 3 issues for just 5! Er zijn genoeg bezienswaardigheden om te bezoeken rond Salehurst and Robertsbridge. The Southern Railway were liable to make up any operating losses, as the successor to the South Eastern and Chatham Railway under the terms of the Act of Parliament for the construction of that section of line. The railway went into by receivership in 1932. (Pic: Colin Tyson) At Robertsbridge, a separate railway preservation effort was set up by the Rother Valley Railway in 1990. The Kent & East Sussex Railway Preservation Society was formed in 1961 following closure of the line by British Railways. An extension of the Rother Valley Railway, as it was then called, to Tenterden opened in 1903. This branch line closed to passenger traffic in 1954. [14] This final section of the line closed on 1 January 1970. In that year, the first of the locomotives hired from the Southern Railway arrived on the line, this was P Class No. Built by the London and South Western Railway Ex Southern Railway No. A wind pump was provided at Robertsbridge to supply water for locomotives. Only the section from the original Tenterden terminus to Tenterden Town was actually built of all these schemes.[6]. Rail mounted guns were stationed at Rolvenden and Wittersham. kent and east sussex railway extension to robertsbridge. 1556. [2], The Ashford - Hastings line had originally been promoted to run via Headcorn and Tenterden, but the government preferred the more southerly route. / 51.5687; -0.2269. are honey nut cheerios high in oxalates. To compete for passengers Stephens then brought in some railmoters to supplement the existing somewhat minimalist steam services established during the Great War. Ex South Eastern and Chatham Railway birdcage carriages were put into service on the line, supplementing the ex London and South Western Railway carriages. The impetus seems to have come from landowners and businesses in Northiam and Bodiam in late 1894. A wind pump was provided at the Headcorn end of the station. By the 1930s it had lost much of the traffic it had been built to carry. Sold in 1909 to the. The tickets were printed at Rolvenden. Construction work commenced in 1898 but there were delays with contractors' bankruptcy and it was not until 9th January 1900 that the line was reported complete. [10], In 1931, Colonel Stephens died, and the management of the K&ESR came under the control of William Henry Austen, who had been assistant and life-partner to Stephens for a number of years. Transport Secretary Chris Grayling has made the decision to delay the public inquiry into reinstating a two-mile section of line that would join the heritage Kent & East Sussex Railway to the mainline at Robertsbridge junction in East Sussex. Opposition from the South Eastern Railway meant that the Tenterden to Appledore section was dropped. [38], The grand cavalcade at Tenterden Town Station during a Steam Gala on the Kent and East Sussex Railway, For details and history of rolling stock on the line since preservation, see, Headcorn and Maidstone Junction Light Railway, Learn how and when to remove this template message, Rolling stock of the Kent & East Sussex Railway (heritage), https://www.sussexexpress.co.uk/news/politics/application-seeks-phased-development-of-rother-valley-railway-3434807, "Miniature Locomotives and Large Exhibits", Kent and East Sussex Railway Co. Ltd. website, Video on Joost: Golden Age of Steam (episode 5) focussing on the heritage railway, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Kent_and_East_Sussex_Railway&oldid=1137062740, London, Brighton and South Coast Railway (LBSC), Purchased new in 1905. Operated under contract by William Hook & Son until the firm ceased trading in 1916. In 1904 (officially on 1st June), the new title Kent and East Sussex Railway (K&ESR) was adopted, The railway had been an operational and commercial success, but it was probably fortunate that much of the wider network was not built. The views expressed in the contents above are those of our users and do not necessarily reflect the views of MailOnline. The line today is a tourist attraction in the South East of England. This houses a number of exhibits including as a wax dummy of the colonel, telling the story of the man himself and of his railways. Controversially the railway extension requires the compulsory purchase of land at two East Sussex farms - Parsonage Farm at Robertsbridge owned by the Hoads and Moat Farm near Salehurst. In 1935, the K&ESR purchased a 2-ton Bedford LQ lorry, and another was purchased in 1936. The habitats that survive there are incredible. 1555 was loaned in 1947. With the end of the War, the Transport Act 1947 took powers to acquire all railway undertakings and this spelt the end of the independent K&ESR and indeed its partial closure. Purchased secondhand in 1901. It was the 5:50 pm from Robertsbridge to Headcorn, composed of six corridor coaches which had been specially brought from Ashford for the occasion. Alexander and Emma Ainslie, both 45, run 220-acre Moat Farm. Acquired in 1947. Trains will run into the Rother Valley Railway's own new station at Robertsbridge, the platform for which is now completed, together with a toilet block forming part of the planned new station building. The diminutive tank locomotives were designed to haul commuter trains on the already heavily congested lines in South and South-East London. Rother Valley Railway (Bodiam to Robertsbridge Junction) Order. This has now been installed (Spring 2023). Still in regular use in the 1930s. Converted c1909 to a five compartment brake third. Built in 1906 using the bodies of two of the Hurst Nelson carriages on a new underframe. It will serve Brent Cross and the northern parts of Cricklewood and Dollis Hill areas of north London. Contents 1 Historical company 1.1 Background 1.2 Opening and growth 1.3 Grouping and decline 1.4 British Railways A pair of railcars, purchased in 1930. Body later used as a shed on a farm, where it survived until 1964. . It partially reopened as a heritage railway where the public can enjoy journeys at 25mph on old steam locos and diesel trains 13 years later, running for ten and a half miles from Bodiam to Tenterden. Nos. Two compartment brake third. It also has links to multi-millionaire hedge fund manager Jeremy Hosking, 59, who owns a number of steam locomotives including the Royal Scot. Three of the five were scrapped in 1935, and a fourth, No. . Stationmaster Geoff is Tourism Superstar Award 2023 finalist! The preservationists wanted to reopen the line through to Robertsbridge, but were refused permission by the then Transport Minister Barbara Castle to take over the section between Bodiam and Robertsbridge, despite taking the Minister to the High Court. In 2018, the RVR applied for a Transport and Works Act order which, if approved, would give the statutory powers to complete the reinstatement of the line and operate it. Work is currently underway to widen the embankment adjacent to the turntable to provide a site for the planned loco shed. Extensions followed, notably to Wittersham Road in 1977 and Northiam in 1990; then to Bodiam in 2000, and an extra one mile (1.6km) extension to the site of Junction Road halt in 2011. Purchased new in 1904, seated 46. kent and east sussex railway extension to robertsbridge. [8] The original junction at Headcorn was on the Ashford side of the station. We are continuing to try to protect this for future generations. Renumbered 3550 in 1912 and again renumbered to 6413 in 1923. 'Few preserved railways would seem to offer better prospects for an increase in kent and east sussex railway extension to robertsbridge. They are trying to prevent a heritage railway line being extended by two miles from Bodiam to Robertsbridge amid accusations of bullying and environmental vandalism. By the 1950s passengers were no longer carried on the line and . The renamed Kent &. Plans for a heritage railway extension that would see Tenterden connected to the mainline have come to a temporary halt. In 1904, the Rother Valley Railway changed its name to the Kent & East Sussex Light Railway. (Pic: Colin Tyson). Only in the brief hop-picking season did the bustle return as the hop-pickers and their friends arrived from London for their annual invasion. The decision was taken to shut down the passenger service and retain the goods service on the old Rother Valley section only. The two Terriers then ran back to Robertsbridge with a carriage between them to reduce the weight on the bridges. Part of the Daily Mail, The Mail on Sunday & Metro Media Group, Charles 'will NEVER build real relationship with Archie and Lili unless Harry and Meghan get new royal home': Sussexes 'to get Andrew's Buckingham Palace apartment' after Frogmore eviction made it 'incredibly complicated for family to visit again', 'Petrified' autistic boy, 14, at centre of 'scuffed Quran' row is forced to flee his home by arson threat - as scandal that speaks volumes about modern British policing continues to cause uproar, When will the Beast from the East be at YOUR door? "An extension to the Kent and East Sussex Steam Railway from Bodiam to Robertsbridge, along the route identified on the Proposals Map, will be supported, subject to a proposal meeting the following criteria: (i) it must not compromise the integrity of the floodplain and the flood protection measures at Robertsbridge; The K&ESR was the very . Indeed in the provision of steam heating it was in advance of many main lines. Purchased secondhand in 1906. Wagons. Great Western Railway 0-6-0 Dean Goods War Department Nos WD195, WD196 and WD197 were used on the Kent & East Sussex Light Railway between 1941 and 1943 when rail mounted rocket guns were stationed at Rolvenden and Wittersham. When this extension fever was over, the K&ESR was established as a growing and mostly profitable concern. The Inspector will submit a report to the Secretary of State, with recommendations. The public inquiry due to take place in June will now be scheduled for early 2020. By Victorian standards construction progress was slow. RVR chairman Gardner Crawley, 74, said: 'There's a lot of very wealthy people in East Sussex but parts of it are very deprived and the big employer nowadays is tourism. Attention then focussed on extending from Robertsbridge to Northbridge Street, and this was followed by work to recast the Robertsbridge section in readiness for the planned eventual join-up with K&ESR's track, once the necessary permissions have been obtained and construction completed. The remaining passenger traffic continued to drop and, most importantly, the profitable general merchandise traffic followed. Scrapped in 1941. There was occasional passenger traffic in the form of railtours. We use cookies to ensure that we give you the best experience on our website. In 1900, the Kent & East Sussex railway was built from Tenterden to Robertsbridge giving access to the main line for the rural villages. Purchased in 1923 from Edmonds of. The Light Railways Act 1896 allowed for cheaper construction methods in return for a speed restriction. Heady ideas of commanding enough finance to build lines to Rye, Cranbrook and Pevensey, all authorised over 1898-1900, together with Maidstone in 1905-06, faded. Further wagons were hired from Hurst Nelson between 1911 and 1919. Coordinates: 513407N 01337W / . This section was acquired by RVR, leaving just two stretches still to be acquired. The Great Robertsbridge Train Robbery: Families accuse railway line stealing their farm land for a 7million extension project using a compulsory purchase order allowing companies to buy. From 2009 to 2010 the RVR with help from K&ESR and volunteers were able to complete the 1 mile (1.6km) extension westwards from near Bodiam station, through Quarry Farm, to the B2244 (Junction Road). Passenger traffic and the operation of the Headcorn extension ceased in 1953 and the railway closed completely in 1961. [1], By the mid 19th century, Tenterden was in the middle of a triangle of railway lines. Mr Hoad, 67, who runs it with wife Lynn and sons Tom, 38, and Will, 34, said: 'We feel angry at having our land taken from us against our will for what can only be termed a vanity project. We use cookies to ensure that we give you the best experience on our website. Robertsbridge, East Sussex, TN32 5DG telephone: 01580 881833 RVR e-mail: .
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