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Please join me on one of the Kent & East Sussex Railway “Behind the Scenes Experience” days, where we get to visit some of the places normally off limits during regular visits.
I arrived early to watch staff and volunteers getting the railway ready for another busy day, it was warm and sunny, a perfect start to the day. Our tour leader greeted the day’s participants before taking us into the beautifully restored Maidstone & District bus station building, relocated from its original position in Palace Avenue, Maidstone. Today it is used as a café for visitors to the railway, after ordering drinks and sandwiches for the group, our guide gave us a quick safety briefing before handing out Hi-vis jackets and talking us through the day ahead. Suitably refreshed we set off towards the carriage sheds and sidings at Tenterden to learn more about the operation of the line, after which we joined the first steam train of the day as far as Rolvenden where the locomotive works, repair shops and undercover storage areas are located. The new undercover shed wasn’t part of the tour, but I noticed an open door and couldn’t resist slipping away to take a look inside. Our first official stop was the signal box where were given a fascinating talk about the operation of the line controlled from the Rolvenden box, including token operation, route setting and signal interlocking, those who wanted to were allowed to operate some of the signals, points and associated interlocking. We thanked the signalman then carried on to tour the loco sheds and maintenance facilities where we shown what it takes to keeps the railway running including rebuilding locomotives from scrapyard condition. Next we joined a train back to Tenterden for lunch and I was the lucky one who got a cab ride up the steep bank, giving me the opportunity to observe the crew at work. Next we joined a service train for a return trip over the current 10 ½ mile route to Bodiam station, a short walk from the picturesque castle and moat. Along the way we were treated to a light hearted history of area, the railway and the invading nations who helped create the landscape we see today. On arrival back at Tenterden there was just enough time to visit the “Colonel Stephens” museum, a fascinating man who somehow kept his small empire of tramways, narrow gauge railways and railways that should have died long ago operational using a mixture of second hand locomotives and rolling stock. Some of these railways survived just long enough for the infant preservation movement to take them on and turn them into the wonderful preserved railways we see today. I hope you enjoy the video and if you like what you see, it is awonderful part of the country to take a short break or holiday.
Music - 03:28 - ES_Pitch and Pull - Moins Le Quartet - www.epidemicsound.com
Some background sound effects - SFX Sound Producer - www.epidemicsound.com
To book a trip on this delightful railway and to learn more about the line, please click on this link - kesr.org.uk/
Northiam “Railway Retreats” holiday accommodation - ”www.railwayret...