The Kent and East Sussex Railway was the first light passenger railway in Britain in the early 20th century and is celebrating its 50th anniversary of re-opening this year. The line runs for 10.5 miles in the gorgeous Rother Valley which is designated an area of outstanding natural beauty. Typically, normal national railways run over relatively flat terrain, traversing mild inclines and generally snaking around challenging terrain. Light railways can traverse steeper gradients and tighter curves which in turn allows the railway to be built at a lower cost, rather than having to build-around the terrain as some heavy rails have.
We start the Journey today on a scorching hot day at Tenterden and our first service of the day is hauled by one of my favourite classes of steam loco; a J94 0-6-0 with the name of ‘Swiftsure’.
The train glides along the line and slowly into the next station, Rolvenden. It’s at Rolvenden where the main engine motive power shed is. From the viewing gallery at the end of the station, you get a good view of the station as well as the maintenance sheds. In the far right image below you can see a selection of diesel locomotives in the yard on this day. From left to right, No 40 – ‘Ford’ diesel electric, a couple of Class 03’s and another austerity class 0-6-0.
It’s also at this point where trains stop in the day to take on extra coal if needed, like the 0-6-0 Hunslet No 15 ‘Hastings’ did.
The next station is Northiam and oddly enough, the train takes on water here. It’s strange that it doesn’t take on coal and water at the same place but there are a number of water towers along the route so I guess the footplate crew can choose wherever is most convenient for them. At Northiam station you can also find a number of restored wagons which are now luxury holiday homes which can be rented out for short stays and trips…an idea for a future small break.
The final station along the line is Bodiam. The railway has some grand plans to reinstate the line between Bodiam and Robertsbridge which sits on the national network to make the railway more accessible to visitors travelling between London and Hastings. These plans are now afoot, as the government has approved the reinstatement of this section. I very much look forward to returning in the future to see the progress which has been made.
While at Bodiam, Bodiam Castle stands proudly not to far from the railway so I had to take a wander up to it and look around the grounds. I was not disappointed as the entire property and grounds, now in the hands of the National Trust, is looked after incredibly well. On a day like today, with the sun beaming down, the dark and cold recesses dotted all around the castle were a blessed relief from the heat. Enjoy these pictures of Bodiam Castle to round out the day.
