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. The application will then be decided by the Secretary of State. The work will be financed by private benefactors and RVR says independent studies have shown that the reinstatement of RVR will bring economic benefits in excess of 2m per year to the area. The final working was the 7.55 am working from Robertsbridge on Saturday 10th June 1961 followed the next day by a rail tour. Rother Valley Railway chairman Gardner Crawley said the railway had requested that the hearing be delayed so it could gather more information on its impact on traffic. By 2013, much of the new Robertsbridge layout was in place including new track and most of a new full-length station platform. 31048, 31064, 31065, 31370, 31390 and 31434, On 9 January 1929, the Ford railmotor was derailed at. As with most heritage railways, the line has a number of paid employees to secure its continued operation and stages a variety of special events days to boost income. On 16th March, 1903 the existing Tenterden station was renamed Rolvenden and the line extended 1 miles to a new terminus at Tenterden Town. A separate Company, the Rother Valley Railway (East Sussex) Ltd, was formed on 22 May 1991 with the approval of the Tenterden Railway Company to reconstruct the railway between Bodiam and Robertsbridge and has since simplified its name to Rother Valley Railway Ltd. In the hop-picking season, special trains were run to bring the hop-pickers down from London. Those behind the current bid by the Rother Valley Railway, or RVR, argue it will attract an extra 50,000 visitors annually and add 4.1million a year to the local economy. 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 KENT & EAST SUSSEX RAILWAY - transportsofdelight From the train you can look out for deer, sheep, cows, buzzards, swans, pheasants and so much more. Built by the London and South Western Railway. At Tenterden visitors can explore the Colonel Stephens Museum, and at the other end of the line admire the castle ruins at Bodiam. Contents 1 Historical company 1.1 Background 1.2 Opening and growth 1.3 Grouping and decline 1.4 British Railways However, in 2011 this plan was dropped in favour of moving directly to a final layout suitable to handle the eventual traffic to and from Tenterden, with no interim railway operations. Kent & East Sussex Railway (Tenterden) - All You Need to - Tripadvisor The order of scrapping of the locomotives was 7, 5, 6 (steam railcar), 1, 9, 2 and 8.[7]. [14] This final section of the line closed on 1 January 1970. Come arrivare da Ardingly a Rye In treno, bus, taxi o macchina - Rome2rio It also has links to multi-millionaire hedge fund manager Jeremy Hosking, 59, who owns a number of steam locomotives including the Royal Scot. The line was opened as far as Headcorn on 31 August 1842 and to Ashford on 1 December 1843. The railway runs between Tenterden Town and Bodiam. Despite legally authorised extensions over much of the Kent Weald to Maidstone, Rye and Cranbrook, lack of capital meant that only an extension to Headcorn was to be built and opened in 1905. Our Education Directory has everything you could possibly need! THE KENT & EAST SUSSEX RAILWAY - transportsofdelight 2655 was loaned from 1939 to 1945, 2678 was loaned in 1940. An application has been made for a Transport and Works Act order which would give statutory powers to rebuild and operate the line. Brighton works between 1872 and 1880. A month passed before 32678 was recovered. Ten years later it might be a very different story but before the Great War the K&ESR was seen as a progressive, and indeed model, light railway that served its community with distinction. [2], The Ashford - Hastings line had originally been promoted to run via Headcorn and Tenterden, but the government preferred the more southerly route. It aims to restore track and services east from the main line railway station to Bodiam. kent and east sussex railway extension to robertsbridge. Negotiations continue with two remaining landowners to secure the remainder of the route. The two Terriers then ran back to Robertsbridge with a carriage between them to reduce the weight on the bridges. Er zijn genoeg bezienswaardigheden om te bezoeken rond Salehurst and Robertsbridge. The South Eastern Railway had opened its line from Redhill to Tonbridge on 12 July 1841. Brent Cross West [3] is a railway station under construction on the Thameslink route on the Midland Main Line. kelseymarketplace.co.uk . [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. The public inquiry due to take place in June will now be scheduled for early 2020. This branch line closed to passenger traffic in 1954. Double-heading was prohibited between Rolvenden and Robertsbridge.[13]. 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. Four third-class four-wheel carriages were purchased new in 1901 for the opening of the line. The results of the delayed public inquiry (due to Covid-19) to extend the Rother Valley Railways route from between the national railway system at Robertsbridge, East Sussex, to the Kent & East Sussex Railways station at Bodiam on the original trackbed, is not now expected until 2022. With some additional help from the mainline railways in the form of deferred debts, it continued. The railway has suffered from the legacy of Colonel Stephens's cheap and poor construction of the permanent way; thus the preserved railway has sought to update permanent way features, for instance by renewing culverts and embankments. The K&ESR owned a number of non-rail vehicles, one of which survives today. He entered into negotiations with the Southern Railway aimed at disposing of worn out stock and obtaining serviceable replacements. They say it could put Robertsbridge, which dates to 1176 when a Cistercian abbey was founded, back on the map. That was not accompanied by an increase in passengers, and regular passenger services ceased. A separate railway preservation effort, the Rother Valley Railway, is restoring track at the western end between Robertsbridge Junction and Bodiam. RVR applied to the Secretary of State for a Transport and Works Act Order on 19 April 2018. Supporters include Tom Lewis, the owner of Morghew Park Estate in Smallhythe Road, who described the heritage K&ESR line that already crosses his land as "a responsible and co-operative neighbour". Horse Bus - built in 1902 by W J Mercer, Tenterden Carriage Works. [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. By the 1900s, the parish was a thriving community with shops, inns and in addition to agriculture had a number of industries including saw milling, flour . Sold in 1909 to the Woolmer Instructional Military Railway, where it lasted until 1940. Ex Southern Railway No. In March 1903 the old (Tenterden) terminus was renamed Rolvenden and the railway was extended 1.5 miles to the present Tenterden Town station. All ticket stock was withdrawn and new tickets were printed, and the staffing of stations was increased. The contract for the construction of the line was won by London and Scottish Contract Corporation, who sub-contracted the work to Godfrey and Siddelow. 1556. Purchased new in 1904, seated 32. Purchased in 1923 from Edmonds of. 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We use cookies to ensure that we give you the best experience on our website. About Robertsbridge In 1932, Austen was appointed Official Receiver for the line. On 1 January 1948, the line became part of Southern Region of British Railways on nationalisation. When this extension fever was over, the K&ESR was established as a growing and mostly profitable concern. No 15 was scrapped in 1948. Only 10 Terriers remain; two of which are on static display. The K&ESR's own stock was generally confined to that system. 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. In that year, the first of the locomotives hired from the Southern Railway arrived on the line, this was P Class No. Railway experience days are also offered. Southern Railway No 3440 was loaned to the Kent & East Sussex Light Railway in 1940. [4] Stephens attained the rank of lieutenant colonel in the Territorial Army (TA) in 1916 and was subsequently known as Colonel Stephens. In 2010, the latter section was further extended to reach Junction Road. Purchased secondhand in 1901. 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). A charity, supported by a society of volunteers, is attempting to re-establish the railway link. Hired or loaned to the Kent & East Sussex Light Railway. (then known as the Rother Valley Railway) was opened in 1900 from Robertsbridge on the S.E.R. The initial plan was to work towards operating brake van rides on the site, but progress was slow due mainly to lack of funds. Formerly a model of its kind the K&ESR was now perceived as a run-down decrepit railway of the greatest charm. The proposed Order is applied for by Rother Valley Railway Limited (RVR), working in partnership with the Kent and East Sussex Railway (K&ESR) which operates an existing heritage railway between Tenterden and Bodiam. ', At the local pub, the Salehurst Halt, landlady Karen Collier-Keywood, 59, said: 'Our village has always been about community. The K&ESR settled into a period of greater quietude, useful primarily to the farmers and small tradesmen in the locality, as well as those travellers who were not on a bus route. In 1904, the Headcorn and Maidstone Junction Light Railway was authorised. December 2016 saw the reconnection of the RVR to the Network Rail system some 50 years after closure. [3], The Tenterden Railway was the next to be proposed, running from Maidstone to Hastings via Headcorn, Tenterden, and Appledore. The Kent and East Sussex Railway is a preserved steam railway which makes for an excellent family day out. There will be an end-on link with the Kent and East Sussex at Bodiam enabling through running. The first official train ran on the weekend of 19/20 March 2011. Body later used as a shed on a farm, where it survived until 1964. Sold in 1909 to the. . For some, there is no finer sight than a locomotive in full steam chugging majestically through the glorious English countryside. RVR spokesman Mark Yonge said: This is a real red letter day and we are extremely pleased permission has now been granted. [9], By 1924, the section from Tenterden to Headcorn was operating at a loss. The line from Tenterden to Headcorn Junction opened to traffic on 15 May 1905. The first railbus was introduced in 1923. classicsworld.co.uk, TILT Digital Agency WordPress Designers and Developers in Kent. The passenger railway finally came to an end on Saturday 2nd January 1954. Plans to connect Tenterdens Kent & East Sussex Railway with the London-Hastings main line have finally been approved. Crucially, however, the two families whose farms would be crossed by the line do not want to sell their land to RVR. In 1855, a proposed railway from Headcorn via Cranbrook to Tenterden failed to obtain its Act of Parliament. The Rother Valley Railway was a standard gauge line from a junction at Robertsbridge in East Sussex, on the SE&CR's Tonbridge-Hastings line, to Tenterden, 12 miles away in Kent. It opened in 1900 and was extended to TenterdenTown station in 1903 (the original terminus was renamed Rolvenden), and through to a junction at Headcorn on the SE&CR . / 51.5687; -0.2269. 51.5687N 0.2269W. It takes its name from the original name for what later became the Kent and East Sussex Railway, running from Robertsbridge through to Headcorn in Kent, via Tenterden. London transport portal. Their extension by West_Stanley Fri Nov 23, 2012 4:20 am They're extending to their original terminus at Robertsbridge, about 4 miles away from their current one at Bodium. This page was last edited on 2 February 2023, at 16:12. 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. Bekijk de beste plekken om te bezoeken in de regio en plan je volgende avontuur vandaag nog. May have carried No. KENT AND EAST SUSSEX RAILWAY - 30 Photos - Yelp kent and east sussex railway extension to robertsbridge. The Rother Valley section continued for goods with one morning and one afternoon service. At the Robertsbridge end of the line, RVR has purchased further land since 2006 and the reconnection between Rother Valley Railway and the Network Rail main line was formally opened by Sir Peter Hendy, chairman of Network Rail in December 2016. Indeed in the provision of steam heating it was in advance of many main lines. shop.kelsey.co.uk . This website and its associated newspaper are members of the Independent Press Standards Organisation (IPSO). The Kent & East Sussex Railway are proud to be the home for two of these historic locomotives; Bodiam, was . The proposal to build this road was the major reason preventing the acquisition from British Railways of this section of the railway by the Tenterden Railway Company in the 1960s, and the railway land was subsequently sold off to local farmers. The Rother Valley Railway (RVR) is a heritage railway project based at Robertsbridge in East Sussex, England. Bodywork by Eaton Coachworks, Cringleford. By the 1950s passengers were no longer carried on the line and . Number 107 in the K&ESR stocklist. Fitted with flanged wheels and tested on the Kent & East Sussex Railway.