Rother Valley Railway

The rail for the Bodiam Extension was as is often the way with the K&ESR very complicated. The existing rail at preservation from just outside of Northiam station to Mill Ditch bridge (about 2 of 3 miles) was still S&ECR 91 1/4lb rail which required non standard chairs, keys and fishplates as it had a very different profile to the standard BR 95ib bullhead rail. At the time of the Bodiam Extension most of the fittings were absolutely shot and had to be disc cutted. Beyond Mill Ditch bridge the line had been relayed by BR with standard 95lb bullhead rail but much of this was on a type of experimental steel sleeper that by the time of the Bodiam Extension were rotted through.
At the time of the project EWS had a scheme to hugely expand the Uks freight network (all those class 66s that were never used) and this meant that secondhand rail absolutely skyrocketted in price and was limited in supply.
The project manager was able to source a minimum order of UIC rail from an Austrian Company which was cheaper than the price of UK secondhand rail at the time. This was actually as you have said milled in Poland. This was laid almost in its entirity with a few spares heading out from Northiam and extends to just past Padgehams Curve. It was laid on secondhand BR SHC clip sleepers, from there onwards to Bodiam its the "original" BR 95ib bullhead rail relaid on concrete sleepers. This is still the situation 25 years later.

 

You asks about the various rails we will use, and have in stock, for the 3.4km long ‘missing link’ at RVR - all of which will be 113lb flat bottom rail laid on concrete sleepers with Pandrol fittings.

The 970 track metres of new 113lb rail we delivered to the eastern end of the ‘missing link’ at Junction Road last Thursday comprised 620m track metres of new rail delivered from British Steel at Scunthorpe and 350m track metres of new rail we had in our stocks at Robertsbridge. Track metres equates to the length of track that will lay (and so twice that is metres of loose rail).

Harold is right that we already have significant stocks of track material. That as over the last ten years or so we have been fortunate to have funds available to take the opportunities of 'freebies' as and when those opportunities have arisen. That as freebies aren't really free as RVR have the cost of lorries and cranes to collect the material, usually on a Sunday afternoon, as and when they arose from weekend mainline relaying works. Much of what we have in stock came from a site in east London that had been relatively recently been laid but after a couple of years formation drainage issues were discovered. That then needed the track ripping out on Sunday closures as assembled track panels cut into short lengths to clear the site with speed of work of essence, the drainage issues resolved and replacement long welded rail bought in for rapid mechanised relaying to ensure completion by close of play each Sunday evening. The rail RVR inherited has little wear on its head and so is ideal for our work. Those track panels came complete with concrete sleepers and all their necessary fastenings and over the years gave us nearly all the rail & sleepers we need.

Much of those second-hand track panels came in 30 foot lengths, which we weld into 60 foots using contractors working at Robertsbridge so making them ready for reuse. Some came as 20 foot, or shorter, panels – which have provided many of the concrete sleepers we will use but the cost, and practicality, of welding those short rails into long 60 foot rails is no longer economic.

So, we are moving all the 60 foot rails that have been welded together in the past by RVR from Robertsbridge to Junction Rd, which along with the mentioned small quantity of new RVR stock rails acquired opportunistically three years ago, to create space for the contractor to do the remaining welding needed on the rest of the 30 foot rails at Robertsbridge. As further of the 30 foot rails are welded into pairs they will also be delivered out to the railhead until the entire 3.4 kilometers of track is ultimately laid so we can all then go for a ride!


Mike Hart

 

Thanks for the explanation Mike.

Are you able to cash in the rails which were too short as scrap, or perhaps you already have?

 

British Steel rails arriving at Junction Road in preparation for,,,,,

https://rvrailway.blogspot.com/2025/07/British Steel -1.html

 

Further update on the Station building

https://rvrailway.blogspot.com/2025/07/station-building-291-late-jun-25.html

 

Will you be welding up into CWR or remaining as 60ft jointed?

 

60ft panels. Mike

 

Personally Id be pretty relaxed about the jointing, with new rail the joints on the Bodiam extension have held up pretty well in 25 years when the lines only used as a standard heritage line. Its swings and roundabouts. Theres probably only a couple of joints that have caused problems. Certainly as a 'Global' K&ESR wed have been better welding up some of the bullhead joints with unlimited funding. obviously being in the sunny south we dont suffer from the "its grim up north permafrost"