Kent & East Sussex Railway

Thanks for the heads up on this. Most appreciated Can't make today or tomorrow as I'm working but hopefully the same combination will be in action over the forthcoming weekend.

 

The vintage stock is most excellent. How often is it in service?

 

On most occasions that departures 2 and 4 in the day are shown as steam. Can't always be guaranteed.

 

Interesting. Hastings on the vintage set would be very nice.

 

Based on the list I've just seen, it's 76017 on the main service this weekend, with Swiftsure out as well.

 

That certainly is what's happening at the moment!

 

For anyone intending to visit on the 6th May, please note that the B set will not be operating due to staffing issues, so it will be a 3 train service, at 10.20, 13.10 and 15.40.

 

This weekend looks like it will be 76017 on the A service both days, with the DMU out on the B set. Swiftsure is due to be the loco for the Sunday Lunch train.

 

Many thanks. At present it looks like I've got a clear Sunday so will try and get down then.

Bryan

 

I should imagine that 76017 must be coming towards the end of its ticket soon, Is the loan deal a run and overhaul deal, or is the loan, only for as long as the boiler ticket? With the ammount of home based engines out of ticket, , 6619, The Norwegian, the pannier, is the policy now to rely on hired in motive power?

 

You're assuming there's a policy.... This has all come about as a result of a number of issues a few years ago, together with Covid slowing things down. Some engines have running agreements, while others are on "pay as you play" deals. 76017 is on hire, and any overhaul will be done by it's owners, not by us. Likewise Swiftsure. DS237 Maunsell is coming together, and will be back before the year is out. 4253 will be on a hire agreement, so that the company will not be paying for the next overhaul. As for the others:

No.3 Bodlar and no.8 Knowle are owned wholly or partly by the Terrier Trust, and are on running agrements. Bodiam/Poplar is awaiting new connecting rods, while Knowle is operational.

No.11 P Class is part owned by the company, with the rest owned by several individuals, and is on a running agreement. The overhaul on this has been paused, as too many small engines were being overhauled at once.

No.12 Marcia is owned by Rapido Trains and one of our drivers. I don't know what the current deal is, since it changed hands. Marcia is currently operational.

No.14 Charwelton is owned by the Rother Valley Railway, and I believe is on a running agreement. It is currently at JM Steam Engineering for assembly.

No.15 Hastings is owned by Mike Hart. I will leave it to Mike to confirm, if he wishes to, what the arrangements are. Hastings is currently a runner.

No.19 the Norwegian is owned by the Norwegian Trust. I believe that is under a running agreement. There is some movement to start this overhaul in the near future, depending on shed space.

No's. 21 and 22, Wainwright and Maunsell, are owned by the Loco Trust, and are under running agreements. Wainwright is stored, and will need a new inner firebox (though the plate to build it is in hand).

No. 23 Holman F. Stephens is owned by RSE Ltd., and is under a running agreement. This will be next in for overhaul, after the USA tank.

No.25 Northiam is owned by Road and Rail Steam Services Ltd, and will soon be leaving.

No.1638, the Pannier tank, is owned by the company, and is undergoing an overhaul at Leaky Finders. This is only progressing as finances allow.

No. 6619 is owned by shareholders, though the company have a majority shareholding. This is in store, pending overhaul.

No.4253 is owned by 4253 Ltd, and will be run on a hire basis. It is approaching the final stages of overhaul.

No. 5668 is owned by 4253 Ltd, and will also be run on a hire basis when restored. It is envisaged that 4253 Ltd will move straight on to 5668 once 4253 is ready for testing.

So that's the picture. Not great at the moment, but with two big engines possibly this year, we will be more stable, and less reliant on hires from outside.

 

I think 76017 came back into service after overhaul in July (ish) 2016.

Which does suggest it may be close to the end of its ticket.

But others far more knowlegeable than myself will know how long the boiler ticket has to go, and if there has been any work done that extends it.

Bryan

 

Was 25 sold then or is it nearing the end of its ticket? Just wondering

 

I might be missing something/be out of the loop but I'm a little confused by the sale of Northiam - I thought it still had a few years left on its ticket, and surely the railway would want to hang onto it at the moment while the operational fleet isn't in the best position?

Happy to be proven wrong though

 

The Tenterden Terrier reported the previous owners, RSE Ltd., (who also own Austerity No.23) agreed to sell it to Road & Rail Steam Services (who also own Swiftsure, Sapper & the Class 20).

25's been on the railway since '77 and'll be missed, I think.

It was the last loco sold by the Army (the few remaining after that were given away) and was Army 197 Sapper. This means R&R now own two Austerities historically entitled to the same name - I really hope they do it and, maybe at some point in the future, send both Sappers to the KESR at the same time for some entertaining confusion.

 

As Miff has said, it belonged to RSE, and not to the railway. I think the railway wanted it to stay, but other developments took place.

 

Thanks again for that. My plans for today changed at short notice so I was able to get down for 76o17 on the afternoon trains.

A very pleasant pure photographic visit (although I have just made Gift Aid donation) with the loco I wanted to photo. A very nice chat with the signalman at Wittersham Road in between his duties, and the same with the station staff, signalman and train staff (while the trains were at the platform) at Northiam. All very welcoming on a day when the trains mostly looked quite busy.

Bryan

 

Thanks, that's very helpful and informative. It would be nice to get a report like that in the Tenterden Terrier once in a while.

 

Sorry, Tom, you'd have to take that up with the bloke that writes the loco report for the Terrier!

 

No worries, I wasn't suggesting you had to do it yourself!