Glenbrook Vintage Railway

An interesting look at a railway far away from our usual locoyard fodder -Glenbrook Vintage Railway – http://wp.me/p4fOIC-B5

The Ones That Got Away

Well, we thought the tour of Rolvenden report was over, but there were a couple of locomotives that somehow missed the roundup. The first is Class 33 (33052) D6570 Ashford. This locomotive was looking a little sorry for itself and needs some tlc to get back to running condition. D6570 is a member of a…

Whoops!

Tonight’s blog post is short but sweet! If you look at the writing on the frames of Army Brake Van ( SR Pattern) M 360327 on the K&ESR, you’ll notice that the writing is the wrong way round. Or in other words, the frames are upside down!

Behind the Scenes at Rolvenden, Part 3

In my opinion, the Kent and East Sussex Railway (K&ESR) is the finest example of a preserved light railway, but now has a large facility that many “heavy” preserved lines would kill for – a massive carriage storage facility. The building was paid for by the Rother Valley Railway, who are working laying track towards Bodiam from Robertsbridge…

Shad does the West Somerset Railway

An excellent article with wonderful photographs – http://wp.me/p3ygJW-Vb

Rolvenden Signal Box

My tour of Rolvenden Works on the Kent and East Sussex Railway, had an added bonus that I wasn’t expecting – a look inside the substantial signal box. It is the line’s largest signal box and like everything (save the concrete water tower) on the site, was installed in preservation. The design is based on LB&SCR practice…

The Oldest Working Diesel-Electric Locomotive in the UK

A tour of Rolvenden works gave an opportunity to get close to a rare Diesel-Electric locomotive, constructed for Ford’s Dagenham factory by the British Thompson Houston Company (BTH). Diesel-electric No. 40 is a Bo+Bo shunter, built along similar lines to American Switcher locomotive’s, hence it looking different to most equivalent machines in the UK. The American connection is natural enough…

Behind the Scenes at Rolvenden, Part 2

Following from yesterdays blog post, we continue the report on the behind the scenes tour at Rolvenden works on the Kent and East Sussex Railway (K&ESR). The focus this time is on locomotives out of service, that include one that (like the two Terrier tanks) has a historical connection with the railway in pre-preservation days. Indeed, the…

Behind the Scenes at Rolvenden, Part 1

I have to begin this blog post with a huge thank you to the staff and volunteers of the Kent and East Sussex Railway (K&ESR) and in particular Bradley Bottomley for sparing the time to show me around the railway’s facilities at Rolvenden. The tour was fascinating and everyone was very friendly.