Exciting plans to extend the Kent & East Sussex Railway to Robertsbridge – where it will meet the Network Rail mainline – have reached a milestone point with the completion of a new carriage shed.
The impressive steel-framed structure, built by Scorpion Engineering, will be officially opened at 5pm on Sunday 20 September.
Located across the tracks from the railway’s Rolvenden locomotive depot, the spacious ‘four-road’ facility will provide cover for the carriages operating daily on the preserved railway, along with an acclaimed collection of vintage carriages that has become an integral part of the attraction. These include a trio of brake thirds, dating from 1887-89, built by the Great Eastern and London Chatham & Dover railways; an 1890 LNWR inspection saloon and an 1899 LCDR compartment third.
The building of the 120m shed was made possible by a £500,000 donation from an anonymous benefactor. Other steam enthusiasts have already donated £2million to the project, which it is hoped will be completed by 2018.
Ian Legg, Deputy Chairman of the Kent & East Sussex Railway, said:
“The K&ESR is grateful for the support of the RVR in funding the carriage shed which will allow our precious historic Victorian and Edwardian carriages to be kept in the dry, allowing them to be enjoyed for many years to come. This will mean they will be ready for use when once again Tenterden is connected to Robertsbridge.”
Currently, the Kent & East Sussex Railway carries passengers along 10.5 miles of scenic track from Tenterden to Bodiam. The three-mile extension to Robertsbridge is a major challenge that requires the restoration of one bridge and the building of four new bridges, the installation of three level crossings and a new terminal station, adjacent to Network Rail’s station at Robertsbridge. A further £2million of funding is required to complete the project.
The extension is being planned, funded and built by Rother Valley Railway, which is working closely with the Kent & East Sussex Railway to ensure the project will be successful in the long term. On completion, the new line and the historically styled new station at Robertsbridge will be sold to the Kent & East Sussex Railway for a nominal fee of £1.
Rother Valley Railway has praised Scorpion Engineering for their work on the new shed. Chairman Gardner Crawley said: “They did a very professional job and delivered just what we needed without any fuss.”
Volunteers have been laying the four lengths of new track, or ‘roads’, that will allow locomotives to shunt the rolling stock into the new building.
“Our volunteers are the backbone of the railway and commit a huge amount of time to this project,” said Mark Yonge, Rother Valley Railway’s Press Officer. “There were plenty of people who said we would never complete such an ambitious extension, but in my experience heritage railways succeed thanks to the persistence of enthusiasts – and the Kent and East Sussex Railway is no exception.”
The extension is viewed as a major investment that will boost tourism in the area, providing greater appeal for passengers and allowing visitors to reach the historic Bodiam Castle by public transport. Owned by the National Trust, the castle currently attracts 185,000 visitors per year, most of whom arrive by road.
For more information on the Kent & East Sussex Railway visit www.kesr.org.uk
