The Kent & East Sussex Railway

Holman F Stephens runs round her (his?) train at Tenterden
for the next trip to Bodiam

No Angie holiday would be complete without at least one visit to a preserved railway. So guided by my sometimes trusty satnav, I pointed Bluebell in the direction of the Kent & East Sussex Railway at Tenterden, there to meet up with Julliette.

Isn't blogging wonderful?  Julliette first contacted me through the medium of this blog and now we're good friends.

For railways buffs, the K&ESR holds a special fascination as it was once one part of Colonel Stephens' group of railways - a quaint collection of moribund lines that included the aptly named Weston, Clevedon & Portishead – the WC & P! Each was run with the utmost economy, and most drew to themselves an amazing collection of motive power that other self-respecting railways were happy to see the back of.  All of which, of course, added greatly to the fascination of these lines.

The preservation society has done a wonderful job at bringing the K&ESR back to life, and they are currently pressing on with plans to extend their line to its original junction with the 'main' line at Robertsbridge. Consequently, Colonel Stephens' old railway is now busier than it has ever been. To cater for the burgeoning traffic, locomotives and coaches have been amassed, platforms extended and passing loops installed. Inevitably, some of the old line's bucolic charm has been lost in the process, but I doubt that anyone's complaining.

After a hastily devoured lunch, Julliette and I boarded a steam train for the trip to Bodiam and back, hauled (most appropriately) by tank engine No.23, Holman F Stephens. Our fellow travellers may have wondered why these two middle-aged ladies displayed quite so much interest in the passing railwayana, but we're unrepentant. Julliette has a special fascination for ancient goods wagons, leaping out onto the platform when she spied a particularly interesting specimen, whilst I contributed to the conversation with vaguely intelligent comments on the signalling.

Finally, Julliette snapped this up-to-date version of the classic "Big Engine / Little Person" poster. Ok, the engine's not so big and the small person is rather large, but it was a fitting end to a wonderful day.