East Kent Railway
If you have an enquiry please telephone 01304 832042 or use the contact button
Registered Charity No. 1095790
Station Road, Shepherdswell, Dover, Kent, CT15 7PD
Latest News 2012
427 hauls again!
The iconic Ruston & Hornsby 0-6-0 LSSH diesel loco 427 'The Buffs' ran again on Sunday 22nd April for the first time in 7 years, hauling a passenger train. The run was not as successfull as hoped, teething troubles were encountered and will be looked at, athough it was wonderful to see the loco running again.
All the best to the locomotives owning group.
Also, the loco successfully completed a run to Wigmore Lane on the previous Thursday, in readiness for the opening of the line.
New Attraction...
March 2012 has seen a great step forward for the railway. Our MK2 TSO, E5220 has been redundant for many years, although now it has been recently internally refurbished for seated accomodation for visitors. It is planned that a small museum with photographs and information will be installed in the carriage to give visitors something else to look at whilst waiting for their train.
This is a largely youth based project, and it is hoped that visitors will enjoy the results of the hard work and effort.
The MK2 is a work in progress and it is hoped to return to traffic in the future.
Pound Day Huge Success
Sunday 25th March 2012 saw another Travel for a Pound day, which was an incredible success. Around 400 people turned out to travel on the line for one pound. The cafe was busy all day with all items at £1.
It was very nice to see such a large turnout and we hope that many customers will return in the year!
Traction for the day was class 09, D4113 and the 2-EPB 5759, which brought their own crowds as well as the general public. The miniature railway carried a record of 158 people all day.
Colonel's Cafe OPENS!
We are pleased to announce the grand opening of the Platform One Cafe was completed successfully on Wednesday 20th April. After months of hard work from John Kemp, Laurie, Neil and myself, as well as everyone else who lent a land to the project, the opening day was a success. The cafe was open over the Easter Period, and was incredibly busy all four days, which was a well deserved treat after the effort that had been put in.
The building was orignally a mobile classroom, and since December, John and his group have been converting it to become the new cafe, taking over from the buffet carriage.
John hopes that the buffet will be open most weekdays and weekends.
427 runs again! March 2011 Our flagship diesel shunter, Ruston & Hornsby 427 'The Buffs' has run again for the first time in almost 5 years. The loco was run between Shepherdswell and North Bank Level Crossing in March and is hoped to be in service at some point in the near future, after an exhauster is fitted to allow it to haul passenger trains. This is a momentus occasion for the railway, and it is great to see her running again. Photos courtesy of Robert Hopkins
During the closed season, work has taken place to cut down lineside vegetation with the use of the RRV. (Road Rail Vehicle) This has proved to be a success and the lineside is now much clearer than before. This work can only really be carried out when trains are not running, or during midweek, as it is difficult to collect enough volunteers to operate trains and cut down vegetation at the same time. New volunteers are always welcome.
The Platform 1 Cafe Project is currently well under way and nearing completion. John and Laurie have worked incredibly hard for the past few months to make this dream a reality. It is expected that the cafe will be open within the next month, (April-May). The building was once a workshop and the task has involved gutting it out and putting a new roof on. More photos to be uploaded soon. This project is an absolute credit to those involved and will become the new railway buffet once completed. It is expected to be open most days of the week even when the railway is not operating.
Betteshanger Mining Wagons Saved! In March, Anthony Larkins contacted SEEDA to enquire about some abandoned narrow guage colliery wagons outside the old Betteshanger Colliery. SEEDA gave the railway permisson to take the wagons to the EKR for preservation, and they have now been painted in authentic white livery and put on display. The hand cart is displayed near the entrance to the site, and the other two tubs will be taken to Eythorne and hopefully run on dual gauge track on demonstration runs. Pictures to follow
You are viewing the text version of this site.
To view the full version please install the Adobe Flash Player and ensure your web browser has JavaScript enabled.
Need help? check the requirements page.
