Rother Valley Railway
Encyclopedia
Kent and East Sussex Railway
The Kent & East Sussex Railway refers to both an historical private railway company in Kent and Sussex in England, as well as a heritage railway currently running on part of the route of the historical company.-Historical Company:-Background:...
. Nowadays, the Rother Valley Railway refers to the ‘Missing Link’ between Robertsbridge
Robertsbridge
Robertsbridge is a village in East Sussex, England within the civil parish of Salehurst and Robertsbridge. It is approximately 10 miles north of Hastings and 13 miles south-east of Tunbridge Wells...
, a station on the Tonbridge to Hastings mainline
Hastings Line
The Hastings Line is a railway line in Kent and East Sussex linking Hastings with the main town of Tunbridge Wells, and from there into London via Sevenoaks.-Openings:The line was opened by the South Eastern Railway in main three stages: – :...
, and Bodiam
Bodiam
Bodiam is a small village and civil parish in East Sussex, England, in the valley of the River Rother near to the villages of Sandhurst and Ewhurst Green. It is home to Bodiam Castle, a small range of houses, a pub opposite Bodiam Castle, and a restaurant...
on the Kent and East Sussex Railway
Kent and East Sussex Railway
The Kent & East Sussex Railway refers to both an historical private railway company in Kent and Sussex in England, as well as a heritage railway currently running on part of the route of the historical company.-Historical Company:-Background:...
, a heritage railway
Heritage railway
thumb|right|the Historical [[Khyber train safari|Khyber Railway]] goes through the [[Khyber Pass]], [[Pakistan]]A heritage railway , preserved railway , tourist railway , or tourist railroad is a railway that is run as a tourist attraction, in some cases by volunteers, and...
. A society of volunteers are attempting to re-establish the railway link. The RVR has reinstated the first few hundred yards of line eastwards from Robertsbridge, and in 2010 the one mile stretch running west from Bodiam to Junction Road was completed. In summer 2011 work began at Robertsbridge to extend further eastwards to Northbridge Street, which entails the rebuilding and alteration of five bridges. RVR's base at Robertsbridge features a small shop and visitor centre utilising a building formerly used as the London terminus of the Orient Express
Venice-Simplon Orient Express
The Venice Simplon-Orient-Express is a private luxury train service that travels from London to Venice that is popularly referred to as the Orient Express....
. There is also a collection of historic railway vehicles in various stages of preservation.
Origins
The Kent & East Sussex Railway Preservation Society was formed in 1961 following closure of the line.After many trials and tribulations, the Tenterden
Tenterden
Tenterden is a Cinque Port town in the Ashford District of Kent, England. It stands on the edge of the Weald, overlooking the valley of the River Rother....
Railway Company Limited was incorporated in 1971 as a Company limited by guarantee
Company limited by guarantee
In British and Irish company law, a private company limited by guarantee is an alternative type of corporation used primarily for non-profit organisations that require legal personality. A guarantee company does not usually have a share capital or shareholders, but instead has members who act as...
and in 1973 was successful in purchasing that part of the line between Tenterden and Bodiam. The Tenterden Railway Company is now known as The Kent & East Sussex Railway, as of January 2004. The preservationists were refused permission by the then Transport Minister
Secretary of State for Transport
The Secretary of State for Transport is the member of the cabinet responsible for the British Department for Transport. The role has had a high turnover as new appointments are blamed for the failures of decades of their predecessors...
Barbara Castle
Barbara Castle
Barbara Anne Castle, Baroness Castle of Blackburn , PC, GCOT was a British Labour Party politician....
to take over the section between Bodiam and Robertsbridge, despite taking the Minister to the High Court
High Court of Justice
The High Court of Justice is, together with the Court of Appeal and the Crown Court, one of the Senior Courts of England and Wales...
. The latter section was lifted and became abandoned.
Trains first ran again on the Kent & East Sussex Railway on 3 February 1974 between Tenterden to Rolvenden, the line gradually being restored and extended in stages, reaching Wittersham
Wittersham
Wittersham is a village and civil parish, part of the Isle of Oxney, south of Ashford in Kent, South East England, near Tenterden.The Domesday Book does not mention Wittersham, but it does assign the manor of Palstre to Odo, Bishop of Bayeux. Palstre was only one of four places in the Weald,...
Road in 1977, Northiam
Northiam
Northiam is a village and civil parish in the Rother District of East Sussex, England. The village is located thirteen miles north of Hastings in the valley of the River Rother. The main road that passes through it is the A28 which goes to Canterbury and Hastings.-Governance:The lowest level of...
in 1990 and finally Bodiam on 2 April 2000, exactly 100 years to the day since the original opening of the line to passengers. The Tenterden Railway Company has powers under its Memorandum
Memorandum of Association
The memorandum of association of a company, often simply called the memorandum , is the document that governs the relationship between the company and the outside...
and Articles of Association
Memorandum of Association
The memorandum of association of a company, often simply called the memorandum , is the document that governs the relationship between the company and the outside...
to operate the Railway between Tenterden and Robertsbridge.
A separate Company, the Rother Valley Railway (East Sussex) Ltd, was formed on 22 May 1991 with the approval of the Tenterden Railway Company to reconstruct the railway between Bodiam and Robertsbridge and has since simplified its name to Rother Valley Railway Ltd.
Achievements
Since 1991, the railway has been acquiring parts of the trackbed as and when possible. Negotiations continue with remaining landowners to secure the remainder of the route. Planning permission has been secured for its scheme at Robertsbridge, and the whole route is now safeguarded in the Council's local plan. Liaison continues with the relevant authorities.From 2009 to 2010 the RVR with help from K&ESR and volunteers were able to complete the mile long extension westwards from near Bodiam station, through Quarry Farm, to the B2244 (Junction Road). The first official train ran on the weekend of 19/20 March 2011 (TEDS)
A small collection of rolling stock is stored at Robertsbridge, with several items undergoing active restoration. The RVR also recently acquired its first steam locomotive, Charwelton, which is presently stabled on the K&ESR due to lack of suitable facilities on the RVR.
Rolling stock
The following locomotives are on site- "Titan", a Drewry 0-4-0 diesel mechanical shunter, Vulcan FoundryVulcan FoundryVulcan Foundry was a British locomotive builder sited at Newton-le-Willows, Lancashire .-History:It was originally opened in 1832 as Charles Tayleur and Company to produce girders for bridges, switches and crossings, and other ironwork following the opening of the Liverpool and Manchester Railway...
works number D140. - 97701, Matisa shunter. pic
- "Dougal", a Drewry 0-4-0 shunter, Vulcan Foundry works number D77 pic. In addition are a number of other wagons and carriages undergoing or awaiting restoration.
Future plans
The Rother Valley Railway proposes to restore the missing rail link between Bodiam and Robertsbridge. This is approximately a 2½ mile (3.0 km) long section. There will be an end-on link with the Kent and East Sussex at Bodiam enabling through running. Trains will initially run into the Rother Valley Railway's own station at Robertsbridge, but the ultimate aim is to run trains once more into the bay platform of the main South Eastern station close by. This platform still exists as an engineers siding.Several bridges need to be rebuilt, and three road crossings reinstated including the A21 Robertsbridge by-pass, which was the original stumbling block and major reason which prevented the acquisition of this section by the Tenterden Railway Company in the 1960s. Recently however official attitudes have moderated and the Railway is convinced that when the time is right, assistance and permissions will be granted.