Scan of a slide taken in 1994; 1994 is another of those year's where I have no notes to accompany the boxes of slides. This is hardly surprising, our first born turned one that year, number two was on the way and the spectre of redundancy was at its most real. So train photography was a snatched and unrecorded activity and in fact I'm slightly surprised to find that I made a trip to the K&ESR at all that year.
Perhaps I made the effort as 'Wainwright' returned to steam that year. Built for the United States Army Corps of Engineers as No 1960, and sent to the UK under Lend-Lease this loco was initially stored at Newbury Racecourse. Fourteen were purchased by the Southern Railway and sent to the Melbourne Military Railway for running in. This example entered service with the Southern Railway in April 1947 as USA Class No. 70. Renumbered 30070 by British Railways it worked at Southampton Docks and was then transferred to Departmental service at Ashford Wagon Work as No. DS238, where it was named 'Wainwright'. Withdrawn in June 1967 and sold for scrap to Woodham Brothers, Barry, Wales. in March 1968 the loco developed a hot box en route to Wales and was dumped at Tonbridge along with class mate No. DS237 (65/30065/22). This turned out to be fortuitous as both locos were bought by the K&ESR in August 1968 and delivered the next month.
Scan of a slide taken at Northiam in 1994; The erstwhile No. 70/30070 acquired the name 'Wainwright' whilst in Departmental stock as DS238 at Ashford. It retained the name in K&ESR stock as No. 21.
Scan of a slide taken in 1994; two examples of the 16XX Class did reach Scotland (where they worked on the Dornoch Light Railway), but nevertheless, I think the 74A (Ashford) shed plate is a stretch. A history of the loco from the K&ESR website:
"This type had its origins in the GWR's 1897-1905 built 2021 class and shared a number of leading dimensions with the earlier locomotives. Although of pure Great Western ancestry and designed by F. W. Hawksworth, the 70 locomotives of class 16XX were built by British Railways between October 1949 and May 1955.
The class was constructed to a restricted loading gauge for use on routes with low overbridges and had a modest axle loading of 13 tons 18 cwt. Many were based in South Wales and there was an allocation of 10 to Lydney in the Forest of Dean. Others worked in Cornwall in one direction and as far afield as Scotland in the other. Workings in South Wales included duties on the Burry Port and Gwendraeth Valley Railway (BPGV), a line which Colonel Stephens had reconstructed as a light railway.
Built at Swindon, No. 1638 was first allocated to Llanelly in March 1951 ( for service on the BPGV) and was withdrawn from service at Croes Newydd in August 1966. It was purchased for preservation for £1300 and arrived at the Dart Valley Railway on 25 November 1967. The locomotive was acquired for the K&ESR in 1992 and arrived on 1 July 1992; it is now owned by the Railway. It has proved a useful addition to the fleet and, despite its smaller dimensions, appears to be the equal of the Austerities. The K&ESR fleet number has never been carried although when playing the part of Duck on ‘Thomas' weekends the number 8 is displayed."
Scan of a slide taken in 1994 at Northiam: as well as the return of 0-6-0T No. DS238's to service, 1994 also saw SE&CR Saloon No. 177 enter traffic. I've already noted that 1994 was a busy year for us, as two had become three the year before and three would become four the following year. Not only that but work was especially fraught, so by now I had downed tools in C&W, but the following from the C&W section of the Summer 1994 Tenterden Terrier seems apt "... the entry of the SE&CR family saloon into service ... did much to for everyone's morale, the coach's popularity with the public more than justifying all the effort that went into the project. At the time of writing, the department's enthusiasm (and sense of humour) is standing up well despite increasing demands and a heavy workload."
One of a pair of family saloons built at Ashford in 1900 and numbered 177. Despite the notion of family saloons losing favour, the vehicle survived to be taken into Southern Railway stock, acquiring the number 7913. Sold on to the Longmoor Military Railway in 1936 the carriage became part of the famous Longmoor ‘Blue Saloon’ set, running with the L&NWR Inspection Saloon and L&SWR Invalid Saloon No. 4105. When Longmoor closed in 1969 all three vehicles moved to the Severn Valley Railway, where they fell out of use before purchase by the K&ESR in 1985 (the SE&CR saloon was purchased by the K&ESR Loco Trust and the other two carriages by individual members).
The vehicle is a bogie carriage, but relatively short at 38’ and internally had a luggage compartment, a saloon, a smoking compartment and cubicles off of the corridor for a WC and a wash basin respectively.
Information compiled from ‘Preserved Railway Carriages’ by Michael Harris, the K&ESR web-site and Tom Burnham’s article in the Winter 1985 ‘Tenterden Terrier’
Scan of a slide taken in 1994 at Robertsbridge. This vehicle was built by the SE&CR at Ashford in 1919 as a prototype untily van. In the same year it was used to transport the repatriated body of Edith Cavell and later that year it also transported the body of Captain Charles Algernon Fryat. The following year it was used to transport the body of 'The Unknown Warrior' on his final journey to Westminster Abbey.
Preserved in 1991 and initially stored at Hoo Junction it moved to the KESR in 1992. From 1992 (as shown above) the van was on display in Robertsbridge Station Yard.
Since this photograph was taken the van moved back to K&ESR in late 2004. In 2010 the van was gifted to the Colonel Stephens Railway Museum by late John Miller. Now fully restored the van is on display at Bodiam.