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A Kent & East Sussex Engine Workings 1948-1954 by Terry GouldFirst
published in issue 65 of The Tenterden Terrier Winter
1994 A previous article (The Tenterden Terrier No.29 page
25) detailed the engines used on Although the K&ESR came under the control of the Southern Region of British Railways on 2nd February 1948, there was no overnight change in actual operations, and indeed as far as the locomotive department was concerned, things continued much the same for several months. Only two of the old company’s engines had survived the wartime scrap drives: “Terrier” No.3 had been rebuilt to A1X in 1944 and had been further overhauled at Brighton in 1947, so should have been in good condition. No.4 the “Saddleback” 0-6-0ST, however, was not. Although it had been used for hop-picking traffic in the autumn of 1947, it saw only sporadic use afterwards, and by February 1948 a correspondent in the “Railway Observer” reported it at Rolvenden “beyond repair”. It was withdrawn in March 1948 and joined a long line of condemned stock in a siding at Headcorn, from where it was taken to Ashford and cut up in the following August. Two “P” Class tanks , Nos.1555 and 1556, had been on hire in 1947 while No.3 was away at Brighton Works, but had been returned in September, no doubt at the end of the hopping season. “Terrier” No.2678 had been on the K&ESR throughout the 1940s and saw much service. Ex-LSWR “0395” Class 0-6-0 No.3440 had also been at Rolvenden for some years but in contrast spent much of its time in the shed. It had however been observed working the 8.50am Headcorn to Rolvenden on 26th April 1947. In January 1948 it went to Ashford Works for overhaul, receiving its new BR number, 30576, on repainting. Its place at Rolvenden was taken by ex-SER “01” Class No.1434, which had been transferred to Ashford in June 1947. In May 1948, the K&ESR locomotive department was integrated into the Southern Region when Rolvenden became a sub-shed of Ashford. At any one time there were about four locomotives based at Rolvenden – usually one 01 and three A1Xs – from a total of about four of each class allocated to Ashford, where the 01s were also used as Works pilots. Engines were turned around as required, although as Rolvenden continued to do minor repairs and some boiler washouts, this was less frequent than might have been expected. In 1949, Ashford was allocated shed code 74A in the new LMS-inspired BR system, and cast plates appeared on smokebox doors. Another new feature was the appearance of the BR power classification code – 0P for the Terriers and 1F for the 01s. Insistence on rules and regulations became stricter under the new regime; for example, the prohibition on running two engines coupled together was enforced as it had previously been (compare the two photographs in “The Tenterden Terrier” No.62, pages 28 and 29, for example). One Southern practice which was only occasionally followed was the use of headcode discs to indicate a train’s route; there was little opportunity for confusion on the K&ESR. Compared with the surprisingly complex carriage workings during this period (see “The Tenterden Terrier” No.46, page 31), the locomotive workings were much more straightforward. There were two duties worked from Rolvenden shed, one booked for an 01 0-6-0 (although an A1X sometimes substituted if necessary) and the other for an A1X 0-6-0T. Two sets of enginemen were required for each loco duty. In 1949, the duties were numbered 390 and 391. As can be seen with the diagram [summarised in Footnotes], care was taken to ensure that the 01 worked only between Headcorn and Rolvenden, and that the Terrier worked only between Tenterden and Robertsbridge, with no booked workings to Headcorn in normal circumstances. The 0850 am “Mixed” from Headcorn to Robertsbridge, therefore, was worked by an 01 as far as Rolvenden only, where it came off and was replaced by an A1X for the remainder of the journey, continuing from Rolvenden at 0946 am. Locomotives allocated to Ashford during this period and those actually observed on the K&ESR section are summarised in the accompanying table [refer to footnotes]. Details of the individual locomotives, based on official BR lists, the “Railway Observer” and the late D.L.Bradley’s locomotive histories are as follows:
Some examples of the dispositions of the locomotives, as recorded in the “Railway Observer” from time to time are quoted below:
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Charity
No. 1050480 |
Footnotes:- As may be apparent from the above, motive power in the immediate post-war period on the K&ESR was rather varied. The Ashford allocation/use on K&ESR from 1947 to just after closure tabulated by engine above, is also summarised as a chart in the body of the article. Where unsubstantiated by word or photograph, the following may be concluded: On the northern section, and if not being covered by a Terrier, 1434 or 1390 worked trains with 30576 essentially spare engine. In 1950, 31370 from Q2 or 31048 from Q4 were most likely to be observed, backed up from 1951 Q3 by 31064 or 31065 until closure. On the southern section, but also working the whole line, 3 and 32678 were essentially the engines of choice. These were supplemented by 2640 and 32644 and later 32659; for a time all five were probably available for service. With the loss of 2640 and 32644 coupled with improved 01 availability from the mid-1950 to mid-1951 period, availability dropped to three with 32677 as spare at Ashford. By inference, 32678 and 32659 seem to have been preferred with 32670 as backup. 32655 returned for the last nine months and was kept busy until the demise of passenger services. Also charted are the two Rolvenden duties, both covered by two crews. Duty 390, often an 01, saw the crew on duty at 6.50 am for a 7.35 off-shed. They worked the 7.53 am Rolvenden to Headcorn arriving 8.30 am. The only through passenger train of the day ran as a mixed, departing 8.50 am for Rolvenden to be relieved by the Terrier on Duty 391. The next working was the 9.53 am to Headcorn with a 10.30 am arrival; the subsequent 10.55 am train terminated Tenterden Town at 11.25 for a snappy turnaround for a 11.32 am back north arriving 12.05 pm. The 12.30 am departure ran through to Rolvenden arriving 1.15pm where the engine would shunt as necessary. Crew relief was at 3.00 pm. This crew started with a mixed to Headcorn departing 3.15 pm and arriving 4.22 pm in order to form the 4.46 pm to Tenterden Town with a scheduled arrival of 5.24 pm. Just over half an hour later another mixed left for Headcorn at 6.00 pm reaching the terminus at 6.38 pm. On weekdays, the train waited until 7.15 pm for the final run back to Rolvenden arriving 7.52 pm; on Saturday this train ran 20 minutes earlier.Duty 391 involved the Terrier being off-shed at 6.25
am; the crew having a 5.40 am sign-on time. Only five minutes were allowed
for the first passenger working of the day, arriving Tenterden Town 6.45
am forming the 6.55 to Robertsbridge. This was scheduled to arrive at
7.40 am; the return working left at 8.15 am. On reaching Tenterden Town
at 8.55 am, the engine left light for Rolvenden at 9.05 am on weekdays
but worked empties on Saturday. Crew change followed at 1.35 pm but there was little
to do bar servicing and shunting until the 4.35 pm mixed from Tenterden
Town to Robertsbridge. Arrival was at 5.30 pm; on Saturday the process
was executed 20 minutes earlier. This then formed the 5.50 pm reaching
Tenterden Town at 6.30 pm. The engine then ran light back to Rolvenden
for See also the two articles “The Last Day” elsewhere on the website This issue also included a letter on page 33 from Mrs Elizabeth Davis of Whitstable, Kent, highlighting the plight of Terriers on the K&ESR by 1994… “Sir – My husband, my mother and I are all saddened and outraged by the sight of the two separate halves of Locomotive 32670 “Bodiam” (sic) apparently abandoned on opposite sides of the A28 Rolvenden level crossing. This is surely the oldest locomotive in the care of the Kent & East Sussex Railway, and is, in fact, the one which first drew us to become members of the Railway in 1974. I cannot understand why the restoration of an engine of such historic interest should not be a priority, and hope we will soon see it receiving some attention.” To which the Chairman, David Stratton, responded… “I can well understand the concern of Mrs Davis and others about the condition of No.3 “Bodiam”. Boiler repairs which will cost in the region of £35 000 are needed, and it is intended to launch a fund for the restoration of this historic locomotive sometime in 1995.” The Terrier Trust was about to be conceived, as the next
article, one year on, will relate… |