Heads You Win - Tails You Win

The ninth annual Hop Pickers’ Weekend takes place on Saturday and Sunday, 12th and 13th September at Bodiam Station, helping to recall a time when the crop played a much bigger part in the local economy than it does today

Full details of the event have now been published on the main K&ESR website, but the really exciting news, thanks to a splendid bit of cooperation instigated by the leading organiser Robin Dyce, is that the two Terriers will top-and-tail the main set in true Hoppers’ Special tradition

Topping and tailing was imposed on the railway in the old days when the weight of trains demanded more than one engine due to the light construction of bridges and culverts on the southern section of the K&ESR

Both engines worked two of the four excursions run over the line from Robertsbridge to Tenterden Town after closure to passengers and the Northern Extension in 1954, although never together.  Little is formally recorded of the combinations of Terriers that worked the annual Hoppers’ trains in the wind-down period prior to final closure in 1961

The Vintage train will also be in service over the weekend, planned to be worked by the Pannier 1638.  A special request has been passed to the Operating Department to the effect that if either Terrier runs into difficulties – they have both had a bit of bad luck in 2009 – that as expeditiously as possible, 1638 is switched to the main set and the other Terrier to the Vintage train

Such flexibility underlines another advantage of having two Terriers working in traditional style with the Mark1 coaches and a Class 5 on the Vintage set

The Bank Holiday service on 31st August was forced into a last minute adjustment with the unavailability of the DMMU.  32678 was switched from the Vintage train to cover the slot with one of the BR-green coaches and the Birdcage

“Bodiam” was pulled early from its limited August programme to preserve its last two turns for Hoppers’ prior to washout and inspection.  The Trustees have been approached by the railway, who have requested that No.3 maintains its traditional orientation of South for the foreseeable future

HN-05/09/2009