Tour de France proves Tour de Force

The prologue and first stage proper of Le Tour 2007 proved to be a spectacular success over the weekend of 06 and 07 July, helped, not in the least, by long-overdue warm July sunshine.

This was the first time London was afforded the honour of staging Le Grand Depart, which apparently is only staged out of France in a maximum of two out of every five years.  Thirteen years have passed since the last visit of the event; in 1994, it was a mid-week race to mark the opening of the Channel Tunnel and only a part of that route was duplicated this time, albeit the other way round

Afforded the status of an intermediate sprint, Tenterden literally went to Town as witnessed by the enormous crowds that greeted the publicity caravan and the race itself.  Special parking arrangements applied, for roads on the route were closed for about six hours on a rolling basis, including park and ride facilities from Northiam and Rolvenden stations via the K&ESR

Appropriately from a TTT point of view the protracted roll-out from the centre of London to Greenwich involved crossing the East London line, an old Terrier tunnel, so to speak 

Personal circumstances dictated seeing the majority of the race channel-hopping between ITV4 and British Eurosport, other than passing through Ashford, although I was able to attend Northiam station in the morning to see the Vintage Train arrive ECS for a 0945 service to Tenterden Town

Why make the effort?  Well, since the extensions of the K&ESR, it has been very difficult to obtain worthwhile sunshine scenes in the Up direction at certain locations and a train at Northiam at this time of day was pure manna from heaven.  However, road closures had meant the trip from Ashford was ever so slightly hairy; passing through Beckley I was resigned to the fact that I would only be in time to see le depart…

Sometimes things do however work out; it was a blessed relief to discover no train and judging by the significant queues out the door, this element of the massive enterprise laid on was bound to be successful.  Certainly, it boded well for the day

So, slightly late, “Bodiam” appeared with the Vintage Train that was speedily unlocked for the waiting passengers.  The timetable quite properly allowed for three normal return trips to Bodiam during the day as well as providing an additional DMMU starting from Northiam an hour later than the Vintage Train to bolster several Rolvenden-Tenterden Town shuttles provided by the DMMU

This was no time to hold back with the camera.  Various digital and film scenes were taken of the train arriving, “Bodiam” uncoupling, taking water, running round, coupling up, and the train awaiting departure and leaving.  It was a seminal moment.  No.3 was about to haul the Vintage Train on a genuine park and ride service to enable spectators to travel to Tenterden to watch the greatest bicycle race in the world. Though quite trivial in the history of the Terriers, almost a third of a century; yes, a shade under 33 years, have passed since I first rode on a train on the Kent & East Sussex Railway from

Tenterden Town to just beyond Rolvenden behind this little marvel of Victorian engineering.  And everything that has happened since then, its failure in 1977, resurrection for that cometesque short-lived revival in 1984-1985, the years of rotting away at Rolvenden mimicking the events of the early 1930s, the formation of TTT in 1995, the new boiler, the delays, the stellar heights of All Terriers Great and Small in May 2006 and all the setbacks that ensued thereafter including missing the Bluebell event.  Suddenly all the waiting seemed worthwhile; this day was its moment of history, having missed out on the original recommencement of services in 1974 and the subsequent extensions when No.10 or 2678 featured.  I don’t mind admitting whilst firing away at the engine taking water in perfect light, I was conscious of shaking slightly with excitement for several seconds

Inevitably, unaccustomed to taking so many pictures in three different formats in such quick succession, some were not quite as good as others and the overgrowth near the crossing thwarted the intended departure scene but nevertheless, a fair crop ensued, helped by a delay with the detection on the crossing gate Newenden side for operation of the signals.  This ensured all of the queuing customers were able to catch the train.

Back home, the TV viewer was treated to a glorious kaleidoscope of colour from cyclists, town and country as the peleton, principally preceded by a breakaway of five riders including Britain’s David Millar wound their way through the Kent and many familiar landmarks in the Weald.  Inevitably the TV directors couldn’t cover everything from the fleet of helicopters and all the motorcycle cameramen on the road.  Some of the finest scenes were of Brenchley village and the climb to Goudhurst; Leeds Castle was included but they missed the slightly bypassed opportunity of Cranbrook.  Unfortunately they cut back to the peleton in the vicinity of Castleton’s Oak from the lead group so the classic view of St. Mildred’s appearing on the horizon through the archway of trees was missed.