Rother Valley track is ready for trains from Tenterden
The Track layout of the rother Valley railway’s new station at robertsbridge Junction is almost complete, in readiness for the first trains over an extended kent & east Sussex railway thanks to continued support from Network rail. Following last year’s installation of the turnout to link the RVR to the national network, NR completed the job in September with the re‑laying of the track in the former KESR bay platform. The original 91¼lb rail with wooden sleepers and keys, dating back to the days of the original Colonel Stephens light railway, has been replaced with concrete‑ sleepered track, with ballasting and tamping also completed. During its construction, the RVR has provided the ideal ground for NR apprentices to be trained in the use of on‑track plant, and has also accommodated teams from London Underground. Representatives of the latter joined NR Chairman Sir Peter Hendy on a visit to the RVR in June, taking a circular route from London via Headcorn and the KESR from Tenterden to Bodiam, with vintage buses filling in the gaps between the railways. Sir Peter commented: “I was not too sure what I was going to see at Robertsbridge, but what I found was inspirational. We will give this enterprise our full backing.” Infrastructure above track level is also starting to take shape, with the construction of a new toilet building on the platform having begun, thanks to a generous benefactor. Designed as a standalone building initially, it will later be attached to the main station building. A genuine Colonel Stephens item has also appeared, with the installation of a water tower that, in true light railway ‘recycling’ tradition, has found its third, or possibly even fourth, home. It was originally sited at Shrewsbury Abbey station on the Shropshire & Montgomeryshire Railway, although it is thought to be quite elderly, as rumour has it that the frugal Colonel acquired it second‑hand from the GWR. In order to avoid paying water rates, he arranged for it to be filled from a nearby stream. In preservation, it was first re‑erected at Wittersham Road when this station was the KESR’s western terminus, but fell out of use as the line extended, and was placed in store. Now fully restored, it is to be fed with treated water from a tank on the opposite side of the line. RVR Press Officer Mark Yonge said: “Proudly overlooking Station Road, it has drawn favourable comments from villagers, and the new track in the bay has also attracted much interest as further evidence of our intentions to restore the railway to Tenterden.”