Hopes for KESR ‘Terrier’ to return for June anniversary
WHILE the route is synonymous with the class, the Kent & East Sussex Railway has been devoid of any LBSCR ‘Terrier’ power since 2022, with both
No. 2678 Knowle and No. 70 Poplar having been out of service following failures just months apart.
However, with the former Colonel Stephens light railway celebrating 50 years since opening as a heritage line, KESR workshop staff are now hoping to bring Knowle back into service in time to take part in celebrations this year.
On March 2/3, the A1X 0-6-0T was moved into Rolvenden workshops. Its motion was removed before it was rapidly lifted up on stands to allow the wheels to be extracted and facilitate the necessary assessments to fully ascertain the extent of work required – and help establish if it can indeed be repaired sufficiently to make limited running appearances during the KESR’s golden anniversary year.
Although its most recent overhaul was completed in 2020, with Knowle undertaking tests on the Isle of Wight Steam Railway that December, concerns were found in November 2022 with the motion and frames, which sadly necessitated its withdrawal from service. It has since been kept stored in the Rolvenden sheds.
Earlier the same year, resident classmate Poplar, which had returned to service only that spring, encountered a catastrophic motion failure itself while visiting the Bluebell Railway, which resulted in it too being withdrawn.
With Poplar’s repairs and return to service hampered by ongoing insurance matters, Knowle therefore presents the only currently viable choice for one of the resident ‘Terriers’ to appear in the KESR’s anniversary year.
It will not, however, be a thorough scheme of works. The plan is to undertake sufficient work to enable it to perform only light duties; the full extent of work required is much greater and would therefore take much longer.
General manager Robin Coombes said: “We don’t want to raise everyone’s hopes too much as this is not a full overhaul.
“It is an attempt to repair Knowle so that it would be able to run well enough for ‘gentle’ duties, perhaps during some of our special 50th anniversary events.
“We are currently assessing how realistic this aspiration is. It would be a wonderful bonus to have Knowle with us for at least some of our celebrations.”
Read more online at https:// kesr.org.uk/