NEW HERITAGE CENTRE AT ROMNEY, HYTHE & DYMCHURCH
A new heritage interpretation centre is to open on the Romney, Hythe & Dymchurch Railway in August.
Developed by the RHDR Association in partnership with the railway company, the project was officially launched on January 18, and work to convert and upgrade the old paint shop at New Romney is already under way.
Nigel Whitburn, the RHDRA trustee in charge of the project, said: “We are still working on details of the contents, but the plan is to use the walls to display about ten panels telling the simple story of the railway. It is not intended to be too detailed or text heavy as we are aiming it at the casual visitor who wants to know who built the railway and why, while they have 20 minutes to kill between trains.
“We do not have the space or range of artefacts to do a ‘Ratty’ with its new museum. However, we intend to display some bits, such as old signs, locomotive headboards and so on, and some dioramas of locomotive and stock models that we already have on display in the toy and model museum.”
Renovation work on the old paint shop includes external repairs to the woodwork, a new set of doors and a new raised floor with underfloor heating, as well as possibly a new roof.
Elsewhere at New Romney, the old engine shed has been given a temporary stay of execution. The 1926-built building is in line for demolition owing to its poor condition (SR493) but will continue in use for a short while yet. RHDR general manager Danny Martin said: “The shed soldiers on as the work to enhance the main new locomotive shed has taken longer than we had wanted to get organised.”