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KESR secure larger locos forRobertsbridge Junction Service

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paul1609

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Following on from the KESRs decision to purchase GWR loco 4253 as a restoration project to support services to a main line interchange at Robertsbridge Junction on the London Charing Cross to Hastings Main Line. The KESR and a group of volunteers have this week secured the transfer of GWR locomotive 6619 for the line, The loco which has previously spent a period on hire to the Wealden line is though to be ideal for handling trains of 5 to 6 car Mk 1 services from Robertsbridge along the light railways gradients to Bodiam Castle and the lines terminus at Tenterden Town. http://kesr-chair.blogspot.co.uk/

 
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steamybrian

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It will be many, many years before the line is built between Robertsbridge and Bodiam.
What gradients between Robertsbridge and Bodiam because I thought that section is level......!
 

paul1609

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Any idea when 6619 will be moving down from Embsay?

Not yet. I believe the agreement was only finalised on Sat.




--- old post above --- --- new post below ---
It will be many, many years before the line is built between Robertsbridge and Bodiam.
What gradients between Robertsbridge and Bodiam because I thought that section is level......!

How many years would you define as many, many?
The reopening is in the hands of the same team that reopened the Welsh Highland, Id suggest that 2 miles of standard gauge is childs play by comparison.

http://12rvrnews.blogspot.co.uk/2012/07/general-progress-in-july-at-rbj.html




 

steamybrian

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The route between Robertsbridge(Northbridge Street) and Bodiam (Junction Road) Bodiam will cross Northbridge Street ,the main A21 (Robertsbridge -by-pass) and the A229 at Junction Road.
The trackbed has been sold off to local land owners and one of the farmers I understand is not only wholly against the rebuilding of the railway but has removed a section of embankment.
The two easy sections between Robertsbridge -Northbridge Street and Junction Road- Bodiam have been laid with track.
The line is in a flood plain making construction more difficult.
I would suggest many,many years equals 20 years before the line is open.



To compare it with the Welsh Highland Railway is nonsence because most of the 25 mile trackbed was owned by the society except for some short sections.
 

paul1609

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The route between Robertsbridge(Northbridge Street) and Bodiam (Junction Road) Bodiam will cross Northbridge Street ,the main A21 (Robertsbridge -by-pass) and the A229 at Junction Road.
The trackbed has been sold off to local land owners and one of the farmers I understand is not only wholly against the rebuilding of the railway but has removed a section of embankment.
The two easy sections between Robertsbridge -Northbridge Street and Junction Road- Bodiam have been laid with track.
The line is in a flood plain making construction more difficult.
I would suggest many,many years equals 20 years before the line is open.



To compare it with the Welsh Highland Railway is nonsence because most of the 25 mile trackbed was owned by the society except for some short sections.

I'd suggest you are being unduly pessimistic,
We have considerable experience of rebuilding railways in a flood plain. During the extension to Bodiam the existing formation was levelled and rebuilt to a high standard, the bridge at Mill Ditch was removed. The farmer between Bodiam and Junction Road had also removed the embankment through 2 large fields but we rebuilt this over about 6 months.
On the section between Junction Road and the Clappers (the original A21) as you say the formation has been removed by one farmer for a length of 5 fields. This is about a third of the remaining section but is straightforward and is only about twice the length of the section we have rebuilt between Bodiam and junction Road. There is also a bridge that needs rebuilding over the River Rother near to the Clappers but we have bought the steel work for this from network rail and it is on the site at Robertsbridge, this would be no more difficult than the 5 bridges rebuilt between Robertsbridge and the clappers. The remaining Rother bridge is in good condition.
The section would as you say require 3 level crossings the plan is that all these will have full lifting barriers. The Dft have (since the plan to dual the A21 south of lamberhust was dropped) no objection in principle to such a crossing on the A21. it is now within a 40 mph road speed limit and it is anticipated in the normal course of events it would be closed around 14 times a day for about 1 1/2 mins. The A229 was diverted away from Junction Road over 40 years ago, its now the B2244 and lightly trafficked. East Sussex County council the traffic authority for this and the clappers support the plan in principle, they are anyway looking at either traffic calming or alternate way traffic lights on the Junction Road Rother bridge which is north of the proposed crossing and narrow. The K&ESR of course has nearly 40 years experience of operating A class road level crossings.
All the above can be confirmed on Google Maps. The unknown I would suggest is the time for the T& W order and possible public enquiry.




--- old post above --- --- new post below ---
Any idea when 6619 will be moving down from Embsay?

I think it's awaiting the arrangement of transport, I understand that we will be hiring one of our locos to the Embsay railway for the remainder of the season so we don't leave them short, possibly USA No 65



 
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60163tornado

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Been down to the embsay and bolton abbey railway today and they have secured a longer loan for Norman for the future and they said that they are swapping 6619 for the K&ESR's USA tank 65, So look forward to seeing that.
 

STEVIEBOY1

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There is footage elsewhere on this site of the extention from Robertsbridge going towards Bodium, I think they have got quite a long way infact, but there is at least one main road crossing to overcome. I think other crossings have been sorted out now and some may even be in place.
 

Waddon

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I can see the crossing of the A21 being a major issue for an extension, I hope it can be overcome as it would be a great journey. I know there was talk a while ago of the council wanting to rebuild the road on a higher alignment due to flooding issues, I don't know if that is ever likely to happen?
 

paul1609

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I can see the crossing of the A21 being a major issue for an extension, I hope it can be overcome as it would be a great journey. I know there was talk a while ago of the council wanting to rebuild the road on a higher alignment due to flooding issues, I don't know if that is ever likely to happen?

Think that raising of the Bypass is now dead. The transport and works order is likely to go to a public inquiry that will consider the A21 crossing amongst other issues but I think all the public bodies are on side. There was certainly a lot of interest from the Robertsbridge Community for the recent open day. Robertsbridge has become a bit of a back water since the building of the bypass and I think that the majority of the residents are very much in favour of the scheme. Id hazard a guess that there will be a one off steam event at Robertsbridge Junction within 18 months or so to raise the profile of the scheme :)



 

E&W Lucas

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The section would as you say require 3 level crossings the plan is that all these will have full lifting barriers. The Dft have (since the plan to dual the A21 south of lamberhust was dropped) no objection in principle to such a crossing on the A21. it is now within a 40 mph road speed limit and it is anticipated in the normal course of events it would be closed around 14 times a day for about 1 1/2 mins. The A229 was diverted away from Junction Road over 40 years ago, its now the B2244 and lightly trafficked. East Sussex County council the traffic authority for this and the clappers support the plan in principle, they are anyway looking at either traffic calming or alternate way traffic lights on the Junction Road Rother bridge which is north of the proposed crossing and narrow. The K&ESR of course has nearly 40 years experience of operating A class road level crossings.
All the above can be confirmed on Google Maps. The unknown I would suggest is the time for the T& W order and possible public enquiry.

This sounds a little optimistic. Getting permission for a LC, especially over an A road, is a massive challenge. HMRI are on record as being dead set against any new LC's. I hope some common sense can come into play, but I wouldn't bank on it.
 

paul1609

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This sounds a little optimistic. Getting permission for a LC, especially over an A road, is a massive challenge. HMRI are on record as being dead set against any new LC's. I hope some common sense can come into play, but I wouldn't bank on it.

I'd agree that you need to dot your i s and cross your t s but I dont think the authorities are as dead set as you would think. I believe that the Bodiam to Junction Road section was actually the first section of preserved railway to be operated under the ROGS regulations rather than a light railway order. The authorities were actually very positive to investigate how this was going to work and gave a lot of advice and time. I think that if you carry out a risk assessment of a full barriered crossing with low relative speeds 40 mph for road and 10 mph for rail with very good visibility as is the case with the A21 Robertsbridge Bypass the risks are not especially high.
 
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