£1

Journal of the Rother Valley Railway Supporters’

Association

Issue 49 Autumn 2009 Rother Valley Railway Supporters Association Officers: David Felton (Treasurer) Helen Brett Steve Griffiths (Sect. & acting Editor of the Phoenix) editor@rvr.org.uk Trevor Streeter (Memb. Secretary and webmaster) membership@rvr.org.uk Geoff Wyatt

The Rother Valley Railway Station, Station Road, Robertsbridge, East Sussex, TN32 5DG telephone: 01580 881833 RVR e-mail: reception@rvr.org.uk RVR website: www.rvr.org.uk

Rother Valley Railway Heritage Trust

Rother Valley Railway Ltd

Directors: David Felton (Chairman & Co. Secretary); Roy Seaborne; John Snell; Mike Hart

Trustees: Gardner Crawley (Chairman); Peter Davis; David Felton; Mike Hart; Roy Seaborne; John Snell

Reg. Office: 3-4 Bower Terrace, Maidstone, Kent, ME16 8RY

Phoenix copyright: The Rother Valley Railway Supporters’ Association

& contributors as named.

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EDITORIAL Welcome to the 49th edition of the Phoenix. As always, we aim to keep our members up to date with our activities and plans here at Robertsbridge. I am sorry to have to kick off with some bad news. Dave Rimmer, our Association Chairman and RVR Chief Engineer, who members will know has been suffering poor health recently, has stood down from his official responsibilities. The good news is that we understand that he wants to remain involved so far as he can. We are all very grateful to him for all his dedicated work for the railway, his leadership and drive, which have taken us so close to the goal of offering train services for the paying public. We wish him well, and a speedy return to better health. In a major development, Gardner Crawley, chairman of the RVR Trust, outlines below a bid which was made to the Big Lottery Fund for £480,000 to help reinstate the line to Northbridge Street. Just as we were about to go to print, news came that the bid had not succeeded, sadly. In July, we received a visit from one of Her Majesty’s Inspectorate of Railways, which was I believe our first for several years. HMRI is part of the Office of the Rail Regulator - ORR for short. It is clear that heritage railways continue to enjoy the support of a team of officials specialising in, and keen to help, the smaller independent railways like ours. HMRI have kindly offered us another visit when we are close to running passenger trains at Robertsbridge. All of our plans to achieve this, our next main aim, seemed to chime with HMRI thinking on what we need to do to start up and safely run a service, which was good to know. So then, all we have to do is complete our planned works on the train, the track, the platform, and get our safety management and some major plant fully up to speed! Work on all this continues, as indicated below. For those of you interested in the more detailed plan - in effect a prioritised task list – please take a look at our website, www.rvr.org.uk. Click on the “members’ area” button on the left of the front page of the website. Then click on the picture that appears. In the box that pops up, enter the username and password which can be obtained from the membership secretary. Meanwhile, as revealed in the news below, good progress is being made at the Bodiam end of our planned route. Land, planning permissions, various works, continue to fall into place, edging RVR metals further westwards to Junction Road. I am acting as editor for the time being, following the resignation of Mike Pease on 24 July. Our thanks go to Mike for all his hard work on the magazine and of course the buffet. His many other contributions to RVR, including painting our buildings and Dougal, are also very much appreciated. The buffet post is being advertised, below. Finally, you will see we are publishing letters once more, to help keep open a two-way channel of communication. The usual editor’s right to select and edit material will apply. So please send me your (short!) letters and also articles, proposals for articles, and photos, by 1 December if you want them in the next (winter) edition. We will try to credit everything. Any uncredited material is probably mine. By the way, if it helps to visualise the editor, mine is the happy face on the front of the Spring edition: living proof that volunteering on RVR is good for the soul! Please come and enjoy some fresh air, healthy exercise, and good fun, free of charge, in a great cause. Steve Griffiths (acting editor) Cover: GBLV 2239. Photo SG.

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RVR Vacancies  Editor of the Phoenix (voluntary): needs basic word-processing ability, and an ability to write and edit to normal standards. Buffet Manager: needs an ability to cook basic meals, and to manage cash (and customers!). Hygiene training can be organised, if you do not have a valid certificate. The buffet has potential to develop. Terms to be discussed. Please apply to David Felton.

Ooops... Spring edition editorial: the references to “turn-up-and-drive”, and training courses, at Robertsbridge should have made clear that these are, at present, ideas. Summer edition: the reference in the editorial to a temporary terminus close to the A21 was a personal comment, which might not have seemed obvious. (See also Gardner’s letter below: Ed) Elsewhere in the magazine, the volunteers helping build the westward extension were from KESR and RVR. Luggage van No 2339 was sold to some volunteers, rather than directly to the RVRSA. “Gainsborough Films” should have read “Grenadier films”. NEWS,NEWS,NEWS

“Village SOS” funding application – by Gardner Crawley  In July David Felton was approached by Stephen Hardy, Chairman of Robertsbridge Enterprise Group (REG), to help put together an application by the village to the Big Lottery Fund for funding under the Village SOS competition. BIG will give six rural villages Lottery funding of up to £500,000 each, to support an enterprise that will benefit their whole community. These six will be able to showcase what their village can achieve on a BBC Television series. Competition for funding is expected to be high. The six enterprises in Village SOS will require drive, ideas and determination. Each successful project will have a year to turn their idea into a reality. They will be supported by an experienced Village Champion who will give the extra specialist support they need to get the enterprise off the ground.

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REG has been a strong supporter of the RVR since REG’s inception and it was decided to give the application our full backing. Mark Yonge was appointed to manage the project for RVR and has put together an excellent application under the heading of “Rother Valley Railway Phase 2” for £480,000 to reinstate the line to Northbridge Street (see aerial photo above) and run a passenger attraction. This application was submitted in August and there will be a couple of months deliberation by BIG and BBC before we hear if it has progressed to the next stage. Have a look at the BBC’s website for more information: www.bbc.co.uk/villagesos [Editors note: we have now just heard that this bid was not successful] Westward Ho! Latest – by David Felton Our planning application for Phase 3 referred to in the last edition was approved by Rother District Council (RDC) on 26 June. Planning permission was granted subject to one principal condition. This is that prior to the commencement of any work on this phase, RDC have to approve a scheme for the provision and management of a buffer zone for the protection of the Rother riverbank adjacent to the site. Such a scheme was therefore commissioned from and drawn up for us by Complete Land Management Ltd and it was recently submitted to RDC for their approval. We now wait to hear from them.1 They have promised a reply by 4 November, although we are hoping to hear earlier because otherwise it will almost certainly mean that, with the onset of winter, work would not be able to commence until Spring 2010. In the meantime, the small area of land between us and the boundary of Udiam Farm has been purchased from the owner of Quarry Farm. This was not part of the original land purchase because of the planned diversion across the river, but with the need for the diversion removed, ownership of this strip had to be secured before we could proceed.

1 Permission has now been given, so work will begin this autumn.

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Plans have been prepared for the commencement of work, with the goodwill and co-operation of the new owner of Udiam Farm. Phase 3 is estimated to cost £93,000 in total. The Railway does not currently have the complete funding necessary, but thanks to a very generous donation from another supporter of the Extension, there are sufficient funds in the bank to construct virtually 150 metres of the total approximate 400 metre length. In practice this should enable the track to be extended and relaid from the existing railhead at the end of Phase 2 to just inside the garden of Udiam Farm. Construction of the remaining section will have to wait until further funding can be secured. If anyone is able to assist in this regard, please contact David Felton, Treasurer. In the meantime, the farmer’s occupation crossings and the line fencing on the Phase 2 section have been erected by a contractor, and it is proposed to make a start on the outstanding landscaping planting this winter.

Grant towards information technology at RVR  We are delighted to learn that a major shipping and transportation company, Nippon Yusen Kabushiki Kaisha (NYK), has donated £500 towards IT improvements at the RVR. This is part of its Corporate Social Responsibility scheme. NYK is a major global business, which amongst other activities operates 154 container ships and 289 bulk carriers worldwide. We appreciate this generous donation. A letter of thanks has been sent by our Treasurer David Felton. We intend to demonstrate to NYK that we have used this wisely, and Trevor Streeter is working on ideas for improving our IT (see below).

Model Railway Exhibition  This year’s exhibition was another considerable success, raising over £400 for the RVRSA. Many thanks to Helen and her team of helpers. Next year’s event is already in planning, and we would be grateful for volunteers to help with setting up and taking down, marshalling duties, and with catering for the ravening hordes. Do make a note of the date in your diaries – 8 & 9 May 2010.

Plant sales  A rarely mentioned phenomenon has been our sale of plants and produce from the Robertsbridge site. This year Helen has raised well over £200 from her horticultural efforts in the RVR greenhouse and vegetable garden, and from flowers kindly donated by Peter French

Hop­pickers’ weekend  Once more we laid out our stall at the KESR weekend event at Bodiam, attracting a lot of interest and some donations too. It remains to be seen if the 100+ membership forms given out translate into new signings! All thanks to Trevor for setting this up, and to Alan and family for their active support. All of them braved the perils of the late English summer to camp on-site for the event.

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Alan (left) and Trevor at the 2009 hop-pickers. Photo SG .

People  

As noted above, Dave Rimmer, Chairman of the Association, has stood down from his various official positions in view of his current health problems. However, he hopes to return to the site later this year. Mike Pease has also resigned his positions.

Geoff Wyatt, one of our most regular volunteers, has been co-opted to the RVRSA committee to fill the vacancy left by Mike – so welcome Geoff! He also becomes carriage and wagon manager. We are also very pleased to welcome two new regular volunteers to Robertsbridge in the shape of Peter Brown, a qualified mechanic who has already proved invaluable, and Alan Bartlett who has set to work taming our rampaging undergrowth with his specialist skills. We also welcomed Pawel from Poland for several days, during which he worked on both buffet and GBLV projects.

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Project updates – by Steve Griffiths  Platform. We have almost completed laying pipework which had to be routed beneath the site of the final platform ramp slope before that could be started. Work is now going ahead on the final slope itself. Already the elegantly-built “steps to nowhere” built by Geoff a while back have somewhere to go, providing a short cut from the platform ramp to the picnic area (which will now need restoration). With new fencing already going up since the photo below was taken, the extended platform is in sight of final completion at long last. Soon all that will remain to be done is the final section of edging, and possibly some capping for the brickwork below the fences. Observe the rustic but trendy charm of the (unfinished) sleeper wall forming the final slope – very Col. Stephens!

The final slope under construction, 2009 Photo SG Dougal’s battery charging circuit has been repaired, thanks to Pete, so that we should no longer have to wheel out the heavy charger and extension cables to get D77 started up in the mornings. He has also been working on the vacuum brake pipework, which now awaits delivery of the control valve which is to be fitted in the loco cab.

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As our cover picture shows, the SR Gangway Bogie Luggage Van 2239 has now been repainted in Southern Railway green, on the more visible western side of the vehicle. This is the first external repaint outside since about 1997 I believe, and it showed! Since the photo was taken, Helen has lettered it beautifully in SR style and refixed the distinctive covers over the side ventilators. Work has begun to spruce up the two ends since these are also visible to passers-by. More work is still needed to the roof, which has torn fabric in places, plus the underframe paintwork needs re-doing. The underframe to this van is now over 100 years old, and features wood as well as iron. The whole eastern side will need attending to at some stage to complete the external refurbishment. As part of the project, the doors are being swapped around so that the doors with windows return to the centre of the van; and the four widened doorways are being returned to the original size (one only, so far). As one of the owners, I would like to thank all who have helped. Pretty well every regular at Robertsbridge has in fact lent a hand at various times, recognising that the aim remains to put this historic asset at the disposal of the RVRSA volunteers in due course. I for one had no idea how many man-hours this would take. The work is a step towards freeing-up the office building for its main purpose. The Three-Plank Wagon now has most of its floorboards fitted, and brake gear in place again in a project led by Geoff. The oil mops which keep the buffer gear lubricated have been refreshed. With Peter’s welding of a final hole in a cross-member (not an angry one!), the rest of the floor is now about ready to go down, and work can begin to rebuild the bodywork.

Peter Brown welding the 3-planker, 2009 Photo SG

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The Brake Van is being re-painted on the “station” side. Fitting the vacuum brake tank gear will be the next and final big job, apart from testing. The 360 Digger hasn’t progressed as much as was hoped in the last edition, due to Dave’s state of health. This means the brake van cannot be moved as the digger currently resides over the pit, on the same road. But no doubt we will sort something out! Work is well underway in the buffet kitchen sprucing it up, taking advantage of the forced closure due to lack of qualified staff (see job vacancies). We need to reopen a full service to the public quickly, since the buffet is the railway’s main steady source of income. Fans of the Bel Ami juke box will be disappointed to hear that it has now “left the building”, as they say. The P-way trolley attached to the Tug gave up the ghost, just as anticipated in the previous edition. Happily it has already been entirely rebuilt from the axles upwards, featuring a new steel chassis and redesigned body, designed and put together by Geoff, Roy and other regular volunteers. This is an object lesson in materials recycling, which is one of our specialities at RVR! The flooring looks suspiciously like the wooden boards that run either side of SR conductor rails in areas where special protection is needed. The bench seats are now removable, so that longer loads can be laid between the wheels.

The p/way trolley takes shape again 2009 Photo SG

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Coming work at Robertsbridge  Dave Rimmer’s illness and his decision to stand down are obviously going to have an effect. Nevertheless, we are not sitting around wondering what to do next. There is no shortage of jobs on the critical path to getting trains for visitors running at the Robertsbridge site. The current list of major tasks is detailed in a project plan. This is now available in the members’ area of the RVR website and also on view in the buffet or office. Most Sundays and Wednesdays there is also on hand a LONG list of things that need doing that day to progress one or more tasks on the main plan, so that volunteers can see what’s to be done as they arrive and less likely to get stuck into jobs of a lower priority, necessary and useful though they may be! Our top priorities are work to reopen the buffet - to earn money to do the other things - plus the train, the track, the platform. Sometimes we need to do things that are not obviously on the critical path, but which help to safeguard the whole enterprise. The overall project plan is updated regularly for, and approved by, the Railway Management Committee (RMC). This brings together members of the RVR Heritage Trust, RVR Ltd, and the RVRSA, to make most decisions about operating matters at Robertsbridge. RMC meetings are minuted, and copies of agenda and minutes are available online to members. This is your association, so comments on matters like the plan are very welcome. Even grumbling helps, because it lets the managers know what you think, so that they can respond and hopefully improve things or put people more fully in the picture.

RAISING MONEY FOR RVR – Trevor Streeter 

1.  Lottery winners  

2009 1st Prize 2nd Prize August Glyn Davis R. Baker July ((deliberately blank)) Peter French June Thomas Long Barbara Clinton May Mark Justice Peter Coombs April Glyn Davis Barbara Clinton March Thomas Long Peter Coombs

2. Feeling Lucky? 

The Prize Draw continues to raise significant funds towards the heritage preservation and rebuilding efforts of the Railway. In January we bought our first vehicle on behalf of the Supporters Association, the LNER Van, which we hope will become a credit to the Railway. The purchase already justifies the efforts of those who have supported RVRSA via our Prize Draw, and we could not have bought it for restoration without all your contributions.

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And so if you feel you wish to support the Railway and are feeling lucky, why not have a flutter! Whether you only wish to try once or more regularly, half the proceeds raised go towards the various rebuilding and other Railway projects, and the other half goes back to the lucky punters as winnings.

There are two ways you can have a go. Most of our regular supporters have set up a standing order to support us in a monthly basis, but we also offer books of tickets at £5.00 per book. If you email us at reception@rvr.org.uk or write to us by snail mail, we would be pleased to send you the forms. Alternatively just ask at the Robertsbridge Station shop who will be happy to assist.

3. Raising cash using your PC  

Did you know you could raise cash for the Railway without ever dipping into your pocket? For those of you with a PC and who search the WWW (world wide web) for your favorite things can raise a 0.5p for every search you perform. If you use, http://rvr.easysearch.org.uk/

then the company Easysearch will send us the money every time £15.00 is reached. This effort is dependent on numbers, so the more of us who search for things in this way the quicker these £'s will build up.

And so bookmark the above address, or better still use it as your PC's homepage (as I do) and help the Railway effort, just by doing what you normally do.

Guess the loco (clue: it’s not one of ours)... SG

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Robertsbridge 2009 Photo SG

A view from the main station footbridge   I took this photo to show something of the surroundings at Robertsbridge, since I know many readers aren’t able to visit and we tend to use mainly close-up photos in the Phoenix. Here you can see new fencing erected along the edge of the bay platform once used by trains to Tenterden and Headcorn. This replaced the still newish yellow fencing that local schoolchildren tended to sit on while waiting for their evening trains home, at some personal risk from the considerable drop behind them. Despite the green appearance, the trackwork in the bay platform is still in place, being used engineers’ trains from time to time. We hope to use this platform eventually, to give direct interchange with trains from London and Hastings. The heavy unused timber baulks lying on the left can I think also be seen in photos from more than a decade ago. The “Robertsbridge” signboard is in the latest livery of the latest of many operators to use this station since it opened. I wonder how old that corrugated iron hut is. To the centre-left of the picture, behind the three green bottle banks, lies the overgrown remains of a loading dock, now almost stranded in the large car-park. Beyond the far line of cars lies the RVR’s site at Robertsbridge. Prominent is the fibreglass-built RVR buffet/shop. From the 1960s we think, this was located inside Victoria Station, London, where it provided some comfort to passengers arriving to use the famed Venice-Simplon Orient Express. Behind that is the new platform, lined up close to which are the LNER hopper wagon, Titan, the GBLV, one of the Banana vans, and the Maunsell coach. Over to the left on other tracks are the RVR crane, plus Dougal. Finally, the cream building in front of Titan is the RVR office cum locker/washroom – too many roles for one small Portakabin! Ed

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Improving our Information Technology, by Trevor Streeter  Although we are a heritage railway and might seem to some to be looking backwards, it is a fact that we live and work in the modern world. You will all have seen the increasing amount of administration and regulatory compliance that running even a small business like this one now entails. In short a whole mountain of paperwork and communication. Within the RVR we are increasingly communicating by e-mail, and producing RVR documents and records electronically, and also now storing them electronically as well. As time goes on we will be required to become yet more “e-friendly”. Until now, RVR has relied on the goodwill of those who manage the railway to use their home computers, but looking ahead one can begin to see issues such as the need for computer speed, reliability and compatibility in software. Not every manager necessarily wants to work from home, and not all volunteers have internet access. So we are now thinking about our IT needs, looking forward. I am working on a plan which I hope to submit for consideration by the RMC (Railway Management Committee). Of course, resources are limited, even with the generous grant from NYK (see above). I am very conscious that frugality is the order of the day - after all we are trying to build a railway here.

The nearly-new PW trolley takes shape Photo SG

Miscellany  Phoenix distribution - those of you with internet access might consider whether you would like your Phoenix by e-mail instead of by post. This saves RVRSA a little money per willing member, on printing, envelopes and postage, as well saving resources more generally. It means more money for the railway’s projects. Please contact the webmaster (see inside from cover). RVR photo archive - Could you have look in your attics and hard disks for any old photos or videos concerning the RVR. Anything you may have sent in to be published long ago would be good, plus any other photos you may have got tucked

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away. We can scan and return to you any originals, or you can upload digital photos directly by simply e-mailing them to rvr.org.uk.photos@picasaweb.com They will be immediately loaded to our website and be available for viewing in the Members area. We hope gradually to add much more “history” and interest to the members’ area of our website at www.rvr.org.uk, and help keep it safe for posterity. Sussex motorman - A new book may interest you. This is Sussex Motorman, The Hubert Hobden Memoirs, Volume Two: 1935 – 1961. The book is 148 gloss pages, with 136 photographs, illustrations and maps including 62 colour images, in A5 format. In this sequel to volume one, Sussex Engineman, the writer recounts his period as a Motorman on the Southern from electrification up to his retirement. Based at Ore depot, but no stranger to the Brighton Belle, he details working practises, the perils of the war years, and a host of long-gone railway characters.

The book is a limited edition of 1000, and is available to RVRSA members for £11.95 (plus £1.20 p&p). £1 from each sale goes to our railway funds. Payment should be made out to "Buggleskelly Books" and sent to:-

“Sussex Motorman”, 22 Glassenbury Drive, Bexhill-on-Sea, East Sussex TN40 2NY

Volume One: Sussex Engineman has now been reprinted to join its new companion. RVR members can purchase a copy of both volumes from the address above for £22.90 (plus £1.50 p&p), with £2 going to RVRSA coffers.

Enlist Today

The Rother Valley was one of a fascinating empire of light railways built under the direction of Holman F. Stephens. Join us, and help preserve the history and artefacts of his many lines. You will also receive our quarterly newsletter ‘The Colonel’, packed with news, articles and scale drawings. For a membership form, write to: David Powell (CSS Mem.Sec.) Gateways, Bledlow Road, Saunderton, Princes Risborough, Bucks., HP27 9NG Telephone: 01844 343377 E-mail: djpowellltd@compuserve.com

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NANNYING or learning to live with Health & Safety – Trevor Streeter  These days it seems we cannot move for fear of someone saying "Is that compliant", "Have you got a piece of paper for that" or "Oh you can’t do that......". And you have to admit we all get exasperated with health & safety and other legislation. The media loves to pick upon and ridicule the worst excesses of H&S, especially where officialdom seemingly goes “over the top”. For example, the farmer’s strawberry field in Cornwall (reported June 2009) that was closed on the grounds it wasn’t safe as the field was heavily rutted and it had ditches which weren't fenced off. And the banning of hanging flower baskets in town centres in case they fall on someone’s head. Do we really need this level of nannying? Our railway is no different to any other business. In fact ours is arguably more complex than most. As a railway, we fall under the auspices of the ORR (Office of Rail Regulation), which in effect also fulfils the role of the Health & Safety Executive as regards rail operations. Although we are all volunteers, this fact doesn’t relieve us from either the relevant railway legislation, or from the more general health and safety legislation that applies to all work activities. All our machinery, tools, chemicals, and rolling stock require specialised areas of knowledge, control and monitoring. The job of understanding the requirements and ensuring that we are compliant is a massive one, but just as vital to the existence and development of the railway as, say, the job of an engineer or a locomotive driver. We have legal duties of care not only to members of the public and our volunteers but also, incredibly, to anyone who cares to trespass on our property. Failure to comply with H&S requirements has resulted in firms up and down the country having to pay fines running into hundreds of thousands of pounds, let alone the risk of owners and directors being imprisoned. So with this in mind, and because people may be hurt and our reputation badly damaged if we ignore safety, we have to get this right and not treat H&S lightly. As a voluntary body, including the Directors and Trustees, we aren’t able to apply the same sort of pressure as an organisation with paid staff, very aware that their jobs depend upon following company rules. But actually, it is always better to explain the rules and why they are important, instead of forcing them onto an unwilling audience. And so the challenge for RVR is to maintain safety standards, whilst not discouraging volunteers by strangling them in red tape or wrapping them in cotton wool. And why do we need all this legislation and guidance? Surely it’s mainly just common sense? Just so! When you read the material, it becomes obvious that it is in fact simply common sense, laid out in words. The thing is that whilst many people pooh-pooh H&S and other legislation that seem to demand more effort and record-keeping than they are used to, when things do go wrong and they become a victim they can be the first in line with a compensation claim or complaint to the authorities. And so please let us all respect the rules and regulations that the Railway puts in place – obey the notices, wear your protective equipment; make sure that electrical tool you are using is the correct voltage and is not damaged; and that the ladder you are standing on is erected at the correct angle and safely secured. The rules are not there just for the sake of it. They do have a purpose and are for everyone’s ultimate welfare and benefit.

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LETTERS  

We are pleased to reintroduce our letters page. Please send your views to us by post or e-mail. We reserve the usual right to edit, including shortening them sometimes and removing anything that could be taken amiss. We will try and include a response from someone in charge at RVR where this seem appropriate, as in the case of Ken Hammond’s letter below which raises some important issues.

Letter from Mike Davis  I have been following developments on five railways in which I, with a number of others, take an enthusiastic interest, namely the Welsh Highland, Bluebell, Great Central ('Bridging the Gap'), the KESR and your Rother Valley Railway. According to their degree of physical expansion, these have website updates varying from daily (WHR), twice weekly (Bluebell), KESR (periodic) monthly (RVR) and rarely (GCR). Given the relative size of your operation vis a vis the WHR and Bluebell, I think you do a fine job with the website. Were I a man of means, I would support all of them but, alas, the arm's length approach is the best I can do and spread the word as best I can. I was speaking with the MD of three railways recently and he says he follows the RVR too. Keep up the good work and, one day, the A21 will be crossed. To be authentic, of course, it would be an oil lit affair with a crossing keeper. I'm 70, so please hurry!

Letter from Ken Hammond  Since 2001 when I joined the Supporters’ Association no new track has been laid at Robertsbridge. Why is this? The Trust has suddenly laid several hundred yards of track at the Bodiam end. This appeared as if by magic with no effort at involving the Supporters’ Association! I find that quite bizarre. Here we have a faithful crew of about 15 volunteers who regularly turn up at Robertsbridge, but there is no direction – no tracklaying, no rebuilding of the several small bridges, absolutely no input from the Trustees. We never see the Trustees. One did have the courtesy to turn up for the AGM but left immediately the meeting was over, so frustrating any attempt to create a dialogue. One gets the impression that the Trustees wish we would just go away. How can we build a productive working relationship when we have no contact? Some volunteers have drifted away because of the lack of leadership. BRB finally consented to allow us to rebuild some bridges. This was after prodding by the supporters, not by the Trust. In November 2008 I managed to get the Royal Engineers interested in considering providing manpower and heavy machinery to deal with the bridges. The Engineers said we would have to provide the materials and they could do the work as a training exercise. What happened? I informed the right people, and that was the last we heard.

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The Trust appears to favour a terminus on the Bodiam side of the A21 bypass. That would involve desecrating a field on the floodplain, turning part into a car park. This would not be acceptable to the people of Robertsbridge. Why not follow the old route into the already prepared Robertsbridge RVR platform? The A21 won’t be a long-term problem. It’s going to be rebuilt anyway to accommodate faster traffic, possibly re-routed and elevated, so we go underneath. Now is the time to make written representation to the Highways Agency so that this can be safeguarded for the future. When I suggested this at the AGM I was told it was a good idea and that Trust would write. I was somewhat surprised that this hadn’t been done already. Has this been done now? Come on Trustees, let’s have some dialogue. Tell us what your plans are. Get us involved. Granted there may be some confidential issues involved, such as buying back land, but we need you to come and show some leadership. Let us have some actual planning. I can count on the fingers of one hand the number of times I have seen a Trustee actually at the track.

A response from Gardner Crawley, chairman of the RVR Trust  The fact is that no new track has been laid at Robertsbridge because (a) we don't need any more track than we already have to run our initial “brake van” service and (b) we can't lay any significant new length until the first bridge rebuilding has been completed. The priority with the track is first to bring what we have up to full running standard. The track laying at Bodiam involved a lot of hard work by the Trustees and Directors of RVR Ltd. I wish we did have the magic wand Ken refers to. RVRSA was kept informed of the work and a plea for volunteers was made in the Winter 2008 edition of The Phoenix2. David Felton is a Trustee besides being a director of RVR Ltd and is the liaison between RVRSA and the Trust. He is on site practically every week and available to discuss any matters any member wishes to raise. As regards the bridges, the agreement with BRBR3 was reached after many years of delicate negotiation by one of the trustees. This agreement was made more difficult by the maverick actions by one of the supporters. We have had many expression of interest from the Royal Engineers railway section over the years, which we have not been able to be taken up due to lack of funds. Trust does not yet have the funds to carry out the detailed design and purchase the materials. Recently the Robertsbridge Enterprise Group with our active involvement put in an application to the Big Lottery Fund for £480,000 to reinstate the line to Northbridge Street and run a passenger attraction. [see news item above, and the outcome - Ed] 2 Several did help. In fact, RVR didn’t want to divert too much activity away from Robertsbridge, given that KESR volunteers and contractors were lined up effectively - Ed 3 BRB (Residuary)Ltd – the Government-owned company which holds the residual property etc of the former British Railways Board.

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The Trust’s plan, as set out in the last Phoenix, is to provide an interchange with the main line at Robertsbridge, by running into the bay platform. As explained in the statement, this will also provide direct access to the A21. A terminus beside the A21 itself is not contemplated. As for rebuilding the A21 Robertsbridge bypass, this project is now no longer in the Highways Agency’s capital plan. The Trust’s view is that Highways Agency will oppose any solution that will have a cost impact on it. The approach will be best made in the future when we have successfully crossed B2244 Junction Road and can show that we are likely to reach A21 in the near future. As regards telling everyone what the plans are, the Trust published its “Outline Objectives and Policy” in the last Phoenix. RVR Ltd has produced a detailed plan in support of those objectives which is available to supporters. And finally, on Trustees attending working days at Robertsbridge, the Trust’s focus is on the strategic issues facing the railway: land purchase negotiations; major fund raising initiatives; contact with regulatory authorities like Network Rail, the Railway Inspectorate and the Environment Agency; liaison with KESR; planning applications; heritage policy.

DONATIONS  With two letters urging us to get a move on (we don’t mind!), it seems a good time to remind readers that we badly need both cash and materials (in addition to people of course). We will put them to good use. On materials, we need money to buy ballast to get our track up to scratch. The hopper wagon may be back in action, but we have barely one load of ballast on site to put in it! We also welcome unwanted railway stuff from our friends at Network Rail or their contractors. We would also like to appeal for any unwanted wheelie bins, to help our materials recycling on site (obviously not bins owned by somebody else!). As part of our emerging environmental awareness, we want to separate our waste more fully at source, so that things that can be recycled are in fact recycled, and reducing the amounts that have to go for final disposal. As for cash, our website has details of making donations using the Government Gift Aid scheme (for UK domestic taxpayers) – it’s really easy. Higher rate taxpayers among you have another way to maximise the value of your gift. At present, posting cheques or arranging a bank transfer are the best way to pay money, unless you are visiting us in person.

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Our shop is currently open on Saturdays and Sundays 9 – 5pm

Send Helen Brett any stock enquiries by e-mail to

reception@rvr.org.uk

We sell many donated items. Your items can also be sold for you on commission (15%)

BACK NUMBERS OF RAILWAY MAGAZINES

We have what is probably the best collection in the south east of England. Try us for that issue you’re missing.

RAILWAY BOOKS

From historic to modern, biography to photo collections, we have a wide range of second-hand books at bargain prices.

MODEL RAILWAY ITEMS

We have a large collection of used models and trackwork, mainly 0, OO, and N gauges. We also have some road vehicles.

FULL – SIZE RAILWAY ITEMS

Railway sleepers in jarrah and pine. Electric 3rd rail insulators

Historic railchairs from pre-1923 railway companies. Railway clothing.

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