Family Fun at the Kent & East Sussex Railway's Hop Festival Weekend 9th and 10th September 2017

A Nostalgic Fun Day Out for the whole family!There's plenty for the whole family to see & do:

• Traditional childrens entertainment

• Hopping Displays

• Morris Dancing

• Local produce BBQ

• Real Ale tent

• Live Entertainment

• Hoppers Kitchen (scrummy homemade cakes!)

• Hop Garden & Hoppers Hut

• Hopping displays

• Vintage vehicles

• Free Heritage bus shuttle to Bodiam Castle (NT)

• TravelCard tickets provide all day travel - "hop" on and off as often as you wish!

• Saturday Evening Real Ale Train

 

Santa Specials 2017 Meet Santa at the Kent & East Sussex Railway

Take a magical steam train journey to meet Santa this Christmas with our popular Santa Special trains. At Tenterden Station the beautiful Victorian carousel provides unlimited free rides for the young and young at heart alike.On board the festively decorated steam trains, you'll meet Santa during the 1 hour 10 minute return journey. Look out for his elf helpers with their sacks full of lovely presents - every child receives an age appropriate gift from Santa himself whilst teenagers (13 to 15) receive a scrummy box of festive chocolates. Everyone receives complimentary refreshments too - a mince pie & choice of soft or alcoholic drink for adults and a soft drink & chocolate bar for children. Babies under 18 months of age at the time of travel are free of charge (providing they are not occupying a seat) and there's a little free gift for them too!For a special treat, why not book your own individual compartment - perfect for your own private gathering! There are Standard Class Family Compartments (available for up to 8 people) or, for an extra special experience, our First Class Family Compartments (which can accommodate up to 6) offer larger seats, enhanced refreshments and individually named presents from Santa for each child!Back at Tenterden station, visitors can pose for a free colour family photograph to take home as a memento of their special day and the fun continues with a trip on the Victorian carousel. Our licensed restaurant will be serving Christmas lunches and other tempting dishes whilst there are delicious local hot dogs & burgers at the BBQ.Accommodation is limited so early booking is recommended to secure your chosen date
 All tickets include a train ride, present for each child from Santa, on-board refreshments and a free family photographAvailability and pricesWe experienced exceptionally high demand for our 2016 season of Santa Specials. Bookings for 2017 Santa Specials open in September.ParkingLimited free parking is available at Tenterden Town Station. In the event that our own car park becomes full, we suggest visitors make use of the Pay & Display car parks nearby - you may wish to download & print this mapPlease ensure that you allow sufficient time for your journey & to find a parking space, adding additional time for inclement weather & Christmas congestion. Our Santa Specials are very popular & we regret that we are unable to guarantee accommodation on later services if you miss your booked train.Facilities for the mobility impairedOur facilities have been carefully designed for those with impaired mobility. There are reserved blue badge spaces near to the station entrance at Tenterden and accessible toilets at the station & in 'Petros', which runs throughout our Santa Specials. There's full wheelchair access to the Station Refreshment Rooms and Gift Shop too. Our Booking Office staff will be pleased to assist in planning your day.Terms & Conditions - Santa SpecialsSanta Specials will operate in all but the most severe weather conditions. Should severe adverse weather conditions force us to cancel the advertised services, a replacement Santa Special will operate between Christmas and New Year. Your ticket will be transferred to this date and a refund will not therefore be available.Our Santa Specials are very popular & we regret that we are unable to guarantee accommodation on later services if you miss your booked train. Please ensure you allow sufficient time for your journey - including adverse weather, traffic and finding a parking space. A photographer may be taking photographs for K&ESR marketing purposes.Please note that dogs, with the exception of assistance dogs, are not permitted at this event.Tickets are non-refundable.Platform tickets are not available.The purchase of Santa Special ticket(s) indicates your agreement to our Terms and Conditions. Terms and Conditions are shown in the Company's publications and are subject to change without further notice.

Kent and East Sussex Railway 16xx Class 0-6-0PT No 1638

This type had its origins in the GWR's 1897-1905 built 2021 class and shared a number of leading dimensions with the earlier locomotives. Although of pure Great Western ancestry and designed by F. W. Hawksworth, the 70 locomotives of class 16XX were built by British Railways between October 1949 and May 1955.

The class was constructed to a restricted loading gauge for use on routes with low overbridges and had a modest axle loading of 13 tons 18 cwt. Many were based in South Wales and there was an allocation of 10 to Lydney in the Forest of Dean. Others worked in Cornwall in one direction and as far afield as Scotland in the other. Workings in South Wales included duties on the Burry Port and Gwendraeth Valley Railway (BPGV), a line which Colonel Stephens had reconstructed as a light railway.

Built at Swindon, No. 1638 was first allocated to Llanelly in March 1951 ( for service on  the BPGV) and was withdrawn from service at Croes Newydd in August 1966. It was purchased for preservation for £1300 and arrived at the Dart Valley Railway on 25 November 1967. The locomotive was acquired for the K&ESR in 1992 and arrived on 1 July 1992; it is now owned by the Railway. It has proved a useful addition to the fleet and, despite its smaller dimensions, appears to be the equal of the Austerities. The K&ESR fleet number has never been carried although when playing the part of Duck on ‘Thomas' weekends the number 8 is displayed. As part of 1638's ‘Thomas' persona a Swindon green livery and GWR lettering have been applied.

TECHNICAL DATA

Class: 16XX 
Weight: 41 tons 12 cwt 
Tractive effort: 18,515 lbs 
Cylinders (2) 161/2 in. dia x 24 in. stoke 
Boiler Pressure 165 lbs 
Coal capacity: 21/2 tons 
Wheels: 4 ft. 11/2 in diameter

Kent and East Sussex Railway Locomotive Class 14 Nos. 48 & 49 BR Class 14 Diesel Hydraulic 650bhp 0-6-0 (BR D9504 )

Fifty six of these Swindon-built centre cab type 1 locomotives were introduced in 1964 to work on shunting duties, local freight and transfer trip workings. They were introduced during the Beeching era - the very time when the work for which they were intended was rapidly disappearing.  Thus they saw only two or three years' BR service and earned the nickname "Teddy bears".  On withdrawal by BR they found a  ready purchased market in industry and continued to enjoy a much longer lease of life in such use.  Three examples have seen use on the K&ESR, although only one remains on temporary loan. Class 14 locomotives have proved capable of handling heavy works trains and running the passenger service in emergencies.For a while there were two running together on the K&ESR. No. 48 ex BR number D9504 is now the current sole resident. There were two No. 49's but they have both now left; the first was D9525 which arrived from the NCB in 1987 but was sold on during 2000 and replaced by former D9529. No. 49 was in BR blue livery with a spurious TOPS Number.The owners hired both 48 and 49 out for contracting work in 2001 and they did not return for some years. In 2008/9 No 49 left the railway for a period of hire to the Nene Valley Railway. No. 48, having returned in 2010, has recently receved a heavy engine overahaul by Bartech Marine Engineering and is in service.

TECHNICAL DATA

• Weight: 50 tons

• Engine:  Paxman ‘Ventura' 6YJXL, 6 cylinder with Napier Turbo-charger, 650hp at 1,500rpm

• Transmission: Voith L217U hydraulic transmission consisting of two torque converters in series with fluid coupling; Hunslet triple reduction and reverse gear box

• Tractive Effort: 39, 910 lb max

• Max Speed: 40 mph

• Wheel arrangement:  0-6-0 diameter: 4ft 0ins

Just the Ticket Memory Cafe 23rd June 10:30 AM - 12:30 PM at Tenterden Town Station

The members of ‘Tenterden Dementia Friendly Community’ have started holding a weekly memory cafe at the Tenterden station refreshment room.This is a volunteer led and run cafe designed to allow people to come along and meet others.

 

http://dementiafriendlykent.org.uk/my-area/activities/just-the-ticket-memory-cafe/