The Kent & East Sussex Railway, 1974-2004

Book excerpt: Over thirty years ago Nick Pallant told the story of the struggle to save one of Britain's best loved heritage railways in Holding the Line – Preserving the Kent & East Sussex Railway (Alan Sutton Publishing). That book concluded its detailed coverage with the partial reopening of the K&ESR in 1974. This new account continues the story over the thirty years which followed. The first 12 chapters mainly rely on secondary sources, particularly the K&ESR's house journal, the Tenterden Terrier. Later chapters describe the years after he returned as a volunteer following over two decades as an 'armchair' member and includes his subsequent experiences as a K&ESR employee and Company Secretary. The key points in the story are the extensions to the line which followed the reopening of a short section in 1974. There is also coverage of the scheme to rebuild the 'lost' section between Bodiam and the national network at Robertsbridge. The growth of passenger traffic is detailed along with all the problems and achievements encountered along the way. The narrative is intertwined with anecdotes of heritage railway life in all its hopes, frustrations, humour and comradeship. Having begun by briefly recalling the K&ESR's history prior to 1974, the book puts matters into further perspective by concluding with a summary of the major events from 2004 to the third decade of the 21st century.