Steam to return to East Kent Railway

[TRP]

The East Kent Railway will have working steam in 2019 - I think the last working steam was in 2004.

Peckett OY-1 class 0-4-0ST No.2087 will be visiting next year to mark the 30th anniversary of the volunteers taking over the EKR. Exact running dates have yet to be announced. No.2087 was a long-time resident at the Buckinghamshire Railway Centre, but was sold to a member of the East Essex Locomotive Preservation Society and moved to Mangapps Railway Museum in January 2018.

The East Kent Railway runs for 2 miles from the mainline connected station at Shepherdswell - this part of the former Col. Stephens' East Kent Light Railway had remained open until 1987 to provide access to Tilmanstone Colliery, but after this ceased production in October 1986, the line became redundant.

There is only one resident steam loco at the EKR - Avonside 0-6-0ST 'St Dunstan'. This loco formerly worked at another colliery in the Kent Coalfield (Snowdown Colliery), but has never run in preservation.
The EKR is also home to around 9 diesel shunters, including another former Snowdown Colliery loco and 3 ex-BR class 08s. There are also some ex-BR Southern Region DeMU and EMU vehicles on site.

With the visiting steam loco, I am intending to make my first visit to the EKR - it's less than an hour and a half from home, but the visiting steam make it more appealing!

Tony

[TRP]

The 2019 timetable for the East Kent Railway has now been published, giving details of the steam operating days - there's not many!
Steam, in the shape of Peckett 0-4-0ST No.2087, will run on Sunday April 7th, Monday May 6th, Monday May 27th, Sunday June 30th & Sunday July 28th.
https://eastkentrailway.co.uk/time-table-2/

Tony