On my final day in the South East, a visit was made to the Kent & East Sussex Railway running from Tenterden to Bodiam. It was a scorching hot, and clear Thursday 1 August 2013, with temperatures reaching as high as 32°C in the South East. The sun was so intense that I came home with red arms! But all of this was to be swept away by a massive thunderstorm the next morning, by which time I had returned north. Running on this day were the Southern Railway USA Tank No.65, which had recently been on loan to the Embsay & Bolton Abbey Steam Railway near Skipton in North Yorkshire, and LB&SCR; Stroudley A1X Terrier No.32670 "Bodiam". First to be seen, at Northiam, is No.65 running bunker first towards Bodiam. The locomotive stops briefly in the station, before heading away from the station. The loco later returns, chimney first returning towards Tenterden. No.32670 is then seen steaming gently into the station on its short train, before making a more spirited departure towards Bodiam. Moving on to Tenterden Town Station, we find the USA Tank waiting to depart, and when doing so, makes light work of its five-coach train of Mk1 coaches. By contrast, the Terrier storms up the gradient into the station. No.32670 is then seen running around its train, and then departing a while later. © 60007Gresley

• published: 03 Sep 2013
• views: 82