(3)2678 and No 70 depart Wittersham Road

Another red letter day on the KESR with our two Terriers working their first public trains since re-entering traffic on 31st May and double headed at that, in charge of the Victorian set.

A splendid sight as the two engines, with a combined age of almost 300 years, make a spirited departure from Wittersham Road station ready to tackle the steep gradient beyond the station.

The distinctive “bark” of their exhaust, which gave the class their nickname, could be heard for quite a while as they worked up the bank.

Their power and sound were too energetic as the set off a large lineside fire towards the top of the bank. It took two of us half an hour to get it under control. The fire spread through last year’s dry thatch and branches but fortunately didn’t spread into the nearby field of crops. I stopped the culprits on their way back to Tenterden and had them douse out the embers. When we left the box at the end of the day it appeared the fire had not restarted.

That beautiful locomotive Hastings which returned to the KESR recently and appeared on my blip last Thursday on a test run suffered a catastrophic failure on Tuesday completely destroying a whole cylinder and piston working up the bank to Tenterden. Goodness knows how long it will take to fix or how much it will cost. Or what caused the failure as the engine has just undergone a thorough overhaul.

Enjoying watching highlights of the first day of the Platinum Jubilee this evening. It seems like not a lot is going on in Maidstone. Not even a beacon or any events. We’re having to go to Chatham on Saturday for their river pageant.