Judy, Marcia and Hastings at Tenterden Town

On the first day of the KESR Dwarves of Steam Gala featuring three of our smallest locos; the Terrier 23678, and Hastings and two visiting locos; Judy and Willie

We operated an 8 train shuttle between Tenterden and Wittersham Road also calling at Rolvenden. The trains were generally short and included the wonderful wooden bodied Victorian set. The whole event was very popular and just the sort of innovative attraction the railway needs to attract people to visit.

I’m not sure how long the link to the engines will last; here is is anyway: https://kesr.org.uk/dwarves-of-steam/ I was’t working working today, we went to see the action with Barbara and David this afternoon, enjoying a drink at the Old Dairy afterwards and going on to the Pilot at Dungeness for a fish and chip supper.

This was our reward for yet more work on Doreen’s house and a trip to the tip through horrendous traffic. Roll on a week on Monday.

Judy
Entered service in 1937 having been specially commissioned to deal with the geographical restrictions of Par Harbour in Cornwall. Here, engines had to pass under an 8ft tall bridge below the Cornish main line to reach the china clay works, as well as operate on tight curves to a 70’ radius.

‘Judy’ and sister locomotive ‘Alfred’ gained celebrity status at Par, not only because of their unusual size and stature, but because they were some of the last working steam engines in Cornwall. They became so popular that the Rev. W. Awdry immortalised them in his Railway Series stories as ‘Bill’ and ‘Ben’.

‘Judy’ was returned to operational condition in 2023 at the Bodmin and Wenford Railway and has run at a number of events since. The visit to the K&ESR will be the locomotive’s first ever appearance in the South East, courtesy of the Bodmin Railway.

Willie
Built in 1918 by Kerr, Stuart & Company to an earlier design by E Borrows & Sons.

The engine was supplied new to the National Shipyard at Chepstow where it spent all of its working life. As a result of the number of merchant ships lost in the First World War, the government established the National Shipyards. As a result, all shipbuilding companies at Chepstow came under government control and were expanded to form National Shipyard Number 1 (Chepstow). Over 6,000 men from the Royal Engineers built the shipyard, and men from Tyneside and the Clyde came to work at the yard.

In 1925 Fairfield Shipbuilding and Engineering Ltd bought and later dismantled the shipyard. In due course the company became Fairfield-Mabey Ltd, who in 1982 ‘sold Willie’ Ltd and subsequently moved to the Flour Mill in the Forest of Dean. The engine was returned to steam in 2012 and has visited a few preserved lines and also acted as the works shunter. The engine recently had an overhaul and was repainted into red livery before moving to the Swindon and Cricklade Railway for the 2024 season.