The KESR has long been a favourite and is under an hour away. We thought being a term time Tuesday that it would be quiet... oh no. A schools party and a rush of tourists meant that it was sharp elbows all the way on the outward. I even got thrown of the four-wheel coach by Keith Harcourt (better known for his Kappa board layouts) wearing his guard hat.
The return trip, after a breakfast in Tenterten, was deliberately on the 108 DMU - a much nicer experience all round no screaming kids wanting a 'steam train ride' (ick) a front seat so that you can see up the track and in my opinion a mode of transport much more in keeping with the line.
Yuk, children!
ReplyDeleteI suspect that had The Colonel still been around when BR were flogging off old DMUs he'd have jumped at them. One of my favourite rides along the K&ESR was an Eastbourne MRC magical mystery tour in the early '80s; after a bit of a circuitous rode in a vintage bus (the trip organiser was an EBC bus driver) we arrived at Bodiam, which had not yet re-opened. Waiting in ht platform was an old BR railbus........we all piled in, the level crossing was opened and off we went, chasing the sheep along the line to Dixter Halt, looking out of the front the rails disappeared into the grass in places!
Happy days......
Stig.