USA tank No 300 Frank S Ross leaves Rolvenden

Very quiet at Wittersham Road on the KESR. In these early stages of reopening we’re running one engine in steam completing three round trips at 10.40, 1.15 and 3.35 from Tenterden. No crossing of trains and a long gap between trains at the signalbox.

Much improved weather after yesterday’s rain. Warmer, with sunshine. Birds are singing and cuckoo cuckooing in the distance. A pair of blue tits are nesting inside the crossing gate post as they have in previous years. The parents gain access through the slot where the gate latch is inserted when the gate is closed to the road. They seem unperturbed when the gates are worked. The chicks can be heard chirping away inside the gate.

I had a couple of visitors around lunch time who came to talk about a walk they created around Bodiam that I’m able to incorporate into a longer walk we’re leading for the railway as part of the High Weald Walking Festival in September.

Bodiam was a very prolific area for growing hops in the 20th century with Guinness having a particularly large acreage. The hops were picked in September with families coming down from the East End of London for the hop picking season, make money and also enjoy a holiday out of the Smoke.

Most of that has gone, now replaced this century with large vineyards. The evidence of hopping is still to be seen in the landscape and this will be the theme of our walk: “In the footsteps of the Hoppers”

Today’s blip is of No 300 as the fireman collects the token from the Rolvenden signalman on route to Tenterden as light engine to work today’s trains.