DMU approaches Tenterden Town

We were expecting storms, thunder and lightning overnight and this morning. Rather frustratingly the main band of rain streamed away to over London and to the west. We did have some light rain in Tenterden and Bearsted, not nearly enough.

I was working Tenterden signalbox today. Good number of visitors on the majority of trains. The last round trip was lightly loaded.

Todays blip is of our 1959 built “Derby Lightweight” Class 108 Diesel Mechanical Multiple Unit (DMMU or DMU if you want to leave the mechanical bit out) framed by the signalbox window. If you’re my age, I dare say you’ll remember riding in one of these.

The best to sit at the front to the right of the driver so you can see the line ahead. In BR days many drivers pulled down the blinds. We travelled from Nottingham to Crewe in the 1970s with the blinds up. We don’t pull the blinds and in fact you can pay for a cab ride along the line.

A red letter day, there were no temporary traffic lights on any part of the road to Tenterden and back.