We meet for talks and to discuss all things related to all aspects of railways; historic, modern, heritage and future. You don't need to be a railway enthusiast to join but you soon will be if you do !
| Status: | Active, open to new members |
| Organiser: |
Paul Frost
|
| Group email: | Railways group |
| When: | Monthly on Thursday mornings 10:00am-12:00pm First Thursday of the Month |
| Venue: | Group Organiser's Home |
Ever wondered why Cramptons Road is so-called? At the June meeting of the Railway Group, our visiting speaker Roger Johnson explained it all. Thomas Russell Crampton was a prolific Victorian engineer who left a lasting mark on the infrastructure of his native Kent and Sevenoaks. In 1859, he was appointed as the contractor for the Sevenoaks Railway, even providing substantial personal capital to fund the project's completion and buying 81 acres of land at Bat & Ball. His efforts led to the 1862 opening of the line to Sevenoaks, a route that was eventually merged into the London, Chatham and Dover Railway system.
His locomotive designs were revolutionary for the time but more suited to – and therefore more commonly found on – the better-constructed and better-maintained continental railway systems. The picture shows a French example, instantly recognisable from the single pair of large driving wheels.
The first group meeting on October 2nd was well attended with the main topic being the Railways of Ashford. 2025 marks the 200th anniversary of the opening of the Stockton and Darlington railway which is being celebrated with Rail200 events across the country.
After a run through of the history of the railways of Ashford and some of the locomotives types built at Ashford Works, we also heard from some of our group members who had attended the Rail200 Open day held by our local train operator, SouthEastern, at their Ashford Train Maintenance Centre.
Here you can see the Ashford presentation from our October meeting, developed and shared courtesy of the Southern Railways Archive at the Bluebell Railway Museum.
