The Colonels Topics

THE COLONELS TOPICS

Articles on Aspects of His Railways

'The editors intend that this section will have regular articles on individual Colonel Stephens Railways, how they came about and how they were run. The Museum is in being to promote interest and research into his railways. Should you wish to contribute original, suitable and well researched material we will be happy to consider it.
Just E-mail us.'

DATE	TITLE	AUTHOR / NOTES
23 June 2008	A NARROW ESCAPE ON THE SHROPSHIRE & MONTGOMERYSHIRE RAILWAY	As has been described elsewhere, the new 0-6-2Ts built for the Shropshire and Montgomeryshire were sold off in somewhat obscure circumstances to the Government during World War I. The author of that Topic speculated that their sale might have been precipitated by an accident, which took place on 22nd July 1915 which, but for fortune, might have been disastrous for the new railway.
9 June 2008	ROLLING STOCK ON THE S&M	Brian Janes attempts to unravel the mysteries of the Rolling Stock used on the Shropshire and Montgomeryshire.
6 February 2008	DISMANTLING A COLONEL STEPHENS LINE	The photographs in this photo feature show the dismantling of the EKR mainline and were a series taken by David F B Kevan in 1958 which have been deposited in the Colonel Stephens Railway Archive. They evoke a way of doing things as far removed from today as building the original railway.
11 December 2007	THE S&MR IN WORLD WAR II Part 1 * Part 2	With the outbreak of war the S&MR was seen, unlike for instance the WC&P, as a railway that was important to the nation and was accordingly taken into government control. A new article by Brian Janes.Part 2 slightly amended in the Light of Further Research, March 2008
19 October 2007	TICKET ISSUE AND COLLECTION ON THE RVR	When Stephens built the Rother Valley he followed true light railway principles and kept everything to a minimum. This included not only small four wheeled carriages but also the absence of manned ticket offices at stations.
15 June 2007	HOLMAN STEPHENS' FAMILY TREE	This is a revised version of a talk given by Philip Shaw at the commemoration of the 75th anniversary of Holman Stephens’ death, which was subsequently published in The Colonel, the journal of the Colonel Stephens Society.
1 May 2007	MYSTERY RAILWAY CONTRACTOR'S LOCOMOTIVE	After a prolonged period of negotiation the abandoned Potteries, Shrewsbury and North Wales Railway line was reconstructed in a very short period of time to become known as the Shropshire and Montgomeryshire.
14 August 2006	THE STORY OF LOTTIE JENKINS	'An article by Philip Shaw whose unique knowledge of Holman Stephens, the man and his family reveals that the Colonel had a half-sister who became alienated from the Family'
9 May 2006	ACCIDENT AT JUNCTION ROAD, 1929	To their detriment historians often neglect searches of local papers, perhaps because of the time it takes. Occasionally by pure chance press cuttings come to light that are exceptionally interesting and one has recently turned up via a website dedicated to Bodiam Happenings.
6 April 2006 First published on 4 December 2001	THE COLONEL'S TERRIERS	With the coming Terrier Weekend on the Kent and East Sussex Railway Brian Janes has revised, extended and updated an earlier article and recounts the long association of this class with the independent rural light railway. This article also appears in Tenterden Terrier No 99
21 February 2006	THE COAL ENGINES OF THE S&LMR	In 1930 the S&MLR was experiencing a surge of mineral traffic and as a result it re-equiped itself with three tender engines only a little younger than their predecessors.
01 February 2006	A CLOSE RUN THING	New light on the closure of the Weston Clevedon and Portishead Railway. Closure in 1940 was not as inevitable as previous historians have thought.
13 December 2005	STOPPED AT LLANYMYNECH	A look at the inter–railway politics that led the Shropshire and Montgomeryshire to be starved of traffic at its Western end. An article by Brian Janes, that first appeared in the Tenterden Terrier but has now been amended to take account of further research.
11 November 2005	BURRY PORT & GWENDRAETH VALLEY RAILWAY ROLLING STOCK OF THE PASSENGER ERA	Through virtually all of the 19th century the BP&GV and its predecessor canal had only been concerned with transporting coal. But with the coming century something better was needed and eventually came with a reconstruction for passenger traffic under the able guidance of Holman Stephens.
05 August 2005	STEPHENS' ROYAL SALOONS	Amongst the varied selection of rolling stock acquired by Colonel Stephens for his lines were two carriages originally built by the London and South Western Railway for the use of the Royal Family.
27 July 2005	BERE ALSTON AND CALSTOCK LIGHT RAILWAY	A Short History of the Bere Alston and Calstock Light Railway (Plymouth and South Western Junction Railway).
24 February 2005	CAN WE HAVE OUR RAILS BACK?	The Snailbeach District Railways, originally envisaged as a public railway, had evolved, because of lack of capital, as a 2’3 ¾’’ narrow gauge mineral railway.
6 January 2005	STEPHENS AND THE BURRY PORT & GWENDRAETH VALLEY RAILWAY	Brian Janes has put together this article tracing the history of the railway from its opening in 1869, Stephen's involvement to upgrade the line for passenger traffic through to its closure.
24 November 2004	A NARROW ESCAPE ON "THE POTTERIES"	An account from “The Shrewsbury Commercial and Literary Circular” for week ending 31 July 1915 of an accident, which took place on 22nd July.
2 November 2004	SOME LOCOMOTIVE NOTES ON THE SHROPSHIRE & MONTGOMERYSHIRE	Brian Janes has been re-examining some of the dates and events surrounding Rolling stock departures and arrivals.
29 July 2004	SOME THOUGHTS ON THE WESTON, CLEVEDON AND PORTISHEAD CARRIAGES	Both of the standard histories of this railway, excellent as they are in most respects, are somewhat thin in their coverage of the coaching stock. Slight revised in October 2006 and November 2007.
1 June 2004	CHANGE AT SHEPHERDSWELL: HOW GOLGOTHA TUNNEL CAME ABOUT	This is the text of an article by Brian Janes that was published in the Tenterden Terrier, house journal of the Kent & East Sussex Railway in its Spring 2004 edition.
12 February 2004	NEW TRACTION ON THE FESTINIOG AND WELSH HIGHLAND RAILWAYS	Charles Judge draws together the various plans in the 1920s to economise on working the new Welsh Highland and the struggling Festiniog Railway through the use of pioneering traction.
17 December 2003	A NASTY ACCIDENT	Brian Janes has been busy again. Nasty accidents on level crossings have been rather too prominent in the news of late but are nothing new. Stephens was almost obsessive in his drive to build light railways at minimal cost and one of his cherished economies was gateless level crossings protected by cattle grids. This was adequate in days when little traffic was to be found on rural roads and even then only a plodding horse cart or lorry. In 1914 however progress in the shape of a speeding motor car nearly undid this neat economy and could have cost the Kent and East Sussex Railway dear.
Updated on 29 October 2003First published on 27 January 2003	SENTINELS ON THE POTTS	Following more correspondence on and off the Museum site we have managed to pin down the identity of the second Sentinel that trialed on the S&M. An initial query from Tom Burnham in the Forum section of this site led to some interesting correspondence on and off the site particularly with John Hutchings of the Sentinel Society. Albyn Austin drew attention to an article written by Bill Willans in the Colonel, the Journal of the Colonel Stephens Society. Brian Janes has added some notes on the likely identity of the Locomotives concerned and the remarkable fact that one of the locomotives has survived.
Updated on 8 October 2003First published on 29 August 2002	EAST KENT RAILWAY CARRIAGES	Charles Judge has been researching the complex history of these railway coaches and has set out what he believes is a more complete picture than has been published before.Following the original publication of this Article which asked for comments , the author actually received some. This and subsequent correspondence has led him to revise it.
26 August 2003	LOCOMOTIVES OF THE EAST KENT RAILWAY Part 1 * Part 2 * Part 3	Brian Janes has been trawling the Colonel Stephens Archive and discovered that many previously published accounts of EKR locomotive history have been misleading. This three-part description of this fascinating line’s locomotives was originally published in The Tenterden Terrier, The House Magazine of the Kent & East Sussex Railway
16 July 2003	THE CAMBER TRAMWAY WAGONS	Brian Janes writes about the origins and disposal of the three generations of wagon thought to have worked there.
6 May 2003	THE MYSTERIOUS HECATE	An article which connects with an, unanswered, query put on the site some time ago.
14 March 2003	A TALK ON THE CAMBER TRAM	The late Ken Clark spent many years researching the Rye and Camber Tramway with the intention of publishing a book that was never published. However he published articles and gave many talks the text of which is held together with his extensive correspondence in the Museums Archive. The text of his talk is hereby reproduced in memory of his research achievements.
30 November 2002	THE KEYS TO CANTERBURY	Brian Janes looks at the attempts made by Colonel Stephens to get the East Kent Railway access to Canterbury.
22 October 2002	POTTY CHARACTERS AT KINNERLEY	The late Bill Willans, cousin of Tom Rolt and son of the originator of the use of Sentinel engines as locomotive, was an apprentice fitter on the Shropshire & Montgomeryshire in the late 1920s. He recounted his experiences for The Colonel the journal of the Colonel Stephens Society, which by kind permission we reproduce here.
9 August 2002	A LIGHT RAILWAY'S WAR	In the Colonel Stephens Railway Archive a typed report exists, almost certainly written for official purposes at or near the end of the war, reporting the East Kent Railways War record. We are not sure if this ever went into print. As snapshot of a now forgotten time and age it seems worth now setting down in Topics. Article by Brian Janes.
6 April 2002	HESPERUS KESR’s unique and largely forgotten Locomotive	This article by Brian Janes is being published in the Latest Tenterden Terrier (Number 87 Spring 2002) but information obtained after press day meant that some important changes needed to be made to the text. What follows is the author’s definitive text.
12 March 2002	A RAILWAY ON A BUDGET	These reminiscences by Humphrey Brandram-Jones first appeared back in 1976 in The Tenterden Terrier, The House Magazine of the Kent & East Sussex Railway
12 January 2002	SHROPSHIRE SIDELINES	This article by Stephen Garrett first appeared in The Tenterden Terrier.
3 November 2001	THE KENT AND EAST SUSSEX RAILWAY HORSE BUS	This article is based on notes prepared by John Miller, Honoury Curator of the Museum.
4 September 2001	WIND AND WATER: Harnessing the free power of the wind to pump water.	This article by Tom Burnham appears in the Summer 2001 edition of The Tenterden Terrier.
8 August 2001	NEW LOCOMOTIVES	An article by Brian Janes on Colonel Stephens New Locomotives, which appeared in The Tenterden Terrier. Substantially revised on 6 August 2005.
10 July 2001	AN ODDITY OF ODDITIES	A short article on The Colonel’s Rail Lorry - a somewhat mysterious Machine.
9 June 2001	FROM HEADCORN TO MAIDSTONE: The Kent & East Sussex Railway's Maidstone Extension	This article is an edited combination of two articles by Neil Rose in the Tenterden Terrier.
1 May 2001	Colonel Stephens other favoutite locomotives - THE ILFRACOMBE GOODS	Brian Janes writes about Colonel Stephens Favourite Tender Engines. Revised in May 2008
2 April 2001	THE SELSEY TRAMWAY IN ITS LAST DAYS (this file is just over 200kb)	Much of this edited report by Stephen Garrett originally appeared in the Tenterden Terrier.
1 March 2001	GAZELLE, MR BURKITT'S ENGINE	This article is an edited combination of articles by Tom Burnham and Stephen Garrett in the Tenterden Terrier.
14 February 2001	OPENING UP THE WEALD	John Miller, Honoury Curator of the Museum.