Reflections on 40 Years of Railway Preservation in East Kent, Plus a Bit of Bus Preservation - Part III

Article written by David Harris, Chairman of the Trustees, East Kent Railway Trust

I did not choose to go into bus preservation, I was drawn into it.

In those early days of restoring the East Kent Railway, before we ran passenger trains, I was approached by a man called Barry. He told me he had custody of the two Avonside 0-6-0 saddle tank locos from Snowdown Colliery and also the John Fowler diesel shunter from there.

Snowdown Colliery had closed and was being cleared. This colliery was on privately owned land. British Coal still owned all three locos.

Barry had formed a small group to look after all three, and suggested that they could come to the EKR. The John Fowler diesel came, but not at that time either of the two Avonsides. The Fowler was in running order and was the first loco on our preserved railway. Later, Avonside St Dunstan, one of the Snowdown pair, came onto the EKR when we purchased it from British Coal. The other Avonside was purchased by Dover Transport Museum who have it as a ‘gate guardian’.

It was not until 2004 when Barry came to see me at the railway again. “I have a half share in a bus,” he said. He had been down at New Romney and in the road opposite the RH&D Rly station an AEC Regent 5 was parked. It had brought a party to the RHDR, and the driver was sitting alone on a back seat drinking tea. They got into conversation about buses and the man, the owner, offered him a half share, which he took up straight away.

We at the EKR used the bus only once – to connect our Eythorne Station with a classic and vintage car rally being held at Waldershare Park, the Earl of Guilford’s seat. The idea was to encourage people from the car rally to ride on the EKR, but it did not work, there were few takers. Waldershare Park is near Upper Eythorne and the EKR Station is at Lower Eythorne.

I worked at South Kent College as a Technician in the Engineering Dept at Dover. My immediate colleague, also a technician, who at the time was working one day a week at the Ashford Branch, said to me one day, “That bloke with the flat cap who drives a bus, who works part time at Ashford is coming down here next week to teach Special Needs youngsters.” “I don’t know him or his bus,” I replied. The chap was called Paul and I was to work with him.

When he arrived he introduced himself to me and said, “You are Dave Harris.” “Yes,” I replied. “Are you the Dave Harris?” “Yes,” I said. He then told me he co-owned a bus with Barry, and that Barry wanted to form a bus preservation group and wanted me to be part of it.