The wife worked in admin at the drinks factory, the husband worked on the railway. He worked weekends at Coalville sometimes. If spotters said they were in the RCTS, he would let them look round. That holiday had an experience where the 'Thunderer' AKA 'The Times' got it wrong. The headline 'Britons take Cyprus quake in their stride' was inaccurate. The quake happened just before midnight, so most people were not striding. The more obvious comment did appear within the article.

Sat 31 Jul: lift from the hotel to East Midlands Parkway, given by my table companion to join the train. The station booking office clerk was helpful; as tour passengers walked by, he called out to say he could issue parking tickets if they had not already bought them to open the barriers in the evening.

Pass the recalcitrant 'Thunderer' (50008) stabled at Leicester. Possible track gains near Bedford and Bletchley P5. Did not check loco numbers on departure, sent text to friend probably viewing on the West London Line, prompt response, 'Hercules' (50007) & 'Defiance' (50049). 'Invicta' (unconquered) is the motto of Kent. So 'Defiance' is appropriate for where the tour would be for the next few hours. Legend has it that the Kentish Men and Men of Kent waved sticks to no response from William the Conqueror as he and his army marched through Kent bound for Winchester after the battle of Battle.

I had always been curious, as was mentioned in the tour booklet, about the name Knockholt for the station as Knockholt Pound first and then (two miles from the station) was Knockholt itself, up a steep climb on an unclassified road mounting the Kentish Downs dip slope. The station, 'Halstead for Knockholt' OP 1 May 1876 and lost its prefix from 1 Oct 1900. I was aware that there is a Fort Halstead but had no real idea of where it was. 'Wikipedia' gave the answers. It was a Polygonal Fort built in 1895/97 as part of the London Defence Scheme with other Forts to the south and east of London to repel attacks from the sea. It remained in use by the MoD for weapons and explosives development and possibly the Manhattan Project. Maybe station renaming was in the interest of National Security.

The New Popular Edition OS One-Inch map shows a squiggle that could be a polygon but nothing else.The site is being redeveloped as a housing and business estate. There is a railway 'connection'. One of the people who worked there was Richard Baron Beeching of East Grinstead. Maybe 'disconnection' would be a better word. Beeching Way in East Grinstead, part of the A22, is on the trackbed of the East Grinstead Low Level to Tunbridge Wells line through Forest Row, most of which he closed.

Passing Dunton Green reminded me that I did do the 4¾ mile long Westerham branch from there with Dad on the last day of the service (28 Oct 1961) with two day returns from Hither Green. At the latter the ticket collector allowed me to keep the tickets on our return, I've still got them. Bridging the River Medway approaching Tonbridge is a border crossing. East of the river is the realm of Kentish Men, west Men of Kent. British Railways Southern Region had a named steam hauled train, 'The Man of Kent', which commemorated the split. Slightly unusually, the name applied to more than one train! Originally used in 1954, the proliferation of trains bearing the name is said to have been to avoid having to move the carriage roof boards from one set of stock to another! See https://bit.ly/3DPdy91

On to Margate along familiar tracks for a stroll along the promenade and lunch with a friend from another part of my life who I had not seen since the start of the pandemic. The return from Margate was again on familiar territory, any hope of getting though the Up loop that serves as P3 at Strood towards Dartford was forlorn. The Southern Electric Group 2 BIL Farewell tour on 9 Jan 1971 may have done it (any ideas, please?) but I did not keep detailed notes and 'Six Bells Junction' gives no clue. Interesting tour, a troubled BIL was replaced by a 4 SUB at Wimbledon and that was replaced by a BIL and a HAL at Victoria. Harbinger of things to come on tours with veteran motive power in Jul 2021.

More familiar track as the tour approached the Lee Spur avoiding Hither Green station, past the Chiltonian trading estate. It is named after the large Chiltonian Biscuit Factory that once stood there. I grew up close to it but never noticed any pleasant or other aromas coming from it. The same could not be said for the Peak Freans biscuit factory next to the South Eastern lines at Bermondsey; which frequently gave out mouth watering aromas when passing on my morning commute.

'Hither' Green is reputedly named after the Green, as in village, that is hither, (ie near to Lewisham); the next green was further on, commemorated by Further Green Road alongside the rear of what I always think of as the Continental Freight Depot. So the yard's could be 'Further Green' not 'Hither Green'? Our tour went into Bramdean Sidings to reverse. They were the source of things that went bang in the night, buffers and loose coupled goods vehicles moving while I was asleep a few hundred yards away. Bramdean Crescent, passed on my drive the day before, was hidden by dense foliage.

Return to the Midland main line was by familiar railtour routing direct to the Down Main. I had done this before. The rare opposite move from the Up Main I did unknowingly on the 28 Sep 2019 'Cottam Farewell'. I was told that I had done it, so I checked 'Six Bells'. Yes, I had. My excuse was that I was tired and it was dark. I had wondered how that train reached Clapham Junction on time when it was running late but did nothing to check why. Leaving Bedford on the Down Slow, our Thanet Thunderer came to a stand at Sharnbrook Jn as an EMR passed on the Down Fast. I could see the signals from where I was sitting; we had a yellow and feathers and followed the EMR on the Down Fast and come back to the Slow to call at Kettering. The platform train indicator showed that we were a service train to Corby due in a few minutes time. Our platform stopping place was by a mother and her two young sons. The younger showed no interest but the elder was all for getting on the train probably because it looked much more appealing than an EMR Class 360 EMU. His mother held him back; he was most upset but did not burst into tears. The family group waved to us as we left, we returned the waves.

The next part of the tour was a rerun of the EMR HST Farewell Tour routing to Leicester. Here a Class 66* green in fuel and livery beckoned during a leg stretch to go forward to East Midlands Parkway (EMP). Total 474¾ miles for £99 in Standard Class - not bad. The off chance of a new Class 66 for haulage was dashed. The number of cars leaving the Parkway car park with passengers off the same train must have been a record. Drove home on the Sunday, went round the western fringes of London rather than the eastern. No M1 or Blackwall Tunnel. [That's very keen, Hither Green to EMP, to go to ... Hither Green and back to ... EMP then return to... Hither Green.] *66004, now running on 100% Hydrogenated Vegetable Oil, fully renewable and producing 90% less CO2. It was obstructing the rostered Class 66 and was required by many - also a new form of power.

Route details..
[© Alan Sheppard. 2021]

Mileage table..
[© Alan Sheppard. 2021]

Tour window decal.
[© Amy Nash 2021]

Thundering through Paddock Wood as a train leaves for Charing Cross. The NR training establishment lower left is on the former Hawkhurst branch.
[© Richard Weller 2021]

Approaching Wandsworth Road.
[© Stuart Hicks 2021]

Approaching Wandsworth Road.
[© Stuart Hicks 2021]

Approaching Wandsworth Road.
[© Stuart Hicks 2021]

Like all the other photos, heading east, this time at Headcorn on the Down Main.
[© Andy Main 2021]