Spa Valley Railway improvements

[STEVIEBOY1]

I visited the Spa Valley Railway after they had extended through to Eridge, twice in 2011 and once in 2012 and was told each time, that the loop would soon be in place allowing their locos to be able to run around the train to haul it back to Tunbridge and do away with shunting system and having to have two locos in use. This would involve a sort of small drawbridge for the footpath link from the car park to the platforms. Does anyone know if this additional work has now been completed?

 

[fgwrich]

I visited the Spa Valley Railway after they had extended through to Eridge, twice in 2011 and once in 2012 and was told each time, that the loop would soon be in place allowing their locos to be able to run around the train to haul it back to Tunbridge and do away with shunting system and having to have two locos in use. This would involve a sort of small drawbridge for the footpath link from the car park to the platforms. Does anyone know if this additional work has now been completed?

I believe they are getting the set up from Brockenhurst station which should be coming out of use around now with the new footbridge completion and coming into use.

 

[paul1609]

I visited the Spa Valley Railway after they had extended through to Eridge, twice in 2011 and once in 2012 and was told each time, that the loop would soon be in place allowing their locos to be able to run around the train to haul it back to Tunbridge and do away with shunting system and having to have two locos in use. This would involve a sort of small drawbridge for the footpath link from the car park to the platforms. Does anyone know if this additional work has now been completed?

I'm from the K&ESR rather than the Spa but believe that the issue is that they've had to prioritise the repair of an embankment just outside of Tunbridge Wells West over the Eridge loop which has in effect been pushed back a few years.
There are a least a couple of volunteers from the Spa on here who can no doubt update you further/ correct me as necessary.

 

[steamybrian]

1. As Eridge is on Network Rail property they have to approve the plans for installing the loop which has taken much longer than originally thought to finalise the agreement with all concerned..
2. As part of scheme the swing bridge from Brockenhurst is to be installed and Network Rail would not dispose of it until Spring 2014 upon completion of the footbridge as stated above..
3. When the earthslip which occurred at Tunbridge Wells in November 2012 the workforce (and finance !) has concentrated on strengthening the embankment which involved a temporary realignment of the track to maintain services.

..Therefore it is planned the loop can be installed during 2014 .......


(Spa Valley Railway member)

 

[STEVIEBOY1]

Thank you all for the updates, I may check later in the year and come down when the loop etc is completed. (I did not know there was a drawbridge thingy as mentioned at Brockenhurst)

 

[Spa_Jonnie]

The Eridge Run-around project is a little while off yet, please don't think anything will happen this year.

The Signalling Design work was signed off by our Independent Competent Person last Summer along with the Spa's S&T Manager. This design is reliant on Groombridge's Signalling Scheme reaching the stage where the Eridge end Ground Frame can be decommissioned. This is required at Eridge for the interlocking, points and shunt signals related to protecting the Swing Bridge.

The Swing Bridge is to be acquired from Brockenhurst, we are very grateful to Network Rail for allowing this to happen. However this won't be decommissioned from its current home until the Spring of this year. Even when acquired the correct ramp is required at Eridge to allow the bridge to be installed and the public right of way retained.

We do own a point of the correct curvature for installation the Crowborough side of Eridge station which was sourced and purchased in 2011.

The operating instructions have been prepared by the Ops department however further discussions with other parties must take place before infrastructure work can take place along with S&T modifications to the current Eridge Ground Frame.

Part of the project will incorporate the reinstating of some of the former Down Siding 1.

Work is currently focused on the TWW Landslip however some other high priority track renewals are likely to take place before Eridge RR along with reaching the relevant stage with GBR Signalling.