Replica railmotor moves to Tenterden

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A REPLICA Ford railmotor, typical of those employed by Col Holman F Stephens on several of his light railways, has been moved from Yorkshire to Tenterden Town station on the Kent & East Sussex Railway.

The replica was built in Yorkshire, using some original Ford components, by the late Colin Shutt, a member of the Colonel Stephens Society.

The replica Ford railmotor in its shed at Tenterden. ROSS SHIMMON

He gifted it to the society just before he died, so that ownership could be transferred to the Colonel Stephens Railway Museum at Tenterden in Kent.

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Thanks to the efforts of another society member, Kerry Baylis, it arrived on June 5. It is now on display in its specially made shelter outside the museum, opposite the station.

HF Stephens introduced petrol-engined railmotors on several of his railways in the 1920s. They ran back-to-back to avoid problems reversing.

They were economical to run, but they were noisy, uncomfortable, unpopular with travellers, but enabled passenger services to continue.

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They ran on the Selsey Tramway, the Kent & East Sussex Railway and the Shropshire & Montgomeryshire Railway.

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