Romney, Hythe and Dymchurch Railway - End of Season Parade - November 5th and 6th 2016

Over the weekend of November 5th and 6th 2016, the Romney Hythe and Dymchurch Railway held their annual November gala, the End of Season Parade.

Featuring all of the available RH&DR locomotives, the 13- and-a-half mile long 15'' gauge line along the Romney Marsh pulled out all the stops to bring their season to a close with a bang. Parallel runs, double headers with both steam, diesel and mixed combinations, and non stop 28 mile trips from Hythe to Hythe via the balloon loop at Dungeness were all features of this fantastic weekend.

To boost the entertainment value, the railway hired in 1954 built Guest Engineering built 2-4-2 'Katie' from the Kirklees Light Railway in Yorkshire. Built to serve the original Fairbourne Railway in North Wales, the gorgeous little 2-4-2 looked very at home as she plodded along the beach at Dungeness, and raced along Captain Howey's famed 'Mainline in Miniature'.

For the weekend, myself and 5 other members of the South Devon Miniature Railway Society (SDMRS) hired out the RH&DR's Pullman bar car 'Gladys', offering us the perfect way to enjoy the event, with panoramic views, drink on tap and our own headboard on the front of the train. This video encompasses a selection of shots from both on board 'Gladys' as we hurtled across the marshes, and shots from around Hythe, New Romney, Romney Sands and Dungeness stations.

In service over the weekend were the following locomotives:

No.3 'Southern Maid';
No.7 'Typhoon';
No.8 'Hurricane';
No.9 'Winston Churchill';
No.10 'Doctor Syn';
No.12 'J.B.Snell';
No.14 'Captain Howey'.

'Katie', visiting from the Kirklees Light Railway.

I do hope you enjoy this hybrid video of what was my first ever visit to this truly spectacular railway. Despite the 5 hour journey from Devon, it really was a weekend worth spending.

Thank you to all who made it possible!