Welcome aboard!
Welcome to the 37th Sittingbourne’s Steam Railway Newsletter.
This is our last Work Weekend before Christmas. We've got work to do across Kemsley Down - from the 5-inch to the 2ft 6in gauge, buildings and gardens. Also, don't forget to book your Santa Special, they're filling fast!
|
|
|
It's another Work Weekend!
There are many tasks to be carried out around Kemsley Down from the construction of the new wheelchair-accessible toilet block to preparing Santa's train.
Help is also needed with the 5-inch gauge ride-on railway,
one of the cats was supervising Iain recently!
This is the last Work Weekend this year as Santa returns to the Railway on 30th November.
A Works Train will depart Sittingbourne Viaduct station at 10am, returning at 4pm. Lunch will be provided.
|
|
1. Work underway on the new wheelchair-accessible toilet building
2. Preparing the site for the new toilet building
3. The pathway to the new toilet block has been dug out and widened
4. Sorting out the platform-end of the 5" gauge ride-on railway
5. Work progressing on the new floor for Chattenden & Upnor Coach 204
6. Preparing for Santa's visit - the decorations are bought down from the loft
7. A Chattenden & Upnor Railway bogie
8. A brand new S&K branded brake shoe fitted to the bogie
|
|
|
Santa Specials will run every Saturday and Sunday from 30th November until Christmas.
Trains will be departing at
11am, 12pm, 2pm and 3pm
call 01795 428269 to book
Five trains are now fully booked (nearly six!)
Click on the button below for more information, including the latest booking levels. We currently have one train fully booked.
|
|
|
|
Don't miss the train!
|
|
At the beginning of November, we attended the Gravesend Model Railway Show at Northfleet School for Girls. It was the first time we have attended this exhibition and found it to be very enjoyable with a great selection of layouts, trade and fundraising stands.
Despite the weather (and it was awful!) we did very well on Saturday.
|
|
|
|
Volunteers needed!
|
|
Membership
The Railway is run entirely by volunteers who come from our membership. Over 80 of our 300 members are active volunteers but it’s still not enough as we need 14-15 members just to run the Railway on a normal day.
You don't have to be a working member (although that helps!) to benefit from membership - you will get a quarterly magazine, The New Bogie, and free travel on the Railway throughout the season. Membership fees are:
- Adult annual: £20
- Junior (14-17 years) annual: £5
- Family annual: £39
- Life: £400
- Life (over 60s): £200
- Family life (available to two adults living at the same address): £600
- Don’t forget your membership gets you free travel on the trains (discounted entry to Steam & Beer and for Santa Specials), regular issues of The New Bogie magazine and the opportunity to volunteer at the Railway.
Membership forms can be downloaded by clicking on the button below.
|
|
Donations
The best way to donate money to the Railway is by using Just Giving and
add any preference for use of the funds in the message box.
The main projects we are raising funds for at the moment are:
Premier Back-dating Project
Alpha Restoration Project
SOS - Sort Out Sittingbourne
Don’t forget to add Gift Aid if you are a UK taxpayer as this gives us
even more money per donation.
|
|
|
|
November:
- Saturday 23rd - Work Weekend - a Works Train will depart Sittingbourne Viaduct station at 10am, returning at 4pm
- Sunday 24th - Work Weekend - a Works Train will depart Sittingbourne Viaduct station at 10am, returning at 4pm
- Saturday 30th - Santa Specials - trains depart Sittingbourne Viaduct station at 11am, 12pm, 2pm and 3pm. Special early bird fares for this day.
December:
- Sunday 1st - Santa Specials - trains depart Sittingbourne Viaduct station at 11am, 12pm,
2pm and 3pm. Special early bird fares for this day.
- Saturday 7th - Santa Specials - trains depart Sittingbourne Viaduct station at 11am, 12pm, 2pm and
3pm
- Sunday 8th - Santa Specials - trains depart Sittingbourne Viaduct station at 11am, 12pm, 2pm and 3pm
- Saturday 14th - Santa Specials - trains depart Sittingbourne Viaduct station at 11am, 12pm,
2pm and 3pm
- Sunday 15th - Santa Specials - trains depart Sittingbourne Viaduct station at
11am, 12pm, 2pm and 3pm
- Saturday 21st - Santa Specials - trains depart Sittingbourne Viaduct station at 11am, 12pm, 2pm and 3pm
- Sunday 22nd - Santa Specials - trains depart Sittingbourne Viaduct station at 11am, 12pm,
2pm and 3pm
Key: lots of availability, more than 50% booked and fully booked.
Click here to see the latest availability of seats on Santa Specials - pre-booking is essential to ensure there is enough toys and food to go round!
|
|
Newsletter feedback
How are you finding the Sittingbourne's Steam Railway Newsletter?
We are back to 142 Mailchimp subscribers again, however, there are lots more readers who receive it through our Facebook page or Twitter feed
(click on the links at the bottom of the newsletter).
Please encourage your friends and families to subscribe.
Do you have any feedback? Email it to newsletter@sklr.net if you do.
|
|
|
|
|
Photo of the Week:
Here's something unusual - our new neighbour at Sittingbourne Wharf is the Raybel, a Thames barge. It could only arrive when the tide was just turning, this is Raybel passing Kemsley Down.
Photo: Ashley
|
|
We hope you enjoyed this 37th Sittingbourne's Steam Railway Newsletter -
please send feedback, news stories and photos for Photo of the Week to newsletter@sklr.net
|
|
|
Don't forget SKLR members get a discount for the Santa Specials
see the flyer in the latest New Bogie or
call 01795 428269 for more information and to book
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
