Best Value Day out in Kent! - TRAVEL FOR £1!
- 20 April 2013 18:02226200thanks gary i have passed that on to the family that asked.
- 20 April 2013 18:25226203Thanks Howard.
If you let me know when you are going over to EKR, we could meet up for a cuppa and a chat?
"My New Year's Resolution, is to try and emulate Marek's level of chilled out, thoughtfulness and humour towards other forumites and not lose my decorum" - 21 April 2013 09:39226300a reminder of today's event, looks like great weather for it.
- 21 April 2013 21:57226397Hi all!
Busiest day we have ever had on the EKR - with a record of 790 tickets sold. Assuming that most people travelled once, that is around 750 people in one day.
Thank you to everyone that came and supported us!!
Josh Watkins - Youth Team Manager & Website Administrator
East Kent Railway, Shepherdswell near Dover - 22 April 2013 06:33226405Beautiful day yesterday. My Grandson was a very happy two year old and a few friends from Canterbury enjoyed a picnic. Really taking off and it is so good to have a community heritage line working in this way.
- 22 April 2013 08:05226412Glad you enjoyed it Neil, so happy with the turnout! We have s many great ideas planned, to become one of the top family attractions in Kent, but we need the support of the public, so please come along again!
A big thank you to my assistant ticket inspector Josh Mears aswell, standing on my left, he worked faultlessly up and down the train checking tickets all day, despite being standing room only!
Every single volunteer was taken by surprise yesterday, and this was such a great feeling to see that people are starting to hear about us!
Josh Watkins - Youth Team Manager & Website Administrator
East Kent Railway, Shepherdswell near Dover - Jan Higgins
- Location: Dover
- Registered: 5 Jul 2010
- Posts: 13,931
22 April 2013 08:44226417What good news, many visitors means more money which means more dreams and improvements can be made.
Josh, I think you should receive a big pat on the back for the much improved promotion of EKR on this site, well done -----------------------------------------------------------------------
I try to be neutral and polite but it is hard and getting even more difficult at times.
------------------------------------------------------------------- - 22 April 2013 09:09226422i echo that, a professional job all round.
- 22 April 2013 09:21226423Thanks all, we have all worked so hard to try and get ourselves on the map. The railway will be going through some serious changes this summer, which could make the place even bigger and better, so please tell your friends an come back again!!!Josh Watkins - Youth Team Manager & Website Administrator
East Kent Railway, Shepherdswell near Dover - 22 April 2013 13:54226443Took my granddaughter Nicole yesterday and she loved it and is becoming quite knowledgeable.
Nice to see a big crowd enjoying themselves as we arrived.
Bustling café where we enjoyed tea, chips and a home made tea cake.
Coaching stock in reserve.
Goods vans with future volunteers.
One for Vic if he looks in. Diesel shunter named for The Buffs.
Entrance to the EKR station.
Preserved Barham signal box.
Us operating the signals, sorry about sending the shunter out onto the mainline!
Booking Office and Waiting Room.
Saddle tank "St.Dunstan" with a 92 year old enjoying the footplate.
It was so busy that the 1315 was sent away full at 1300 and we waited for it to return to run an additional special for all the crowd waiting. Here it is arriving back.
Diesel shunter "Richborough Castle" hauling the diesel railcar.
Walmer Model Railway Club layouts very appropriately situated in an old coach.
The miniature railway with 4-4-0 "Maid of Kent" in steam. We had a couple of very enjoyable runs up the line. The engine driver is Simon Potter whom I work with at DFDS, he is the purchasing specialist ashore who does a very professional job of trying to make sense of the purchase orders we send from the ship.
Pausing by the ganger's trolley on the way out. As we did so, a Pullman train passed on the mainline, assume it was the Orient Express off on a jolly.
- Brian Dixon
- Location: Dover
- Registered: 23 Sep 2008
- Posts: 23,940
22 April 2013 14:45226453some good pictures there ed,it certainly looked busy there. - 22 April 2013 16:59226466Great pictures Ed, thanks.
Everyone is buzzing over yesterday's success, Josh and all the others are working hard to preserve the railway and give our communities a day out to remember.
Let's hope the visitors will keep coming back, they all seem to have gone away, very happy after yesterday's experience.
The next special is on the 5th & 6th May "Family Fun Day" with lots going on.
Let's hope the sun comes out again and EKR has another big turnout of visitors. "My New Year's Resolution, is to try and emulate Marek's level of chilled out, thoughtfulness and humour towards other forumites and not lose my decorum" - 22 April 2013 19:52226489Thanks Josh and all at EKR for another great day out. All the volunteers are happy to answer questions and provide service with a smile!
It was "standing room only" on our journey to Shepherswell, so good to see people of all ages getting on board. - 23 April 2013 09:17226634We've never been that busy since we opened in 1995. It was amazing to see so many people know about us now, as we usually only get around 2 or 3 families on a normal running Sunday - so to see so many people was very encouraging. We have such exciting plans for the future, but we need the support of the visitors to keep coming back and tell their friendsJosh Watkins - Youth Team Manager & Website Administrator
East Kent Railway, Shepherdswell near Dover - 23 April 2013 11:16226651Josh Watkins wrote:but we need the support of the visitors to keep coming back and tell their friends
Fully supportive of what the EKR have achieved thus far Josh, we were only looking at the opening pictures from 1995 the other day. A word of warning for the future though, you (the EKR that is) also need the support of the residents in Shepherdswell, especially the residents of Station Road and Moorwell Drive, as any developments affect them hugely. I know there have been tensions already - as much effort needs to be spent on working with locals as that expended on marketing efforts.Dover and Cinque Ports Life Magazines are on Facebook www.facebook.com/DoverandCinquePortsLife - 23 April 2013 14:06226679Paul.
That is a very good point that you make and one which is being discussed and hopefully improved on, all the time.
It very important to EKR, that the residents are kept informed of improvements, that are being made at the railway. It is also important that they are involved with these improvements.
We have adopted a saying for our future "Coalfield Community Railway Project"
"Tell me and I will forget. Show me and I may not remember. Involve me and I will understand"
We are particularly pleased that with record numbers on Sunday; the parking was handled in a very professional way.
Thanks to EKR members ( I am sure Josh might wish to name names) they did a brilliant job with parking with no disruption to the village.
Indeed 2 PCSO's paid us a visit and I am told they were pleased with everything.
What should be remembered, is that we want to improve the experience for our visitors and our local communities but what we do not want to do, is spoil it."My New Year's Resolution, is to try and emulate Marek's level of chilled out, thoughtfulness and humour towards other forumites and not lose my decorum"
