Volunteers from the Kent & East Sussex Railway (K&ESR) are to take part in a novel sponsored challenge to raise funds towards the restoration of GWR 0-6-0 Pannier Tank No. 1638.

Over the first weekend of November, the volunteers will swap steam power for muscles to record a cumulative 200 miles of travel along the railway, starting from Tenterden Town Station at 7 am on Saturday, 1st November, and finishing there at around 5 pm the following day.

The challenge comes from using the railway’s recently restored and repainted hand pump trolley as their means of transport. The trolley is the same one that achieved international fame in 1989 by setting a new world record for the fastest pump trolley run over a measured distance of 300 metres. That run featured on the popular BBC TV programme Record Breakers, and is still thought to stand.

Mileage will be accumulated along a flat stretch of the line between Rolvenden and Wittersham Road stations. Working in teams of four, including a qualified driver, the volunteers will take turns to power the trolley, running in timed slots between 7 am and 5 pm each day.

A target of £163,800 has been set to raise funds for the 1638 Appeal, with £56,000 already donated or committed in regular giving; No. 1638 is currently being restored at a site in Cornwall.

Donations in support of the Challenge can be made on the K&ESR’s 1638 Appeal page https://kesr.org.uk/donate/anniversary-appeal/.

Last year, volunteers from the Kent & East Sussex Railway (K&ESR) planted some Elm trees along the line to help replace those lost by the ravages of Dutch Elm Disease in the 1970s.

“I wanted to combine a volunteer effort to raise money for the 1638 Appeal with doing something to mark Rail 200, and I thought using the pump trolley would be a fun way to do that. This year is also the 125th anniversary of the opening of the original Rother Valley Railway between Robertsbridge and Tenterden. The return to the rails of our Pannier Tank locomotive 1638 is a key part of plans for passenger services once the extended line from Bodiam and Robertsbridge Junction reopens.”

Sarah Tagart, a 29-year-old K&ESR volunteer, who came up with the idea for the challenge