The Kent and East Sussex Railway (K&ESR) has today, 14th October, launched an appeal to raise £20,000 to complete the restoration and conservation of historic GWR diesel railcar W20, and to put it back into service.

The ‘20 for 20′ Appeal is being made in memory of Andrew Webb, a former director of the railway, who had a dream that W20 would be returned to active service, and personally led the restoration team right up until his illness and death in 2019. A 25-year project to restore and conserve the railcar has been given impetus thanks to a £20,000 grant and the launch of this new appeal.

A detailed written bid for funding was submitted to the Association for Industrial Archaeology (AIA), and the association subsequently approved a grant of £29,999 to help complete the railcar’s complex restoration. The Association for Industrial Archaeology is a national society that has supported the study, preservation, and presentation of industrial heritage in Britain since 1973.

The £20.000 grant is being matched by a pledge from the railway’s own board. However, the total budget required to complete the railcar’s restoration and enable ongoing conservation is now estimated to be £60,000, which is why the railway has launched an appeal to raise a further £20,000.

The railcar has a major historical significance for both the Kent and East Sussex Railway and heritage rail in general. Two diesel railcars were built in the 1940s with dual-range gearboxes that enabled them to run on both branch and mainline routes, and W20 is the only survivor. Provided that the final stage of restoration runs smoothly, W20 could return in time for the railway’s 50th birthday in 2024. Also, 2024 would be a double anniversary, as the first public service passenger train to depart from Tenterden Town station on the railway’s official opening day in February 1974 was in the hands of W20.

All donations are welcome, but to fulfil the spirit of the Appeal’s title donors are encouraged to give in one of three ways: one-off donations of £20; any number of regular £20 donations via standing order through CAF Donate, or a commitment of any amount in regular donations for 20 months. Full details of how to donate are at https://kesr.org.uk/donate/

K&ESR General Manager Robin Coombes says: “Completing the restoration of W20 is not only important to the KESR but also for the whole preservation movement.

“Railcars don’t get the profile they deserve yet they can provide a genuine heritage experience but at a lower running cost, which is even more important as we enter uncharted waters for our economy. In addition, as this Summer’s high temperatures have shown, we can no longer rely solely on steam trains during our busiest season for visitors, as periods of drought become the rule rather than the exception.

“W20 is therefore integral to K&ESR’s future and, as a lightweight railcar, it’s aligned with Colonel Stephens’ philosophy which sits at the heart of our railway.”