Kent & East Sussex Railway

Geoff Crouch - Chairman

Geoff joined K&ESR in the mid 90s and has been a Permanent Way volunteer from the very beginning. In June 2000 he was appointed P.Way Manager and has been a Trustee for 6 years.

He says "In November 2010 I had the privilege to be elected Chairman. Sadly this meant that I had to step down as P.Way Manager, but I continue as a volunteer. My time spent as P.Way Manager was an absolute pleasure. We improved the track and drainage each and every year, as well as managing to enjoy ourselves amidst all of the hard work. My time as Chairman will be spent listening to our workforce and the wider membership. I shall be holding "surgeries" at Tenterden on one Saturday per month, as well as visiting all other sites along the line.

We have much to do before we can steam into Robertsbridge!"

Philip Shaw - Finance Director

Philip has been a member of the Kent & East Sussex Railway since 1967, and for more than 30 years he was Editor of The Tenterden Terrier. He was closely involved with setting up the original company and obtaining its charitable status.

In recent years Philip has been Trustee responsible for finance. He monitors performance, approves short term budgets and plans how we should utilise our funds in the future. Philip is Chairman of the Finance Committee.

Derek Dunlavey - Safety Director

Derek Dunlavey spent his working life as an employee for British Railways as an electrical engineer on rolling stock and plant, ending his my career as Plant Engineer for Eurostar UK.

He joined the K&ESR Preservation Society in 1961 and as a volunteer has undertaken many different roles in most departments since then. As Safety Director he is very much involved writing policies and scrutinising new legislation Currently he is also involved in ensuring that the extension of the railway to Robertsbridge is designed to give the best facilities that can be possibly achieved.

He says "I believe that the key reasons for the success of the K&ESR are its friendly, professional atmosphere but above all its safety record, and will do all I can to maintain these."

Dick Beckett

No information available

Norman Brice

Norman first joined the Board as a Trustee way back in 1996 and was firstly Chairman of Bodiam 2000 from 1998 to 2000 and then Chairman of the K&ESR from 2000 to 2010. His continuing priority is to ensure the financial security of our railway in uncertain financial times and with the Bodiam Bond repayment approaching. He continues to serve on the Finance Committee.

Apart from duties as a Trustee, Norman was Project Manager for the Cavell Van restoration, is an occasional waiter on the Wealden Pullman and he is now retraining as a signalman, the duty which first brought him to the K&ESR.

Brian M Janes

Brian has been a member of the Railway almost continuously since the mid-1960s. An active volunteer for about 12 years he started by helping in the Museum, with which he remains actively involved, founding amongst other things its, and later the railway's, own independent websites. Brian was asked to help out at a time of great financial crisis by running the Gift Shop and he remained virtually a full time voluntary manager for the next 5 years. Meanwhile he started to write for The Tenterden Terrier, and was its Editor for a year or so. Brian also is a volunteer in the Carriage & Wagon department. Meanwhile he was elected to the Board in its times of trouble in 2001, and subsequently Brian says "I have endeavoured to help the Railway out of the mire, and to run the railway with a sense of purpose and to plan for the future".

Keith Jones - Director Col Stephens Railway Enterprises Ltd

No information available 

Ken Lee

No information available 

Ian Campbell Legg

Ian works for one of the passenger train franchises as Head of Business Development. His responsibilities include pricing, income and new product or service evaluation. He is a member of the Chartered Institute of Marketing.

He has been a volunteer member of the Kent and East Sussex Railway for over 30 years and continues to enjoy being a guard and signalman. He chairs the Development Committee and strongly believes we must plan for sustainable improvements in our volunteer, visitor, education and heritage facilities.

Carol Mitchell

Carol was a Civil Servant working in The Court Service until her retirement in 2004. She began volunteering in 1986, and is a Guard, and Pullman waitress. She also mans a trolley on Santa Specials, and recently helped creosote and paint the extension to the Carriage and Wagon shed.

She was elected to the Board in 2000; during her time as a Trustee she has served on both the Membership and Memorial Committees, and is currently chair of the Employment Committee.

Nick Pallant - Company Secretary

Nick Pallant joined the original Kent & East Sussex Railway Preservation Society in 1961. The author of various books and articles on railway subjects, including the standard work on the formative years of the heritage era K&ESR, he worked as a Writer & Researcher for a London Borough before taking early retirement. In addition to his post as Company Secretary Nick works in the Carriage & Wagon Department and edits the Railway's house journal the Tenterden Terrier. Married, with two adult children and a granddaughter he lives in North West Kent. His other interests include English Literature, listening to music and trying to paint.

Stuart Clifton Phillips

Stuart works for a Train Operating Company as manager of a team of staff in Customer Service roles.

A member of the Kent and East Sussex Railway since 1984, he has worked in a number of departments including Carriage and Wagon, Permanent Way and Operating. His main involvement has been in Catering and was Pullman Manager and Roster Clerk for a period in the early 1990's. He currently volunteer as a guard and also as a waiter on the Pullman, although he says " I endeavour to visit other departments and areas of the Railway whenever I can".

He has served as a Board member since 2007 and during this time headed a small working party which reviewed the membership structure. Stuart is also a member of the Development Committe . He is particularly keen to see K&ESR invest in capital projects which will safeguard the railway's future.