Railways of Col Holman Stephens

Colonel Stephens and the economical railway
While the ‘Colonel Stephens Railways’ have gained a reputation for being somewhat esoteric, down at heel and decrepit, this caricature is perhaps a bit unfair. The Victorian entrepreneur Lt-Colonel Holman Fred Stephens (1868-1931) was a great believer in the potential of low-cost railways, and was involved in upwards of 50 different projects, not all of which came to fruition. As opportunities for promoting new lines declined, his focus moved to running those that had been completed, managing a dozen or more standard and narrow gauge railways from an office in Tonbridge.
Stephens was always looking for ways to build and operate railways more economically, and willing to explore innovative alternatives including a pioneering fleet of petrol railcars. After his untimely death in October 1931, long-time assistant William Austen led the surviving lines through a period of difficult economic conditions to nationalisation and inevitable decline. Nevertheless, two remain in commercial operation today, while others are flourishing as part of the heritage railway sector.
A long-standing member of the Colonel Stephens Society, Chris Jackson is currently the editor of its quarterly magazine ‘The Colonel’, and an active volunteer at the Colonel Stephens Railway Museum in Tenterden. This talk will look at Stephens himself, the evolution of his railways, and the work of the CSS and CSRM in keeping the light railway flame alive.
This talk follows a short Branch AGM