The weather dawned bright and clear for our run to Dungeness on 'Drive It day' Sunday. Around a dozen cars were expected to attend but on the day, 16 arrived at our latterly-adopted assembly point - the De La Warr Pavilion on Bexhill seafront. We set off at 10:30 and as far as I am aware, the journey went without incident and we arrived at Dungeness around 75 minutes later, whereupon we parked at the Romney, Hythe and Dymchurch Railway (RHDR), in an area reserved for vehicles participating in the Drive It Day run.

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The RHDR really went the extra mile (no pun intended) for the Bexhill 100, by designing a special headboard to be displayed on the steam locomotives in service that day, and altered their usual practise whereby a train enters the Dungeness station loop, stops at the platform, and then carries on around the loop to head back tin the other direction. On this day however, the loco leading the train was disconnected and fitted with 'our' headboard, where it would remain at the platform until the next train arrived, an hour or two later. A second loco followed the next train into the station, connected up and took the carriages back in the reverse direction. Over the course of the day, four different locomotives displayed the Bexhill 100 headboard. Try asking Southern to do that . . 

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After some welcome refreshments at the very busy The End Of The Line restaurant, our members were free to do whatever they wished; perhaps lunch at one of the local pubs or as some of us chose, a trip on the railway. Sue and I have lost count of how many times we have visited and travelled on the RHDR over the years, but it is at least 50!

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This one-third full size masterpiece of British engineering with its 11 steam and two diesel locomotives, running across over 13 miles of Romney Marsh celebrates its centenary in 2027 - not bad for something that came into existence as the vision and plaything of two extremely men who wanted a train set with a difference. Long may it continue.

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We offer our sincere thanks and appreciation to the RHDR Supporters Association, in particular to Clare and Julie who really pulled out all the stops for us.