Alan Sewell’s memories of Stone Cement works...

It was photos of my recent layout, Traeth Hafren, a few weeks ago that led to today’s reflections from blog regular Alan Sewell…

“My recent musings are around how Traeth Hafren feels like my memories of the Thames Estuary – very much like the Severn estuary I imagine”.

Stone, Kent, February 1970, Alan Sewell photo.

“With a slightly different track layout – a set of points at least this could be a setting for the electrified bulk cement line at the Stone cement works in Kent with the tracks coming under a road bridge from the cement works at one end and ending at a wharf/unloading point at the other. In the prototype electric cement hoppers were used, but other motive power would work, shuttling back and forth”.

Stone, Kent, February 1970, Alan Sewell photo.

“I saw this operation only a year before it finished and it was archaic then. A somewhat windswept and chilly location, the bulk cement ‘trams’ were built in 1928 by English Electric using a Dick Kerr patent. Covered in chalk dust they appeared ghosts as from the past.”

Stone, Kent, February 1970, Alan Sewell photo.

I am indebted to Alan for his continued support of my blog and his open sharing of photos and recollections from his extensive industrial railway visits from all over the world. In this instance he has shared not a contemporaneous account of the visit but memories and woven those with inspiration from my layout to create a picture, at least in his mind, of another project. It is this cross fertilisation of ideas, of energy and of inspiration that can drive us all forwards. Stop by, get involved, leave a comment and let’s see if my blog can become a haven for this kind of thinking? Until next time, more soon…