Bluebell Railway General Discussion

That's it! I knew it involved tinworm somewhere along the way. Time plays tricks with memories, and thanks for the photo.

 

Round that time in the 1970s/80s, it was the done thing to publish coloured booklets on each engine after a major overhaul. As I recall, the one for the Dukedog has a stirring photo of the loco on the front cover storming up Freshfield Bank - with the C class tender attached!

Tom

 

Interesting to learn that SECR and GWR tenders could be interchanged. Whereas, if I've understood correctly, SECR & LSWR could not be swapped because the drawgear was at different heights?

 

Digging out that photo reminded me that I had a bundle of equally poor prints that I'd been intending to scan for years - so I thought that I'd do it and share a few memories with the rest of you.
They are taken on two separate days - both, I think in 1972. The first ones are from late summer where "Bluebell" was the train engine (whatever happened to her nameplate?), whilst also in steam was the USA tank seen shunting the "C dog" into the bay at Sheffield Park to be coaled up (with a glimpse of a dismantled "Stamford" in the background). Also there are a few views around the station where 75027 is receiving maintenance, "Blackmore Vale" a rebuild, ansd a couple of Chauldron wagons cosying up to the LSWR road van and the Sheffield Park station buffet.
The photos where Steam heat is in evidence is the aforementioned Boxing Day - again with the Dukedog and the USA tank doing the honours. Hope, in spite of the quality, that they are of interest, if only to see how much has changed at both stations



Steve B

 

Thanks for sharing Steve. Oddly enough in the last few days I've just been scanning my b&w prints from '72/73. The quality is not much to get excited about but they bring back memories of the Bluebell half a century ago and show the incredable developments that have occured since then. I rarely get down there these days but when I do I can't help but marvel at how far it has come since I lived nearby as a child in the '60s.

Peter

 

If you have any photos of a couple of young teenagers working in the old "lean-to" shop at Sheffield Park (or walking along the track between the stations...) I may be one of them! I stopped volunteering around 1973 as time became taken up with other things and we moved house which broke some of the links with my railway minded friends, and then I moved away from the South East to go to Uni, and never came back. But I still have a fondness for the Bluebell even though it's over 20 years since I last visited.

Steve B

 

I was wrong when I said that there was only one more episode - there are three more to come; and this is the first one:



Two more still to be edited...

TTFN,

Ron.

 

I happened to make a somewhat unusual visit to Horsted last weekend, and had a whistle stop tour through the carriage and wagon works during a break in proceedings. A few snaps:

Fingall in the maintenance road of the new OP4 shed. The raised height of the roof relative to the adjacent storage area is clear.



The Bluebell Railway Goods Division's current project, an intermediate overhaul of SR engineer's wagon 62002.



This is the Restriction 0 brake 3rd 3687. (i.e narrow bodied, Hastings Line restriction). I believe it is hoped that this vehicle may go into traffic this year.



"Betty", the Stroudley 3rd No. 328.



Also in the works, but I didn't photo due to angles and it being a somewhat flying visit, were

• Pullman car No. 54 (the wheelchair accessible Pullman)
• No. 949 Stroudley Brake 3rd
• Mark 1 SO 4754 (the Bicester Military Railway carriage) which is being restored as part of the "heritage" Mark 1 fleet, as per the long term plan. (Don't ask me which the other nominated heritage Mark 1s are - I don't know).
• Van C No. 404, now used as a filming support vehicle / generator carrier.

The hope is that No. 949 will be into service later this year, in time for the return of Fenchurch. Sunglasses will be required ... Car No. 54 is also planned to enter service this year.

Tom

 

This is the penultimate video from my visit last year:



Ron.

 

Thanks Tom - all looks really good. Does anyone know the status of the restoration of Maunsell Dining Saloon 7864? The webpage doesn't seem to have been updated for sometime.

 

The group behind it are actively fundraising, having raised about £80k so far towards its restoration. It may follow 3687 into the works, but I don't know that for definite.

Tom

 

Thanks Tom - time for a further donation I think.

 

A few photos of ballast laying on the new track in Lindfield Wood:

https://www.bluebell-railway.com/brps/infrastructure-news/#2feb22

Tom

 

I know you said you didn't know the other "heritage" Mk1's, but could you give any background information on this? Is there a "non heritage" Mk1 fleet? I'm not too familiar with Bluebell matters...

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Statfold Engineering updated its FB page with regard to a further update on 72 Fenchurch and some piston and valve components from the Q-class in for attention https://www.facebook.com/389572861382094/posts/1673673016305399/

Both locos, 65, 34059 and 84030 also feature in the latest Steam Railway Magazine under "The Roster" feature

 

The Carriage and Wagon section of the Long Term Plan says, in part:

Whilst acknowledging that sets that include a mixture of types such as Bulleid and Mark 1 are both prototypical and inevitable, the aim is to create the following representative passenger carriage sets, for each of which a strategy document will specify the detailed policy:
BR Standard Mark 1 Steam Stock.
SR. Bulleid.
SR. Maunsell.
Southern Railway non-corridor stock of pre-grouping origin.
Metropolitan Railway "Ashbury" stock.
LB&SCR stock from the Stroudley and Craven eras.
SECR non-bogie stock from the LCDR and SER companies.
LSWR mixed types of vehicles as are available.
SECR "Birdcage" set.
All-Pullman train of 1920s and 1950s cars.
A train of mainly BR Mk1 specifically for catering purposes.
A train of vans.
​

In other words, it is a heritage aim of the Society to preserve one set of Mark 1 carriages (which likely means 6 - 7 vehicles of mixed types including 1st, 3rd and brake accommodation). There are more Mark 1s than that for operational reasons, but 6 - 7 will be held specifically for heritage reasons, to meet the overall Society aim, which is:

The Railway also aims, by various means, to recreate the three main periods of our railway's history in the south, namely:
1. Pre Grouping - London Brighton & South Coast Railway (up to 1923).
2. Grouping - Southern Railway (1923 to 1948).
3. Nationalisation - British Railways, Southern Region (1948 to mid 1960s).​

In the case of the Bicester carriage, because of its history (early withdrawal followed by careful storage and maintenance by the military), it was acquired because it is considered to have a very original interior, hence supporting that aim. Of the other Mark 1s on the railway (some of which are privately owned in any case) there are others held to meet that long term plan objective: I don't know which ones, but they will be a mix of types with more original interiors.

Tom

 

Thankyou for that explanation

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I have to say that any railway which can realistically aim to achieve that many train sets should be very proud of themselves.

 

Over the Christmas break, following on from an article in Bluebell News, I produced for my own amusement the attached document.

What I wanted to understand was how the carriages listed at the railway fitted the long term plan.

Some important caveats:

1. This is my interpretation. I’m not a carriage restorer, not on the Rolling Stock sub-committee etc - so I simply tried to make sense of all the information I could find in the public domain. Any errors are mine (but I welcome corrections). The document is mine and in no way an official railway viewpoint.
2. Carriages are grouped as “in traffic or under maintenance / overhaul” and everything else. Those in traffic or under maintenance / overhaul have strong colours; everything else (i.e. those stored, but not actively being worked on) have washed out colours.
3. I’ve colour coded each as 1st; 2nd / 3rd; brake; catering / service / non-passenger space; and a “premium quality”, i.e. the Pullmans and special saloons. (Largely because I already had the Pullman diagrams and they didn’t fit my colour scheme ;-) ) There is a key at the top.
4. Notionally south is to the left of the page, north to the right. However, I may have made mistakes, especially with those stored, since in many cases I haven’t seen them and couldn’t find precise details of which way round they are
5. Lengths are broadly, but not precisely, accurate - they are there just for an impression.
6. There are a few coaches that could fit two or more of the LTP aspirations, and I have arbitrarily suggested one. So nothing is double counted but, for example, No. 320 is listed under "Southern Railway non-corridor stock of pre-grouping origin” rather than "LSWR mixed types of vehicles as are available”. Sorting out which carriages belong to “SECR "Birdcage” set” is one area I may have picked the wrong vehicles: the birdcage brakes not listed in that set are in the "Southern Railway non-corridor stock of pre-grouping origin” group.
7. There are three groups in the LTP that I didn’t include. In each case that is because I don’t know which vehicles are held for heritage purposes (i.e. to meet the aspirations of the LTP) and which are just at the railway for operational reasons. Those groups are “BR Standard Mark 1 Steam Stock” “A train of mainly BR Mk1 specifically for catering purposes” and "A train of vans.”
8. I’ve marked wheelchair accommodation where it exists; if there are plans for carriages that might get wheelchair accommodation once restored, I’d welcome suggestions. (For example, does every set in the LTP have wheelchair accommodation at least in theory planned - and if so, where?)

Looking at the diagrams, I think we should be proud of where we are - I don’t think anywhere else can match the variety of vintage vehicles we have available for use.

If I had to set priorities, it would be the Maunsells, as offering a compromise between vintage “wow” and relatively modern facilities (toilets, potentially a buffet, a mix of compartment and open accommodation etc) that the commercial department seem to like.

Tom

 

Nice one Tom, thanks for the effort.
Steve B