Bluebell Railway General Discussion

Not an issue at the moment as 4/5 out of use while the Jewel in the Crown renovations are taking place. In the past, other wide-cylindered locos (such as 5199) have had a working instruction to use platform 3 in both directions and other trains adjust to suit if they are crossing.

Tom

 

Same width across the cylinders as 5199 I believe

Chris

 

I read a recent posting on a FB page that Bluebell were about to apply for planning consent for the extenstion to Ardingly. Can anyone 'in the know' confirm or deny this?

 

See page 10 of the May issue of The Bluebell Times:

https://www.bluebell-railway.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/05/issue-33.pdf

That says that a planning application is planned for late summer or autumn this year.

There was an "Screening Opinion" application put in recently; (Mid Sussex District Council DM/22/1596) but I believe that in essence that wasn't a planning application per se, but a request for whether an environmental impact assessment would be needed for the full application.

Disclaimer: I'm not close to the project, and I'm not remotely a planning expert.

Tom

 

Thanks Tom - I must have missed that in Bluebell Times - I'd found the 'Screening Option' application on the Mid Sussex Website and realised that this was only asking whether an EIA was required. Of course there is a lot more to be done before anything physical can happen with the extension.

 

I've heard talk in the past that there could be the option to reinstate third-rail dc on the Ardingly branch to allow heritage EMUs to run. I can't see how this would be feasible with a volunter PW workforce though - surely the risks would be too high. Anyone know if there is any truth in it?

 

With advances in battery technique one would assume it would not be long before it is feasible to use battery power instead of 3rd rail which would then solve that problem, you could always then still have dummy 3rd rail installed !

 

It is not on the last published long term plan see http://www.bluebell-railway.co.uk/bluebell/soc/ltp.html

 

Try getting that past the ORR!
LROs that I have seen specifically bar electric traction (unless self-generating or battery). I can't imagine that TWAOs are any different.
As to a dummy third rail - surely there cannot be any argument in it's favour. A volunteer who also worked on the 'Big Railway' could end up in serious trouble if he/she had 'a moment' at work.
Pat

 

“Investigate” (but not necessarily deliver) is in the “Projects aspired to for the next 25 years, by 2038” (section 8). But that is the same priority as “investigate southern extension to Lewes”. My hunch is that it is in the plan because someone fought to get it in, but the priority is equivalent to “never”. (That is, we could meet the objective of the long term plan by carrying out an investigation before 2038 and concluding it was not viable …)

Tom

 

I always recall that lettering outside the Guard/Luggage accommodation: "Load One Ton Evenly Distributed" If suitable arrangements for the necessary batteries could be made, the suggestion is an attractive one.

I'm a wee bit less sanguine concerning dummy 3rd rail. Reason? There's the potential for serious injury or death once one comes up against the real thing, all 750vdc of it, at Copyhold Jnc. Familiarity breeds contempt and all that .... it'd need careful consideration.

Re: "Southern Extension". Let's assume for a sec that a route through Chailey can be found (and the ever so slight issue of funding overcome). Aspirations to restore the big railway between Uckfield and Lewes, in whatever form, haven't gone away. The connection down there was at Culver Jnc, some way short of Lewes itself.

That said, give the glacial progress reopening a line which oughtn't to have closed in the first place, I'd not be surprised if Ardingly/ Haywards Heath was up and running, the Chailey workaround in place and a nice set of LSWR Gate Stock built to go with a fully restored Radial before DafT get their finger out.

 

...and snowstorms in hell?

 

If hell's postcode is SW1P 2AA, then yes!

 

I think that’s just the demons’ common room!


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Just seen on a Facebook group that 30064 is now on a lorry and away.

 

Any idea where it is going?

 

To judge by all the secrecy, it's inaugurating the SG section of "Collection X".

 

If the haulier is who I think it is, there might be more info in Pete Briddon's blog next Monday....

 

They obviously don't need it in the Box Tunnel Strategic Reserve, then...