Bluebell Railway | 32424 Beachy Head Steams - 23rd August-1st September 2024

A few videos from Sunday which may be of interest:




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I took a ride down to Sheffield Park yesterday for a ride with Beachy Head. A superb day with a superb engine and huge achievement from all concerned.

I tend not to ride in observation saloons but did yesterday and was able to appreciate more the steep gradients on the line. I felt like a new Atlantic needed to break more of a sweat but I certainly aren't complaining!

 

My video from the Bank Holiday Monday of the Brighton Works Weekend, with some additional shots filmed on Tuesday. Mostly focusing on 34059 & 32424 with one shot of the O1 filmed over two days. A lovely couple of days, what a fantastic achievement Beachy Head is, having watched it being built over most of my life it was brilliant to see her running, huge congratulations to everyone involved. Photos to follow.

 

Might visit the Bluebell tomorrow. Which way are the scheduled locos facing?

 

Looking at the roster all three face East Grinstead (Beachy Head, 34059 and 65).

A set of pictures from last Friday (23rd).

 

Thanks.

 

Photos from Monday/Tuesday…
https://www.flickr.com/gp/alts1985/ToT49mKk68

 

If the check at the HK outer home was to the 17.00 on Sunday 25th, then many photographers were very grateful for it as it meant a shot in sun rather than cloud!



Can you (or anybody) shed some light on the significance of the 'City Limited' headboard? I thought it might have been a railtour that the original 32424 worked in the 1950s, but can't find anything of that name on Six Bells Junction.

More shots from Sunday, Monday and Tuesday at https://richardstevens.smugmug.com/My-pictures/Recent-additions/Recent-additions-September-2024

 

I was firing the Monday, not Sunday, so not guilty on that front!

It's a bit anachronistic for the 1950s livery, but The City Limited was a train that ran Mondays - Saturdays, first class only, put on to provide a service between Brighton and the City of London. The timings varied slightly, but typically left Brighton about 8:45am to provide an arrival a little before 10am; and departed at 5pm.

(Shades of Hilare Belloc in those working hours:

"And even now at twenty five
He has to WORK to keep alive
Yes, all day long from 10 til 4
For half the year! Or even more!
With but an hour or two to spend
At luncheon with a City friend").

The train resumed running after the First World War, with a specially constructed set of carriages, but with the Brighton electrification, it lapsed in 1933; the service being provided instead by a 6-BEL electric set. Quite likely Atlantics were used on the service, though the only photo I can find shows a Baltic tank.

Tom

 

Many thanks for that. As you say, rather anachronistic for the 1950s livery, but an interesting story, and certainly a preferable headboard from my point of view to the one carried on the previous two days.