Bluebell Branch Line Weekend 14-16 March

With a main focus on the Ivatt, action from the lineside today, perfect weather for it and a great show all round as always:

 

A very enjoyable albeit long day yesterday, we rather ambitiously decided Cheltenham and back in a day was a sensible idea. We all had turns on our own railway either Friday evening or Sunday morning which was bad planning!
Only my second ever visit to the Bluebell, the first very many years ago (on a miserable wet October), so everything was new to us really.

Thanks to various contacts we had a quick peak round the loco dept welfare facilities which were very impressive. A massive thanks to our counterparts in the Bluebell Goods Division who showed us round the extensive C&W works and sheds - deeply jealous, particularly of the working space in OP4. We also managed to cadge a ride on the brake van to compare notes over wagons which was excellent, thanks to the guard Neil for kindly allowing us on. We particularly enjoyed watching the brake van being run round and Neil's use of shunting pole

Beachy Head looked superb, a fantastic achievement, and the O1 remains very very pretty, especially on the Maunsell-era set which is also very very pretty. Fenchurch on the goods train was cracking. The only cop we didn't manage to get was @Jamessquared

The various book stalls came back a fair few books lighter, although I refused to pay the ridiculously low prices the chaps seemed to be charging. My favourite find at the end!












Overall, jolly good fun, an excellent show. The only trouble is the railway has so many nice toys that even on a gala some of them are away in the toybox, so we'll have to come again.

 

From Today : -
Ivatt with Cheshams 1 by Paul Simpson, on Flickr
Ivat with Cheshams 2 by Paul Simpson, on Flickr
Spring Atlantic 1 by Paul Simpson, on Flickr
Spring Atlantic 2 by Paul Simpson, on Flickr

 

The guard of the goods is Neil Glaskin Interim Chairman and Director of the PLC.

 

So I understood, nice to see such senior people appreciating what was clearly the best turn on the roster

 

Video now uploaded

 

Deleted

 

Glad. you got to have a good look round.

Our plan succeeded <evil grin/>

I think the plan had been to get 3687 (the Hastings Brake) out for this gala, but some issues with ride height meant it wasn't quite finished. So the 100 seater was added as a "swinger" on the Maunsell set, but that meant no Birdcage or Brighton first, and no four wheelers either. The logical place to have put them was with the Mets, but I suspect the desire to run the Ivatt with the Mets (Chesham Branch 1950s style) meant the four wheelers stayed in the shed. I think all the sets were in the weight limit for all the locos to allow loco swaps (except Fenchurch, which was mostly on the goods I think) so that limits things a bit as well.

Still, always next time!

Tom

 

A lovely sequence of 34059 coming round the curve from Leamland Wood Bridge.

Bryan

 

My efforts from Sunday, bit unlucky with the clouds at times but all part of the hobby!
41313 looked lovely with the Met coaches; Nice to tick off another loco and a nice recreation of the Chesham shuttles 65 years after their end.

 

My video from across Saturday and Sunday morning. We had a great time as always, many thanks to all involved! Photos to follow.

 

Quick note for anyone who missed 41313 last weekend - it is one of the rostered service locos this weekend.

Plan is:

A - 34059
B - 41313
WR (Sat) / GA (Sun) - 32424

Tom

 

Hi Tom
Any idea what 41313/B set will have as coaching stock please I assume A set behind the Bulleid will be normal Mk1/Bulleids.

 

I had a look but couldn't find the answer that - I should know as soon as the STN for the weekend is published, which should be today.

Tom

 

Photos from Saturday and Sunday morning...
https://www.flickr.com/photos/alts1985/albums/72177720324495497