Ardingly site redevelopment proposal

http://archive.railwayherald.com/Issue241.pdf reports on page 5 that Hanson are applying for permission to demolish and rebuild a larger operation on the site.

Does this offer the Bluebell an opportunity, for example to work with Hanson to incorporate passive protection for a through line for specials from Copyhold Junction?

Does it also mean demolishing original station features?

Regards

Patrick

 

Is the Bluebell still planning to extend to Ardingly?

 

Longer term plan. I think they own most of the trackbed between Horsted and Ardingly. Haywards Heath Station is also meant to be redeveloped and I think the Bluebell were asked if they would like a place there. Don't know when redevelopment begins though.

Hope they don't remove any orginal station features. Though a few discoveries like an old signal gantry recently at Ardingly.

 

There was some chatter about this a few months back on the Bluebell e-group, i believe the local authority werent happy with the proposals as they didnt properly take into account the protected route of the railway through the site.

Chris

 

Wait, the Bluebell we planning to extend all the way to Haywards Heath? Are they greedy or something? That would be incredible though

 

A long term aim:

(from http://www.bluebell-railway.co.uk/bluebell/extend.html)

Ultimately a lot depends on any putative redevelopment of HH station. Moreover, since we're clearly not going to run our stock on the mainline from Copyhold Junction to HH, we'd need some parallel access for the last mile or so into HH - not necessarily simple. So were I a betting man, I suggest HK to Ardingly with an end-on connection to the mainline via Copyhold Junction is eminently doable (once we've got to EG and recovered a bit); extending Bluebell trains all the way to HH is considerably more challenging.

On the other hand, railway preservation needs a sprinkling of visionaries amongst the realists, so who knows! (and after that - Lewes ;-)

Tom

 

I'm a visionary, and I'm up for it! That and the tunnel just outside Ardingly is stunning! Love to see some LSWR steam though there! (Side note, please restore the Adams Radial...)

 

It is a challenge going into Haywards Heath (for Bluebell Steam locos anyway)as there is the one line from Copyhold and a short while after the line changes to third rail and is used by service trains and then a set of points just before the station that changes for the goods line that avoids Platorm 1. Plus the only room for a run round is in the car park where the old goods yard used to be.

But I personally would love to see steam in Haywards Heath on a regular basis. Mainly because I live there and because we get a few steam trips start there thanks to the Railway Touring Company (though its better than other parts of Sussex and the country)

 

When I read 'Ardingly site re-development' it brings to mind the possible destruction of the station site. Does this still exist and is the station still extant?

Regards

 

There is also a report in the November Railways Illustrated (page 30) which gives more information.

John Dorrington

 

The Station building which is at road level( and at right angles to the running lines) still exists, and is used as offices. The platforms do not.Look on google street view, the post code is RH17 6S.

 

Main station building at road level is still there, standard LBSC design like Sheffield Park etc, all gone at platform level except stub of one platform.
http://crjennings.com/Railway Structures Southern/southernindex.html

 

More pics/info here.

http://www.disused-stations.org.uk/a/ardingly/index.shtml

 

Thanks to you and the others who responded. From other posts I understand that the Bluebell owns the trackbed, but who owns the station site? Clearly it won't be possible to use the site while the present user is operating there, so if the Bluebell don't own the station site where are they going to put a station. I can see why Roy Watts said in a recent Bluebell News that an extension to Ardingly was a task for the next generation.

Regards

 

I believe (but I can't remember where I read this, so I may be wrong!) that the Bluebell own all the land to the edge of the Ardingly site. The site itself is owned by Hanson, but the Bluebell have the first option on buying it if they ever sell; and in any case the site (or at least the part occupied by the running line) is protected in the local plan for railway use.

Do any other preserved lines have two mainline connections? (- not that we do yet, but...)

Tom

 

Do any other preserved lines have two mainline connections? (- not that we do yet, but...)

The one that springs to mind is The East Lancs
Not both Network Rail though.
Also the Festiniog.