Bluebell Railway General Discussion

It's announced on the Bluebell Facebook page so I assume the website will be not far behind.

I believe I have an appointment to wash my hair that weekend. Shame ...

Tom

 

It was mentioned at the back of Bluebell News that 2 Deltics would be visiting but no date was given.

 

Perfect timing for a few people's birthday celebrations, top marks to the Bluebell!

 

Seems an odd choice of visiting engines but I still might pay a visit.

 

Others may know better - does it tie in with a mainline charter for those locos, either to the Bluebell or nearby? The Bluebell event is apparently Friday and Saturday, not the Sunday, which makes me wonder if there is a charter starting nearby on the Sunday?

Tom

 

Not that I can see on here:

http://railwayherald.com/railtours

But something might be being planned.

I'd rather see some class 14s or similar working the line.

 

Seems to be advertised as a Saturday & Sunday event on FB and DPS website, 18h & 19th April.

The Bluebell Railway and the Deltic Preservation Society are pleased to announce the visit of D9009 ‘ALYCIDON’ and 55019 ‘ROYAL HIGHLAND FUSILIER’ for the Bluebell Railway Diesel Gala on the 18th and 19th April 2015. This will be the first time two Deltics have visited the Sussex heritage railway with both locos arriving via the Bluebell’s mainline connection at East Grinstead. A two train service will be in operation each day with the locos switching diagrams on the Sunday.

 

Ah, interesting. The announcement in Bluebell News said "...to run on a Friday and Saturday in March...", which was why I just assumed the dates given were a Friday / Saturday.

I wonder if we will be running a steam service as well that day?

Tom

 

I am sure that steam will have one last fling on the Bluebell before the creeping dieselisation eradicates it forever.

 

I'd like to say, 'can I join you' but people might talk.....

 

Various updates on the Bluebell "What's new" page, including an update on progress with SECR P class 27 and also a photo showing that Stepney's repaint into improved engine green is nearing completion.

http://www.bluebell-railway.co.uk/bluebell/whats_new.html

Tom

 

Hello,
Does the big hammer make a better paint finish on the Blubell?

Nick

 

Good to have her back, it's been too long.

 

From the Bluebell e-Newsletter:

"INFRASTRUCTURE UPDATE: WINTER WORK

With Santa back in his workshop, the Infrastructure Team is busy "sorting out" in the now-traditional winter closure, which this year will hopefully see the end of speed restrictions at river slip following extensive engineering work on the bank.

Ballast has started arriving by road and will be put in the hoppers at the salt yard ready for spreading once the track is down and in the correct position. It has been brought in by rail before, but on this occasion there is nowhere it can be be dumped conveniently at the worksite to access easily.

Eleven panels are due to be relaid with new rail topped up with the new ballast, and areas of known wetness will be cleared before our usual sandwich of terram/polythene/terram is laid on the existing bed to increase stability.

But before track laying can start, there must be inspecting, clearing, and improving drainage, and this has been taking place since last Monday. Another culvert has been identified as needing some TLC; it wasn't a broken headwall this time but a broken pipe on the downsteam side, which has collapsed, and we can't find the original end! So having dug out and cleaned up the end we have found, a headwall will be built.

Other work includes making a concrete inspection chamber over an existing invert to bring the levels up for new track side drainage, and laying ducting for Signals & Telecommunications to replace the existing concrete cable troughs, which are well past their sell-by.

Another job started at the end of last year when a party surveyed this particular stretch of track, measuring the offsets every 10 metres so that the correct cant can be applied for our 25 mph running speed. The data recorded will be used by the tamper when the relaying is finally finished so that the wear on the rails--which has been one of the problems here--can be minimised in the future.

It is essential that we put the new track back in exactly the same place to make proper use of the data, so surveying pegs have been set out this week every five metres along the stretch being lifted, measured to exactly two metres from the running edge. Tip of the week from "Larry with the big hammer": "Don't touch the pegs."

By Mike Hopps, Infrastructure Volunteer "

(For those familiar with the line, River Slip is in Lindfield Wood just north of Tremains Crossing - see http://www.bluebell-railway.co.uk/bluebell/map_grad.html)

Tom

 

Just seen the update on the Infrastructure news re the slip area.
Any detail on what type of piles where used?
Assume Cast in situ with rail reinforcing.
How were the pile holes excavated?
Assume big drill on a digger or something?

 

Update on Operation Undercover stage 4:

http://www.bluebell-railway.co.uk/bluebell/pde/opuc_p4.html#latest

Tom

 

From the Bluebell e-Newsletter:

"INFRASTRUCTURE UPDATE: STABILISING THE SLIP

With just a week to go before trains are scheduled to run again, the Infrastructure Team has been working flat out to finish the earthworks at River Slip so that the two ends of the formation can be connected.

The slip has been stabilised with the same plastic grid netting used at Imberhorne tip. When the Railway was built the river was moved by about 20 feet to the west, and it is likely that spoil for the embankment was simply tipped on to the edge of the existing riverbank. Without suitable compaction to consolidate different layers, the formation has been sliding down the original riverbank ever since.

Rather than digging out the bank completely, we piled the foot of the slip and cast two retaining walls to link the piles together to support the embankment and reduce washout when the river floods. Sixteen 0.5m by 4.5m piles, each reinforced with old rail, were spaced about 2m apart. Another old rail was set in front, and the whole arrangement encased in concrete.

Bruce Healey takes up the story: "By Thursday evening [22 Jan., 2015], the shuttering had been removed from the first headwall, backfilled, and a second headwall cast. There was also more progress on levelling the trackbed. By the end of Friday, the trackbed was nearly all levelled enough to need the laser dozer, which certainly saves a lot of digger time.

"The signal and telegraph ducting is complete, apart from three lengths because there is a pile of ballast in the way. Three track panels were removed, and there are five more to go. Sleepers were brought down from the West Hoathly stack. Saturday should see the remaining track panels removed and the laser dozer in action.

"Next week will see shuttering removal or loosening, more ducting, and track laying. If all goes well, tamping is pencilled in for Friday."

To read more infrastructure progress and to see more photos, click here.

By Mike Hopps, Infrastructure Volunteer"

 

Further to this, yesterday the shuttering was lifted off the 2nd concrete headwall (very smart it looks too!); the remaining track panels were removed and a start made on dismantling them; work continued on installing the remaining manhole covers for the S&T ducting; and the final top fill layer was added and compacted at the site of the slip itself. The diggers and laser-dozer then got to work levelling the trackbed, which in turn allowed the geotex / terram /ballast base to be laid-out at the south-end of the relay (about 1/4 of the total length). Just got to hope the weather holds to finish off the job this week!

And in answer to Ploughman's question above (sorry - missed it earlier in the week), yes the pile holes were bored using an auger attachment.

Cheers,
Jon

 

Thanks for that Jon.

 

Tom

You'd better leave washing your hair until after the Deltics have fogged out Sussex with oil splatter and talcum powder spray!

o