Bluebell Railway General Discussion

I'm glad it's still there. It always looks very atmospheric from passing trains, and especially in autumn and winter.

 

Could also be "Cannon Street and Gillingham and Ramsgate via Bexleyheath and Chatham" - even more implausible! I don't think that the Central Division ever used headcode 73.

 

@Robin White - some more photos (not mine) of the Mets at Clapham Junction - https://www.facebook.com/bluebellrailway/posts/10153880421450967 and http://www.bluebell-railway.co.uk/bluebell/whats_new.html for 17/09/2015

Tom

 

Many thanks

Robin

 

Am I going mad or is there some TPO pickup apparatus just near there? Has it ever been used?


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There certainly used to be and I believe it may still be there but the Maunsell TPO has been out of use for many years

David R

 

I might be wrong, but I had a feeling it was a leftover prop from a film made many years ago, rather than a TPO pickup apparatus.

Photo (by @jonpbowers) here: http://www.bluebell-railway.co.uk/bluebell/personal/jon-bowers/b-z12.jpg

Tom

 

Hi Tom - yes, the film prop story is my understanding too.
Cheers,
Jon

 

Aha! Very interesting... Wonder what the film was...


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Never mind the film, why is a Brighton engine (in picture of said film prop) running with a Chatham head code?!?

 

Why do you think it is a Chatham head code?

http://www.semgonline.com/headcodes/sheadcodes/02.html

GIYF. It's number 101 right at the bottom.
The head codes are given in our Rule Book/General Appendix.

Russ.

 

Russ, my mistake; I've only ever seen those codes used on the Chatham engines, so not used to seeing it on a Brighton/Southern liveried machine. I suppose that is because they don't have the additional mid-level lamp brackets on the Ashford locos to put the other (more usual) head code on. I did once have a driver who had me put the night-running version of (No 101) one white/one green code on the front of the 473.

 

I'm sorry to disagree but, being a bit of a headcode nerd, even if that's the intended headcode, the driver has put the discs on the wrong lamp brackets.

The discs are on the extended lamp brackets that equate (on some Brighton locos) to the 'mid-level' ones (i.e. those each side of the smokebox door) on Chatham locos - in the photo you can clearly see the lamp brackets directly below the discs at buffer beam level that they should be on to be the correct 'number 101' headcode, as per the SEMG document.

(See codes 7, 10, 37 etc on that document to show that the mid-level lamp brackets were in use on Brighton locos in LBSCR days)

Incidentally, for many years Terrier 32670 unusually carried, at the same time, both the 'Brighton style' mid-level lamp brackets and the 'Chatham style' ones on each side of the smokebox door - the photo top right here http://www.terriertrust.org.uk/bodiam.htm shows what I mean. Those on the side of the smokebox door were removed at some point in the preservation era

 

You are right, they should be on the bottom brackets, I should have looked at the pic more closely.
The rule is SR/BR (or post grouping for a visitor) livery, two white discs, one cross, one white for pre-grouping livery.
It gets confusing for Swindon products and other visitors without enough lamp brackets.
Mind you, I can't see them all from the Driver's position.

Russ.

 

Despite some years of conditioning about the correct placement of discs, I somehow contrived to do the first up trip on my big engine firing test with a (because we had a Western Section engine) Waterloo or Nine Elms to Brockenhurst and Bournemouth code - it was noted, though fortunately not noted down... The down working, and subsequent trips, had the correct Oxted and Brighton via East Grinstead (LL) and Lewes code!

Tom

 

Was it the live action of Wind in the Willows?

 

A couple of upcoming events:

Sunday 4th October - Bus Running Day

Vintage buses running on:

• Service 20 between Brighton, Lewes and Sheffield Park.
• Service 92 between Uckfield, Maresfield, Nutley, Forest Row and East Grinstead.
• Service 409 between Lingfield, Felbridge, East Grinstead and Forest Row.
• Service 88 between East Grinstead, Turners Hill, Ardingly, Lindfield and Haywards Heath.
• Service 434 between East Grinstead and Turners Hill.
• Service 494 between East Grinstead, Lingfield, Crowhurst Place, Tandridge and Oxted.

Bus timetables: http://www.bluebell-railway.me.uk/events/2015/bus_running_4oct15.pdf

I assume we will be running our normal Sunday Service 2 timetable.

Saturday 10 October - Vintage Goods Train

Looks like the rostered loco is C class 592. Note that this date is a week later than previously advertised.

Updated loco roster is here: http://www.bluebell-railway.co.uk/bluebell/loco_roster.html

263 and 30541 are taking the weekend service trains up to October 3/4; after which it will be 263 and 847. Weekend Wealden Ramblers / Lunchtime Golden Arrows will be 592 throughout October. 541 will also be the midweek loco unto the beginning of October, after which 263 and 323 will be midweek, the latter on pre-booked Autumn Tints service. Normal caveats around availability apply!

Tom

 

Excellent News - the ASH (Accessible Steam Heritage) Project, has received a Heritage Lottery Fund first round pass

http://www.bluebell-railway.me.uk/news/HLF_ASH_Award_25sep15.pdf

David R

 

Question for Tom, any particular reason why 178 doesn't appear to be used much at the moment? 3 and 323 seem to be out for station pilot duties a fair bit, but I notice 178 isn't out for the entirety of September or October.

 

178 has a cracked cylinder so is only capable of light work until it can have replacement cylinders fitted

David R