Bluebell Railway Giants of Steam, 28th-30th October 2016.

Video from Saturday & Sunday, photos to follow later this week...

 

Very enjoyable day at the gala yesterday (Sunday) with excellent displays by all the locos.

The farm bridge a bit south of HK turned out to be a good spot for seeing the trains working hard up the hill.

Here's my video from the day:

 

Here's my video from Friday and Sunday. Enjoy!

 

Travelled on the trains on Friday (but didn't think it through and just kept shuttling SP-HK)... Great day. But undoubted highlight was popping in yesterday at dusk and just watching shunting in the gloom. Just amazing and atmospherically wonderful.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

I think at the moment HK - EG is the most dramatic bit of line (prettiest too, IMHO ...) Glad you hung around for the shunting; it's a bit of the day that often goes unappreciated, but as you say, it can often be very atmospheric.

I had a good day on Sunday, unrostered, and with the family - interesting tour with @Extension3363 around the carriage works and out into the new OU4 shed. Daughter suitably impressed with progress on the elephant van, seen in close up! The B12 is a lovely looking loco and when I spoke to the fireman at the end of the day, she was singing the praises of it!

Tom

 

Tom, I'm a bit intrigued by the phrase "at the moment"! I totally agree that the section north of HK is the most dramatic and the prettiest section of the line. Obviously, there are longer and steeper inclines, a tunnel, a viaduct and the scenery is lovely as the line climbs up into the High Weald, but "at the moment!" What future extensions are planned? Is there something I don't know about?? I can't see Ardingly, Haywards Heath or even the very long term prospect of going south from Sheffield Park taking passengers through any scenery that rivals the section north of HK.

 

You are probably reading more into my statement than I intended - simply that with the current speed restriction of Freshfield Bank, the running tends to be a bit pedestrian, whereas north of HK, once past Leamland it is hard working all the way. As you say, the gradients are steeper as well. The "at the moment" just referred to the fact that when the restriction is lifted on Freshfield Bank, we will be back to more sprightly running south of HK as well as north.

I did most of my mileage on Sunday north of HK, partly for that reason and partly because it is, in my mind, prettier - the one exception to that statement being during Bluebell season, when the southern section of the line tends to have a better display, for some reason.

Tom

 

Thanks Tom. I'm sure you spotted the in my reply - i.e., there was a slight element of tongue-in-cheek about it! It didn't occur to me that "at the moment" also referred to the speed restrictions on Freshfield Bank, but I guess that's pretty obvious now I think about it.

It is strange that the bluebells are better south of HK. I live over 500ft up in a High Weald landscape that is more akin geologically to the northern section of the line and we have some marvellous bluebell woods near us.

 

<UnprovenTheory Alert> - it might be less to do with the relative preponderance, and more to do with visual alignment. When you go through the woods around Ketches or Lindfield Wood, which always seem to be good locations, you are generally about level or slightly above ground level, so you get a good view through / down onto the flowers. Whereas a lot of the northern section of the line - especially the wooded bit south of the tunnel - is in a cutting: it may well be that there are impressive patches of Bluebells in the woods, but not so easily seen from the train.</UnprovenTheoryAlert>

Tom

 

Photos from last weekend. Really good gala rounded off by a round trip in the observation car on Sunday afternoon which i am pretty sure I have not been in before!

https://www.flickr.com/photos/alts1985/albums/72157667421753136

 

Back in the early 1960s when the Bluebell Line was first re-opened, I seem to remember reading that Horace May had arranged for lots of additional bluebell bulbs to be planted between Sheffield Park and Horsted Keynes which was, of course, the only stretch of line open at the time. Does anyone else remember this, or am I dreaming it?!

If I am right, perhaps the present day management could do the same on the northern stretches?

 

I. too went to the Bluebell Gala and have now put the first selection of pictures on Flickr. If anyone would like to have a look, this is the first one in the Photostream :

RD14048. B12 8572 at Sheffield Park. by Ron Fisher, on Flickr

Alternatively, they can also be found in this album :

https://www.flickr.com/photos/train-pix/albums/72157675849049316

Hope they're of interest.

 

A truly superb Sheffield Park scene. Quite rare to see this very unique and handsome locomotive at a different heritage railway to the NNR. Well done to the Bluebell for arranging this visit and managing to get 8572 away from her Norfolk seaside home. Maybe the WD 2-10-0 will be following 8572 from the NNR to the Bluebell one day for a special occasion or Gala.

 

Here is my short video from Saturday 29th October:

 

Thought I would post this picture I took of 8572 at Sheffield Park during the "Giants of Steam" event in October 2016. Apologies for the quality, it was taken using the camera on my mobile phone but I was reasonably happy with the result. Hope this is of interest.

 

And here is a shot of 847 on the front of a rake of beautifully restored Southern coaches during the same event. Again sorry for the quality....

 

1638 and "Fenchurch" in the bay platform at Sheffield Park during the "Giants of Steam" event in October 2016. In the foreground is the back end of Standard tank 80064, which is looking very tatty indeed after being stored in the open here for quite a few years. It seems such a shame to see a loco like this which is so suited to preserved line operations go to waste - does anyone know if the Bluebell has any plans to overhaul her at some point?

 

263 at Sheffield Park with a goods train during the "Giants of Steam" event in October 2016.

 

847 at Horsted Keynes during the "Giants of Steam" event in October 2016.

 

1618 slumbers in the depths of Sheffield Park shed awaiting her turn for overhaul during the "Giants of Steam" event in October 2016.