Bluebell Railway General Discussion

I am visiting tomorrow - is the visitor centre at Sheffield Park open yet, please, or are the locos still in the open air at Horsted Keynes? If the latter, is it possible to look round them?

 

Not open yet AFAIK - last photos I saw it was being fitted out, so it looked imminent.
Locos are somewhat scattered - some have been moved into the ASH project (75027, Normandy, Birch Grove, the Adams tank); some are in the two dock sidings at Sheffield Park; some are still at Horsted Keynes. Those at Horsted can be seen from the platforms to a degree, but there isn’t public access into the sidings to see them up close or wander round between them.

Tom

 

Thanks Tom - I did not see your message yesterday but found the situation to be as you described. It's sad to see locos like the North London tank, 9F & Blackmore Vale looking so tatty. If there are no plans for their return to traffic, at least I hope that they can be spruced up if on display under cover.

 

Just picked this up on the Bluebell's chat group:

https://www.sussexexpress.co.uk/new...-window-narrowly-avoiding-passenger-1-8615261

This could so easily have had a far worse outcome. The apparent follow-up to this, a volunteer being hit in the face with a stick thrown by (very likely) the same boys, exhibits something far nastier than casual vandalism. These two need to be brought to book, although the likelihood of that happening is slim.
anyone know The locations where these two incidents happened?

 

It also made page 2 of todays Daily Telegraph.

 

http://bluebell-railway.co.uk/download/press/Bluebell_release_vandalism_28aug18.pdf

Please note these sentences

"The age of the youths is thought to be around 12. Notwithstanding their youth one of the individuals was also carrying a knife"

 

See http://bluebell-railway.co.uk/download/press/Bluebell_release_vandalism_28aug18.pdf

I gather that in addition to the carriage with the broken window, there may have been some bodywork and paint damage to a couple of the carriages that were running in the Victorian set that weekend.

Tom

 

Quick note that the demonstration goods is running on Saturday 15th - loco should be the Maunsell Q class I believe (loco becomes the Wealden Rambler in the afternoon.)

The following timetable says 14 July, but the times this Saturday are the same.



The other service trains (to Service 2 times) should be No. 65 (with Victorian set) and 847 - http://www.bluebell-railway.co.uk/bluebell/pti/index.html

Tom

 

I believe this is 73082 on it's way to the West Somerset Railway for it's summer holidays!

http://www.realtimetrains.co.uk/train/U55480/2018/09/18/advanced

I don't suppose anyone has been able to get a snap of it?

 

There are various photos on Facebook; I’m sure they’ll see the light of day in due course. Loco is safely tucked up on shed at Bishops Lydeard, adjacent to a Bulleid Pacific and doing a passable representation of 1960s Bournemouth West.

Tom

 

a short video on the whats going on page le movements

 

I see from the Heritage Painting facebook page that they are off to the Bluebell next week to start an unnamed project. As speculation, I am guessing that this might be a repaint for Normandy before it goes in the new interpretation area in the shed. Does anybody have anything more definitive? If it is, I wonder what livery it will be in?

 

Isn't 30541 due to be painted back into Maunsell era black at somepoint? If it is Normandy it'll probably be the same livery as it is now.

Speaking of the ASH project it can't be too far off completion now. The info panels and Stepney mock up have been installed. Not sure if 75027 has been separated from its tender yet for the disabled access.

 

In the new Steam Dreams brochure they detail an itinerary operating March, 23rd 2019 travelling from "Southend East, Upminster or Barking"; steam hauled however locomotive TBC.

 

Just been looking at the SD Spring 2019 brochure online. It seems that you have to win the lottery to go on CE trips next year. £119 for adult Standard Class and £101 for a child ticket!

Sent from my D6603 using Tapatalk

 

... and that kinnd of money will buy you a four day ticket to the WSR's ASG, two days at the Bluebell's gala and still leave a bit left towards a ticket at the MHR's gala. If you want to see, photograph and ride behind lots of different locos it's a far better deal.

 

Or a week-end in South Devon at a reasonable B&B and a couple of trips on the heritage lines and maybe some left over for fish a chips and a pint or two.

 

Totally agree.
Although you would get a variety of different loco's on the SD trip; a diesel replacing the unavailable steam Loco, another diesel to take over from the first diesel after it fails, and another diesel to take over from the two other failed diesels!

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From the e-Newsletter:

Announcing the Cash for Cover "Wall-to-Wall Double Donations Dash"!
Donations Doubled Through 30 Nov., 2018

Substantial progress has been made on Operation Under Cover 4 (OP4) since the Cash for Cover Appeal started in 2014.

It took a year to clear the site at Horsted Keynes, but construction work on the shed to cover rolling stock commenced in 2015. In mid-2017 infrastructure volunteers were laying permanent track within the shed, and temporary track in the yard enabled vehicles to be moved under cover. The first carriages were shunted in on 30 Nov., 2017, and by the end of March 2018 a second road (G Road) was also filled with vehicles.

A major obstacle to further progress was soft ground at the south-east corner of the shed, as well as the embankment leading down to the stream (affectionately known as "Dingley Dell"). 2018 started very wet, but by mid-April this ground was drying out, enabling remediation to proceed. In a little over two months, the earthworks were substantially complete. This monumental work by the infrastructure team and volunteers saved well over £100,000, compared with the costs of engaging contractors. With the ground stable, more track-laying is now underway.

Whilst this work is progressing, JJ Hatfield & Co. has been working on the design of the Heritage Skills Centre (HSC). The next construction phase also includes securing carriages by putting up walls along the eastern and northern sides of the shed, together with the four walls of the HSC. These walls will mirror the appearance of the rest of the carriage works: cream/green cladding with a dwarf wall below (our bricklayers have started work on the dwarf wall along the eastern side).

This is where a new Cash for Cover Appeal comes in. Over the years the generosity of our Cash for Cover supporters has been substantial. But we need your help to make even more progress on OP4.

The Railway is seeking £250,000 for OP4's next phase. The first £180,000 will be used to build and install walls, windows, and doors around the eastern and northern sides of the storage roads and the HSC. If a further £70,000 is raised, the floors and stairways, plus external access ramps and steps, will be installed in and around the HSC. This work will permit the phased fit-out of the HSC as funds become available.

When complete, the Skills Centre eventually will house workshops for trimming and varnishing, as well as basic skills training. It also will provide storage for valuable drawings and offices for C&W management.

Importantly, a generous benefactor is providing matching funding for the first £100,000 donated to this Wall-to-Wall Appeal, if made by midnight on 30 Nov., 2018. In other words, it's another Double Donations Dash!

During the Dash, every £10 donated (and eligible for Gift Aid) will be worth £22.50 to the project.

You can give today online at BT MyDonate or by cheque, including this Gift Aid form. Post cheques to Bluebell Railway Trust, Sheffield Park Station, East Sussex TN22 3QL.

Your contributions, no matter how big, are always greatly appreciated!

By Barry Luck, OP4 Project Manager (Infrastructure)
​

Incidentally, for those interested, there is a sketch plan on the Bluebell website showing the planned track layout for the yard - see the bottom of this page: http://www.bluebell-railway.co.uk/bluebell/track_horsted.html

For orientation, roads A, B and D run into the C&W workshop. Road E is the covered maintenance road between the workshop and storage part of OP4. Roads F - J are the storage roads.

Tom

​

 

It is worrying that the BT Donate page has been active since the end of last year and has not yet reached even 1% of the target.