Bluebell Railway Branch Line Gala: 15 - 17 March 2019

Timetables and loco allocations ...

https://www.bluebell-railway.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/02/Branch-Line-Timetable-2019.pdf

Event details here: https://www.bluebell-railway.com/whats_on/branch-line-weekend-2/

I don't know what the carriage sets represent yet.

Edit: Based on the loco allocations and last year, I'll take a punt that B+C might be Maunsells + Bulleid's; and set A is four wheelers. But we'll wait and see.

Tom

 

...and not forgetting the Edwardian set (SECR birdcage, SECR '100 seater', LBSCR 1st and LSWR 3rd brake)

 

Can't see any mention of any connecting bus services. Any idea whether there'll be any running on one or more days please?

 

I asked on Facebook - nothing additional planned, but there are the normal bus services listed here: https://www.bluebell-railway.com/visiting-the-railway/how-to-get-here/

Tom

 

Cheers Tom. Unfortunately, past experiences of doing the trip from either Brighton, Lewes or HH by timetabled bus have been less than happy ones. I only actually managed to get to the line once (Perrymount Road is an unutterably depressing place to wait for a bus that doesn't come).... and even then, landed up spending a ruddy fortune on a taxi to get back, when the last bus was another no-show.

 

It’s a bit of a trek by rail from Brighton, but via East Grinstead is at least fairly reliable I’d have thought!

Tom

 

Hove, all the way up to EC, then down to EG? Sorry ..... not an attractive or affordable option.

 

How about bus to Lewes and trains from there? The Lewes bus seems very good.

Sent from my SM-J330FN using Tapatalk

 

If it were just me, probably .... but I was hoping to infect a semi-reluctant muggle!

 

All passengers trains must have a continuous and compatible automatic brake active on all vehicles, it’s a basic railway safety rule. Unfitted vehicles are not permitted within passenger trains. So I am very interested to know how the continuous brake will be maintained when W24 is piloting the H and Beattie.

 

As has been noted on the main Bluebell thread “Bluebell” herself has had to be withdrawn. That has caused a bit of a timetable re-jig: revised timetable and loco allocations here:

https://www.bluebell-railway.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/03/Branch-Line-2019-Final-Timetable.pdf

Note the loco-only movement of all four LSWR locos to Horsted Keynes on Friday afternoon; I assume there will be a photo lineup.

Tom

 

And now with added carriage diagrams:

https://www.bluebell-railway.com/wp.../Branch-Line-Carriage-Set-Formations-2019.pdf

Two bits of good news: entry into service of Bulleid Composite 5768 meaning a four coach Bulleid set; and the Metropolitans back up to four coaches as well!

Tom

 

Key key word here is 'Piloting'

Provided the engine next to the coaching stock is able to stop them then on its own you can probably get away with the pilot engine not being hooked up to the continuous brake. After all with both engines fully crewed a broken coupling between the two engines isn't going to go unnoticed is it!

One suggestion I have heard is that a rope is tied round the vac pipe of the train engine and attached to Calbourne - that way if the coupling does brreak then the vac bag on the train engine gets pulled off its rest thus destroying the continuous brake on the train engine + carriages.

 

No Mk1's, an ideal time for a forum member from Hayling Island to visit.

 

The loco movement to HK on the Friday afternoon is surprisingly late - by the time they get them arranged, the light will be starting to fail unless it's a sunny day.

Looking forward to visiting this on Saturday, haven't been to the Bluebell for many years.

 

I don't think there is much opportunity to go up earlier while still allowing them two whole line trips for passengers.

Looking at the timetable, W24 and 30587 are back at Sheffield Park at 2.20pm. They will certainly both have to go into the yard at that time for coal and to have the fires cleaned. The yard at Sheffield Park is pretty crowded given the need to get five locos off shed, so probably 488 and 96 will need shunting to form the train (which would mean a run round, unless 65 has shunted them over to the Newick or Pump House sidings earlier in the day ...). Given all that, I don't think you could make the 3pm path; the 3.45pm would be a possibility but would mean delaying that service train until 4.03; and you need two roads clear through Horsted (to cross the down service withe O1) that might be blocked setting up the photo opportunity if you did it earlier. So my hunch is that the 4.03 path off Sheffield Park is probably the first one that is reliable given the earlier 2:20pm arrival

Tom

 

I think this is the argument for connecting to Haywards Heath. Quite a lot of people in Brighton and either side: Eastbourne, Lewes with Newhaven and then
on the other side more less built up out West to beyond Worthing.

 

Just reading through the operating notices for the weekend - I’m going to be busy, especially Sunday!

Branch Line Gala has become, over the last few years, far and away the most operational fun of the year - IMHO.

Tom

 

For anyone looking at timetables and wondering about double heading etc:

Double headers are shown in the timetable thus: W24 + 30587, with the leading engine shown first

Top and tail is shown thus: 263 + (65) with the trailing engine shown in brackets.

The top and tail workings are on the morning of Saturday and Sunday, where 263 and 65 work double headed from SP to EG; then top and tail back to HK. The train then splits, with 263 continuing south with half the train and 65 returning north with the other half.

There's also a somewhat rare opportunity to get a line turn with 178 at the weekend, where it works from Sheffield Park to Kingscote with the 4 wheelers; then back as far as HK, after which it runs brake van rides round the station (the four wheelers then get picked up by 30587 for a trip back to Kingscote before returning to SP).

Tom

 

Am I right in assuming that all the locos are facing London?