Brighton Atlantic: 32424 Beachy Head

It was good to see.

 

Thanks Tom, that was my point-it didn't pull a train on the mainline. Shuttling up and down the platform at King's Cross is not really the same thing!!

Keith

 

You are thinking of the N2 engine which didn’t get uncoupled from it’s diesel so doesn’t count

 

It pulled carriages which is a train and there was no diesel. It just wasn’t for passengers and didn’t go far but is still a train.

 

So yes it did pull a train on the National Network then. 592 also shunted the stock which was at Bounds Green for the return to Sussex.
I should know, I was driving it. Not the same thing as a rail tour but sometimes it's wise to check the facts with people who actually know.

 

Fair enough, it did pull a train on the mainline (a very short part of it!) and I apologise to @City of truro fan

Keith

 

It

That’s ok it doesn’t need apology it wasn’t a problem that upset me it’s not like it was a full train like you said

 

Which film was it for?

 

Wonder woman I think.

 

Clearly, the logistics of main line operation in terms of tours around the network do not add up - but could there be any mileage in running solely on the Victoria-East Grinstead route to try to bring Londoners to the Bluebell? Probably more to the point to use Camelot and the Bulleids for such work if it were ever to happen. EGR-VIC as a continuation of the last SPK-EGR of the day, stable overnight at Stewarts Lane and come back down the following morning?

 

The answer here is quite simple -No! Sorry to be blunt. We all have these beautiful dreams but they are just dreams. Reality dictates that the costs outweight the very meager benefits (if they exist at all) by several thousands to one. Londoners can come and go very readily by train as it is.

I for one will just be happy to enjoy seeing her strut her stuff up and down the Bluebell.

Peter

 

There is no point in putting any Bluebell based engine on the mainline, other than allowing Hauled movement in light( or not so light) steam on movement to another mainline connected railway, such if say at a future Gala the MHR were to hire Beachy head and the Bulleids again then possibly a by rail movement might be cheaper than several movements by road,

 

You’re absolutely right. It’s also great to see the occasional rare exception, like at Kings Cross where the film company was willing to pay costs which could never have been justified by anybody else.

 

Whilst it's nice to see a vintage loco going at a decent speed on the main line, it all seems a little artificial with Mk1 and Mk2 coaches on the 20th century railway. Beachy Head is going to be much more at home hauling vintage carriages on Bluebell's superbly recreated Victorian railway, passing semaphore signals and beautifully restored stations. I won't hesitate to travel the 300 miles to East Grinstead when this becomes a reality.

 

Beachy Head did haul mark 1s, there were some in the formation on a photo of a 1950s rail tour I have seen.

 

In addtion to the comments made by Peter( torgormaig) : -

Last October on Steam Dreams trip to Bath - the train took longer than the timings ( which were greater than those for the services trains ) mainly due to the 10mph speed restrictions for loco hauled trains over Cooks Pond, Oxted and Riddlesdown Viaducts, and delayed the following service trains.

 

What's wrong with those viaducts?

If that could be fixed, then it could be a valuable marketing tool in terms of increasing awareness of the Bluebell and getting more Londoners down who probably haven't even heard of the existence of the town of East Grinstead...

Getting one train off-site into undercover storage in South London could also free up shed capacity at SPK and HK for older stuff...

All of which would be dependent on making the sums add up!

 

Feel free to go away and come back when you have a robust set of figures based on more than just plucking them out of thin air.

Tom

 

I suspect, but don’t, know that the problem with those viaducts lies in their design. After all, girder viaducts elsewhere (e.g. Crumlin, Meldon, Belah) we’re not known for adapting to modern speeds and weights.

20 years ago, travelling home from East Grinstead in 4-VEPs, I found the ride at speed over them more than a little disconcerting.

When the Bluebell has spare millions to commit to marketing, I’d be delighted to see them upgraded and consideration of regular steam operations - even if threading those services through the eye of the East Croydon needle may then be a further major problem.

Meanwhile, this BRPS member is quite happy to see stock kept in relatively vandal free Sussex, and scarce resources focused on running the railway that is, not an extra 20 miles with radically greater maintenance demands.

Oh, and I think plenty more know of the Bluebell than East Grinstead - it’s getting them to travel out for the day that’s the challenge. After all, despite living in Orpington till 2004, and having family in S London, I’ve still not convinced my wife to take a day out to Bodiam and the KESR.


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Always difficult to write a business plan when you cannot presume anything in terms of sales, income etc. Plus I don't know what the cost of running such a service would be in coal, water, lubricants, additional equipment and certification, wages if applicable, network access charges... but it would be a parallel to the existing operation between the NYMR and Whitby, and Swanage planning something similar albeit not over such a distance nor steam-hauled as yet.