Bluebell Railway General Discussion

Calling photographers ... I'm looking for articles for future issues of Bluebell Times. Do you have particularly special photo that you would like featured? I'm looking for contributions to the "A picture's worth" feature. The general premise is to provide a photo, and write an accompanying article about it - that might be a description of how it came to be taken, or why it has a particular meaning to you, or perhaps a technical description. Photos can be landscape or portrait format; and must be of a Bluebell subject - that may mean taken on the railway, but could also be e.g. a Bluebell loco taken while visiting elsewhere. The key thing is that the photo must be visually striking; and you must be able to provide an accompanying article or description. Ideally it would also be nice to have a photo of the photographer!

The following should give some idea of the kind of format:
Page 5 - https://www.bluebell-railway.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/04/The-Bluebell-Times-Issue-2.pdf
Page 8/9 https://www.bluebell-railway.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/04/Issue-3-final.pdf
Page 19/20 - https://www.bluebell-railway.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/The-Bluebell-Times-Issue-7.pdf

Feel free to contact me bluebelltimes@jamessquared.com or via a PM if interested.

Tom

 

From Facebook, another four panels of track has been relaid at New Road Bridge, just south of Horsted Keynes. This basically completes from where the previous track relay ended, up to the bridge itself. The remaining section across the bridge to the first point at the south end of HK is planned for later this year, in connection with a significant amount of work on the bridge and embankment there.

After that, I believe that the next bit of the programme is the 1/4 mile section in Lindfield Wood (this year - which will mean there is a continuous section of new track from the bottom of Freshfield Bank to Horsted Keynes) and then a section north of Vaux End (about a mile north of Horsted Keynes) in 2022. As I suspected, Vaux End was also the location of the 13 panels done earlier this year.

Tom

 

Bluebell shop sale including 00 locos and coaches see https://www.bluebell-railway.com/product-category/sale/?orderby=price-desc

 

New N gauge terrier from Dapol. Looks familiar!

 

That's the mother of all buckeye couplers ...

Tom

 

Have a look at that rear buffer beam

 

For @Victor

 

Wonder who wants this??

 

It’s the wrong livery!

 

That reminds me I need to write an article on the damn thing tonight!

As an aside, in the somewhat curtailed season we had last year, I didn’t get on 263, the only operational loco I missed out on. She was in the works for a bottom end attention for much of the year and by time she came out, the turns didn’t align. Got on everything else though, despite having so few turns in total.

Tom

 

Now that's much better!

 

Are we going down the Henry Ford Road?

 

The February issue of The Bluebell Times (issue 17) is now available for downloading from https://www.bluebell-railway.com/bluebell-times/

Details of a surprise 100th birthday present for a lifetime member are in the February issue of The Bluebell Times newsletter.

Issue 17 also contains an update from the board on the current activity while the Railway is closed and information about the latest virtual tour for people to enjoy in lockdown

In Issue 17:

• A closer look at H class locomotive No. 263
• Detailed information on how smoke deflectors work
• Your help needed identifying some old photos
• Puzzles with links to local branch lines
• And much, much more

The Bluebell Times is published monthly on the second Friday of each month. The March issue is due out on Friday 12 March. Contributions to editor Tom James bluebelltimes@bluebell-railway.com

(@John Petley @torgormaig @Gladiator 5076 - for photos!)

Tom

 

Crikey, those things are breeding ... (There are two of those tampers on the railway now, though I think one will leave, they are swapping over). Continuation of the training / familiarisation process.

Tom

 

Out of interest, is the Kingscote to East Grinstead section still 'One Engine in Steam' or has it stepped up to 'No Signalman Key Token'?
Pat

 

You’d have to explain “No signalman key token”.

It was one engine in steam with the token only available at Kingscote. I believe now there is a slave token instrument at East Grinstead; AIUI that still requires a signalman at Kingscote to (electrically) authorise a token release, but means that it doesn’t then have to be transported by road for an incoming move, so there is a bit more convenience; likewise for an outgoing move the token can be replaced at East Grinstead rather than being transported back by road.

Tom

 

Tom that sounds very similar to "No Signaller Key Token" to me. In effect it is the driver who obtains his own token (with permission from the controlling signaller) from the token machine with no signaller in attendence. It is the system in use between Nunthorpe and Whitby. Here the token sections are Nunthorpe - Battersby, Battersby - Glaisdale and Glaisdale - Whitby, all under the control of the Nunthorpe signaller. The latter section of course has an intermediate token machine at Grosmont for the NYMR services to Whitby.

Peter

 

That's 'No Signalman Key Token'. I used to use the Fawley and Hamworthy instruments 'back in the day', while the signalman held down a plunger I could remove a token.
Pat

 

The Esk Valley Line is NSTR (No signaller, token remote). The driver receives verbal permission from the signalman but the signalman has no other control over the token. I’m guessing but I suspect the system at East Grinstead requires the signalman to physically give the release from his instrument.