Bluebell Railway General Discussion

No signals as I recall, just a ground frame for running round, as seen here:-
(annoyingly it will not show the picture in context - I dont know why - so you will have to click on the attachment to view it.)
Taken during a Thomas weekend in May '92, here is the same train arriving at West Hoathly. I've included it for no other reason than the fact that I like it (despite the Thomas face) and it shows a typical Bluebell scene from 30 years ago.

Peter

 

The facing point at the country end of the loop had an Annett's key on the staff. The London end points were just a hand point.
There were no signals of any kind.
I passed my firing test in '93, two days of three trips each to West Hoathly.

 

Thanks for posting, this is Bluebell as I remember it from childhood!

 

Just out of amusement more then anything, does anyone know much the Bluebell paid for its early purchasers like Birch Grove and the Adams? I know the 'terriers' were offered for 700 each, and Caledonian 828 was £1,200 roughly. Blackmore Vale was about £1,700 by 1967.

Sounds like small figures now but I guess they were like two or three years of wages back then...

 

According to the BoE inflation calculator, £1700 in 1967 is worth £32,800 today. I don't think old steam locos are one of the index products used to calculate inflation!

 

The supply of and demand for steam locos for preservation use has changed somewhat in the last 55 years...

 

“Fenchurch” was apparently £750 in late 1963.

“Normandy” was £1000 in 1972.

“Camelot” got caught up in mid 1970s price inflation: apparently the asking price increased from £4,500 to £8,000 in 1974 alone; it finally cost £8,100 inc. VAT on 31/01/1979.

I can’t find immediately what 488 cost, but the Swindon repair in the early 1970s cost £17,579, and apparently from correspondence to Bluebell News, many members thought it should never have been sanctioned at that cost!

(Source: various Bluebell booklets for the locos in question).

Tom

 

As you say, it was a lot of money back then, when you think the locos that were lost, the original Beachy head, the K mogul etc, its quite interesting that at the time some questioned 75027 saying it would be too big

 

The latest issue of The Bluebell Times includes feedback from our spring volunteer workshops, and updates regarding coal supply.

In this issue:

• Some good news on coal supply – but costs have gone up considerably
• Initial feedback from the spring volunteer workshops
• The Awake the Giant team reveal plans for the locomotive to move south – and a range of merchandise
• Update on projects from around the railway
• On this day in 1951 – Fenchurch and a Brighton Atlantic met in Newhaven, a pairing we can soon recreate

The Bluebell Times is published monthly on the second Friday of every month. The next issue is due out on Friday 13 May.

https://www.bluebell-railway.com/bluebell-times/

Tom

 

Interesting bit on Page 18 of Trackside - Bluebell planning to use the 33 on a regular-ish early/late service train from July.

That or it's a slightly late April Fools?

 

Not a bad idea. Means you can limit to 1 steam crew on long days, and they can start later and finish earlier.

 

Nope that is the expectation. Was meant to begin this weekend but now changed to July. Timetable (C) is on the website.

 

It makes a decent length day at the line possible from North of London. I saw it was meant to start at Easter, but then changed. I did wonder what was going to be used as the 33 isn't ready yet - not sure the 09 would cope with regular two return trips!

 

Some I interesting feedback from volunteer workshops, some good points, look forward to seeing Bluebell develop these. One interesting point is about general visitors being interested in age of locos etc , I,ve certainly noticed both at Bluebell and SVR ordinary general pub.ic visitors really take in the date on the build plate of the loco.

 

As a driver elsewhere, the one question I get asked most frequently by visitors is 'How old is the loco?'

 

Ever temped to respond "Which bit?"

 

Out of interest, is it planned to stable a train plus the 33 somewhere towards the north end of the line overnight, or will everything still be Sheffield Park orientated?

Although I'm not a great diesel fan this does seem to be a good compromise to enable an earlier start from East Grinstead without requiring a much earlier start for steam crews and all that is entailed with that. It certainly wouldn't be a deal breaker for me.

'When I were a lad' and volunteered at the Bluebell in the early 70's I lived in North London, and still managed to get to Sheffield Park by public transport before the first train left for Horsted Keynes - and in those days that ent a walk from from Chailey crossroads or Horsted Keynes. We were made of strong stuff then.

Steve B

 

Same here- I used to get the train to Haywards Heath, then walk to HK via the Ardingly branch.
All good fun!

 

TBH, I don't know what the plan is - if it is intended to use 'Ashford', I'd be a bit surprised, I thought there was more work to do on it than could be done in that time, though the owners are going great guns on it. That said, not sure what else is available.

The public timetable for the service just shows a 10:15 departure from East Grinstead, and a 5:25 return (4:45 ex-Sheffield Park). The set can't be stored there over night, so there must be corresponding ECS moves - I'd heard that they would be from / to Horsted Keynes, and the train would start there, but I don't know for certain. I suspect start and finish at Sheffield Park makes more sense, since presumably the stock is what will form the 11:45 and 2:15 steam departures, and more generally, normally our stock is berthed overnight at SP. But I'm speculating, I haven't seen any operational detail of how it is planned to operate the service.

More prosaically, I'm also not sure how it will be crewed. Not all steam drivers can drive diesels, so you've got a limited pool of diesel drivers doing a duty with an early start, late finish, and a whole lot of nothing in the middle.

Tom

 

My copy of Trackside has arrived and along with the article on the 33, I must say I really like Jon Bowers picture of 80151 leaving East Grinstead taken on the viaduct as part of some P-Way work.

Also it seems that when Fenchurch returns, like Stepney and Poplar/Bodiam at the KESR when that returns, will carry Stroudley Improved Green.