Bluebell Railway General Discussion

It was a film contract - whether the same or not I don't know.

Tom

 

Just seems a bit bizarre to go to all the effort of bringing coaches from Sussex to Yorkshire, which are too modern for the wartime era, when period correct coaches are available much closer.

No doubt there is some logic and reasoning behind it though.

 

Maybe bizarre but perhaps they wanted green coaches ! Anyway the up side is that Bluebell gain from it.

 

Deleted

 

On the piece of tech I type this, it’s rather nice to think that through trickle down economics we will actually see some benefits of this.

 

Goods division: The group aren't hanging about, and have started work on their next vehicle, SR 8 plank No. 33786. The plan for the year had just been a repaint, but as is probably inevitable, small jobs become bigger, and due to rot, three of the planks will be replaced, using wood from some of the sounder planks removed from 62002.

337866 has been chosen as a cheaper project than 62002 and 12058, to allow funds to recover. Any donations much appreciated! I believe there is a standing match funding arrangement from the Bluebell Railway Trust general fund up to £5,000 per year, i.e. for every £1 donated direct to the "wagon repair fund", the Trust will release another £1 from their general fund.

https://www.bluebell-railway.com/trust/donate/

Tom

 

Track relay: the 520 yard relay at Vaud End now has all the rails laid. The S&T have completed all the bonding for track circuits; it still needs ballasting and tamping.

The original intention had been to do another section at West Hoathly, but that is dependent on whether there will be sufficient ballast remaining after the Vaud End works - rails and sleepers are to hand.

Tom

 

Isn't wooden-bodied stock banned from the mainline? That would rule out most of that stuff.

 

Bulleids are wooden bodied …

The Maunsells, Victorian four wheelers, 100 seaters and Brighton bogie first all went to Kings Cross on the mainline, and the Mets have also been in the mainline.

I suspect the reason is possibly continuity with earlier filming.

Tom

 

Wooden-bodied stock is banned from carrying passengers on the main line. There's nothing to stop it trundling around empty if someone is prepared to pay for that.

 

I don't know, but they may have wanted something green in order to at least give the impression of being Southern (even if the period was wrong). Just because it was being filmed in Hull doesn't mean that it wasn't pretending to be Victoria or Charing Cross (other Southern termini are available).

Steve B

 

Indeed. Although in that YouTube video I did spot someone in hi viz sitting in one of the Bulleids. Exemption for railway staff?

 

The Black 5 got re-lettered “Southern Railway” on the tender

Tom

 

In that case why not use the Maunsell coaches, which are Southern but also appropriate for the wartime era.

 

They could at least have put "Southern" in sunshine lettering...

 

Why indeed?

 

You could ask why they filmed “Dunkirk” at Swanage using Mark 1s?

There’s all sorts of possible considerations apart from just period accuracy.

Tom

 

Perhaps the Bluebell decided they weren't able to spare the Maunsell coaches? Or for whatever reason they were no longer suitable / certified for mainline use

 

In that case the answer is that much of the other filming was done around Weymouth. So Swanage was a handy local location to film the train scenes, without having to transport the production crew off somewhere else further away. A shame the Maunsell TOs hadn’t been completed a bit earlier, as they would have been ideal.

I’m aware there are additional considerations, I’m just wondering what they were in this case.

 

Sone location shooting has already taken place around Waterloo, so it's possible that it is the intention to depict Waterloo as the terminus. Additionally, a fair bit of additional location work is being shot in Hull, doubling as London, so this will undoubtedly have had a bearing on using Paragon for the station scenes. Apparently Hull Council are having a drive promoting the city as a location for period film work.
Trickle down economics, again.