Spa Valley Railway - Latest News

The likelihood in the very near future is we'd have 34053, 34072, 47493, 32650 and 1589 available for service.

2315 'Lady Ingrid' is up for sale, given its size it isn't really suited for our operations going forward.

 

Many thanks for that update Jonnie, very interesting and helpful.

Does that suggest there might be an overlap with 34053 and 34072, with them available for service on the railway at the same time?

Presumably 78019 will leave after the Winter steam event and the following weekend when it is currently planned to run with 80078. With 80078 leaving the railway when you've got sufficient of your residents in service?

 

There'll be a time when we plan to operate 34053 and 34072 at an event, possibly July 2024 but watch this space.

78019 is planned to work 9th, 10th, 11th, 17th, 18th, 24th and 25th February. After that I'd say it's going back to GCR.

80078 is probably with us until March when it heads to Mid Norfolk but you'll probably see the engine back again next Polar.

828 is staying with us into 2024 too which will likely be the mainstay of our steam services alongside 34072.

 

Sounds good Jonnie, many thanks.

Despite the rain I headed over to the Spa Valley Railway this morning, passing through a Tunbridge Wells almost empty of traffic. Even better was the family of 4, including two youngsters of primary school age wearing pyjamas over their normal clothes, crossing the road in front of me, the youngsters bouncing up and down with excitement as they headed towards the station and the Polar Express!

I'm still building up a collection of photos of 80078 to hopefully go with photos of the same class of loco I took at/near Groombridge in April 1962. In total for all classes (N, H and BR Std 4 2-6-4t) I've now identified nine, and may have at least one more when I get the negs scanned. And I did well with another relevant photo of 80078 today. That photo isn't attached but two others taken on a dull and wet day are. And Jonnie, if you want either or both for any Spa Valley Railway use, please just ask and I'll email them to you.

 

Yes, please to both in higher res. Same email as last time would be excellent.

I was 78s driver today so we did see each other in passing! I had the American railroad hat on. The photo of the loco climbing up from High Rocks is excellent, with the weight of the train the 4MT is/was working rather hard at that point.

 

Thats a shame about 'Lady Ingrid' considering shes one of the first operational engines at use at Spa but I guess its understandable.

I wish there were more locomotives based at 'West' with more historical connections to the line - especially mid-sized engines rather then the massive Bullieds - however I understand its slightly difficult to arrange that.

I am looking forward to 'Newstead' running though...

 

Possible relocation to the Lavender Line perhaps?

 

Its up for sale, anyone could buy it.

 

BR Standard 4MT 80078 is working the Polar Express this Wednesday and Thursday, 34072 should then hopefully run Friday to Sunday.

 

It's a fine railway with very friendly and very helpful volunteers running it, and I would imagine that their motive power is chosen on the basis of what can be arranged - which is what I gather is also your understanding. Cost must also be a key factor. And seeing 80078 there is wonderful for me as I have some photos of 80031, 80137 and 80144 in the Groombridge area that I took in 1962. And it was 80144 that operated the last rostered steam hauled service from Eastbourne into and return from Tunbridge Wells West on 12 June 1965; that from an ASLEF website that included coverage of that area in 1965.

As far as the Bulleids are concerned, which I am very happy indeed to see there, they did work through Oxted at least in that general area. And, so far as historical connections are concerned, I am still following up a report of an original condition Bulleid briefly working a Tunbridge Wells West to London Bridge service sometime in 1965 - I imagine that would have been via Groombridge. If that report is correct the past visit of 34092 and the use now of 34072 seems quite appropriate to me - but I am a great fan of those wonderful pacifics! If anyone on Nat Pres has info on a brief, 1965 steam service from Tunbridge Wells West to London Bridge I would be very grateful to hear of it - if it did happen I'd love to know where the loco was serviced at the London end! I'd given up on Central Division steam after 1962 when the main lines out of Waterloo took my interest - and it was a great surprise to find out very recently that steam into and out of Tunbridge Welle West survived as late as June 1965.

 

Many thanks for that. A BR standard class 4 tank is a massive attraction for me on the Spa Valley Railway - see my post above! And the running of any Bulleid pacific fairly close to home will always get my attention.

 

Many BP's did work to Brighton from Victoria passing through Oxted but then, you had all the other services hauled by H's, M7's, Maunsell moguls, Schools and Std 4 4-6-0's passing through as well.

It would be more interesting to see more one of those engines on Spa Valley metals than a Bulleid or a 4 Tank.

 

In Kevin Robertsons Cuckoo line there is a photo of 34073 at Horam on an Eastbourne to Romford working. It had LNER stock behind it. So BoBs operated at times up the Cuckoo Line.

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Not air smoothed or a BoB, but there are 2 pictures of 34027 on a 2 coach train between Polegate and Hailsham also in the Cuckoo Line.

 

They often did Eastbourne to Hailsham and return, the shuttle seemed to use anything going free at Eastbourne, it could be a Terrier, LBSCR K, E4, West Country/ BoB, or ?

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Sometimes Brighton works would put freshly outshopped engines on trains to Tunbridge Wells so that led to some variety.

Someone recorded one of the LMS twin diesels at Tunbridge Wells once.

 

There's a photo in A.C, Elliott's book of "Taw Valley" running in reverse on a two coach Hailsham - Eastbourne train. That was a regular filling-in turn for a Bulleid Pacific. I think the duty involved an early morning service to Eastbourne where the loco was turned ready for a return to London - it then did a branch service to Hailsham (facing forward) and return (tender first) before taking a mid-morning service back to London.

Tom

 

Jonnie, what are the plans for the other, industrial, locos at TWW, and 68077? They would seem to be surplus to requirements now....

 

I think that 34027 would have worked down to Eastbourne on the early morning newspaper train down from London. It seemed that the loco used on this working (Normally a Bulleid) would then have run to Hailsham and back before returning to London. Bulleids were not that common north of Hailsham. As others have mentioned, they occasionally worked the odd special over the Cuckoo Line and 34055 once worked a fertiliser train as far as Heathfield.

 

Cuckoo Line in BR days is interesting if you are a modeller, everytime someone brings out a Southern Loco you serm to find that it ran over the Cuckoo line at some time!!

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