Bluebell Railway General Discussion

I find it interesting that the GCR, having invested in those vans, has then sold the majority off. My experience as a passenger of their use was that the idea was much better than the reality, and that the gains from continuous connection were largely illusory.

 

I'm with you on a lot of that, but I suppose it depends on what the railways policy is trying to achieve.

Are they looking at the IC fleet as heritage assets, or just motive power to fill a need?

If it's the fomer I can understand seeking variety.

If it's the latter then standardisation has got to be the way to go I'd have thought.

Chris

 

I think the GCR's investment in steam heat vans was in existing ones with existing boilers and they found that they had invested in a lot of problems. The NYMR found the same with its steam heat van. I was suggesting that, if there was a desire for a steam heat boiler, it would probably be better with a new one and rather than fit it into a loco, create a steam heat van using an existing piece of rolling stock.

 

Strange to say, we have lots of these weird contraptions that have a long horizontal tube above their wheels that seem quite capable of providing steam on demand for heating purposes. We even have one of them that looks like a box, but which is rumoured to have a steam production device of prodigious capacity hiding under its bright malachite green outer shell ...

Being slightly more serious - a lot of the recent discussion about diesels has been in the context of maintaining services when the weather is very hot and dry, rather than when it is cold.

Tom

 

Whack a turbogenerator on it, and you can run with ETH. Simples...

 

From today's photo charter, all using my phones camera, will process the ones from my camera later in the week.

 

https://www.bluebell-railway.com/brps/brps-members-notices-and-documents/#docs

The policy can be downloaded from here, for those who wish to read through it.

As someone not too interested in Diesels, apart from Class 33's and 73's, what other Diesel traction (if any more did) would have worked in proximity to the Bluebell in it's early days (early to mid 60's which I think the policy prefers)?

I looked up and saw that Class 24's were used on the Kent Coast briefly, but then I've seen an image of a Class 47 hauling the Bournemouth Belle over the Mid Hants so by the logic of the policy, one of them would be a suitable choice too?

 

Also the What's New page on the website has been updated again and there's a picture of the freshly painted and maintained 80151 on the Golden Arrow at Horsted Keynes, with Pullman Car No. 54 in the consist looking lovely.

 

I must be looking in the wrong place, because I can only see 73082 on the Pullmans, as part of the carousel on the Bluebell website homepage…

Simon

 

https://www.bluebell-railway.com/brps/whats_new/ for 24 March

Tom

 

Thank you! Looks lovely!

 

Nice. Saves me posting most of mine.

 

80151 at Kingscote:

 

White platform edges were introduced during WWII, totally ruined some great shots.
Taking the Mickey, lovely pictures

 

I’ve looked very closely at this picture and the only things I can spot that are not Victorian in essence are the white lines and the keys carried by the porter. However , to me, it looks like a modern photo, not even one from thirty years ego. I can’t explain why, it just does, especially the people.
Still a very good photo, though.

 

Probably because it is a high resolution, sharp image. Sometimes the modern world can be too good!

 

I agree Steve - a good photo but clearly a 21st century recreation. The clothes look too new and pristine for an everyday working man. The shoes are not a Victorian style, neither are the glasses or the facial hair. Then there are the battered old cases and the barrow - period pieces for sure, but then they would have been pretty new and in much better condition, not old and tatty as they are here.

These sort of staged recreation photo-shoots are very popular, I know, but they really don't do it for me. But hey - that's just my personal opinion and doesn't count for much. It is still interesting to see people's efforts here so please carry on and share them

Peter

 

The other notable thing from specifically Sheffield Park is the long brick wall along Platform 2 behind which is the museum and some toilets - definitively 21st century! The hipped end of the roof on the canopy is also a modern extension - those works were all done as part of construction of the carriage shed and extension of the museum between 10 and 20 years ago. In the Victorian era at least there would also have been a footbridge in view in that shot, and the signal box at the end of the down platform.

There have been a lot of good photos from that charter, particularly the night ones around the station. There was also a day two that had shots out and about along the line.

Tom

 

And I've counted the rivets on the buffer beam of Fenchurch and, because of overhaul work in the 1920s, there are two more than in the Victorian era.



Come on guys, even though it is not the BR SR era that I almost exclusively focus on, they are outstanding photos of an incredible scene re-created on the Bluebell. Well done to every one involved in that.

 

“Sir Nigel Gresley” to appear at Giants of Steam in October, according to Facebook. (11 - 13 October, but staying on to operate some dining services the following weekend).

https://www.facebook.com/1000646827...h2ECcza52mHwdpuzD4UZ6AhbvhsT5VXMCn6l/?app=fbl

Tom