Bluebell Railway General Discussion

Having platform faces on both sides of road 4, I often wonder how the guard ensures that all doors are closed and it is safe for the train to depart before giving the right away. The only other station I know that had this was Ventnor but I imagine that there must have been others.

 

Yeovil Pen Mill?

https://www.flickr.com/photos/135352375@N08/40365566343

 

Seemed to be quite a common LBSCR thing. Christs Hospital, Lewes, Guildford all had a similar arrangement that spring to mind. I think Chatham on the LCDR as well.

Waterloo in the mid nineteenth century as well, but that was a chaotic mess. It had the additional nicety that they numbered the physical platforms, not the faces. So if you asked “from which platform does the so and so train depart”, then one possible answer was “1 and 2”. But if you arrived at platform 2, you’d be confronted by a choice two trains, one on each side …

Tom

 

Finsbury Park has 4 platform faces in each direction for three lines, which confuses some passengers. Designed that way to allow services between King's Cross, Moorgate and Broad Street to reach Welwyn, Hertford and Alexandra Palace, and vice versa, and for passengers to change between the three routes.

 

Has anyone a copy of Timetable C when either of the lunchtime Golden Arrow or Wealden Rambler run? I’m interested in timetables and timetabling paths and can see timetable clash’s with trains when timetable C as seen on the website runs with either of the above two trains, without any timing changes. Sadly without the websites PTI being updated, I’m struggling to find accurate timetables.

 

Tom will I am sure give you a proper update as he will pass all the main bluebell locations that can be seen from the train. And whilst I was there today, and did go as far as getting my day rover ticket at Hortsed Keynes, my subsequent photography meant I never got back to the station and onto a train.

But on what I think is the Northern part of Leamland Wood just the East Grinstead side of Horsted Keynes, the bluebells were mostly only apparent by their green growth. With a small number showing a very small amount of blue flowers - but I had to look carefully to see those!

Bryan

 

Has been updated this evening - Bluebell Railway - Public Train Information

 

Agreed re the updates to the websites PTI, but I imagine people do need holidays etc. And Tom does post a very great deal of useful information here for us, for which I am very grateful.

Bryan

 

That helps, thanks for posting the link. Does that mean the webpage showing rostered locos and coaching stock will also be updated soon please?

Although, and again, Tom has been helping by covering a lot of that here too.

Bryan

 

Guildford Platforms 6&7 in the up direction doors were/are released on right hand side.

 

Perfect, thanks. Must have gone live just after I looked. There was no intended criticism in my question. I’m also very grateful for Tom and others for providing information here and on the website and of course everyday life must take precedence over voluntary roles-i know this via my volunteering on the K&ESR.

 

Locally there is Scarborough Plat 1 and also Malton before the up platform was removed

Peter

 

It’s easy with modern CDL fitted trains where door opening is selective. It’s how it’s done with slam door stock that presents the problem.

 

Oddly, I can't find a procedure in either our rule book or sectional appendix that covers it - it must be documented somewhere though, possibly in notices available to guards and platform staff.

From observation from the footplate, it seems that the guard always gives the right away from Platform 4, which is the inside of the curve. What seems to happen is that he/she first goes to platform 5, where there will be a "person in charge of the platform". That person does their job of confirming the train is ready to depart, but I assume that they are only giving authority on that side. The guard then crosses through his van onto platform 4, gets confirmation from the person in charge on the other platform, and then gives the right away to the loco crew. Whether there is any means by which the person on platform 5 can convey an emergency stop to the guard after authorising departure (for example if a door opened) I don't know. From the loco you look back when departing for any call to stop.

Tom

 

Some photos from today. I did get a more conventional photo of 34059 between Three Arch Bridge and New Road Bridge, but it wasn't up to much, the light wasn't right - or more likely the photographer behaved like a rank amateur! And in any case to me the better shots were close ups as steam was shut off and presumably the blower turned on; that showing the W of E route discs will be especially useful for my book. The 73082 photos style is for reasons I've mentioned earlier, but a clue is that I will apologise again here to those who have spent so much TLC in getting the Met and Victorian style carriages back into service and now taking care of them.

31065 gets here despite not being in BR 1960s condition as it is such a lovely loco. And I did photograph it once (just about) in normal steam days; at Tonbridge in June 1961 on the penultimate day of main line steam in Kent.

Bryan

 

BTW, for anyone looking out for Bluebell Times - it does exist but apparently there is an issue getting it uploaded to the web. Hopefully resolvable in due course but not by me.

Tom

 

Yes, Tom doesn't mention what form of CDL they use on the Bluebell...

In the days of slamdoors, it was quite common to use the train in 6/7 rather than trek round to the footbridge or subway. AIUI parcels trains always used that platform, don't know whether becuase the platforms were arranged that way, or the platforms were arranged that way for the parcels.

 

Thanks Tom was wondering what had happenned.



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Ah yes, recall doing that at Ascot as well (another example).

Tom

 

Going back to double sided platforms, there’s Finsbury Park, Guildford, Ascot, Carlisle Platform 2, now out of use but both bay platforms at Hellifield, Inverness Platform 5 and several on TfL