Bluebell Railway General Discussion

Not quite private to the Bluebell, the full details (as far as I am aware) are shown via a link from the Bluebell Public Train Information (PTI) page. Which to me is by far the most important page on the entire Bluebell Website, and I suspect to some others here as well. As well of course as the wonderful flow of infomation that Tom @Jamessquared posts here, often in advance of the PTI being updated.

https://www.bluebell-railway.co.uk/bluebell/pti/index.html

The problem is that I have never found that page via the Bluebell website, only from postings here. I imagine in part due to the fact the link to the actual train workings is for gricers, and may be done on a purely voluntary, albeit very much appreciated, basis.

And even then I imagine normal passengers just work on the main Bluebell website timetable, as would be expected.

Bryan - I can't remember the last time someone said I was normal - B

 

That would require another loco being steamed, and of course moved up and back from SP.
A round trip takes 1 hour 50 or 3 hours 5 if you want to ride behind both locos on a two train day. From my experience most visitors use SP or EG, HK being more of an enthusiast choice of parking. Not sure where the target market would be drawn from other than enthusiasts, who often get served at galas with such things.
Yeovil was brake van or perhaps one coach over a short length of track, Bluebell is what 11 miles of Sussex countryside (well 10 miles and a former rubbish tip), so I would argue somewhat different experiences.

 

Most down trains have a long wait somewhere for pathing reasons, normally at Horsted Keynes. However, on Sundays when the Golden Arrow runs, that is particularly long for the second trip of the "A" service (would have been Sir Archie last Sunday). According to the working timetable, that has 32 minutes at Horsted on its middle trip, because it has to allow both "B" service to pass and then the Arrow to arrive.

I don't think we do a very good job of explaining that: we ought to make it clear that there is a long wait (and therefore time to get a cup of coffee / visit the carriage works / visit the play carriage etc. as desired). A ten minute wait for pathing, I think most people would prefer to stay in their seat. But with 30 minutes, the problem is most people don't move to start with, then after about ten minutes wonder why the train isn't moving, then wait a bit more, then consult the timetable or ask, and then by then it is only fifteen to go and you start worrying about getting back on ... We should do a better job of making it clear that the train has a long layover, there is time to look round, and we won't go without them!

The lego carriage did seem well patronised each time we passed it though.

Tom

 

One of Clive Groome's daughters driving and Katie firing.

Tom

 

We often run brake van rides at galas. But as a regular thing - we’d need more locos (and more operational brake vans). At the moment it would have to be Fenchurch and the Queen Mary, and both have to be allowed tine for maintenance. The QM in particular is one of the hardest working vehicles on the railway, being used for heritage, operational and maintenance purposes. Sadly we don’t have unlimited resources.

Tom

 

Just as a little bounce to this, as it got a bit lost due to issues publishing. There were two wider personal points I was going to make, in relation to some conversations on other threads.

Firstly, on photographers: I am very lucky that every month I get sent numerous unsolicited photos for inclusion, and this month - due in part to having held a gala and a couple of photo charters in the previous month - I was practically overwhelmed by the numbers coming in. Obviously the restoration updates mostly manage themselves in photo terms, but I always need a cover photo, a back photo, and normally it is useful to have odd photos from service trains to illustrate points that Roy may have written about. So I am enormously grateful to the small group of photographers that send me stuff - and to some others who will always oblige with a "do you have a photo of X" type requests - the newsletter would be very different (and difficult) without them.

The other point is about volunteering and paid staff. Many of the projects featured are heavily driven by volunteers - the "Awake the Giant" team being a case in point - but frequently the relationship between paid and volunteer is more fluid. (And many of our paid staff also volunteer). The article about pattern making is a case in point; that is the work of a volunteer, and supported by a couple of others working behind the scenes scanning and archiving drawings. But the output is directed and used by the paid staff, and indeed it was one of the paid staff that pushed to get that article written. To me that is how things should be. In the end, we are all working to the same end: to do a good job, to run a sustainable, safe heritage railway, and to be proud of what we do.

https://www.bluebell-railway.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/issue-68.pdf

Tom

 

Good to see a positive post about volunteers and paid staff working together, unlike apparently in other threads, I suspect Bluebell and the other Sussex/Kent railways lead in this aspect and set the good examples.

Sent from my SM-A556B using Tapatalk

 

For the Easter weekend (Friday - Monday). locos and stock are as follows:

A - 34059 (Five Mark 1s + LNWR Obo)
B - 73082 (Victorian 4 wheelers + Mets + GNR Director' saloon)

Daytime dining trains - 32424 (Pullman on Saturday, Wealden Rambler on Monday)
Evening dining trains - 34059 (Saturday, Wealden Rambler stock)

The GNR Saloon is in public service (i.e. not a reserved charter) each day AFAIK.

Tom

 

Many thanks Tom. If my car is back from service etc in time for Saturday I may come. But there is a strong east wind forecast on a railway where most of my photography will be from the west side of the line; and a day when cool temperatures and light rain is forecast. So clag partly obscuring the loco, and rain into the lens. How fusssy can someone get!

There is one 73082 shot I am after that I may be able to get in those conditions - I can't get it with the sun out! If my car is back, I'll do an early morning weather check on Saturday and decide what to do.

Bryan

 

Ok, whilst on the subject of accepting guilt; my own confession. I have done very well recently in getting photos to accompany specific 1960s timing logs, where I don't have relevant 1960s photos.

One was last Sunday with 73082 heading the Pullman train. Location chosen to hide the short train and the Golden Arrow insignia, so I could use it to go with the only time I had a BR Standard class 5, 73022, on the Bournemouth Belle. And almost all the still visible Golden Arrow set up not obvious after a few clicks on my computer. Other differences may still be showing!

Anyway. My photo caption, and then the photo reveals the extent of my guilt. I do also use loco photos where a heritage line has changed a loco number, and that gets declared in the captions too. Like a photo I have of 80154 (aka 80151) where my quick thinking in 1966, got me a restart and half a train length haulage by the real 80154 when it briefly stopped part way up the Waterloo platform with the e.c.s of the train I was waiting to join!

Bryan - now facing a dungeon with just bread and water to live on - B


LEFT TOP 73022 (aka 73082) hauling a Bluebell Railway Pullman lunch train on 13 April 2025: the first coach, ‘Christine’ was used on the Bournemouth Belle in 1966-67. Too much of a temptation not to have changed the loco number to 73022 to accompany my run with that loco on the Belle on 4 December 1966, 66-357. The only loco number change I have made myself in this book.

 

Thanks for this. Will be there Wed 23rd.

 

.... Though not named as such in 1966! The name was given to the coach when it was in Bulmers Cider ownership, and after sale to the Bluebell, resurrected. As third class car, it should really just be Car No. 64. So perhaps a bit more photoshop trickery called for

(As an aside, when Car No. 54 entered service, I was very pleased that the temptation to give it a name was resisted, and it remains Car No. 54).

Tom

 

Thanks Tom. I think it will just be - Christine (as car 64 back then ) - rather than risk my guilt getting worse and ending up with my dungeon diet downgraded to stale bread and water!

Bryan

Edit - ‘Christine’ (Car 64 in steam days) - seems to read better, so that change now made in the book draft.

 

No surprise I spent another day at the Bluebell Railway today. And why not with three SR locos on the roster, all in 1960s BR livery and numbering (I presume 1958 for 32424). And eight uphill workings scheduled for the day. Better than many galas for me with my rather fussy steam loco preferences.

I was rather hoping for the weather forecast until a day or so ago: cool with an overcast sky and light drizzle at times. Which would have given more clag and, if the wind hadn't been too strong, a choice of which side of the line I could shoot from.

But as the sun took control today, I am sure adding very much to the enjoyment of those on what seemed to be some well filled trains at times (I've never known so many happy people waving to me as the trains passed - my wrist still aches from responding!), the action was really wonderful to see and listen to. And with almost non-stop checking and experimentation with my camera settings, I was able to mostly counter the impact of very bright back lighting, as I needed to use my Nikon zoom lens just slightly the wide angle side of standard for most shots.

Somewhat tired tonight - but a very worthwhile day spent at just the one location; New Road Bridge, just the Sheffield Park side of Horsted Keynes.

Thanks again to the Bluebell Railway for providing the website information of what is planned to be rostered and of course to Tom @Jamessquared for his regular updates which help a very great deal.

Bryan

 

Mine are starting to properly show their colours, now. Another 3 days, and there should be a very nice blue mist through the woodland for you.

 

Tom, re photos. I only send unsolicited photos to @Jonnie at the Spa Valley as I have a good feel ( I hope!) as to what he can use. But if any heritage railway, including the Bluebell, ever wants a higher res version of one I post here from their railway, please just ask.

But this one, that I found only two days ago in a 1977 box of 10 x 8 prints from my old Mamiayflex 6 x 6 camera, and was a very welcome surprise and of immediate use by me, is probably of zero use to the Bluebell. As, if I have read things right, there is an almost zero chance of it ever returning to you . And as 33001 as here, rather than as C1. And it looks like I may have been at Sheffield Park on the day the NRM handed the loco over to the Bluebell in summer 1977, so you must already have large numbers of photos taken that day.

Bryan

 

That has reminded me that the first train I travelled on to Kingscote was hauled by 33001 (actually numbered C1 at the time but I don't want to upset @The Gricing Owl so don't tell him please). It was on a very soggy day in early May just after the station had reopened with the down platform still incomplete. While it seems like only yesterday it was in 1994, over 30 years ago.

Peter