Bluebell Railway General Discussion

I wondered about that, but I think it had no more than a guards brake valve just like the saloons. A driving trailer suggests to me that it is operated by a driver but I'm fairly certain that the driver stayed on the loco and drove from there. Are there any old hand Bluebell men who can comment from that far back (35 years ago)?

Peter

 

66710, 73119, 73136 and 66719 arriving at Horsted Keynes this morning to rake the Inspiration Train to Derby this evening. A pleasant interruption to our work with the Wednesday Lineside Gang. Both 66s fitted with covered up nameplates, presumably to be revealed at the Greatest Gathering.

 

Yes that's correct, it has a brake valve and a special window in the 'leading' end of the coach for the Guard's observing the track ahead. The driver stayed on the loco.

Andy (not quite such an old hand)

 

The basic requirement is that the leading carriage has a place for the guard where he has a forward-facing window; a means to sound a warning (in practice normally a compressed air horn) and a brake control. So he can look forward and, in emergency, sound a warning and / or stop the train. Everything else is done from the loco. It is not true motor train working, though to a casual external observer it might look like it.

Given the internal construction of the LNWR Obo in particular, with no internal partitions to block the view, when you are on a small loco such as a P or Terrier you can see right through to the line ahead when propelling. The view from the footplate is probably rather better than you get on Sir Archie or Camelot when running normally!

Tom

 

HMRI/ORR weren't averse to passenger trains being propelled where it wasn't possible to haul the train as long as there was someone at the front who could keep a lookout ahead and apply the brake if necessary. This could easily be achieved with a long pipe attached to the normal brake pipe and a simple valve to let air in, if required. Or out, in the case of an air brake. This happened on most railways where an extension was in progress and there was no run round loop at the end of the line. I'm unaware of any restriction on the number of coaches.

 

My photo, 1 April 1990 - a test run of the Extension Shuttle, with the Adams Radial tank propelling Maunsells 1309 and 6575 (which had been turned to put the brake end at the North) with a specially created gangway shield driving end, complete with windscreen wiper!
If memory serves, there was also a bell for communication to the driver on the loco.
Richard

 

Another of my photos, 1 April 1990 - a test run of the Extension Shuttle, with the Adams Radial tank propelling Maunsells 1309 and 6575 (which had been turned to put the brake end at the North) with a specially created gangway shield driving end, complete with windscreen wiper!

 

One for @Jamessquared please, if you have any information for next Wednesday 13 August - I have a feeling you were off to New Zealand!

Do you know which locos are booked for next Wednesday (usual caveats), as it is the annual Nine Elms reunion. Hopefully something appropriate this year!

Bryan

 

Still in NZ. Got a good view and a nice video of a little spotted kiwi yesterday, as well as kaka, tui, kereru, fantail, a pair of whio (another rare one they, like the Kiwi). Heard (but didn’t see) a morepork (a type of native owl) … oh hang on, this isn’t the birds thread, is it?

Locos: according to the internal loco diagrams, on that day it appears to be 73082 (A) and 80151 (B).

Tom

 

If you're in New Zealand does that mean we can get destination boards made for Taumatawhakatangihangakoauauotamateaturipukakapikimaungahoronukupokaiwhenuakitanatahu?

I appreciate it might need to be a fixed formation...

 

The latest issue of The Bluebell Times

https://www.bluebell-railway.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/08/issue-72.pdf

• TV Presenter Tim Dunn views 200 years of Archive history
• Infrastructure report — platform repairs and new toilets at Horsted Keynes
• Overhaul updates for Q class 541 and Standard 2MT 84030
• East Grinstead station is refreshed
• 4-VEP ‘Gordon Pettitt’ represents the Bluebell at The Great Gathering
• Railway 200 — a round up of events so far, and a chance for children to enter an exciting competition!

Tom

 

Many thanks Tom, an excellent read always. I do like the relationship with NR and the HS2 project - nice to see their surplus material heading to the Bluebell.

But there is one thing the dinosaur in me totally disagrees with; certainly nothing that comes from you! But from your esteemed Chairman when he wrote: 'Time has moved on and our regular trains feature a far more refined style of carriages in appropriate rakes. Even Beachy Head at the head of the 4wheelers and the Chesham set looks absolutely correct. ' No it does not - it looks totally bl..d. awful.

Comments like that will only serve to encourage the operating side of the Bluebell to ensure such dreadfully inappropriate couplings continue - all of that in my dinosaur opinion of course. Maybe it's too soon yet to quote from a Dicken's Christmas to add 'Bah! Humbug!' to my comment as well.

Bring back the C class so you have two 0-6-os that look far better coupled to such stock. Oh damn, I've just tripped over my cheque book . . . .

Bryan - the Nat Pres dinosaur - B

PS. I am very grateful to whoever suggested I was a dinosaur a few weeks back. It's one of the best things (out of very many) I've ever been called, more so as for once it is printable and before the 9 pm watershed.

 

Bryan- haven't you heard?- dinosaurs are extremely popular these days!

 

And they even have dinosaur events, 20th and 21st August the next ones, I assume you'll be one of the attractions then !!

Sent from my SM-A556B using Tapatalk

 

No, I have to turn down invites ever since I was expected to ride on the buffer beam of a loco all day. Ok, partly my fault, I should have read the contract small print.

Bryan

 

Who let the dogs out? Stepney makes a break for it at Sheffield Park this afternoon.

 

That did seem very popular when I was down that end of the platform. Good call to have that photo op.

 

Couple them the other way around and they'd be useful like a pair of 20s.

 

They’d be useful whichever way round they were.