Bluebell Railway | Spring Steam Gala | 20th-22nd March 2026

First guest TBA at 4pm today.

 

Do we think that the air brake pump (I'm sure I'll be corrected with the correct term) clip shared on social media is a clue or a Fenchurch/Beachy Head shaped red herring?

 

Standard 4 No. 75069, LBSCR A1X No. W8 "Freshwater" and 2999 "Lady of Legend" taking part along with the O1, Fenchurch, 34059, 80151 and 73082

https://www.bluebell-railway.com/special/spring-steam-gala/

 

Very glad to have this chance to catch 2999 at the Bluebell as I failed to make it in the autumn and the rest of the line-up looks superb too. Hope the timetable is as mad/complex/ingenuous as the Branch Line weekends in this slot have been in recent years!

 

Great to have a 75xxx running again, 75027 has been out of traffic for a long time

 

Lineup looks very good but why have 2999 back again so soon?

W8 is great news - I very much enjoyed its previous visits. Maybe someone could confirm exactly when they were. If my memory serves me well, W8 and W11 both came over for the whole winter early in the 2000s, and W8 returned about 2007 for the Terrier Gala which took place that year.

 

2999 is still at the railway, so makes sense to use it whilst its still there

 

Is BEACHY HEAD not taking part?

 

No, out for winter maintenance according to the Facebook page.

 

W8 and W11 were in 2000 along with 2678. W8 came back over in 2006 (along with 70/3, B662 and 2678) and W11 (and 70/3) came over again in 2022.

 

Thanks for that. I wasn't aware that W11 had been back in 2022. Missed that one for some reason.

 

W11 came for the Terrier weekend that one didn't make (72) and one broke on the first morning (70)