Bluebell Railway General Discussion

What is the best condition Sharpthorne has ever been since she arrived at the Bluebell?

 

It has always been a loco on static display at the Bluebell, though has had various cosmetic attention in that time on a number of occasions.

As far as I can see, it was a working loco until 1958, by which time it must have been fairly knackered. It then went on display at Dagenham docks; there are a few photos of it there, in the open but under a large roofed structure. (i.e. it had a roof, but no walls). It spent 12 years at Bressingham, but I have never seen a photo of it there, so I don't know if it is was outside or in.

In 1981 it moved to the Bluebell on loan to take part in the upcoming centenary celebrations. Subsequently, the owning company went into liquidation and the Bluebell purchased the loco from the receivers for £1500, and it stayed on the railway ever since, except for a period in the 1990s when it went away to a specialist contractor for asbestos removal. It has been moved around at various times, spending time in the top car park, at Horsted Keynes, outside the Bessemer Arms etc. Currently it is in the down yard at Horsted being worked on; I believe the intention is that in due course it will go into SteamWorks and finally be under cover, though I am not aware of an imminent move; it would take some rearrangement of the current exhibition.

Tom

 

A couple of my pictures of Sharpthorne in 1982 (in green) and 2009 (in blue).

 

It went to a national exhibition in the early 80s to be part of a Bluebell stand and there’s a picture of it with Bernard Holden and the Queen, so it must have looked ok back then…

Alan Bloom’s book about Bressingham does say they steamed it there, but I’d take that with a pinch of salt. Although from some of his stories about steaming dilapidated rollers (safety precaution: hide behind the wheels of something else and see how high the pressure goes) there’s every chance he gave it a go!


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