Bluebell Railway General Discussion

The latest edition of The Bluebell Times is now available to view.

In this month’s edition:

• Restructuring the Railway - what it means, and why it is important
• The Railway’s strong start to the year continues over the Easter weekend and into late spring.
• It took 330 people working over 3,000 hours across three days to deliver the Spring Steam Gala - what did they all do, and could you join them in the future?
• Facing South for Sunshine: photo charters with ‘Fenchurch’ and 80151 open up new views of the Railway
• When Michael Palin relaunched a carriage - and a 15-year-old porter stood and waited … and waited … and waited
• Four new photo collections donated to the Bluebell Railway Museum - Southern Railways Archive
• Long-service awards - apply now if you have completed 10 or more years’ service

You can download here: https://www.bluebell-railway.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/issue-81.pdf

Tom

 

An updated version of the Road Meets Rail timetable has been posted on the website, fixing some minor errors with timing in the previous version.

 

Is 32424 due out for RmR?. Online roster saying 34059 and 80151.

 

It had better be, I'm rostered on it on the Sunday afternoon!

The internal HOPS system says 80151 and 32424.

Tom

 

Seems to be a bit of a conflict of information somewhere - 34059 is rostered on the A Set, and it’s either 80151 or 32424 for the B Set. 65 is rostered for the Goods on Saturday and GAL on Sunday.

 

I'm sure it said 80151 and 32424 when I looked earlier this evening (unless I was looking at the wrong day!) But now the crew rosters are saying 34059 (A) and 32424 (B), with 65 on the Saturday Goods / Sunday GAL as you say.

Tom

 

The suggestion I have from a source close to the heart of the railway is that there has been a change of engine so it's now 34059 (A) and 80151 (B). If I remember correctly it used to be 80151 and 32424. Beachy Head is going to Didcot the following weekend. My guess is 34059, 80151, 65. Sometimes it takes a few days for information to reach HOPS even once it has been confirmed.

 

Seems FB has pictures of Beachy Head out today.

 

This weekend might be the only time to see her running for a little while, but should be a weekend regular in the second half of June, running passenger services.
Tommorow 32424 takes a morning charter train and then the 2:25 round trip.

 

I think today if I'm not mistaken was 32424 first outing since Giants of Steam last year.

 

Looking at the current Bluebell roster for the coming weekend (subject to loco availability etc as always) it seems that 80151 and 34059 could be the two locos handling the five train timetabled service.

Half way there for me!

So, I wonder if @Jamessquared or anyone else here in the know has any knowledge of the rolling stock planned to to be in use this coming weekend please?

The Green Mark 1 set and the mixed Maunsell and two other SR green coaches set, with no attachments on either like the obs car would be rather nice.



Bryan - humming this Buddy Holly favourite - - B

 

So the latest as I understand it is that 32424 is going away this week to Didcot, so won't be out at the weekend.

Saturday:

34059 / 6 coach Mark 1 set - 10:30, 13:00, 15:30 ex-SP
80151 / 6 coach vintage set (Brighton 1st + 100 seater + 3 Maunsells + LNWR Obo) - 09:20, 11:45, 14:15, 16:45 ex-SP
65 / Goods set - see timetable
34059 / Pullmans (evening GA) - 19:00 ex-SP.


Sunday:

34059 / 6 coach Mark 1 set - 10:30, 13:00, 15:45 ex-SP
80151 / 6 coach vintage set (Brighton 1st + 100 seater + 3 Maunsells + LNWR Obo) - 09:20, 11:45, 14:25, 16:45 ex-SP
65 / Pullmans - 12:30, 14:45 ex-SP

Essentially a more or less normal timetable, but with the B duty split to run an earlier and later train than normal (so 7 round trips rather than 5); plus an additional goods service on Saturday.

And sorry Bryan - looks like the LNWR Obo is attached to the SR set at the south end. Where else could people complain about rostering a 115 year old vehicle in traffic!

https://www.bluebell-railway.com/special/road-meets-rail/

Tom

 

Thank you very much Tom.

Just one comment in your as usual very helpful response - 'Where else could people complain about rostering a 115 year old vehicle in traffic!'

Thankfully for your wonderful railway it's not 'people' but 'person'.

And it was a 127 year old vehicle (Caledonian 0-6-0 828) that kept me away from the Spa Valley Railway last Sunday. Does anyone get anything more than 127 years? @gricerdon

Bryan - Wishing that the 3rd February 1959 asteroid hadn't been replaced by an LNWR Obo - B

 

There's always photo editing !!!

Sent from my SM-A556B using Tapatalk

 

I have (rarely) fed instantly acting growmore in front of the rear of a train rounding a bend where there was already some vegetation, but not quite enough (yet) to fully cover a diesel on the back.

But I don't remove diesels or obs cars as the actual train formation forms part of my story of that day's steam operations - so I want it to be authentic.

Bryan

 

The two main service sets remain unchanged as status quo for the remainder of May, albeit set B temporarily gains variously 1503, 43909, and 5768 for individual days or weekends.

Also note that the shuttle set for Model Railway Weekend in late June will now be formed of Olive green Maunsell and non-corridor stock, plus the OBO 1503, not Bulleids as previously believed.

For this Saturday, there are minor re-timings and re-platforms due to the Goods train to the normal timetable. Regarding the RMR public timetable, please see this version (from the orange box on the website), as this is the latest info from train planning, apart from loco changes as outlined above.
https://www.bluebell-railway.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/Road-Meets-Rail_PTT_2026_OBO.pdf

 

Does anyone know how 32424 is getting to Didcot? I'm sure it's probably changed since I read about this but it was always rumoured 32424 was going to move to heritage lines by rail not road.

 

There's nothing in NR data leaving East Grinstead for the next week or so. I hadn't heard anything about a rail move. I assume low loader - that's what 65 did last year. Someone from loco might know though.

 

Does anyone know what loco is rostered for Friday evenings Real Ale Train?

 

80151.

Tom