Bluebell Railway | Giants of Steam | 16th-18th October 2026

I have t seen the notes. But at a guess it means the train will stop with the rear 6 in the platform - so the front 6 have gone through the platform before stopping. So not exactly non-stop but you won’t be able to alight from the front 6.

That’s a guess though, pending the notes!

Tom

 

Tom’s given the right answer, but I can provide a bit more detail into the workings.

When the 12 coach train arrives back at Horsted Keynes to divide, the front 6 coaches will be off the end of the platform, with the back 6 being in the platform. You won’t be able to walk between the two sets to alight the train at this point - the interconnecting doors will have been locked to allow the train to be divided. Since the front 6 coaches don’t stop in the platform, it is effectively non-stopping Horsted Keynes, and was most likely the easiest way of explaining to an average punter.

The WTT has a 10 minute dwell booked, with the front portion due to depart HK at 1805 and arrive at SP at 1820.

 

Well the last slip coach working was at Haywards Heath, so only a few miles away from Horsted Keynes...

 

I think you mean the first slip coach working....at least according to Wikipedia. The last slip coach workings occured on BR (WR) in 1960, long after the Southern finished with such practices.

Peter

 

Yes, you're quite right, on reflection I should have realised that if it came to it the backward, outdated thinking was always going to end up being a WR thing.