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Yes, you're quite right, on reflection I should have realised that if it came to it the backward, outdated thinking was always going to end up being a WR thing.

 

A post of Facebook shows pictures of a 9F tender arriving at the Chinnor and Princess Risborough Railway, so it looks like the pairing with 92240's tender will only be for its Bluebell visit.

Am I right in reading the timetable for Sunday that the 12 coach train is top and tailed? I'm visiting Saturday, but I might have an opportunity to see this going up Freshfield Bank when I meet up with my best friend.

 

Yes, the 12 car is top and tailed from Sheffield Park-East Grinstead-Horsted Keynes.
71000 East Grinstead end, 92134 Sheffield Park end
At Horsted Keynes, the train splits. The first portion goes down with 92134. The rear portion goes down with 71000 20 mins later; obviously it will run round at Horsted Keynes to lead for the down trip.

On the timetable there are seperate lead loco and rear loco rows.

'a' means loco attaches at Horsted Keynes
'd' means loco detatches at Horsted Keynes

(This info comes from the notes section at the bottom of the timetable.)

 

The rail has stopped. The 9f is popular I had the longest wait to. date to get the above shot of a visiting loco at East Grinstead. Missed out on breakfast baps at Horsted Keynes they sold out just as the first down train arrived.

 

Double headed tanks been sitting outside HK for the past ten minutes looking at the webcam. They were a few late off the Park

 

41313 has failed just outside Horsted

 

Any idea on the fault?

 

The fire has been dropped and 80151 pushed it in to Horsted. It had been suggested injector failure.
The double head has been terminated at Horsted.

 

The 9f had just left Sheffield Park 10 minutes late.

 

I was told the injectors on 41313 also played up at the Watercress Line Gala before they had the ash-pan issue on the first day of the event.

 

I'd been watching the webcam too. And couldn't work out if it was a loco or rolling stock failure.

But all is clear now, thanks to the above posts.

I wonder if 80151 can somehow shunt past 41313, then take the stock currently in platform two back to SP. Which is sort of due to leave HK in that direction about now anyway.

Aaah, just checked the webcam and some movement of a loco where presumably 41313 and 80151 had been.

Bryan

 

And so it came to pass!

80151 has just left HK about 7 late with the Met stock, heading to SP. Leaving 41313 in the 'south siding'.

To me that looks rather nicely sorted by the Bluebell - helped of course by having kept HK looking like the busy junction station it was many years ago.

Bryan

 

Just arrived at Sheffield Park. The Dukes train should leave on time.