Good News from the Bluebell

Surely there is a world of difference in having to get up early in the morning in order to earn a living and support a family - a virtuous thing to do at any time - and get up at that time of the morning to take a few, entirely non essential, photographs, or, in my case video.


My view is that the railway is exacting too higher price for the value of the privilege it is conferring. It starts with the early morning start and ends with a £30 annual charge for the pass plus a rigid set of rules as to where the photographer can and can't go. Not for me.

The Bluebell Railway has its virtues, and all of them will be on display this year at its fiftieth anniversary. The achievements of its volunteers over that period have been immense, but the downside seems to me to be encapsulated in this issue of the lineside passes. On the one hand acheivement on a grand scale, on the other a certain meanness, a narrowness, of mind. It is for that that your heart should be bleeding.

Regards

 

You'll all have to go to the NYMR - The General Manager there is a keen photographer, so should be sympathetic!

 

At last two sensible posts, Ralph for getting rid of all the rubbish and Martin for his usual non biased view on the subject, maybe we can now
continue in that vein?
Roger.

 

One sensible post coming up:

Control of points and signals is beginning to be transferred back to the lever frame in Horsted Keynes box, starting with lever 25 operating the points into the dock siding. It's corresponding switch on the back wall has been removed.

For those who are unaware of what I'm talking about, refurbishment on the lever frame has meant that for a while now all the points and signals around HK have been controlled by a bank of switches on the back wall of the 'box.

Anyone from the S&T dept. at the Bluebell know when full control back to the levers will be achieved?

 

I don't think the Bluebell's new lineside policy will force many, if any, to pay to attend a premium priced photo event - those who are likely to do that will likely be charter regulars anyway. I strongly suspect they'll either get a PTS, trespass or stick to publicly accessible areas. A lot will depend on how easy the Bluebell makes it to attend these PTS courses. Early(ish) starts to courses are fine for those who don't live a great distance away but far from convenient for those living further afield.
What we must try and avoid in this discussion is the "us" and "them" attitude displayed by some. I know many photographers who are volunteers as well as many volunteers who are photographers.

 

Yes I agree with those comments, many lineside photters are not just photters they also contribute in other areas. Myself and my Dad contribute regular donations to sponsor loco parts on the Brighton Atlantic Project, some work for the P-Way dept. others like Ian are members of locomotive owning groups and the vast majority of us paid our fees for the annual lineside pass. We are all in this steam hobby together, so quite rightly there should be no "them & us" attitude. Unfortunately there does seem to be some anti-photter sentiment on the Bluebell as Ian touched on in his earlier comment which seems to have stopped photo charter groups working on the railway, luckily for us Jon Bowers still perseveres for us. My Dad and I are booked on the PTS course on 6th February as we do enjoy our lineside photography and would like to carry it on, but must admit we sometimes think that this PTS scheme has been brought in to make money and try to make lineside photography less of an incentive to the photters.

 

It will be interesting to receive some feedback once you've completed the course.

 

I find it strange that some are going on about the early start times of these PTS courses. One early start for a years photography, seems its worth doing if that's your thing.

 

Indeed. On a normal day, the first locos are off shed about 9:30am anyway, so I'd have thought that would have been prime time for photographers to start their day. Early morning often reveals some interesting shots, and without the crowds. As for the price - the old (non-PTS) lineside pass was £20 anyway AFAIK, so £30 hardly seems exhorbitant - surely you can afford an annual £10 for the course?

Speaking as footplate crew, whilst 90% of photographers behave well when lineside, some of the antics of the remaining 10% sometimes give one the willies! High on the list is coming round a tight curve (the Bluebell has lots of them) to reveal a photographer (too?) close to the track who won't acknowledge a whistle. Have they seen us or not? Emergency brake application or not? Our trains are heavy, hard and sometimes quiet - we don't want to have to prove it the gruesome way. So any effort towards better awareness of all people lineside is to be applauded.

I can't help thinking that, on this issue as on many others, there are people wanting to make trouble where none exists!

Tom

 

Yep no problem, it'll also be intriguing to see how many other photters attend the PTS on the 6th, I know there will be other courses later on, just to try and gauge if they're taking good numbers on these courses.

 

The point about railways (not just the Bluebell) moving to a more commercial footing is an interesting one, perhaps worthy of its own thread? With major infrastructure projects now seemingly tackled every year on at least one preserved railway up and down the UK it would seem the most reasonable way to go to generate the required finance.

Regards,

Dan

 

Photo of the rebuilt frame here, for the signalling junkies amongst you:

http://www.bluebell-railway.co.uk/bluebell/pic2/wn-2010/hk_levers_derekh_17jun09.jpg

There is information about the project here:

http://www.bluebell-railway.co.uk/bluebell/pti/hkwork.html

In essence, the resignalling has been required to give a more flexible operating pattern of the four main platforms at HK and two northern arrival lines, as well as doing the enabling work for the Ardingly branch. Because this required a complete reworking of the interlocking of the old HK frame, the signals and points were temporairly switched to a set of switches on the back wall of the box while a new frame was built; and are now being switched back to the rebuilt lever frame, at the same time decommissioning the temporary switches.

Tom

 

Will the pts make any difference? A photographer has set up their shot (hopefully clear of 4 foot!) they COULD be thinking more about their photograph than their safety... Not that Professional Railwaymen can be any better, they have plenty of training but can still be caught out as many recent cases show. It is rather difficult to inspect / repair the railway and look out for trains, that is why lookouts are posted, and even that has not always worked out well!

Having walked the Bluebell line more than a few times... the curves are not very tight and the clearances are huge compared to quite a few railways try the LU, or the MHR it is a different story!

Also safety wise the most dangerous time (by a long way) for anyone working on the railways is the journey to and from the railway!

 

My experience of several years walking the Bluebell is that it's pretty easy, excepting from New Combe Bridge to Dean's Crossing where it is positively lethal if you're in the wrong place. On one side there is a link fence with insufficient clearance with the railway and on the other a steep embankment with lots of undergrowth. I know there is a footpath over this length which the photographer ought to use but walking this length of track isn't actually forbidden. The peculiar thing about the Bluebell is that the stretch of track from New Road Bridge to Sharpthorne Tunnel is forbidden but it's actually quite safe while New Combe Bridge to Dean's Crossing isn't forbidden and it's damned dangerous. Sharpthorne Tunnel is, absolutely correctly, totally not allowed.

I'm sure that the Bluebell's easy because of its make-up of a single track on a double track formation. Other railways which don't have this feature are a problem particularly where the trackwork gangs don't keep the cess clear, where they allow ballast to cover the cess, so making walking difficult. I have had lineside passes for both the G/WR and WSR and they are both difficult in this respect. The position on the G/WR is particularly difficult to understand as it too is a single track railway on a double track formation.

Please track gangs, keep the cess clear! It's in your interest as well as lineside photters.

Regards

 

Somebody has set up a charity auction on eBay selling a shovelful of 'Prime 1960's domestic household rubbish' for 99p http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=150406528273 they have so far sold 163 shovel loads

People on the Bluebell Yahoo group have been in contact with the BBC and a piece was done on it on BBC Radio Sussex this morning apparently, in addition to this a film crew are coming down on Monday to film a piece to be shown either Monday evening or Tuesday on BBC South East.

Some brownie points are in order for whoever came up with it

 

With due respect the last thing track gangs think about when shoveling ballast is the welfare of photographers

 

Someone on our Facebook page came up with it and linked it to our eBay page (with the approval of the Trust) and posted it on Facebool
A senior person was actually against it, but has since changed their tune.

It's all gone rather well as a zero cost method of fundraising for Bluebell. Very bizzare, yet excellent!

 

For those wanting an update about extension progress, this photo was taken last month http://www.bluebell-railway.co.uk/bluebell/pic2/wn-2010/1263_hopps_021209.jpg having finished waterproofing work, ballast has now been laid the length of the viaduct and cable ducts for the signalling are in place.