Bluebell Railway General Discussion

I think you just did, though I would point out that 34053 isn't Maunsell

Tom

 

Just seen 31806 heading north on the m40 near Banbury.

 

Hence the parentheses.

 

I got Heritage Railway yesterday and it says 592, the Mets and LBSCR 4 wheeler 661 are going to Kings Cross for a Warner Brothers filming assignment on Valentines weekend and B473 will be in steam on display at Haywards Heath station on September 17-18 to celebrate the 175th Anniversary of the first trains there.

 

Does anyone know if 592 and the stock will get moved by rail for that?

 

More than likely due to the amount of stock leaving and the fact you would need 6 lorries to take them away.


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

 

On Tuesday on Great British Railway Journeys - Michael Portillo visits the Bluebell.

 

As usual, the steam Beanos have got everything all wrong!!!!

 

Some photos (from Dave Clarke) showing latest progress on SE&CR 4 wheeler 5 compartment 3rd No. 3188 (ex LCDR No. 668). Painting and lining is nearing completion - it is hoped to have this carriage launched into service at the March Branch Line Gala.

https://www.flickr.com/photos/extension3363/24194269580/in/dateposted/

This will be the third LCDR coach completed, the others being a brake 3rd and a wheelchair-accessible saloon (former brake 3rd). The ultimate plan is to have a five / six coach rake of Victorian SER / LCDR carriages running in Edwardian SECR livery (to match the locomotives we have), though that is likely to be some years off.

Tom

 

Hello,
Well done Bluebell,again!

Nick

 

Absolutely first rate job, proud to be a member.

 

The big infrastructure project for the winter has been commissioning of the replacement signal box at Kingscote, complete with Westinghouse L frame. For those who like looking at pictures of Bletchley Park such things, there are some recent photos (not mine) starting here:

http://www.derekhayward.co.uk/BluebellRailway-1/Photographic-Tours/Kingscote-Station/i-4qbPBJL

There is still work to do, but by all accounts, things are on track for full opening when the line reopens at the beginning of February. The old signal box is largely stripped of equipment. From when the line re-opens, all token exchanges will be at the new signal box (for the couple of years, the new box acted as a remote token station that could release or accept a token under the control of the signalman in the south box; this feature was used when trains crossed at Kingscote). The popular photo looking south as a north bound train slowed to exchange tokens will be a thing of the past.

One point notable in the photos are that there are three token machines. That on the left (with blue tokens) is for Horsted - Kingscote; that on the right with red tokens is for Kingscote - East Grinstead; the middle one (with yellow tokens) is for the Sheffield Park - Kingscote "long section". I'm not sure if that is due to come on stream at the same time or is a later phase, although we have had some rule book amendments to cover long section working, so I assume its commissioning can't be far off. Having a long section will allow HK box to be switched out, which is useful at night (i.e. when an evening Golden Arrow is running) in that it will allow the line to be operated with one fewer person, easing rostering of signalmen.

Also not my photo: this is the signal box name board under construction. Although Kingscote is presented in a 1950s style, the original signal box kept its LBSCR-pattern wooden name board up to closure (rather than the more typical green enamel sign) and so the new name will copy that feature.

https://www.flickr.com/photos/bluebellrailway/24114059989/in/dateposted/

Tom

 

On iPlayer now, it is about the first ten minutes:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episod...rneys-series-7-17-east-grinstead-to-guildford

Includes some archive footage from the early days, an interview with the BRPS chairman, a footplate ride on the Q down to Sheffield Park (along with Groome Père-et-fille), and then helping to wash out the boiler on B473.

Tom

 

Well done Bluebell - good publicity, and good that you have followed in a West Somerset Railway tradition by having Michael P visit.

I do admire his ability to step on to one type of train, gas over Bradshaw and step of an entirely different unit. Does he do it by teleportation?

kind regards

Robin White

 

The Kingscote signal diagram has up and down king levers, this implies that there is provision in the locking to be able to switch out Kingscote? Is the long section HK to EG or SP to EG or is there to be provision for both??? Is the plan to be able (eventually) to operate with just SP open perhaps?

 

The long section that will be implemented is Sheffield Park - Kingscote (see photo 14441 for a close up of a token engraved with the section).

With regard East Grinstead, currently the two ground frames (Bluebell to Network Rail; and Bluebell run round points, on separate ground frames) are released using the Kingscote - East Grinstead token. So I don't think there is any plan to enable Kingscote to be switched out while trains operate further north. Equally if full signalling ever develops at East Grinstead (controlled from Kingscote - space has been left on the frame), that will also require the presence of a signalman at Kingscote. So I don't think it would ever be possible to have a SP - EG long section token, now or in the future.

As for the king levers: disclaimer - I am not a signalman! But if you look at the existing signal box diagram (i.e. that that applied up until the end of last year - see http://www.bluebell-railway.co.uk/bluebell/kingscote_sig.html), you will notice that there are also king levers. As I understand, that allows the Horsted signalman to withdraw at HK - KC token without a signalman present at Kingscote and the train can proceed with the up signals already cleared as far as Kingscote. This seemed to be used on quiet days as it allowed the Kingscote signalman to travel up on the first train, and go back by the last. My experience is that this is done more rarely now that there is a requirement to then immediately signal a train on to East Grinstead, but it was more common back in the days when Kingscote was the northern limit. My assumption about the two king levers in the new set up is that they allow the same operating mechanism, even if it may be rarely used in normal service.

Tom

 

Thanks Tom. Would be simple enough to arrange for the GFs to be operated by either of two tokens though, or indeed for there to be an Alton style automatic system at EG, though I cant see much point in complicating EG with anything more than GFs unless there is to be in the future some provision for more than one train at a time to be there, and I thought that this had been ruled out on grounds of space.

The king lever explanation is fascinating. It sounds like an awfully complicated set up just to allow the signalman to arrive by train. Fascinating.

 

Not to mention SVR as well

Nah, it's something to do with his rather colourful choice of outfits.

 

Or MHR for that matter.....I think he's probably making some sort of tour

 

In other news, details of the diesel gala have been announced. http://www.bluebell-railway.com/event/diesel-weekend/