Bluebell Railway winter works

Everyone it seems is doing major work over the winter

At the Bluebell, the main project (which started on Monday and is scheduled to take 2 weeks) involves relaying the track through platform 1 at Sheffield Park. The track will de dug out (in fact it has already been dug out) and the drainage to the formation improved. The concrete sleepers on this section of line date back to relaying by BR in 1949. Interesting that concrete sleepers were used at that time on what was always something of a rural backwater.

Services will continue to run using platform 2. As temporarily there will be no run-round, the service train will be hauled by the two P classes top-and-tailing. For maximum entertainment value, these will need coaling at some point in the day due to the small bunker size: 178 at the north end can take water from a water crane but will have to be coaled from a wheelbarrow of coal on the platform. Whereas 323 at the south end can take coal in the loco yard as normal, but will have to take water from a hydrant in the yard... There will be need some slick work from loco department to prep within the 25 minutes or so allowed by the timetable!

Once the Sheffield Park work is done, focus will switch to Kingscote, where the northern end run round point will be relaid in preparation for extension to East Grinstead. Again this will preclude running round, but I am not sure at the moment if this will involve top-and-tailing all trains or having a pull-off engine stationed at KC. I'd suspect the latter due to the more intensive service.

Tom