Secondly, you will notice a Table 4 in the timetable, covering the period from 19th January up to 3rd March, during which time the "fire slip" just north of Horsted Keynes will be dug out and rebuilt starting from a firm foundation. Since repairs some years ago this embankment has continued to move slowly, and this winter's work aims to rectify the problem once and for all. Our trains will therefore operate only between Sheffield Park and Horsted Keynes during this period, with our 473 bus from East Grinstead extended to Horsted Keynes.
Whilst the line is severed, the opportunity may be taken to re-lay a poor section of track just north of the platforms at Horsted Keynes.
Of course, if we could afford more of the site, it would be wonderful (providing a ready-built 30-vehicle storage/museum building, further archive/museum storage and offices, in addition to the space for a running shed), and anyone able to offer significant financial support towards that end is asked to contact Barry Coward gensec@bluebell-railway.co.uk urgently (since negotiations are likely to be concluded within a week or so).
Negotiations are being coordinated by the team who are putting together a Heritage Lottery Fund bid for covered accommodation, but even the HLF's fast-track procedure is no-where near fast enough to be of assistance in this case!
The majority of fencing has now been renewed. Few posts have required
replacing but new wire has been installed. Additionally the fence that
borders our land along Imberhorne Lane has been replaced. This was in poor
condition having suffered from a constant buffeting from passing traffic.
Finally essential plant maintenance has been carried out. The rebuild of our 3-ton dumper is complete - this has taken a considerable amount of time and effort, however, it is now firing on all three cylinders - something that it hasn't managed to do for a long time!
The photograph (courtesy of Jeff Machin) shows recent work on the trackbed near Ash Lea Farm. I'm grateful to Nigel Longdon for the above report.
Lewis Nodes made more photos available just before Christmas on the Loco Works Photo News pages.
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The formal return to traffic took place at the October Giants of
Steam event, as seen in Jon Bowers photo, right. Since then the
engine has rapidly become a stalwart performer, confirming again the
feeling amongst the loco crews that the Standard 4 tank engines are
much superior to the 4-6-0 tender engine of the same rating.
Several other locos have been in and out of the works.
Stepney has had attention twice, first to swap its chimney for
a temporary replacement after holes developed in it, and secondly for
attention to a crack in the firebox backplate, just above the
foundation ring between the corner and a mudhole door. This part of
the boiler is immediately in front of the trailing axle, so the
trailing wheelset has had to be removed to gain access to the area.
73082 Camelot sprang a leak from a crack in the firebox outer wrapper, just beside the driver's knees. An in-situ repair has been completed, with the aim of enabling it to complete the remaining 18 months of its boiler ticket.
In the last month both of Birch Grove's big-ends have re re-metalled, and the left small end bearing has been replaced. The small end pins have worn oval, and removing them actually proved a much more difficult task than replacing the bearing.
All three of these locos are now back in action. Indeed on Sunday Birch Grove and Stepney were pressed into service, double-heading a fully loaded Santa Special train, deputising for the 9F, which had suffered a broken tender spring. The replacement of the 9F's spring only took two hours though, and it was back in service having only missed one round trip!
Baxter is now looking very forlorn, stripped of its boiler cladding, in preparation for its boiler lift. Some limited mechanical work is required, and the frame will be lifted from the wheels for attention to the axle-boxes.
Work continues on Duke of Berkeley's boiler and bogie, but dismantling of the front of the underframe has revealed extensive corrosion. Recent photos are here. It currently looks as though a significant proportion of the loco's frames will have to be replaced.
Significant work is being undertaken at Sheffield Park on the Boiler for Sir Archibald Sinclair, including replacement of the firebox tubeplate, and the welding in of some smaller replacement sections of inner firebox. Full details and photos of recent work are here.
The LSWR team have now completed the replacement of their coach's bottom side (the main structural timber at the base of the body).
The SECR birdcage brake is coming on well, with floors and partitions in for about half the passenger area, and the structural body-side repairs also completed in this area. Much of the interior woodwork for these compartments is being varnished and some of it test fitted to provide a morale boost to the team.
The third of the Metropolitan coaches is now lettered and lined, and much of the interior fit of the first-class compartments is now finished. The luggage racks are the most significant interior components still to be tackled, and the parts (and wheels) are now to hand to re-assemble the final bogie. It is just about possible that the coach will be completed in time for the February Branch-line Weekend.
The recent Carlton "Railway Children" is being shown again on ITV on 24th Dec at 4:45pm.
In addition, we are holding another Railway Children weekend on July 13 - 14, with re-enactments of scenes from the Carlton TV film, and the chance to meet some of the cast. The weekend is also a fund-raising event for the Railway Children charity.
As a bit of history, this particular bracket came from Hove and was recovered by us one night, in association with the Brighton steelworks gang. It was originally mounted on a lattice post at the country end of the island platform. The steelworks gang managed to cut the post below platform level and then craned it onto a wagon, with the intention of transporting it to Three Bridges yard for collection. As soon as it was loaded, we realised it was foul to gauge and wouldn't be going anywhere! A quick site meeting resulted in the wagon being shunted to the Up Yard and the signal offloaded in the coal yard so that we could collect it by road.An early morning phone call to the coal yard manager on Monday morning to apologise and explain why he was now looking at a signal in his yard and that it was Bluebell's elicited the response "I thought it might have something to do with you"!
Yesterday the S&T were working on connecting the temporary platform 3 up starter which will allow bi-directional working in platform 3. This will be an operational bonus, simplifying the station operation at quiet times of the year when only one train is on the line. As at the other end of the station, this signal (and that for Platforms 4 & 5) will eventually be replaced by one of the Alf Brown group's new bracket signals.
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At the Giants of Steam event on 27-28 October, 80151 will be joined by Bulleid Pacific 21C123 "Blackmoor Vale" and three further BR Standards, No. 75027, No.73082 "Camelot" and our 9F, No.92240. In addition our two Stroudley Terriers will be in steam, "Stepney" on the Saturday and "Fenchurch" on the Sunday.
I will be leading guided tours of the Carriage Works on both days, and on the Saturday, starting at 4.30pm, in exchange for a £5 donation to the Carriage Works Extension fund, there will be an extended tour taking in the stock stored on the back sidings at Horsted Keynes, for which stout footwear is essential.
Brighton Atlantic Promotion Day
Further parts for this locomotive have recently been obtained, and work on the tender is progressing, as illustrated in the 28 September Loco Works Photo News.
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This News Service
2002 Special Events
Extension News
Back in August (when the sun shone) Alan Summerfield and Nigel
Longdon, who qualified
for use of chainsaws in January this year, undertook further training, this
time working from an elevated platform (known as a cherry picker).
Along the route of
the trackbed there are several trees which did not need to be felled but that
had branches which would have posed a risk to the line and rolling stock. A
cherry picker was hired in and we removed the offending branches - an
interesting experience.
More recently the Saturday team have been carrying out further clearance
work on the east side south of Keepers (the dam).
Signalling progress at Horsted
Chris Majer's photo shows the components for the new down platform
starter bracket signal for Platforms 3 and 4, which will also have an
arm for movements into the carriage works yard. The plan is that the
hole for this signal will be dug today, the main rail-built column
planted tomorrow, and the upper works fixed in place on Wednesday.
This is the culmination of months of preparations by the Alf Brown
Gang, or looked at another way, merely the warm up for the next three
SR bracket signals they are building for Horsted! Further news and
photos have just been posted on Peter Richards' HK Re-Signalling progress web page.
Work on the Track, and Carriage Works
During the re-laying of track within the shed, as had been hoped, the water pipe supplying the shed was discovered. This enabled a branch pipe to be added to supply the new Carriage Works mess room, plumbing for which we are now to do ourselves, following a quote of about £10k from professionals for plumbing in the mess room and toilets/showers.
Moving on to the carriages, SR Maunsell Open Third No.1309 is now in the paint shop, and SR Bulleid Open Third No.1464 has replaced it in the "scaffold" area of the new works for re-canvassing of the roof. BR Brake No.35448 is having all its trim replaced, and is being generally smartened up internally, with seating installed for 8 per compartment, as against the original six.
New Definitive Stamp issue and First Day Cover
Full details of this "Starlight Special" issue featuring SECR P-class No.323, and other issues, are available on the Bluebell Railway Letter Service web page.
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The Giants of steam event on 27-28 October should be another unforgettable Bluebell event, featuring our largest engines, and an intensive 3 train service.
Further details are available here.
Lewis Nodes has just provided a mammoth update with loads of photos, showing that they've been busy on many locos in the last few months. Quite apart from 80151, there's pioneering work on the Dukedog. We're ready to try the first cast of new cylinder blocks for the Terriers, following completion of the patterns, and not a moment too soon as the repairs to a hole in Stepney's frail cylinders show!
The Maunsell team have moved onto the boiler of the U-class 2-6-0, and their tender team have as big a task ahead of them with "Stowe's" tender as they had with 1638's! They've started by demolishing most of what was already there. Talking of tenders, the Brighton Atlantic project is making progress on their tender.
Boiler work is under way on the Southern Locomotives "P" class, and the Villa team have started dismantling "Baxter" for its boiler overhaul.
1940s Weekend a great success
A new special event, held in September, the 1940s weekend went off splendidly, as can be seen by the photos from Jon Bowers and Ian Bowskill, with more photos to be found here.
Booking now open for Santa Specials
Our 2001 season of Santa Specials kicks off on 1st December, but
bookings opened yesterday. Last year some trains were fully booked
in the first week, so ring 01825 720806 now, or see the web page for the Santa Specials.
Carriage Works Extension opening
This was the highlight of the second annual National Carriage Restorers' get-together in September. This year's event was organised by Peter Milnes, with Keith Edwards and others from the GN Saloon team providing the catering on the Sunday.
Martin Lock (Left) and Stephen Middleton open our new restoration facility (photo: Brian Hallett)
On the Saturday, following an introduction from Martin Lock, Stephen Middleton, who described himself as "green with envy" at the facilities we had now at our disposal, performed the opening ceremony on the new carriage works extension. A special train consisting of Fenchurch and the two Met coaches then took delegates on a round trip of the line in the early evening. With Fenchurch having to stop for a brew up in section, the delegates had plenty of opportunity to examine the interior of the compartments in minute detail!
Most of the real business took place on the Sunday. As last year, the LMS Carriage Association from Peak Rail brought several demonstrations and their "Carriage Exchange" for-sale/wants board did good business. We put on a variety of demonstrations ourselves. Many useful contacts were made, and techniques discussed, and friendships made over the internet were deepened. Joint orders of components will help all of us, and trading in various other bits and pieces through the weekend must have brought various projects closer to completion!
At the end of Sunday afternoon everyone was feeling well satisfied, and started to make their way home. The longest journey was Jon Tyler from the Royal Deeside Railway Preservation Society near Aberdeen, who nearly didn't make it since all the flights south were fully booked.
Fenchurch stars at an Airshow!
Fenchurch called in at Airbourne 2001, at Eastbourne, on its way back
from the Isle of Wight in August, as is seen here in Tim Fellows'
photo. Much good publicity was gained from this unusual addition to
the local tourist board stand!
Carriage restoration
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Compiled by Richard Salmon.