Spa Valley Railway - Latest News

Due to arrive on Tuesday next week, should be running on 19th and 20th October at least then stopped for washout then running Polar sharing the 30 days with 34053. It probably isn't going to do much beyond that as the owner wants to do some more work before it heads back to Mid Norfolk for their March to September season again.

 

Save the dates, Friday 13th, Saturday 14th and Sunday 15th June 2025 as we commemorate 60yrs since the Cuckoo Line between Eridge and Hailsham closed to passengers.

Bulleid Pacific's 34072 '257 Squadron' and 34053 '303 Squadron' will be operating alongside our very own Class 207 DEMU 1317 and Class 33/0 33063. We are looking at hiring two BR Standard 4MT tanks and possibly one other SR locomotive authentic to the Cuckoo Line (which was Tunbridge Wells West to Polegate).

Probably one of the biggest enthusiast and family events we've held. I've been in discussions with the local council regarding opening Heathfield Tunnel for the event and so far things are looking positive so here's hoping!

 

Saw a mention of this in the latest issue of Trackside, albeit without the full details. Certainly sounds a great event (my Grandad used to live in Hailsham, close to the station site and we walked to Hellingly on the Cuckoo Trail a couple of times).

 

75069 perhaps? Considering she was once a TWW engine.

 

Be nice if the Fairburn in the advert was a clue rather than just a pretty picture!

 

75069 would be great: I took a photo of that loco entering Oxted in 1962 on a train from London.

Or a SR Mogul. I don't have a record of seeing a U class in the area, but I do have photos of Ns and a U1; so maybe 31806 would still be rather good.

I never saw a Fairburn loco anywhere near the area - but I am not the definitive source of information!

Bryan B

 

75069 visited us for the 25th Anniversary event in 2022, a very enjoyable day on the engine!

 

Fairburn tanks first came to Tunbridge Wells West (75F) in 1950 to replace the ageing LBSCR E4, D1, J and I3 class tank locomotives as part of the modernising of the Southern fleet. Fourteen Fairburn tanks were shedded at 75F, with eleven of these being delivered from new after being built at Brighton works 30 miles away. 42096 was the first received travelling up the Uckfield line and through to 75F, with 42087 being the last shedded leaving in December 1959 being displaced by further BR Standard 4MT tanks. The predominant use of the Fairburn’s was passenger services to London terminals such as London Victoria and London Bridge and London Bridge as well as south to Brighton. Tunbridge Wells West engineman have been noted in reminiscence books as talking of their liking for the ‘4P tanks and disappointment for them leaving!

Locomotives allocated to Stewarts lane 73A and Bricklayers arms 73B have been documented as running services to the south from London terminals and it is highly likely 42073 would have run over the Tunbridge Wells to Eridge during its working life at Stewarts Lane and other shed in the south east in the early 1950’s.

I've attached a couple of photos from our recent 'Fairburn Friday' postings that went onto our social media pages. 42101 is seen on 11th October at Tunbridge Wells West, copyright Neil Sprinks and then we have 42090 at Groombridge in September 1959, copyright JHW Kent.

Also, see attached the Fairburn reference table for the allocations at 75F.

Now you have all the information you could ever want of Fairburn tanks on the line!

 

Whilst very unlikely (42073 has never left the LHR and 42085 is under overhaul), if Jonnie and his team was able pull that off, it would be a massive coup, but it sounds a great event regardless.

 

Unfortunately, 42073 is awaiting overhaul, so neither currently in ticket.

 

I had a feeling 42073 was due for withdrawal soon. Even if it was, I'd say it was unlikely to have visited anyway.

I assume 80078 is a candidate as one of the Std 4 Tanks, Jonnie mentions above that the owner wants it at the MNR for the main season, but could always pop back for a brief visit to TWW. Maybe 80151 from the Bluebell as the 2nd?

 

The only other 4MT tanks in steam is 80105 at Bo'ness or 80136 at NYMR

EDIT. Forgot 80097 (soon) and 80080 also exists.

 

i remember seeing them on Oxted line trains passing Forest Hill and somewhere I have a record of the numbers

 

80151 was asked for and was sadly a no.

 

Well looking at what run on the Cuckoo line, that gives a pretty wide choice ! Seems from Eastbourne if it was sitting there unused for a while it was a candidate!

 

@Jonnie Many thanks for that excellent detail.

Bryan

 

The departure from the SR of the Fairburn tanks was likely to have been mainly in the interests of standardising on the BR equivalent. A secondary factor may have been that the BR standards were (and are) narrower over cylinders and side tanks than the LMS engines, allowing the BR 4MTs to operate over the "Restriction 1" route between Tonbridge and Tunbridge Wells (albeit not over the "Restriction 0" section between Tunbridge Wells and Hastings).

 

Due to a leak on a main steam pipe we are sorry to announce that Bulleid Pacific 34053 '303 Squadron' will no longer take part in this weekends Beer & Cider Festival, whilst repairs are undertaken. The fault was found on a post maintenance steam test which took place today and 34053 will be on display at Tunbridge Wells West during the festival.

British Railways Standard 4MT 80078 will stand in for 34053 on Set A services on our timetable and Caledonian Railway 812 Class No. 828 will now take part in the event operating services hauling Set B on our timetable.

If anyone likes a pint or two then we've over 150 Real Ales, (35 of which are Green Hop Beers), 60 Ciders, a selection of Keg Beers, food stalls, live bands and of course the steam and diesel trains. I'm rostered as 828s driver on the Friday and Saturday and 80078s Sunday until 15:00.

 

This looks set to be one of the stand-out galas of the year.

I've got two books on the Cuckoo line plus the DVDs produced from old cine film. The Cuckoo Line would have been my local line had it still been open (I live in a village about 40 minutes' walk from the old Heathfield Station) Jonnie's proposed line-up is a good cross-section of motive power in the line's final years - standard 4MT tanks being by far the most common class of steam loco once the Fairburns moved on, with Bulleids being rostered for a few excursions plus an early morning Eastbourne-Hailsham return trip hauled by the loco which worked the early morning newspaper train from London to Eastbourne. 13xx series Thumpers (later Class 207) also featured - the narrower dimensions compared with the 205s enabling them to work through the narrow tunnels to Tonbridge although both 2-car 205s (a.k.a 2H units) and Cromptons featured on the Hailsham-Eastbourne shuttles post 1965 while the latter also worked through to Heathfield on goods workings.

The farewell excursion on 13th June 1965 was worked by U class 31803 plus N Class 31411. Most other classes recorded over the line are either now extinct or else, if an example survives, it is not currently in working order (Q, Q1, E4, D, H, C. M7, T9). I've never seen a picture of an Atlantic on a Cuckoo Line working although they did work some Uckfield line trains, so would have been seen at Eridge, (ditto Schools class 4-4-0s). 75069 (which has already visited the Spa Valley) is also a member of a class which, to my knowledge, never worked over the Cuckoo line but appeared at TWW on a train from London via Oxted.

But whatever turn up as guest engines, it's going to be a great event and I'm so pleased that the Spa Valley is commemorating the closure of this much-loved and still greatly lamented line.

 

Terriers to Hailsham. Cromptons went further than Hailsham, probably at least as far as Heathfield on goods. I actually saw one between Hailsham and Hellingly passing over the road from Herstmonceux through Horsebridge. Thought M7 was due back next year?