Spa Valley Railway - Latest News

Thinking ahead to my proposed journey and the likely motive power on the three railways in question in 2028, if everything lined up nicely and the locos on the respective railways could be, say, 32424, 34053 and 30065 or 32678, it would be great to have your company. Bryan, but I'm very aware that if I have to "slum it" with the likes of 263, 47493 and/or 4253, I'll be on my own!

 

Of course, if you want pure 'Pie in the sky' WIBN, I wonder how many takers there would be for a railtour consisting of 33 + 4-TC/4-VEP or DEMU, running Tunbridge Wells West, Eridge, Oxted, East Grinstead, Sheffield Park and return!

The lack of a physical connection to Network Rail at Eridge would sadly scupper that for now, and I'm guessing that the the amount NR would ask for installing one would make Jonnie turn an interesting colour!

 

I believe someone once worked out that you could just about do Sheffield Park to Alresford and back in a single day (via Clapham Junction) but you'd need to make sure every connection was nailed and bang on time to avoid being stranded at East Grinstead on the return

 

I think Steam Dreams ran a Railtour that did Alresford to Sheffield Park and back with 34046. There was also the Top and Tail RTC tour with 34046 and 44932 that did the run to Sheffield Park, had a brief layover and then went back to Hurst Green and did the Uckfield line passing through Eridge (but didn't stop there).

 

Not a chance in hell these days, certainly not on a regular operating day for both railways.

The best you can seem to do would be to get the 10:30 from Sheffield Park, which gets to East Grinstead at 11:10.

11:36 East Grinstead arrives Clapham Junction at 12:25
13:01 Clapham Junction arrives Alton at 14:09

You could then get the 14:50 Watercress Line train to Alresford, which is the last full round trip - you get to Alresford at 15:23, depart 15:45, arrive back at Alton at 16:33. At which point you have minus three minutes to get back to East Grinstead ...

Pre-covid, we had a seven departure timetable, and it may just about have been feasible then (depending on the precise connections) as trains ran much longer into the late afternoon. But those days are long gone, and it seems too be a feature of the modern consumer that they prefer to have earlier starts and earlier finishes than in days gone by. Late afternoon is often dead - people want to get home.

Tom

 

2014, a little after the East Grinstead connection opened. I fired the Bluebell part of the trip

I think there was a reverse working (Sheffield Park to Alresford and back) a few years later.

Tom

 

You might be lucky, if the Robertsbridge link opens as scheduled in 2028. If it was purely up to the RVR, I'd say they'll surely make it - but with the Environment Agency and National Highways (ex. Highways England) involved who knows? It would be annoying if the whole line was complete and ready to run apart from (say) final bureaucratic sign-off for the A21 level crossing!

 

I’m still gutted I missed this tour, even though I was 11 at the time so couldn’t have really done much! Would be nice to see another tour go down to Uckfield again, one day…

 

I was on the RTC tour - great day out! I even remember chucking a tenner in the tin for the construction of Beachy Head. I remember a big delay on the way back in the South Croydon area.

Reading that you were only 11 then has made me feel very old...

 

York - Bluebell and return was possible a while back, before the tip excavations.
Is it still possible?
Can the Spa valley be done in a similar way?

 

Bryan, I like to visit The Bluebell every year or so, usually on a BH Monday when there are no restrictions to early travel. I last did it on August BH Monday to see the newly launched Atlantic. Caught the 07.02 York to KX. Then the 09.50 Vic. to East Grinstead, which fed into the 11.35 to SP. Returned on the 17.06 EG - Vic and the 18.30 KX - York. A cracking day with plenty of time to look around and travel and never felt rushed. This was EG half an hour before the return to Vic, showing a nice contrast between the town's trains of the 1960s and 2020s.

An easy day provided the "big" railway works as it should.

Peter

 

A friend of mine (who’s ex BR and has free travel) did the RHDR in a day from Leeds last year. Not sure what trains and times. He doesn’t drive and seems to be able to get to most railways on day trips using rail and bus.

 

They did indeed…
WC no.34046 'Braunton' with 'The Cathedrals Express' - Thursday 2nd October 2014


WC no.34046 'Braunton' & Black 5 no.44932 with 'The Blue Bell Explorer' - Saturday 9th November 2013


A couple of great railtours, for obvious reasons I guess tours like those and the two that ran to Seaford around the same time don’t happen much anymore.

I left chasing the Blue Bell explorer in the afternoon to get down to the Amex for the Brighton game (parking at Lewes then getting the train), made it in the ground about 15 minutes after kick off but in time to see Ashley Barnes gives us the lead from the penalty spot I seem to recall!

 

All good stuff, but some way from the Spa Valley Railway now!

Getting back to 75F I see that 34050 is having an extended visit to the Mid Norfolk. Which, to me at least, looks like a nice way of responding to 80078 coming down to the Spa Valley Railway quite often and sometimes for quite long spells.

So @Jonnie I imagine that means 828 will be the main steam loco for a few weeks now? And then, when 80078 comes down later in the year, is it possible it will do a week or two on normal service trains before Polar Express duties?

In the meantime there is the 40th anniversary of the line's closure this coming weekend and subject to the temperature dropping significantly I'm rather looking forward to the Sussex Stompers, and a ride in one of the Sussex Thumpers!

https://www.spavalleyrailway.co.uk/product.php?xProd=7452

Bryan

 

It might be easier to go to TW, but for anyone coming from the west it's a lot cheaper to go to Eridge - for me, £38 instead of £51 as it's a "not London" route (changing at Clapham Junction instead of having to go into Waterloo)