Bluebell Railway Branch Line Gala: 15 - 17 March 2019

Could always see if the IOW could send an Ivatt over as a translator ;-)

Chris

 

As the 09 appears to be the only serviceable dual-braked loco on the Bluebell, that might rather spoil the effect.

 

For those who are interested here is how it was done when No 8 (the erstwhile Paris gold Medal winner No 40 Brighton) visited in 2006. The air brake was bagged up to the dual braked E4, while the latter's vacuum brake was attached to a dummy on No 8.

I'm not sure how it will work without an available dual braked loco to couple to this time round.

Peter

 

I don't know how feasible it is with locos, but there is a long tradition of railways using partially fitted trains....

So how about someone gets an extra long Vacuum brake hose and cable ties it to Calbourne. Put a Vac braked Bluebell engine on the front and Vac braked coaches behind it.

The beauty of this is that the risk of broken couplings due to the Bluebell loco braking but Calbourne not doing the same on the front is reduced.

Of course the other complication is I believe this years gala will replicate last years with trains terminating at Horsted during the middle of the day and folk needing to transfer to another connecting service if they want to travel the entire line.

 

I'm not sure whether that would be permitted as there may be a requirement that the brakes are applied to both locos at the same time.

 

There are provisions in the rule book for conveying unbraked loads including locos within a fitted train, along with a table of equivalences between locos and carriages for setting the maximum unbaked proportion. So my feeling is that it would be allowed, but I'm going to wait for the operational notices to come out to see precisely how it is arranged.

The bottom line is that there has been a desire to have Calbourne to visit for several years, and I cannot believe that that would have been the case unless there was a mechanism by which she could be used!

Tom

 

Its great the Bluebell has so many vintage coaches. But possibly the only drawback is the lack of dual braked MK1s.
When W24 was at Swanage in May 2012 it operated with their DB MK1s.

 

Yes, but this is the first time I can remember a lack of air braked carriages being an issue, so I wouldn't swap one for the other!

FWIW, both the LBSCR and the LCDR carriages were originally air braked (obviously running on different underframes to what they have now) and I believe at one point there was an ambition to make those carriages dual braked, though I am not sure how far that got in design terms. 114 (the LCDR brake) does have the air brake standard fitted at the ends, though I don't know how much else. Since all our air-braked engines need vacuum anyway, my guess is that a dual braked set is in the realms of a nice-to-have, the cost of which cannot be easily justified on operational grounds.

Tom

 

According to the latest issue of Steam Railway (received yesterday) the Radial tank is being painted black.

 

Going slightly off-topic, but it occurs to me that when Flying Scotsman went to America she had to be piloted into New York by a Penn Central GG1. The latter was air-brake only, 4472 and the coaches were vacuum-brake only. It would be interesting to know what arrangements were made on that occasion!

 

Presumably W24 could operate with an unfitted goods? Not seen many full line goods trains at Bluebell galas in recent times, other than the odd one at the beginning or end of the day

 

I see they're repainting 488 for the event. What a shame. Ruined.

 

I remember being at the Terrier Gala in 2000 and W11 and 2678 double headed a train I was on, but not sure what the coupling arrangement was that time.

 

2678 is duel braked.

 

It takes a lot more than a coat of paint to ruin this graceful engine!

 

Indeed, and if, as I think was mentioned above it is going into black, does this imply a later livery (SR/BR)? If so is it regaining it's Drummond chimney, even if only temporarily? That, in my opinion, adds to it's gracefulness!

Now, I suspect, I'll have to go into hiding

Steve B

 

Yes to the Drummond chimney.

I believe the intention is to get "Normandy", "Calbourne", 488 and the Beattie Well Tank lined up together at some point during the gala.

Tom

 

It's not been mentioned here yet but also from Steam Railway, is that Normandy will also be undergoing a BR transformation for the event, but unlike 488 it is to be temporary. I suspect it'll be done with temporary panels fitted. Stepney used to use temporary panels when it was disguised as the Brighton Works Shunter and after its overhaul in 2010 when it ran charters in BR livery.

Looking forward to seeing all the LSWR locos together though. Really looking forward to the event.

 

No. 488s current paintwork is actually pretty tired / faded (which caused some confusion when Oxford Rail and Hornby both released No. 488 in LSWR livery as one company had not taken into account just how faded the real thing had got when specifying the colours).

As such a decent coat of BR lined black will actually make her look a lot more cared for than her current appearance.

Besides given the amount of work needed to restore her to running condition (new boiler and wheels IIRC) its not as though the re-painting will be wasted

 

Really looking forward to this weekend as it will be interesting seeing my most favouritist engine in black and a local engine, Calbourne, on home metals. In a neat reversal, it seems ages ago that I nearly fell off my bike when I saw my second favouritist loco, Birch Grove,crossing the bridge at Havenstreet. Something totally unexpected, as I was a bit out of touch with the preservation movement at the time.
By the way can anyone point out a decent B & B in the vicinity of the line, as my selfish little sister moved out of Chailey last year depriving me of accomodation ,

Chris