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Bluebell Railway Branch Line Gala: 15 - 17 March 2019

Discussion in 'Galas and Events' started by Jamessquared, Jan 22, 2019.

  1. Jamessquared

    Jamessquared Nat Pres stalwart

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    Timetables and loco allocations ...

    https://www.bluebell-railway.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/02/Branch-Line-Timetable-2019.pdf

    Event details here: https://www.bluebell-railway.com/whats_on/branch-line-weekend-2/

    I don't know what the carriage sets represent yet.

    Edit: Based on the loco allocations and last year, I'll take a punt that B+C might be Maunsells + Bulleid's; and set A is four wheelers. But we'll wait and see.

    Tom
     
    Last edited: Feb 15, 2019
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  2. G-ACSS

    G-ACSS New Member

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    ...and not forgetting the Edwardian set (SECR birdcage, SECR '100 seater', LBSCR 1st and LSWR 3rd brake)
     
  3. 30854

    30854 Resident of Nat Pres

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    Can't see any mention of any connecting bus services. Any idea whether there'll be any running on one or more days please?
     
  4. Jamessquared

    Jamessquared Nat Pres stalwart

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  5. 30854

    30854 Resident of Nat Pres

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    Cheers Tom. Unfortunately, past experiences of doing the trip from either Brighton, Lewes or HH by timetabled bus have been less than happy ones. I only actually managed to get to the line once (Perrymount Road is an unutterably depressing place to wait for a bus that doesn't come).... and even then, landed up spending a ruddy fortune on a taxi to get back, when the last bus was another no-show.
     
  6. Jamessquared

    Jamessquared Nat Pres stalwart

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    It’s a bit of a trek by rail from Brighton, but via East Grinstead is at least fairly reliable I’d have thought!

    Tom
     
  7. 30854

    30854 Resident of Nat Pres

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    Hove, all the way up to EC, then down to EG? Sorry ..... not an attractive or affordable option.
     
  8. Platform 3

    Platform 3 Member

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    How about bus to Lewes and trains from there? The Lewes bus seems very good.

    Sent from my SM-J330FN using Tapatalk
     
  9. 30854

    30854 Resident of Nat Pres

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    If it were just me, probably .... but I was hoping to infect a semi-reluctant muggle!
     
  10. Don Steedy

    Don Steedy New Member

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    All passengers trains must have a continuous and compatible automatic brake active on all vehicles, it’s a basic railway safety rule. Unfitted vehicles are not permitted within passenger trains. So I am very interested to know how the continuous brake will be maintained when W24 is piloting the H and Beattie.
     
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  11. Jamessquared

    Jamessquared Nat Pres stalwart

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  12. Jamessquared

    Jamessquared Nat Pres stalwart

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  13. Phil-d259

    Phil-d259 Member

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    Key key word here is 'Piloting'

    Provided the engine next to the coaching stock is able to stop them then on its own you can probably get away with the pilot engine not being hooked up to the continuous brake. After all with both engines fully crewed a broken coupling between the two engines isn't going to go unnoticed is it!

    One suggestion I have heard is that a rope is tied round the vac pipe of the train engine and attached to Calbourne - that way if the coupling does brreak then the vac bag on the train engine gets pulled off its rest thus destroying the continuous brake on the train engine + carriages.
     
  14. Paul42

    Paul42 Part of the furniture

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  15. Martin

    Martin New Member

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    The loco movement to HK on the Friday afternoon is surprisingly late - by the time they get them arranged, the light will be starting to fail unless it's a sunny day.

    Looking forward to visiting this on Saturday, haven't been to the Bluebell for many years.
     
  16. Jamessquared

    Jamessquared Nat Pres stalwart

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    I don't think there is much opportunity to go up earlier while still allowing them two whole line trips for passengers.

    Looking at the timetable, W24 and 30587 are back at Sheffield Park at 2.20pm. They will certainly both have to go into the yard at that time for coal and to have the fires cleaned. The yard at Sheffield Park is pretty crowded given the need to get five locos off shed, so probably 488 and 96 will need shunting to form the train (which would mean a run round, unless 65 has shunted them over to the Newick or Pump House sidings earlier in the day ...). Given all that, I don't think you could make the 3pm path; the 3.45pm would be a possibility but would mean delaying that service train until 4.03; and you need two roads clear through Horsted (to cross the down service withe O1) that might be blocked setting up the photo opportunity if you did it earlier. So my hunch is that the 4.03 path off Sheffield Park is probably the first one that is reliable given the earlier 2:20pm arrival

    Tom
     
  17. Hirn

    Hirn Member

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    I think this is the argument for connecting to Haywards Heath. Quite a lot of people in Brighton and either side: Eastbourne, Lewes with Newhaven and then
    on the other side more less built up out West to beyond Worthing.
     
  18. Jamessquared

    Jamessquared Nat Pres stalwart

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    Just reading through the operating notices for the weekend - I’m going to be busy, especially Sunday!

    Branch Line Gala has become, over the last few years, far and away the most operational fun of the year - IMHO.

    Tom
     
  19. Jamessquared

    Jamessquared Nat Pres stalwart

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    For anyone looking at timetables and wondering about double heading etc:

    Double headers are shown in the timetable thus: W24 + 30587, with the leading engine shown first

    Top and tail is shown thus: 263 + (65) with the trailing engine shown in brackets.

    The top and tail workings are on the morning of Saturday and Sunday, where 263 and 65 work double headed from SP to EG; then top and tail back to HK. The train then splits, with 263 continuing south with half the train and 65 returning north with the other half.

    There's also a somewhat rare opportunity to get a line turn with 178 at the weekend, where it works from Sheffield Park to Kingscote with the 4 wheelers; then back as far as HK, after which it runs brake van rides round the station (the four wheelers then get picked up by 30587 for a trip back to Kingscote before returning to SP).

    Tom
     
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  20. DragonHandler

    DragonHandler Well-Known Member

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    Am I right in assuming that all the locos are facing London?
     

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