Bluebell Railway General Discussion

The Bluebell seems to have a lot of locos in the pipeline currently I think I'm correct in saying that currently being overhauled are;
263
323
21c123
928
541
Normandy
27
92240 (tender)

It's incredible that so many locos are being worked on simultaneously.

 

Not everything on every loco is currently at the railway though for overhaul it has to be said and is worth mentioning that:

323 - Boiler being overhauled at the Severn Valley
541 - Boiler, loco part being overhauled at Leaky Finders. Tender tank completed at the Kent and East Sussex Railway's 4253 loco group
21C123 - Boiler gone to Leaky Finders.
928 - Frames was at Quainton Rd, returned to Bluebell following the cylinder defect discovery. Boiler was at HBSS and now at Leaky Finders.

 

84030 as well.

There are a variety of teams and funding sources involved though, and different projects progressing at different stages - hopefully we'll see 541 this year, but 21c123 is I suspect a long way off.

Personally, I'm waiting for the H class to come back, an absolute joy of a loco.

Tom

 

I expect they are not working simultaneously on all of these. Most railways have ongoing projects, where some stuff is done, and they then have to wait on funding or external factors/contractors etc before further in house progress can be made. So, attention switches to something else for a while, before going back to the first or other projects.
How many locos are stripped for assessment before any overhaul/restoration plan can be decided? Do these still count as being 'worked on' if they are stripped awaiting a decision?

 

Agree about 263, Tom. Personally, I would love to see it turned out in Maunsell green, just for a couple of years or so, but I realise that can never happen.

 

I believe it could. (Not saying it would, just could ...) AIUI, the livery restriction only applies to the C class; there wasn't a similar restriction imposed on the H class when ownership was gifted to the Bluebell Railway Trust. (Might be wrong about that, but that is my current understanding).

Tom

 

All being worked on simultaneously - well, maybe not day-in, day-out, but they are different teams and different funding streams, and in different physical locations. By and large, it is not the same people madly running around from one project to the other as funding and parts become available.

Essentially 84030, 92240 and 27 are volunteer-led projects by three separate teams. 96 is being done in Atlantic House by the Atlantic team, with funding from the Bulleid Society, I think largely from a legacy. 541 is split between Leaky Finders (loco and boiler) and Sheffield Park (tender) with funding coming from the Trust and the MLS. 21c123 has its boiler also at Leaky Finders. Stowe is MLS-funded and is probably the one project that at the moment is largely waiting for parts to be provided, notably new cylinders. The same person is project-managing 541, 928 and 21c123. 323 and 263 are internal workshop overhauls (with the boiler of 323 also outsourced to Bridgnorth; 263 is being done in-house).

Nothing else is stripped for assessment; with the exception of those locos, and 80100 which is still essentially in Barry condition, everything else is complete and either in traffic, on display on the railway, on display off the railway (178 and 9017) or stored away from viewing areas (847 and 1618).

Tom

 

Out of interest @Jamessquared do the C+W people work the same way? What I mean is having separate groups working on separate items? I know there is a group for wagons as distinct from carriages, but we seem to be further divided.

 

Tom,

Tom, @Jamessquared is that good news for us all, you are now driving at the Buebell?

Bryan

 

“Driving under supervision” - so no, no change in substantive role.

Tom

 

I'm not really the best person to ask, but my sense is that actually they are not too different there - a mixture of paid staff doing overhauls and maintenance, and some volunteer groups doing overhauls / restorations, with funding from the company, Trust and group-level fundraising initiaives.

The three main restoration groups I know of are the Wagon Group; the SR Carriage Group and a group doing the Victorian 4 wheelers.

There is also a degree of sharing resources and skills between groups as we get in the loco. For example the SR Carriage Group have been doing some work on 971 (the other 100 seater), which is a company project.

So my sense is structurally it's not so different from how we are.

Tom

 

I think you've just about framed it, Tom. It's inevitable that projects going on in the same building will attract an overlap. The 1305 group seems to be the latest, particularly over the period leading up to Christmas, when the unit was shunted out of Hudsons into E-road for underframe work. There now seems to be a more permanent presence, as the bogies start being overhauled one by one. Probably inevitable, as it seems to be a very dynamic and populous group.

 

A few days late, here’s the January issue of the Bluebell Times:

• A successful end of year generates vitally important revenue - but cost pressures remain
• Help needed - can you help challenge our business rates?
• Is it time to restructure the railway
• Restoration updates - Q class 541, Schools class 928 and Standard 2MT 84030
• Carriage shop and loco groups club together to buy a high-spec computer for CAD / CAM work
• New Year’s Day gala - a photo round-up

https://www.bluebell-railway.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/issue-77.pdf

Hopefully @The Gricing Owl approves the header picture!

Tom

 

I most most certainly do approve of the header photo Tom, and a few more of the same loco. Many thanks.

And very many thanks for an incredibly interesting Bluebell Times - it covers a great deal indeed. I'll have to go back and read it a few more times.

I've not been across to the railway for a while, but have certainly got my focus on the March Spring Gala - that looks like it could be a real winner.

Thanks again for your work in gathering all that good input from others and putting togther such a very readable Bluebell Times.

Bryan

 

I suppose it's too much to hope that even just one of those four could emerge in BR 1960s numbering and livery - please

Bryan - dinosaurs that survived the great asteroid of 10 July 1967 long for what was around in the few years before that disaster - B

 

Which answers a question I had:

The Trust was grateful to the shareholders of 80151 in giving us their shares

Noel

 

Thanks for the update. Do we know what the future holds for 847 and 1618? They strike me as being the perfect size for the Bluebell but I appreciate they lack the appeal of a West Country, schools or P Class!

 

Not sure about 847, but 1618 is the next Maunsell Society loco that will be overhauled after 928.

 

As @Dan Hill says, the Maunsell Loco Society has very consistently said that 1618 will be their next project once 928 is done. For 847 - I suspect any overhaul is far enough in the future that you wouldn't commit to it now. I'm kind of resigned to the fact that at my age I'll probably never go on it again, which is a bit of a shame as I passed the large loco part of my firing test on it.

Tom