Bluebell Diesel Gala (!)

1963 stock doesn't have ETH jumpers on the DTCs so no compressor or MG (motor generator) i.e. heat, lights, battery charging etc, when the Vep is off the juice. Control between the KB and Vep through the 27 way jumper.​

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OK, you live and learn thanks. (Could these be retro-fitted?)

 

It was an answer to the question "do Veps have ETH cables"....

But I see that John 2 has given more technical details

 

The same debate happens with diesel galas in general - particularly when a railway hasn't run a diesel gala for a while.
The general trend is to publish diagrams as diesel fans are often picky and won't come if there's a risk that the loco they want might only work at the start of the day or the end of the day or might only work in a silly pair.

JP

 

I would phrase your comments slighty different.
Diesel fans like to plan their day and knowing where to start and what locos are working what services helps that.
If you go to any successful diesel gala you will see plenty of passengers planning their next move.....get off a station A time for a couple of pints and then get service Y back to whereever etc etc...

At the end of the day railways have to cater for their gala customers because if they dont then they will not be able to have a profitable event.

 

Today is the last day for discount advance booking for the Diesel Gala. Call 01825 720800 to book.

Incidentally - that day isn't a complete steam desert, since we need to roster a steam engine as thunderbird .

The following two days are an "anniversary of opening" gala, with 1638, L150, 5643, 263, 592, 178 and I think Baxter all scheduled to be in traffic, for anyone who wants to make a weekend of it. Again, Bluebell Bonus discount tickets are available up to 8 days in advance.

Tom

 

Actually Tom, the railway tweeted earlier that yesterday was the last day for advance tickets. Admittedly, it was an hour after a previous tweet saying today was the last day! Doh.

 

Where's the "scratch head in puzzlement" icon?! Probably best to ring and ask for anyone definitely committed to going who doesn't have a ticket yet.

Tom

 

Incidentally, after this gala the 33, the black 08 and the DMMU are all leaving, so this will be the last chance to ride those locos on the Bluebell. (The orange 09 and Skippy are staying).

Tom

 

What next after the box gala Tom?

Now that the members presumably support a mixed traction railway from time to time, how about running the third rail down to Sheffield Park and having emu days and even an emu gala?

Get a couple of replica 2 -Bil units, a 4-Cor and a 4-Epb, (5005 was my fav), and I might even come down and take part. Not sure about a 4-Sub. Never got to like them much. I guess because I lived in Epb territory.

Not sure if I'll go so far as to keep buying "tenner for the juice" certificates to get the third rail laid. I got my fingers very badly burned, sorry, shocked at the result now of all the large number of those I brought over the whole length of the tip scheme. I binned all those along with my last membership card some time ago.

That would save all those 4 am starts to light up the noisy, smelly inefficient and heavily polluting steam locos. You could just drag them out into the yard so those of us pure steam type who have become ex financially contributing members of the railway could think back to the days when we thought our money, (quite a lot from me), was going to help a steam only railway. That ran with mainly SR locos.

In answer to the usual mud slingers here, yes, for an emu gala I would go down early to clean the drivers window before the days events started. BOTH ends of the unit too! So put me on the roster when the time comes would you Tom. Cheers. Meaning I have already put my money where my mouth has been, and now putting my offer of appropriate work that I have the skills for with my mouth too.

 

KY - not quite sure how far your tongue is in your cheek or whether you are being serious.

But, without rehashing other threads, I'd answer your "What next after the box gala Tom?" as follows:

1) Firstly, the immediate thing that happens is that the 33, 08 and DMMU are leaving the railway. Skippy will be retained for local C&W shunting at HK, and the dual-braked 09 is seen as an essential safety net to rescue a failed incoming charter, as well as for operational convenience at SP when stock needs moving and there is no steam engine available. But all the other diesels are going. Whether we have future incoming diesels I don't know (we almost certainly will for charters), but the number permanently based on the railway (2) will be much smaller at the end of this year than it was at the beginning.

2) The issue of electric traction was extensively discussed on the Bluebell Matters thread, so I won't repeat that discussion here.

3) We now have regular steam shunt rostered every Sunday and many Saturdays throughout the rest of the year, certainly into the Autumn.

Tom

 

Well I for one hope the event is a success and the BB can repeat and grow a diesel gala with a good reputation

 

The Sunday shunt will make SP an interesting place to visit. Good news.

 

I hate to be the one to break it to you Mr Yeti, but mr Rod Hull passed away many years ago now.

 

Timetable: http://www.bluebell-railway.co.uk/bluebell/pti/dieselgala.html

 

Looks as though it's going pretty well.

 

Good attendance but the 09 really struggling and messing up the timetable. Quite a few moans that the brakevan rides are extra.

 

A few pictures :

http://simonwhittinghamphotography.zenfolio.com/p4816842

 

Thank you for sharing these, Simon. As a very long standing Bluebell member, it still seems amazing that the railway has put on an event like this. If I hadn't moved away from Sussex and am now over 150 miles away, I might have been tempted to come for a ride behind the 33 - happy memories of the 1980s when you could ride behind one on the Uckfield and East Grinstead lines, although 33/1s were pretty rare on these services.

It's also interesting that there are currently some pictures of the Bluebell diesel gala posted on the forum, but as of now (just after 7PM on Friday), no one has yet posted any pictures of the Severn Valley spring gala - not what I would have expected.

 

Fantastic day, well done Bluebell.