Bluebell Railway General Discussion

Buy maybe just not as many.

 

Meanwhile, back at the plot:

The following from the Wagon Group:

"Our 4th wagon in the works this year is s BR(M) 3 Plank 480222. You may be thinking this wasn't on our plan for this year, and you'd be right! The big film job coming up has taken most of the wagons we had our eyes on either as running or static set pieces.​

Therefore we had relatively few options for a refresh and as 480222 was in the yard already it made sense to bring it in before the next big job. This wagon was last overhauled in mid 2009 so has done 14 years of service and actually wasn't due to be shopped for a couple of years but now is the ideal time to refresh it."​

Follow progress, with pictures, here: https://www.facebook.com/groups/601609619939850/user/100063451579809/

And wagons is a good opportunity to note that tickets for "Road meets Rail" are now on sale:

Our 2023 Road meets Rail event will be taking place 20 – 21 May at Horsted Keynes Station. Last year it was a fabulous event on our calendar, and we are really pleased to welcome it back.

Step back in time for a weekend of steam-powered demonstrations and vintage fairground fun! Traction engines, road rollers, steam wagons, showman’s engines, crane engines and more… bringing Horsted Keynes station to life with recreations of a bygone age.

It’s steam at its best; both on and off the rails!

Tickets are available now, so join us for this year’s Road meets Rail event!​

Tom

 

I must say this filming job is sounding increasingly intriguing with how many wagons they're paying for to get spruced up.

Indiana Jones and the Marshalling Yard of Destiny, anyone?

 

Isn't it?
I recall reading somewhere that the "Blitz" production team will be on location at HK during March, and I'm guessing that is what this is about, unless Tom or Richard know otherwise?

 

The last issue of the Chairman's weekly email alluded to that. I know the dates when the loco department has asked for availability but generally better not to give publicly too many specific details of the where, what or when; I'm sure details will come out in a future issue of BN.

Tom

 

https://www.bluebell-railway.com/bluebell-railway-press-releases/

What a great initiative at this time. Pity this first meeting coincided with the Queens Award for Volunteering presentation at the MHR.

Sent from my SM-A528B using Tapatalk

 

A link in today's blog takes us to BBC iPlayer, and John Betjeman's "Metroland", incredibly now 50 years on from it's first screening. In that short sequence of JB at Horsted Keynes boarding the Metropolitan carriages,this one detail always stood out:


I've never seen this copperplate inscription on any of the Mets door locks, and many times I've looked, too . Was it confected for filming, or did these actually exist?
This question, I guess, to Richard!
https://www.modernism-in-metroland.co.uk/blog/a-return-to-metro-land-with-edward-mirzoeff

 

They certainly existed- I associate them with Dreadnoughts and the T Stock rather than the older vehicles now on the Bluebell.

 

They're not paying us to do up wagons - the wagon overhauls are being funded by the Goods Division, via the Bluebell Trust - and the ones outshopped are just those already planned. The one in the works at present is there because it's one of the few they DIDN'T want for the filming!

 

Yes, indeed, the BBC team had to fit that door lock, since they're a more modern pattern than those fitted to the coaches - as 5801 said they're the ones used on the Dreadnoughts, etc. I think we have one of them ourselves.

 

Thanks for that, Richard. It's a nice detail, and someone in that BBC research team certainly knew their stuff!

 

Purely by coincidence I've just been exchanging emails about the door lock with Edward Mirzoeff who directed the film (and who prompted me to post about the 50th anniversary of it on the Blog) - he says he can't remember where they got the original from, but remembers it had been carefully polished earlier that morning. He also said: "Our team were only at Horsted Keynes for one early morning’s filming, but it was a memorable occasion - our last filming for Metro-land. Designers and graphic artists had worked through the night to fit the ‘Live in Metro-land’ lock to the carriage door, add posters and photographs, and generally make the Bluebell Line resemble the old Metropolitan as closely as possible. We were very grateful for the warmth and friendliness with which we were received - I can remember that from half a century ago."
That was nice to hear!

 

The latest issue of The Bluebell Times is now available to view for March.

In this issue:

• Working in partnership with “The Southern Six”
• What’s it like to work on the Golden Arrow dining service?
• Progress on our multiple units – diesel and electric
• Our Bulleid carriages run on the mainline for the first time in forty years
• A decade of running to East Grinstead
• John Betjeman’s Metro-land – 50 year’s on
• New museum acquisitions – and photos.

The Bluebell Times is published monthly on the second Friday of every month. The next issue is due out on Friday, 14 April 2023.


https://www.bluebell-railway.com/bluebell-times/

Tom

 

What were the reasons for those vehicles to travel partway by road and partway by rail, rather than one mode or the other all the way?

 

I think its because of the current problem of not being able to operate to EG. Otherwise they probably would've run by rail the whole way.

 

Duh! Hadn't thought of that!

 

Totally OT I know, but is 488 transitioning from Drummond to Urie livery?

Pat
(I'll just get my coat, shall I?)

 

black 5 44871 move to east grinstead this saturday 18/3 tender first according to railway herald

dave

 

Did you mean 44932, that is what is mentioned in RH.

 

screenshot at 18:50 today