Bluebell Railway General Discussion

The 1897 definition of "monument" from Lloyd's Encyclopaedic Dictionary might explain:
1. Anything by which the memory of persons or things is preserved.
2. Something built or erected in memory of some event, person, or action.

 

Dungeness was the source of a lot of beach ballast. The attached picture is from a 1921 map showing the sidings on the beach. Eventually pits were created which filled with water and are still there today. Waste from the railway was also dumped there. Dungeness shingle was also used for concrete at Dover Harbour and on the sea defences between Folkestone and Dover.

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Except on the Isle of Wight of course, which kept shingle to the end of steam at least...

 

As a point of interest, where did the IoW source it's shingle from?

 

Had a fun ride behind Fenchurch at the weekend, bouncing along in a four-wheeler… not everyone in the group loved the rustic ride quality, but I thought it was great and without wishing to go all IoW about things, was definitely a nice change to a boggo Mk1.

Stations were busy, the vintage train seemed pretty much full (or at least, every compartment was occupied), and there were lots of people on the ice rink (even if it didn't feel like the season for it… I guess there's no allowing for the weather with these things, and if it made a few quid, it's definitely a good idea).

As ever, a lovely day out.

Simon

 

Two places. Either from the quarry on the downs above Blackwater station, there being a siding at the station for loading the gravel or from Bembridge harbour. Dredging to keep the harbour open. It was only in the last 30 odd years that Ryde rail/ Island line started to use 'normal stone' in relaying or reballasting between Ryde and Shanklin, there still being beach shingle to be seen on the line mixed in with new limestone.

 

Thanks for that. Am I right in figuring that the Blackwater quarry closed with the Newport- Sandown line?

 

The ballast siding shut with the station in 1956. There is a tramway shown on the map up the hill towards St George's down from the station and this quarry is still in use today

 

Beautiful day in Sussex today, trains I saw looked full particularly the first vintage set run behind Fenchurch. Also caught 65 taking Pullman car 54 for a spin up the line, a test run perhaps?

 

Flashback Friday - was this really 8 years ago now? February 2016 ...



Tom

 

Pretty sure 592 at KX over 6th and 7th February 2016 and( not the 16th) was when the filming was done. Because during that time it was initially rostered for use on 14th February alongside 473 and 73082. But the gauging issues at Dormans meant it was stranded at Bounds Green for a week before the steps on the drivers side was cut off to allow the loco+stock back to Bluebell. 323 ran instead over 13th and 14th February. 592 returned around the 17th and ran the 20th/21st and 27th and 28th February.

 

'Cut off' sounds a bit brutal! I hope they were simply removed.

 

Yep, definitely 6/7 Feb - I saw at King's X one lunchtime on the way for a date with the missus. 17th sounds about right for the return date. I know I was on nights and watched (and heard!) 592 with a pair of class 20s head over Harringay flyover. It sounded like the diesels needed a bit of steam assistance to get up the incline...

 

Well, it was quite a big consist ...

(3 Maunsells, 2 pre-grouping bogie carriages, 3 or 4 four wheelers, plus the C class itself, as I recall).

Tom

 

Paid a visit to the railway today; a rather thick fog seemed to start things off but by lunchtime had pretty much lifted. The O1's trains were very well loaded, and unsurprisingly Fenchurch's trips were packed out; I hopped on the 11.45 to Kingscote and all compartments were full; the Obo almost so. When I hopped back on that set later at Horsted at 2.30, it was standing room only on the Obo! Some of the volunteers were saying the Terrier's trains in the week were turning people away for being so full. It's worked the last train to East Grinstead each day (where a lot of people certainly decanted today), so hopefully that didn't cause any upset; fingers crossed that's translated to good numbers financially.

I swung by Horsted Keynes to photograph the first train; I've never had much luck with panning shots and admire those who seem to nail it every time. This was the one out of a burst of about ten that actually came out in 'focus'.

 

That event at KX was definitely a high point. Especially as the stock was able to be moved there by rail, even if towed by diesel.

The modern railway seems to do far too much moving of rail vehicles by road. (Not to mention sidelining perfectly serviceable freight electric locos in favour of diesels. Costs are of course driving this expedient, but it’s all wrong from an environment perspective).

 

When I visited on Monday I was wondering if they could have done with a bit more capacity. Lovely to see the terrier on a short vintage set but it was very full! Maybe also because there were only four round trips in this timetable, I remember visiting Feb half term 2022 and there were five (80151 and Camelot on longer trains). It's a fine balance between too much and too little and costs have to be watched more than ever, but passengers being turned away isn't great. If the railway got more visitors than they expected to this week that can only be a good thing.

 

At the moment Camelot is undergoing a P&V exam (amongst other things); Sir Archie and 80151 are being repainted. So the only available locos are Fenchurch, No. 65 and 6989. As a general rule we aim to have the smaller locos available at this time of year while the larger ones have any longer necessary periods of maintenance; and then have the larger ones available in the summer while the smaller ones likewise have time earmarked for any repairs.

I don't know which carriages are actually (as opposed to nominally) available right now, but carriage and loco provision is co-ordinated - i.e. once you have decided that the smaller locos will take the half term trains, that also gives you the opportunity to withdraw the bogie sets that were heavily used over the Christmas period.

It's definitely good that the trains are busy, but the realistically the capacity (four bogie coaches behind No. 65; and a max of 90 tons of vintage carriages behind Fenchurch) is as much as the plan would reasonably allow at this time.

Tom

 

Just done a bit of maths, and even allowing for only 8 per compartment in 114, 3360 and 1098, the vintage set behind Fenchurch still had a higher seating capacity than the Mk1 set.....200 (232 if 10 per compartment) vs 188 (202 if 4941 still sat 64).

 

The SR Carriage Shop stores Van C No. 419 looking pristine in the sun the other day. (Photo by Dave Clarke).

This has been quite a quick refurbishment, involving some of the planks, the roof canvas and a repaint (and new sign writing) with help from a number of groups within the C&W. It will be sited in the dock siding at Horsted Keynes to act as a store for the carriage shop, which is moving into the gangway bogie luggage van there.

I suspect the next van to be outcropped will be the SE&CR van No. 153, which was of the batch that formed the prototypes for the ubiquitous SR utility vans. No. 153. This van is to become the stores van for the Thumper group.

The wagon group are currently refurbishing LMS 3 plank No. 474558; after that it looks like they will be tidying up the SE&CR 2 plank ballast wagon No. 567 (which needs some new floor timbers).



Tom