Bluebell track laying South from EG?

With track laying reportedly due to start soon from the EG station site back across the viaduct to the north tip face, does anyone know what is happening with the existing track alignment from the NR connection?

Last time I visited, the track laid for the connection ceremony was way out of alignment for further track laying across the up (west side) of the viaduct. The problem looked to start with the final couple of hundred yards of NR track which was slewed well over to the east, rather than following the original alignment to the viaduct.

I had read that the original plan was for the NR connection to be made at a future date once NR had re-aligned their bit (at a price).

Surely it can’t be left as it was laid for the ceremony?

 

Well the Bluebell is holding a second Open Day this weekend so work will be shown then I guess.

 

Very little needs to be done. That part of the track has been laid to its correct alignment. Don't forget that a new station is being built with a new track layout that's completely dissimilar to what it was pre-1958 in BR days.

I would agree that the alignment does look wrong at present, mainly due to the slots cut for the rails through the concrete base beneath the viaduct gate being out of alignment with the rails. The concrete base was laid many months prior to the Network Rail 'interconnection' being laid, and I'm informed could only be cast at the time as a "best guess". The main purpose of the concrete is to prevent the local graffiti artists crawling under the gates to access the viaduct, and will be broken out and recast for the correct rail alignment.

See >>> http://gallery74781.fotopic.net/p55947015.html

Chris

 

Many thanks for the info. From what you say I am sure it is all in hand.

However on last inspection I was left feeling that there would not be enough room to 'bend' the existing track, from the point where it currently ends (as in the photo), back into an alignment which would enable it to be laid along the west side of the viaduct. On it's current alignment, on entrance to the viaduct, it looked like it would need to start off running part down the centre of the viaduct, and for some distance, but I noticed there were raised drainage manholes along the centre which would cause obstruction.

As an aside the ballast height across the viaduct looked to be significantly higher than that at the existing track end?

I will look more closely during the open day this coming Sunday. It's has been worrying me for some time...

 

The alignment will be towards the centre of the viaduct due to HMRI asking for this to be so. Fears of passengers opening the doors on the viaduct and walking onto the parapet will now mean they will only fall to rail level and not 100ft if they are stupid enough to try to exit the train before it gets off the viaduct. It does stop the down side (east) half of the viaduct being used as a siding off the run round loop. However the stub up to the viaduct from the loop will still be install. Ideal for stabling a Diesel when we get the through steam specials.;-)
Ballasting should be finished soon on the viaduct. As the East side will not be used it is not being reballasted, should save some money. Then its track laying time.
Interesting to see the drainage pipe that will drain off the rain water for use in the water tower. Ideal for this as the viaduct gradient is 1 in 200 down towards the station.(I think).

 

It was great finally to have walked the trackbed over the viaduct and up to the edge of the tip last Saturday, especially as this was the last chance. Thanks to all those who organised the weekend. Looks like there is going to be quite a bit of progress between now and Christmas - completing the platform and laying track southwards as far as possible.

I was quite surprised how high the parapet is on the viaduct. Good thing though - it's a big drop from the top. When trains run across it, the view looking Eastwards towards Ashdown Forest will be quite something.

There was some excellent info in the marquees that explained all the questions about track layout and what exactly the new station is going to look like - at least the "phase 1 station" - the simple platform and water tower.

It's going to be a long haul to raise the remaining £3.5 million, but it will all seem worth it when the extension is finally complete. Although it is only 2 miles to add to the existing 9 or so, I could sense last Saturday that the Bluebell will seem a very different railway indeed when EG is reached.

Out of interest, where does the 1 in 200 stop? and where does the level section become 1 in 75 down? I always thought the viaduct was on the level, but reading the above post, I stand corrected.

 

In these days of seeking alternatives to the car, I do hope that the Bluebell's marketing people get together with the National Trust to set up a weekend bus shuttle from Sheffield Park Stn to the garden, meeting every train. The link will re-open the proper market for a railway, of people who want to get from A to B so they can visit somewhere else close to B. When A = London, that's a lot of people, provided you can reach them with your message.

 

Yes - the real difference East Grinstead will make is that the Bluebell will no longer be a railway going from nowhere to nowhere via nowhere. Once the extension is open, it will be a line with a fair sized town and a main line link at one end and a popular National Trust attraction at the other. The gardens are really stunning this time of year in particular with the Autumn colours. It's not as near the station as Bodiam or Corfe Castle to their respective stations (and not visble from the railway) but joint marketing and a vintage shuttle bus must surely help both organisations.

Sadly, there isn't much else near the Bluebell. Horsted Keynes is a pleasant enough village, but there are no real tourist focal points, and it's a good mile walk from the station. The only other option for turning a trip on the BLuebell is to combine it with a walk - after all, they used to run ramblers' specials to the area in the 1930's and 50's. Weir Wood reservoir is not too far fom Kingscote and makes a pleasant walk. There are also a few good walks in the Sharpthorne area too, but that requires a station to be built.

If only someone could dig up a few hundred ancient terracotta warriors in a field near Sheffield Park, or discover the remains of a Roman palace at Freshfield!

 

In these days of seeking alternatives to the car, I do hope that the Bluebell's marketing people get together with the National Trust to set up a weekend bus shuttle from Sheffield Park Stn to the garden, meeting every train.

As long as it works better than the advertised link between E G and the railway.
When I used it the other year our train from London pulled into the platform as the bus drove away. Apparently it was a common problem and seriously shortened our day out on the line. Not a lot of spare time on a day trip from York.

 

The 1 in 75 down starts at Imberhorne Lane Road Bridge - according to Branchlines to Horsted Keynes - Then and Now by Michael S, Welch.

 

Does anyone know what the propesed track and station layout is going to be at East Grinstead? Be good to see a track plan...

 

The link below is the plan that was submitted to the planners in 2007. Only thing to add is a cripple siding off the loop that finishes just before the viaduct.
I'm sure there may be other changes (water tower and alignment at north end of the station) but it gives you an idea of the layout at EG.


http://62.189.207.187/pap_msdclive/showimage.asp?j=07/01444/FUL&index=18750

Regards,


Dave G.

 

Thanks for the Track Plan Dave - Really appreciated... I would had thought the station building would have been slightly bigger? Or that is how I imagined it to be? Also very surprised there isn't a double section of track going along the Viaduct? Would give scope for more running during galas?

 

Interesting track layout. Is that a 3-way point? I can't honestly say I'd stick one of those in the station throat - asking for trouble if you ask me, if only because if anything breaks it'll probably be a 'bespoke' part and take weeks to replace, thus closing the entire line.

It would have been nice if either the run-round loop or the N.R. siding could have had a platform face (with appropriate protection at the N.R. end to stop Bluebell trains straying onto N.R., obviously), but not knowing the site I can only imagine that space constraints prevent this? Or is there future provision for expansion? I can see running up a single-track line to a single-platform station at E.G. is going to be a bottleneck for galas and so on in the future - on the GCR our single track section (Rothley-Leicester North) with a single platform at the end is the biggest constraint on the timetable, which is why at galas many trains turn back at Rothley. Will a similar one-platform arrangement be acceptable on the Bluebell where E.G. may well end up being the main station on the line? Time will tell, I suppose.

Given that mention was made of adding a cripple siding off the loop - personally I'd have turned the connection between the loop and platform line, at the viaduct end of the site, from a facing to a trailing connection for incoming trains, thus allowing run-round via the siding rather than main line (parallel with a move to/from N.R. if necessary); in the far distant future this could then be the start of a second line across the viaduct.

Still, what do I know?

Phil

 

From what I understand the station will be very basic. I'm sure someone has the exact detail but due to planning constraints and the possibility of future development of the NR station it was thought any permanent structures may be a false investment and it would be better to do the station right first time once the final plan for the overall station had been completed.
Makes good commercial sense to me.
Anyone know any more detail?
As for a 3 way point, no they are just very close to each other and as stated before there will only be one line over the viaduct, on the west side slewed slightly to the centre.

Regards,

Dave G.

 

OK, well the drawing does show a 3-way point, so obviously the drawing must be wrong then.

 

Looking at the drawing it does show 2 turnouts in a short space not a 3 way which would have the switch toes a lot closer together.
What does concern me is the mention elsewhere in the post about the track being slewed to viaduct centre line.
No indication on the drawing with the line closer to one side.

 

The site we have at East Grinstead is very constrained, both by the width available to us, and the ability to position buildings. We were able to buy an extra piece of land between our allocated site and the NR station, but this does not enable us to put buildings beyond the buffer stops thanks to the considerable required space between terminal buffer stops and any new building (which came in after the Tattenham Corner train-in-booking-office incident).

The width of the site would just have allowed two minimum-width platforms with loop between, but it was thought better to have a single decent width platform. With Kingscote only 6 minutes running-time away from East Grinstead, a very intensive timetable can be run with only one train at a time north of Kingscote, so the Bluebell has no concerns over that.

My guess is that incoming charters would terminate at Horsted Keynes, where we have the loop length and extra platforms to deal with them, but they could also be accommodated/passed in the very long loop at Kingscote, and probably recessed into the long siding there if necessary.

With the redevelopment of the National Rail network station building always a possibility (popular idea I believe with TOC, Town Council, residents and us), whilst our platform is the final one in its long-term position, any buildings on it would in any case only be of a temporary nature until the plans for redeveloping the NR station are either abandoned of progressed. Thus not even the small building shown on the plan is to be built for the present, but we will be building a water tower (salvaging rain-water from the station site and viaduct) and probably use our existing portable ticket office, until we do have some clarity about the medium to long-term future facilities to be provided.

A donation of £50 towards the water tower project will result in the donor receiving a print of Matthew Cousins painting showing the initial station facilities, by way of a thank-you.

Regards,
Richard

 

No, as Dave said it would be on the west side but offset towards the centre. The ballasted area can be seen on the photos taken at the open day, on the Extension News Page at:
http://www.bluebell-railway.co.uk/bluebell/ext/extprog.html#oct09

However, to answer another point earlier, the manholes giving access to the voids are being lowered, as per the previous update on the news page linked above.

Regards,
Richard

 

Stating the obvious I know, but you could really do with a benefactor with deep pockets to fund some more rubbish clearance from the cutting. I get the impression that the longer it waits the more expensive it becomes due to the nature of the Landfill Tax.
Presumably there is no chance of burrowing through the stuff somehow? ie create a tunnel through it with some sort of prefabricated sections?

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