Spa Valley Railway - Latest News

Well, the Brake Van Rides are now available for you to buy a ticket (which is a supplement on top of the day rover ticket for it to be valid) if you'd like to travel on them and with thanks to @WesternRegionHampshireman I've decided due to the cold weather to throw in a free cup of tea, coffee or hot chocolate with each Brake Van supplement which can be claimed at either Groombridge or Eridge. Persons must have printed off their eTicket and have it as a physical paper copy with you to ensure we can stamp it, we can't stamp electronic devices if you want a free hot drink!

https://www.spavalleyrailway.co.uk/product.php/6680/winter-steam-gala-brake-van-rides

 

Is there a timetable available yet? I can't find an obvious link on the gala page on the website but I appreciate this could be a "me" issue.

 

No it isn't yet. Hopefully will be out on Friday.

Andrew

 

It's done. It's just not been made from Excel into a more readable format for the website yet. We only managed to get most of the turns crewed last Sunday.

828, 78019, 80078, 34072 and 2315 are in use all three days now. We plan to double head the Standards, 34072 and 80078 and 828 with 78019 at times.

Main trains from Tunbridge Wells West will be at 09:30, 10:10, 11:00, 11:50, 12:40, 13:30, 14:20, 15:10, 16:00, 16:50, 17:40, 19:30 and 20:50. (No 17:40, 19:30 and 20:50 on Sunday)

Main trains from Eridge will be at 10:10, 11:00, 11:50, 12:40, 13:30, 14:20, 15:10, 16:00, 16:50, 17:40, 18:30, 20:10 and 21:30. (No 18:30, 20:10 and 21:30 on Sunday).

Brake Van Rides – Friday 9th February

• 08:50 – Tunbridge Wells West to Eridge and return (£5.00 supplement, 34072)
• 10:45 – Tunbridge Wells West to Groombridge and return (£2.50 supplement, 2315)
• 13:15 – Tunbridge Wells West to Groombridge and return (£2.50 supplement, 2315)
• 15:45 – Tunbridge Wells West to Groombridge and return (£2.50 supplement, 2315)
• 18:30 – Tunbridge Wells West to Eridge and return (£5.00 supplement, 34072)

Brake Van Rides – Satuday 10th February

• 08:50 – Tunbridge Wells West to Eridge and return (£5.00 supplement, 78019)
• 10:45 – Tunbridge Wells West to Groombridge and return (£2.50 supplement, 2315)
• 13:15 – Tunbridge Wells West to Groombridge and return (£2.50 supplement, 2315)
• 15:45 – Tunbridge Wells West to Groombridge and return (£2.50 supplement, 2315)
• 18:30 – Tunbridge Wells West to Eridge and return (£5.00 supplement, 828)

Brake Van Rides – Sunday 11th February

• 08:50 – Tunbridge Wells West to Eridge and return (£5.00 supplement, 828)
• 10:45 – Tunbridge Wells West to Groombridge and return (£2.50 supplement, 2315 & 828)
• 13:15 – Tunbridge Wells West to Groombridge and return (£2.50 supplement, 2315)
• 15:45 – Tunbridge Wells West to Groombridge and return (£2.50 supplement, 2315)

 

Many thanks Jonnie, that looks to be a great timetable.

 

You are very welcome!!
I am also going to sound like a hypocrite, but I got me a ticket for a QM ride with Lady Ingrid.
I'm a nutter!!!

 

Make sure you wrap up warm, it'll probably be cold.

 

For anyone in the area this weekend...

828 is operating on Saturday and Sunday, on Saturday she's working Tunbridge Wells West to Groombridge and return trips, 10:30, 12:00, 13:30 and 15:00 from Tunbridge Wells West. On Sunday the locos being used for a crew training/assessing day. I'm 828s driver Saturday and then the assessor on Sunday so feel free to say hello.

34072 is working Driver Experience on Saturday and then the evening dining trains followed by the service trains on Sunday.

Same timetable as last weekend but on Sunday the 10:05 from Tunbridge Wells West doesn't run.

 

Timetable for the Winter Steam Gala is now available online: https://www.spavalleyrailway.co.uk/product.php/6507/winter-steam-gala

 

Wow, I do like the way you've set up the timetable, especially with some of the double headers.

Bryan.

 

Looking forward to this. I booked on one of the brake van rides* and I booked to have fish n' chips in the evening too.

Main aim will try get behind 80078 for one run as Tunbridge Wells had one of the longest associations with the class** so it's good to see one there.

(*well technically at the moment I booked on to two brake van rides casued I mistakenly booked the wrong day casue I am am idiot. I paid for the right day now, but haven't got round to emailing the railway about my cock up yet.)

(**if not the longest? The first members.built were located to Tunbridge Wells West shed, and they were around until the Cuckoo Line Service was terminated/dieselised in 1964. At the moment can't think of a place which had 4MTs for as long at top of my head.)

 

Interesting bit of trivia there. The first built BR class 4 tanks were, as you say, allocated to 75F from new in July 1951 and remained active in the area until the end of Central Section steam in June 1965, which date coinsided with the closure of the Cuckoo Line. The second built, 80011 (ex 75F), survived until the end of steam on the Western Section in July 1967 and could claim to be the longest serving member of the class. They were always part of my childhood on the Brighton line.

Peter

 

I believe 80144 was the last steam loco to work a rostered turn into and out of Tunbridge Wells West, and that was on 12 June 1965 (an old ASLEF web site, scroll down https://ignitingtheflameofunity.yolasite.com/1965.php). That was possibly a farewell railtour. But by 1965 I was spending vast amounts of my life timing Bulleids at speed out of Waterloo - well not fast until we got out beyond the 60 mph limit at New Malden!

And due to me not being able to undertake lineside photography while still wearing nappies (don't go there!), I can only cover my photography of the lovely BR class 4, 2-6-4 tanks from April 1962 to October 2023 - hopefully extended to February 2024 soon. So I missed out from 1951 to 1962.

Here's one photo I plan for my steam loco memoirs book (most certainly not a commercial undertaking). 80144 entering Groombridge on its way to TWW - April 1962. And 80078 departing past the old Groombridge station in October 2023.

Maybe some more work to do yet to get them to line up a bit better, but this is what I have at present.

Bryan

 

Obviously a van thing, I once booked the outbound leg again instead of the return at a Swanage Gala.

 

I sure will.

 

Another day, another visit to the Spa Valley Railway!

I wanted a particular photo of 34072 at Tunbridge Wells West (TWW) and one version of it is attached. I could perhaps have got down much lower on the platform to have eliminated the top of the signal box appearing as a hat on 257 Squadron, but I didn't want to put my fairly new left hip to the test!

From time to time I look for evidence of Bulleid Light Pacifics working to TWW in normal steam days, which, for the SR Central Division, looks to have ended around 12 June 1965.

All I have found so far is that 34066 worked one leg of the Surrey Downsman railour from TWW on 22 March 1964. Plus an intriguing comment from someone I have know for very many years and whose SR steam interest and knowledge is deeeper and goes back even further than mine, who has a vague memory of an original Bulleid Light Pacific being loaned to TWW briefly in 1965 to operate a morning service to London Bridge - which, if it did happen, would surely have been via Oxted.

I just wonder if anyone here can recall any further Bulleid workings into TWW in normal steam days, and anyone who can perhaps shed any light on that possible brief working in 1965.

I am assuming that the tunnel width restrictions on the Tonbridge to Hasting line would have started the Tonbridge side of Tunbridge Wells? Meaning any Bulleid workings would have had to be confined to SW etc of TWW.

Any help on that gratefully received.

Bryan

 

With an Osteopath session booked for later this week I decided to put on my Scarpa Manta mountain boots on for the first time since Covid, which was soon followed by my left hip starting to fall apart, ending with it being rebuilt.

My Mantas were certainly needed as the track to Lealands from Groombridge is very muddy in places and, with the current forecast, is likely to get worse. But I quite like ploughing through mud, although the two styles were a bit of an issue.

But today's dull winter weather was fine by me, no low sun putting shadows where they are not needed.

I'm quite pleased with the attached photo of the 11.15 Groombridge to Tunbridge Wells West. And I hope the Railway did well today, the first two return trains looked to be close to full; the third and fourth not so.

I've edited this post am on 5 February.

Bryan

 

The Standard 2 is heading South. A last minute haulier change meant the loco couldn't leave any earlier. Thank you to Reid Frieght for getting us out of a hole!

The Bulleid and Caley await the start of the event on Friday.

80078 is being reassembled today.

I'm on 34072 Friday, 78019 Saturday and 828 Sunday, do say hello!

 

The BR Standard 2MT 78019 has arrived!

 

You sound like a child with a new toy to play with!