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BLUEBELL RAILWAY

Branch Line Weekend 2010

The first big event of the 50th Anniversary year was the Branch Line Weekend. The event saw Fairburn Tank 42085 on a rear visit away from the Lakeside & Haverthwaite Railway, joined by Standard 2mt 78019 from the Great Central Railway. A busy timetable ran through the weekend with an intensive passenger service and brake van rides at Horsted Keynes. P Class 178 "Nettle" was in light steam at Sheffield Park, fresh from overhaul.

1963 Timetable recreation

Featuring footage of SECR P Class 178 during the first few weeks of her new ticket, including top and tailing with Fenchurch during the 1963 Timetable weekend, with lineside footage from "Bluebell Halt" and the Three Arches Bridge. Also featuring C Class 592 on the Wealden Rambler. Plus footage of Fenchurch during the Branch Line Weekend during February 2010.

Spring BANK HOLIDAY 2010

Over the winter of 2010 Stepney had a quick boiler overhaul to enable her to take part in the 50th Anniversary Celebrations of the Bluebell. She arrived on the Bluebell on the 17th May 1960. On Sunday 23rd May 2010 she double headed with E4 Birch Grove, while Fenchurch ran brake van shuttles at Horstead.

Branch Line Weekend 2010

The Bluebell Railway reopened on 7th August 1960, when Terrier 55 Stepney and P Class 323 Bluebell ran from Sheffield Park to Bluebell Halt (just outside of Horsted Keynes). 50 years later a celebration was held on the Bluebell Railway, with Stepney, carrying her 1960 lined black, the star of the show recreating the original passenger trains. 323 was still under overhaul at the time of the gala, leaving Terrier Fenchurch to take her place on re-runs of the original trains. The three day events saw an intensive timetable with attractions up and down the line including Baxter shunting at Horsted Keynes, Blue Circle visiting and operating brake van rides on the Ardingly spur, a 15inch gauge Romney Hythe and Dymchurch Railway locomotive on a short demonstration line at Horsted Keynes, Furness 20 operating shuttles from Kingscote to Imberhorne cutting and locomotives usually kept undercover at Sheffield Park displayed in the sunshine at Horsted Keynes.

CAPTAIN BAXTER

Following many years out of steam Number 5 Baxter returned to steam just in time for the Buebell 50 Gala. The locomotive has returned as she appears in the Railway Series book "Stepney the Bluebell Engine" as "Captain Baxter". During the Bluebell 50 Gala she acted as Horsted Keynes station pilot, with goods train duties her main task around the station limits as featured in this video. More footage of Baxter will take place in one of my later videos on the Bluebell 50 Gala with her shunting a pair of coaches onto the rear of a Kingscote bound service hauled by Fenchurch and the E4.

VISIT OF SIR LAMIEL

As part of the 50th Anniversary Celebrations, 30777 Sir Lamiel visited for a spell during the Autumn, including staring in the Giants of Steam event. I captured Sir Lamiel during her visit on a running day with the E4 and Standard 4MT also in operation.

2010 retrospective

WINTER 2011

2013: East Grinstead Opens

Footage and pictures from the Bluebell Railway's East Grinstead Opening Festival in Spring 2013 and the visit of Black Five 45231 Sherwood Forester in the Autumn.

Bluebell visits SVR

SECR P Class 0-6-0T 323 Bluebell paid a visit to the Severn Valley Railway for their Autumn Steam Gala 2017, hauling 2 coach shuttles and a short freight train.

Branch Line Weekend 2019

A visit to a blustery Branch Line Weekend at the Bluebell Railway, featuring visiting LSWR engines W24 'Calbourne' and Beattie Well Tank No.30587. We see at Horsted Keynes we see on display Adams Radial Tank 30583 and B4 30096 'Normandy' both specially re-liveried for the event in BR Black. Alongside the LSWR locomotives we see SECR H class 263, O1 Class 65 and P Class 178 & Southern Railway 0-6-0 Q class 30541.

BLUEBELL 60+1

Sunday 8th August 2021

 

Highlights from the Bluebell Railway's 60+1 celebrations weekend featuring SECR 0-6-0 O1 Class 65, SECR 0-4-4T H Class 263, SR 0-6-0 Maunsell Q Class 30541 and British Railways Standard 4MT 80151 in action on a four train timetable, with BR Class 09 D4106 on shunting demonstrations at Horsted Keynes and Sentinel B 'Skippy' running driver for a tenner trips.

Terrier W11 Charter

Thursday 28th July 2022

 

A Jon Bowers 75H Charter staring visiting LBSCR Terrier class Southern Railway W11 Newport. The diminutive steam locomotive was visiting from the Isle of Wight Steam Railway. The pre-gala charter, held before the start of service days the day before the main event started, featured a short Southern Railway goods set and a short mixed train formed of a tanker and a Birdcage brake carriage.charter on the Bluebell Railway, staring visiting LBSCR Terrier class Southern Railway W11 Newport. The diminutive steam locomotive was visiting from the Isle of Wight Steam Railway. The pre-gala charter, held before the start of service days the day before the main event started, featured a short Southern Railway goods set and a short mixed train formed of a tanker and a Birdcage brake carriage.

TERRiER 150

Friday 29th July 2022

 

2022 celebrates 150 years of the diminutive LBSCR Terrier class. To celebrate 150 Years since the first Terriers entered service in 1872, including its own locomotive Fenchurch, the Bluebell held an event to celebrate the occasion. Fenchurch's overhaul wasn't completed in time for the event, so the steam locomotive spent the event alongside Stepney inside the Locomotive Shed (SteamWorks) at Sheffield Park, with its boiler outside on display, alongside a miniature railway with smaller scale Terriers. A fellow initial batch Terrier, 70 Poplar, fresh from overhaul, visited the event from the Kent & East Sussex Railway, along with Isle of Wight W11 Newport. During the day Poplar failed on arrival at Horsted Keynes with bent inside motion, leaving W11 as the only Terrier to operate over the weekend.

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