Bluebell Railway Volume 5

The Bluebell Railway Volume 5 Video comprises two visits to the West Sussex railway during 2009. The Bluebell Railway was the first preserved standard gauge passenger railway in the world to operate a public steam service, running its first train on 7 August 1960, less than three years after the line from East Grinstead to Lewes had been closed by British Railways. From 1994 the Railway has operated from Sheffield Park through Horsted Keynes to Kingscote a distance of 8 miles and 51 chains. Since 2003 an extension of a little over 2 miles to East Grinstead has been under construction necessitating the removal of a landfill site through Imberhorne cutting with work ongoing. The first visits covers the Railway’s Branchline Gala on Saturday the 21st of February when the trains operated were typical of those that could be found on Britain’s branch lines from the 1870’s through to the end of steam operation in the 1960’s. Locomotives in use during the gala were South Eastern and Chatham Railway P class No.753 built in 1909 at Ashford works on loan from the Kent and East Sussex Railway supported by the Railway’s fleet of South Eastern and Chatham Railway O1 class No.65 built in 1896 and rebuilt at Ashford in 1908, South Eastern and Chatham Railway C Class No.592 Built in 1902 at Longhedge Works Battersea, London Brighton and South Coast Railway A1 class No.672 Fenchurch built in 1872 at Brighton Works. Making its last appearance in its Great Western Railway green livery Dukedog class No.9017 Earl of Berkeley Built in 1938 at Swindon Works and British Railways Standard class 4 mixed traffic tank engine No.80151 Built in 1957 at Brighton Works. The second visit to the Railway took in the Giants of Steam Gala on the 23rd, 24th & 25th of October when the larger resident engines took centre stage with Bullied pacific No.34059 Sir Archibald Sinclair making its debut gala appearance being the first Rebuilt Battle of Britain to steam in preservation. The supporting cast consisted of G.W.R. Dukedog No.9017 Earl of Berkeley recently outshopped in B.R. unlined black livery, Southern Railways U class 4-6-0 No.1638, London Brighton and South Coast Railway A1 class No.672 Fenchurch and British Railways Standard class 4 mixed traffic tank engine No.80151.