The Bluebell Railway's 2009
BRANCH LINE WEEKEND
was on Sat 21st & Sun 22nd February
The weekend featured an intensive passenger steam train service using our vintage branch line locomotives - photo right shows SECR No.753 with our Victorian 4-wheelers and pre-grouping goods vehicles on a mixed train on 22nd February (Brian Easter).
Six locomotives were in steam each day (see below) including the visiting South Eastern & Chatham Railway P-class locomotive No.753 (visiting from the Kent & East Sussex Railway), together with our own SECR O1-class No.65 and C-class No.592.
The locomotive line-up:
- 753 - SECR P-class 0-6-0T, built 1909 at Ashford (seen leading the triple header in Derek Hayward's photo)
- 65 - SECR O1-class 0-6-0, built in 1896; rebuilt 1908
- 592 - SECR C-class 0-6-0, built in 1902, at the SECR's Longhedge Works
- 672 "Fenchurch" - LBSCR A1 'Terrier', built in 1872 at Brighton (Saturday only)
- 9017 "Earl of Berkeley" - GWR 'Dukedog' 32xx 4-4-0, rebuilt at Swindon in 1938 from two locos, which were themselves built in 1899 and 1906
- 80151 - BR 'Class 4' 2-6-4T, built in 1957 at Brighton
- 1638 - SR U-class 2-6-0, built in 1931 at Ashford (Sunday only)
Additional Attractions
- At Sheffield Park
- Guided tours of the locomotive shed
- South Eastern & Chatham Railway H Class locomotive No.263 on static display; overhaul of this locomotive is due to commence this year - line-up of the four SECR-liveried locos on the Saturday afternoon (as in Dave Clarke's photo at the top of the page).
- L&SWR locomotive No.488 in the dock siding
- Visits to Atlantic House to view construction of Atlantic Locomotive, No. 32424, Beachy Head
- At Horsted Keynes
- Carriage Works tours - donations from our visitors towards the eventual restoration of SR Maunsell Restaurant Car 7864 totalled £210. The Carriage works display area will be open throughout the day.
- Visiting locomotive 73136 'Perseverance' on display with Pullman car 'Doris'
- Sales stands on station platforms
- At Kingscote
- Bus service 473 linking to East Grinstead town and East Grinstead Station for National Rail Services operated by vintage London Transport Routemaster
- Photographic display of extension progress
- Second-hand book stall run by the Northern Extension team. All proceeds (just over £450) donated to the Northern Extension Fund.
Carriage stock in use:
- LCDR and LBSCR 4-wheelers
- SECR and SR Maunsell coaches in SR olive green, plus SR milk tanker (seen in Derek Hayward's photo on the left)
- Metropolitan Railway set
- SR Bulleid carriages
- Mk.1 carriages
- Goods stock, used as part of a mixed train each day.
Photos below show, from the Saturday: The Dukedog with the SR train (Edward Dyer), Fenchurch with the mixed train (Derek Hayward), 80151 (David Haggar), the C and the O1 together for the impromptu double-header (Derek Hayward), and the P-class heading the mixed train (David Warwick) and then from the Sunday: 9017 (Tony Sullivan), U-class 1638 back in action after boiler work (John Simmonds), the triple header with the O1, C and the Dukedog (John Goss) and the SECR triple header (Derek Hayward)
Photo Albums from the event:
- Derek Hayward,
- Dave Bowles,
- Paul Pettitt (and separate gallery for the visit of the P-class No.753
- Matt Allen,
- David Warwick,
- Andrew Strongitharm,
- Stephen Hunt,
- Neal Ball,
- Chris Ward,
- Keith Leppard,
- Brian Easter,
- Clive Hanley,
- Richard Thomas,
- Linda Chen,
- Dave Clarke,
Videos from the event:
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Photos © Copyright retained by individual photographers, to whom many thanks for permission to use their work.
Updated 3 March and 9 May 2009 by Richard Salmon.
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