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Bluebell Railway Blog:
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10 March March edition of Bluebell Times
The March 2025 edition of Bluebell Times features: 3 March 'Inspiration' to visit Bluebell Railway in July for Railway 200
Bluebell amongst first destinations for special trainThe Bluebell Railway is delighted to confirm that the Railway 200 National Exhibition Train 'Inspiration' will visit the Bluebell Railway between 23rd and 29th of July.Inspiration is a four carriage train that includes exhibits on railway history, 'wonderlab on wheels' and careers in rail. The Bluebell Railway is very pleased to be amongst the first destinations for Inspiration, which will arrive right at the start of the school summer holidays and remain on display at Horsted Keynes for a week.
The full Network Rail press release can be found here.
Bluebell Railway signs landmark collaboration agreement with Network Rail
The Bluebell Railway has signed a collaboration agreement with Network Rail that will see further collaboration between the organisations.
Lucy McAuliffe, Network Rail's Sussex Route Director, and Neil Glaskin from the Bluebell Railway signed the agreement in Pullman Car 54. The agreement gives the Bluebell Railway access to Network Rail redundant assets, saving significant sums on renewals. Network Rail intend to expand their use of the Bluebell Railway for training, rail experience days and other events. The agreement is a further legacy benefit arising from the Bluebell Railway's Railway 200 programme.
The full Network Rail press release can be found here.
19 February  Free travel to Railway 200 @ Bluebell Railway for schoolsGenerous GTR support for travel to East GrinsteadBritain's biggest train operator, Govia Thameslink Railway (GTR), are kindly offering 9,000 free tickets to enable schoolchildren to visit Railway 200 @ Bluebell Railway between 2nd June and 2nd July.Business Development Manager Jon Beardmore said "We are very grateful to GTR for this generous support, which will particularly help schools from London, Croydon and Surrey visit our Railway 200 event. "We've also raised a significant sum in sponsorship, so entry to the Bluebell Railway will also be heavily subsidised. Angie Doll, Chief Executive Officer at GTR, said: "Two hundred years ago the modern railway came into existence and utterly transformed our society. "The inventions, science and technology that created it makes for fascinating learning, which the Bluebell Railway is the perfect partner to deliver in a fun, engaging way." The Education Phase of Railway 200 @ Bluebell Railway is aimed mainly at year 8 pupils, with days set aside for older primary children and sixth form.
Any schools interested in attending should email railway200event@bluebell-railway.com or visit www.bluebell-railway.com/railway-200.
16 February    The February 2025 edition of Bluebell Times, issued on Friday, features:- Triple success for the Bluebell at the Heritage Railway Association Awards - Restoration updates for Q class No 541 - Winter update from the Southern Railway Coach Group - and a £500 donation from the Carriage Shop - Support one of our volunteers as he walks for the British Heart Foundation - Do you have green fingers and a flare for organisation: We need a new custodian for the Horsted Keynes Memorial Garden - Your help is needed with our Beer Festival - Bridging the gap on the Rother Valley Railway: we help with bridge spans - and photos 
8 February 
Fantastic news for the Bluebell tonight at the Heritage Railway Association's annual awards, and congratulations to the teams who fundraised for and built the new Brighton Atlantic 'Beachy Head' and reconstructed Pullman Car 54 (which includes modifications for wheelchair access for the first time on any British Pullman), and to all the donors and supporters who made these achievements possible.
The Atlantic won the Steam Railway Readers Award (right) and the Steam Locomotive Award (below left).
Photos (showing BRPS Chairman Roy Watts collecting each of the awards) with thanks to the HRA. Beachy Head ready to leave Sheffield Park (Peter Edwards, 15 September 2024), Pullman Car 54 freshly painted (Richard Salmon, 3 January 2024).
7 February 
We are pleased to announce that Hudswell Clarke 'Austerity' No. 68067 will be visiting The Bluebell Railway as a guest locomotive at our 2025 Branch Line Gala, taking place between the 14th to 16th March, joining Ivatt Tank No. 41313 from the Isle Of Wight Steam Railway. We extend our thanks to Locomotive Maintenance Services Ltd and The Great Central Railway for making No. 68067's participation possible. The gala timetable is currently being finalised and will be released soon.
See more details and ticket sales for this gala, here.
31 January  17-19 October - Giants of Steam - Note change of date Get ready for an unforgettable celebration of steam at Giants of Steam 2025! This incredible event will shine a spotlight on the new chapter of railway preservation, highlighting impressive new-build steam locomotives. The Bluebell Railway is delighted to announce that 60163 Tornado, 6880 Betton Grange and 2999 Lady of Legend will be our guest locomotives for this year's gala, running alongside our very own newly built locomotive, 32424 Beachy Head. We must thank the A1 Steam Locomotive Trust, The Betton Grange Society & The Great Western Society, Didcot, for allowing these engines to take part in our gala in October. This event is aiming to be the biggest gathering of newly built standard gauge steam locomotives so far in preservation. An event not to be missed! Giants of Steam 2025 marks an important event on the calendar not only for The Bluebell Railway but also for Railway 200, a celebration of 200 years of railway history. Don't miss this rare opportunity to witness these awe-inspiring locomotives in action, celebrating the past, present, and future of steam. Further information, timetables and tickets will be issued in due course. Don't forget to mark the date in your diaries for the new date of OCTOBER 17-19. Make sure you sign up for our weekly newsletter and keep an eye on our social media for any further updates on this exciting gala. 11 January  The January 2025 edition of Bluebell Times, issued yesterday, features:- Beachy Head and Car 54 both nominated for prestigious Heritage Railway Association Awards - and you still have time to vote for either in the Steam Railway Award - Tree on the line - All in a day's work for the Railway's staff tackling a winter of storms - Ivatt 2MT 41313 announced as first visitor for Branch Line Weekend - Join the 500+ Club and help keep Sir Archibald Sinclair in prime condition - Make 2025 the year you start volunteering - we have a range of opportunities across the Railway
9 January 
1 January 2025 2025 marks the 30th Anniversary of the first web pages about the Bluebell Railway As we enter the Bluebell Railway's 65th Anniversary year, 30 years ago the Bluebell's first tentative steps were made towards use of the Internet.
Prepared by Richard Salmon, and hosted by Mark Dewell (who was to become the Heritage Railway Association's first Internet Officer) on his UK Heritage Railways web site, the Bluebell led the way in providing more than just the forthcoming year's timetable. Those first pages have been re-created here from what survived in an archive. In addition to the timetable and dates of operation, the pages provided details of how to get to the Bluebell, BRPS membership, a section about the Rolling Stock, Special events, and the ever-popular Santa Specials and Golden Arrow Pullman Dining services. Later that year a rudimentary email-based "News from the Bluebell" service was started as well. The following year more web pages were provided, and in 1997 we opened our own web site, again edited by Richard Salmon, and hosted by Lewis Nodes.
This very "What's New" page is the successor of what's now one of the three longest running, continuously updated web logs (the origin of the Blog) on the entire Internet, and that entire log from 1997 to date is still available.
Return to BRPS Home Page, to the Timetable or to Special Events Visitor Info. - Museum - Trust - Catering - Contacts - What's New - Projects - Locos - Carriages & Wagons - Signals - History - Other - Links - Search - FAQ Why not become a BRPS Member? - Get more involved as a Volunteer 
Page maintained by Richard Salmon.
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