Bluebell Railway - Special Events 2001
Stepney and the Metropolitan Coaches on a "Victorian Evening" special train
James Young
Special Events for 2001
- December 2000: 30, 31 & January 1: New Year Vintage Trains
- February: Sat 17 - Sun 18: Special Winter Steam-up weekend.
- March: Sat 31 - April: Sun 1: Stepney Fun Weekend.
- April: Sun 22: East Grinstead Vintage Bus Day.
- May: Weds 16: Victorian Evening.
- June: 16-17, 23-24: A Day out with Thomas *
- June: Fri 29: Sixties Music Night
- June: Sat 30: An Evening with 'The Yetties'
- July: Sat 21 - Sun 22: Toy and Rail Collectors' Fair.
- July: Sat 28 - Sun 29: Steam & Country Fair.
- August: Saturdays 4, 11, 18, 25: Stepney Specials.
- August: Weds 29: 1920's Evening.
- September: Sat 15 - Sun 16: 1940's Weekend.
- October: Sat 27 - Sun 28: Giants of Steam.
- October 29 - November 4: Stepney Specials.
- December: Santa Specials. The children receive presents from Father Christmas. Details available in June.
- December: 29-31: Vintage Trains: Celebrate the New Year in Style
* Event licenced by Gullane 'Thomas' Ltd. © Gullane 'Thomas' Ltd. 2000
LBSCR GALA 18-19 November 2000
Thanks to Tony Pearce we have a Photo Report on the well-received LBSCR Gala, which included triple-headed Terriers.
Winter Steam-up
Sat 17th & Sun 18th February 2001
As ever, this event features some of the very best that the Bluebell is able to offer, with vintage locomotives and coaching stock operating branch-line style services.
The photo above (by Jon Bowers) shows the triple-header of Victorian Locos at last year's event. This year there will be six locomotives in steam, every single one of them being over 100 years old! The two visiting Terriers from the Isle of Wight Steam Railway (W8 Freshwater and W11 Newport) will be in use, along with our own Stepney, and we are also expecting that Fenchurch, our oldest locomotive, built in 1872, will have returned to steam in time to take part, in its new guise as "A1"-class No.672. Therefore there will again be the chance to see four terriers in steam together. The other locomotives are 1898-built LBSCR 0-6-2T "Birch Grove" and the South Eastern Railway O1, No.65, of 1896.
The following coaches will be in use:
- Metropolitan Railway coaches 387 and 394 (built 1898 & 1900);
- LBSCR First class 7598 (built 1903);
- LNWR Observation Car (built 1913);
- SECR/SR Hundred Seaters 971 and 1098 (built 1922 & 1923);
- SR Bulleid-designed coaches 4279, 1464, 1482 and 2515 (built 1949-51);
- Pullman Cars "Fingall", "Lilian" and "Eagle" (built 1924, 1928 & 1960) - pre-booked Sunday Lunch only.
These will be formed into three trains, operating in a variety of single and double-headed combinations, to a roughly 35-minute interval timetable between 9.00am and 5.00pm.
Event Guide, Working Timetable/Itinerary
£ 2 from:
Bluebell Railway (WSU),
Horsted Keynes Station,
Nr. Haywards Heath,
West Sussex RH17 7BB
The photo right, also by Jon Bowers, shows Birch Grove and W8 Freshwater with the LBSCR/SECR coaches last November at the LBSCR gala, at the start of the visit by the Isle of Wight engines. This particular combination of locos and coaches will be seen again on just one train on the Sunday afternoon.
On this special weekend there is an intensive service between Sheffield Park and Horsted Keynes only.
This is due to a major embankment slip close to Kingscote, as a result of which the line North of Horsted Keynes is currently closed, and is not expected to reopen until early April, hopefully before Easter.
The Railway's 473 bus route will operate from East Grinstead to Horsted Keynes Station, with buses leaving East Grinstead Station at 9.40, 11.00, 12.35, 2.35, and 4.15. The journey to Horsted Keynes takes 30 to 35 minutes. The last bus leaves Horsted Keynes at 4.50.
Yet another of Jon Bower's photos shows Stepney and No.65 with the Metropolitan coaches and the Observation Car.
There will be guided tours (details and booking via Horsted Keynes Booking Office) at specific times of Sharpthorne tunnel (weather permitting - access to the tunnel is not possible in freezing conditions). We are sorry that these tours cannot accommodate children or dogs. Be sure to have a mac and good walking shoes/boots.
A selection of vintage cars will be on display in the station forecourts. At Sheffield Park, there is also the Locomotive sheds to visit, the Bessemer Arms Bar and Restaurant, the Bluebell Bookshop and the Museum. At Horsted Keynes there will be Free Guided Tours of the Carriage Restoration workshop, trade stands and a second-hand bookshop, and the King George V Buffet and Bar.
Fares for the Winter Steam-up
Third Class Return: Unlimited train travel on the day of your visit.
Adult: £6.00, Child (3 and under 16): £3.00
Family (2 adults and up to 3 children): £17.00
Senior Citizen: £5.20
Return to BRPS Home Page,
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Events
News from the Bluebell Archives:
2006: Jan-Dec
2005: Jan-June, July-Dec
2004: Jan-April, May-July, Aug-Dec
2003: Jan-March, April-June, July-Sept, Oct-Dec
2002: Jan-March, April-June, July-Sept, Oct-Dec
2001: Jan-March, April-July, Aug-Dec
2000: Jan-April, May-Aug, Sept-Dec
1999: Jan-April, May-Aug, Sept-Dec
1998: Jan-June, July-Dec
1997: Jan-June, July-Dec
1996: Jan-July, Aug-Dec
1995: June-Dec
Other archives of online news and newsletters:
Bluebell Times (March 2020 - Present) on the Bluebell's main site
Archive of e-Newsletters (November 2011-August 2020) maintained by the Bluebell's Museum and Archive team.
Archive of "What's New/Blog" (1997 - Present) on this server
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Last updated 2 February 2001 by Richard Salmon.
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