Bluebell Railway extension to East Grinstead opens on 23 March.

[editor]

Great to see another preserved line getting hooked up to the rail network!

The Bluebell Railway will open its extended track, from Sheffield Park to East Grinstead, on 23 March.

The project has cost £3.5m with workers having to remove almost 100,000 tonnes of domestic waste from the Imberhorne cutting.

Chairman of the Bluebell Railway Trust Roy Watts said tickets had sold out for the first journey.

The railway currently runs for nine miles from Sheffield Park to Kingscote but the two-mile northern extension will join it up with the national railway network at East Grinstead.

Work to extend the railway began more than three years ago.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-sussex-21426968

 

[beesonthewhatnow]

I sense a possible U75 day out

 

[mack]

That's cool, seem to remember going on that as a kid, be a nice trip on a sunny spring day.

 

[ATOMIC SUPLEX]

Ooh, shit, I can actually do this now (even though I have done before).

 

[aylee]

I remember my granddad taking me there when I was about four or five and train-mad. In particular, I remember him telling me off when I got a bit overexcited and started touching bits of Stepney and ended up with oil all over my hands and t-shirt.

Strange how these little snapshots of childhood stay with us (well, with me anyway) like photos in an album.

 

[xenon]

Went on this as a kid then again last year with my dad and a load of other retired drivers. The train not surprisingly, seemed much smaller near 30 years later.

 

[editor]

It's proved a hit!

A Sussex heritage railway has seen its annual visitor numbers increase by 60,000 since it was reconnected to the mainline network.

The Bluebell Railway carried 250,000 passengers in the year after its extension from Sheffield Park to East Grinstead opened in March last year.

The two-mile stretch, which cost £3.5m, linked East Grinstead mainline station to Kingscote, 11 miles away.

Chief clerk Roy Watts said the railway had gone from a £3m to a £4m business.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-sussex-28988650

 

[Dogsauce]

Maybe that'll add to the case for the North Yorks to hook back in at Malton, not that they're that enthusiastic about the idea (already a national network connection at the northern end).

 

[dessiato]

I went there this summer for the first time ever. I wish I'd had enough time to take a trip, maybe next year. Mrs D like to look at old trains, sometimes she's a bit odd, maybe I'll buy her an anorak.

 

[Bungle73]

Maybe that'll add to the case for the North Yorks to hook back in at Malton, not that they're that enthusiastic about the idea (already a national network connection at the northern end).

Yeah, but Whitby to Grosmont isn't exactly well served by National Rail services, nor that easy to get there from anywhere else by NR. Malton would enable easy interchange by train from the tourist and rail hub of York.

 

[Dogsauce]

Yeah, but Whitby to Grosmont isn't exactly well served by National Rail services, nor that easy to get there from anywhere else by NR. Malton would enable easy interchange by train from the tourist and rail hub of York.

I think what might weaken the case is that some of the demand for steam excursions from York is probably taken up by the Scarborough Spa Express. The line between Pickering & Malton is pretty unspectacular (flat) relative to the rest of the journey so won't add anything for the visitor (but will add to the railway's cost), and the junction is well away from the town so running powers would be needed on a fairly busy line (not the same as at Whitby, which is lightly trafficed). On the plus side, It'd make days out in Whitby feasible from Leeds and other Yorkshire towns.

 

[SikhWarrioR]

The one preserved Railway I am wait to see completed is the joining up of the two halves of my favorite{Should never have been closed in the first place} railway the Great Central Railway, The northern part the GCR[N] all ready has a mainline connection in place

 

[Bungle73]

The one preserved Railway I am wait to see completed is the joining up of the two halves of my favorite{Should never have been closed in the first place} railway the Great Central Railway, The northern part the GCR[N] all ready has a mainline connection in place

Have you seen this book? http://www.amazon.co.uk/The-Great-Central-Then-Now/dp/1840133236/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1411907801&sr=8-1&keywords=great central now and then

Although it's getting on a bit now, and I suspect some of the "now" photos have become more like "thens".

 

[Puddy_Tat]

Further transport connections to the Bluebell available on Sunday 5 October - their vintage bus day will include classic buses running round East Grinstead, and a regular link Brighton - Sheffield Park.

More here

 

[hash tag]

Even better, in a few weeks time, steam dreams is running a steam train along the watercress to the bluebell and back again. Thats a cool journey

http://www.steamdreams.co.uk/Execut...r=71659&Route=1&Adults=2&Children=0&Infants=0

 

[Mogden]

Can I bump this and ask if there's going to be an urban outing to Sheffield Park this year?

http://www.bluebell-railway.com/event/bluebell-specials/

I was chatting about it to Rutita1 last weekend with the prospect of swinging by to crash at Ma and Pa Mogden's place in Uckfield after. I had visions of other urbs coming to and we just overrun their place Anyway enough of my imagination, can we squeeze a visit between festivals?

 

[kittyP]

Can I bump this and ask if there's going to be an urban outing to Sheffield Park this year?

http://www.bluebell-railway.com/event/bluebell-specials/

I was chatting about it to Rutita1 last weekend with the prospect of swinging by to crash at Ma and Pa Mogden's place in Uckfield after. I had visions of other urbs coming to and we just overrun their place Anyway enough of my imagination, can we squeeze a visit between festivals?

We might be up for it to combine with a trip to the inlaws near Lewis.

 

[Mogden]

We might be up for it to combine with a trip to the inlaws near Lewis.

Oooo I'd love to meet up with you! And trains, who doesn't like trains and pretty flowers and urbs all in one weekend!

 

[Dan U]

We did this recently with my toddler for his birthday and it was great. Even snuck a pint in at Sheffield Park

 

[Leafster]

I'd definitely be interested in an Outing to the Bluebell. I haven't been there in years and it would be good to see how it's developed.

 

[Roadkill]

The Bluebell is great. I've not been there since an Urbz outing years ago, though.

 

[Mogden]

The Bluebell is great. I've not been there since an Urbz outing years ago, though.

I did wonder about tagging you in it

Does this mean someone is going to do a pretty post and poll? I'm not very good at keeping track of things like that and organising such an event should there be enough interest.

 

[kittyP]

I did wonder about tagging you in it

Does this mean someone is going to do a pretty post and poll? I'm not very good at keeping track of things like that and organising such an event should there be enough interest.

I am incredibly unreliable with my head issues I am afraid so will let someone else organise.

 

[Mogden]

I am incredibly unreliable with my head issues I am afraid so will let someone else organise.

Yeah ditto which is why I will ask others! It's not laziness, it's realism!

 

[editor]

Here's some photos from my recent trip. It's great being able to just change platforms at East Grinstead for some STEAM action!

In photos: a trip along the Bluebell steam railway from East Grinstead to Sheffield Park, Sussex, England

 

[Pickman's model]

Here's some photos from my recent trip. It's great being able to just change platforms at East Grinstead for some STEAM action!

In photos: a trip along the Bluebell steam railway from East Grinstead to Sheffield Park, Sussex, England

shurely 'steamy action'

 

[editor]

Blimey. The Bluebell heritage railway is planning a western extension

The Bluebell Railway opened in 1960 between Sheffield Park and Bluebell Halt, extending the final 100 yards to reach Horsted Keynes in 1962. Over the next few decades, they were able to inch northwards to Kingscote in 1994, and finally to East Grinstead in 2013. Now the railway is looking at taking a westwards path towards the large town of Haywards Heath, along a part-disused railway that used to link Haywards Heath with Horsted Keynes, via Ardingly Station.

Bluebell heritage railway planning a western extension

The Bluebell Railway, a heritage railway that runs through Sussex has filed a pre-planning application as it seeks to extend the railway westwards along a partially disused railway alignment.

www.ianvisits.co.uk

 

[hash tag]

I imagine the Bluebell is not poor, in fact one of the best funded of the heritage railways.

 

[Elpenor]

Got fond early memories of riding it in the late 80s with family

 

[teuchter]

The bluebell got a black mark in my book for not caring about anyone who wanted to visit them without a car, over various periods during the pandemic. They ran several special events and I think some regular(ish) running days where you couldn't board at all at East Grinstead - where there's a rapid and ditect public transport interchange accessible to all the residents of London. You had to start and end your trip at whatever station down the line it is that they treat as their main base, with loads of convenient car parking but only an irregular, slow bus connection that doesn't run at all some days.