Bluebell Railway - First (and Last?) Public Trip on Ardingly Branch since 1963
Yes, see what's "Round the Bend" in Horsted Keynes! This was the first trip of the day hence the first public trip on part of the Ardingly branch from Horsted Keynes since closure of the electric service from Haywards Heath in 1963. A brake car trip pulled by Fenchurch which takes an express non-stop trip South through Horsted Keynes Station and on to the start of the Ardingly branch on 15th August 2009. Here we see some of the stock awaiting restoration stored on the parallel line before stopping (fortunately !) at the beginning of the gap where the missing Sheriff Mill viaduct was blown up by the army. You can also see two service trains and the diesel loco hidden away behind the scenes. As you can see the track was rusty and unused. Trip in aid of the Northern Extension Fund which hopes to reconnect with East Grinstead main line. Tickets cost just £3 and represented excellent value. After getting to East Grinstead and a bit of a rest, we hope the Bluebell will push Westwards to Ardingly and eventually back to Haywards Heath! This would give a spare route to the coast in event of an incident on the main London line and could be a "nice little earner" for the Bluebell. The large mound between the Sheffield Park and Ardingly lines is the site of the new "picnic area" created with some of the spoil from the Northern tip. It will be a great place for photographers - as long as the inevitable fencing isn't too intrusive! Sorry about the video quality, I only had my still camera with me so it's 4:3 and lower resolution than my other videos.
UPDATE: I had been told that due to Health and Safety further short trips on the Ardingly branch have been banned (since corrected) so we will have to wait for the first trip to Ardingly to travel again. Oh I should live so long!
Пікірлер: 40
I agree with you actually, the Bluebell's steam loco fleet would be really stretched when it's connected to Ardingly so we could utilise a train from the southern electric group. Make the Bluebell even more unique ;-)!
That was great-5*- and seeing another train entering Horsted Keynes at the same time was a bonus- hopefully a taste of things to come. ( I am probably in a minority, but I think a 3rd rail would look good on the Ardingly branch!)
Great video, it would be very nice to see the Ardingly branch re instated some day. I'm sure that it will get done some day. Thanks for sharing.
Always wanted to see what was round the corner...thank you!
all those lovely cars (coaches )sitting on the sidings to your left just rotting away, nice film record.
@BluebellRail
6 жыл бұрын
We will shortly be moving those carriages into our new storage shed at Horsted Keynes, paid for by £400,000 of donations from members and the public.
@tomtalk24
4 жыл бұрын
@@BluebellRail You all do an amazing job!
nice vid mate, good to see another part of the line open again.
what a pity the train can't go anywhere except a siding on a line that just stops in the middle of the grass! Thanks Beeching and those of your clan!
is there really plans to reconnect with ardingly and on to H'heath i hope so but i always figured that ARC would be a problem and making that tunnel safe. i walked through it when i was young very creepy
amazing
They have filled quite a bit of the triangle in with the soil cap from the East Grinstead extension (the tip/cutting). I was told they own the trackbead from HK to just before the station at Ardingly, then its used for aggregates trains to Haywards Heath. It’s a shame you cant put a turning triangle there for visiting engines when they re-connect with network rail.
@BluebellRail
6 жыл бұрын
We looked into putting in a triangle, but the curvature would be too sharp. In the medium/long term we plan to install a turntable.
@cogidubnus1953
6 жыл бұрын
not to mention the cappings have actually been restored to the northern part of the line and expended on the eventual artificial levelling of the East Grinstead extension...
Excellent! Can I respectfully suggest that if the viewers to this video cannot do anything physically to help at the Bluebell - as I too cannot due to other Heritage railway commitments, then why not join the Society? It presents an excellent magazine, and in the event of a visit, a discount on tickets. Every little helps, as they say...!
I understand that the Bluebell are currently working on the northern extension towards East Grinstead, which will open up lots of possiblities (railtours, visiting loco's, etc) once reconnection is made. Am I right in saying that BRPS also own the trackbed via Ardingly to the London-Brighton mainline, if so, how much work would be required to make that connection? Is it feasible?
How come the train leaving Horsted Keynes at the beginning is the same one arriving towards HK the end the end of the video?
@Cashpots
9 ай бұрын
Doctor Who? It is one continuous take, no editing at all as filmed on stills camera.
3:50 for something that's now a storage line for now, I'm surprised the signal's still in good condition
@BluebellRail
6 жыл бұрын
The signal was installed as part of the re-signalling of Horsted Keynes station - we have made full provision of the operation of trains on the Ardingly Branch as part of that project.
@Northstander the biggest problem with the connection to ardingly is the rebuilding of the viaduct, easiest thing to do is replace the viaduct with a steel bridge
It wasn't Beeching ,he was only the hatchet man .The real crook was Ernest Marples.
@13soxs
6 жыл бұрын
Off course, he made money on road building!!
@simontay4851
6 жыл бұрын
Both of them evil crooked bastards. If either of them are still alive I'd love it if they were run over by a train.
@alanbrown1848
5 жыл бұрын
Beeching can not be free from blame. If such scruples existed, he would not have been in the role as hatchet man. Instead, Beeching should acted in the way Peter Parker did twenty years later by opposing Thatcher's further proposals to destroy our railways. Beeching was fully complicit in Marples' plan
@tomtalk24
4 жыл бұрын
You're lucky he didn't get away with the second phase. The man was either a short sighted fool or a money grabbing fool. Only takes one.
@johntcashdown1363
3 жыл бұрын
@@tomtalk24 they were both in it together. Beeching ran ICI and helped supply Marples the raw materials to build those roads.
I walked that track bed 20 years ago and they were 'talking about' extending?? Sadly i cant see it ever happening as theres no drive to do so. Does David Shepherd still own the line as hes loaded!
@Cashpots
6 жыл бұрын
The entire track bed (except the tunnel) is owned by the Bluebell Railway.
@BluebellRail
4 жыл бұрын
David Shepherd never owned any part of our line...
Ironic they are gong to reopen a line they helped rip up!
Wish the government could open up some of these lines again.
It certainly wasn't the last public trip! They have not been banned due to Health and Safety!
@Cashpots
6 жыл бұрын
Without doubt I was told that Health and Safety prevented use of the spur. I am delighted to be corrected!
@PreservationEnthusiast
5 жыл бұрын
What a rusting mess! The track needs to be ripped up and the rails cut to small pieces for the induction furnaces. That rotting rolling stock needs to be crushed and burnt to extract the metal for recycling.
if i was rich i would reopen that line
The coach siding, lots of coaching stock under covers, some in pretty poor condition. Abandoned signal, going by another youtube video, there is one almighty jungle past the buffer stop in this VID.
hey I'm in the middle of making the ardingly branch in 00 guage
@Cashpots
9 ай бұрын
CCan I see a picture of?