Bluebell Railway facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Bluebell Railway |
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British Railways Class Standard Four No. 80151 and its train are seen at Horsted Keynes
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| Terminus | East Grinstead |
| Commercial operations | |
| Built by | London, Brighton and South Coast Railway |
| Original gauge | 4 ft 8 1⁄2 in (1,435 mm) standard gauge |
| Preserved operations | |
| Operated by | Bluebell Railway Preservation Society |
| Stations | 4 |
| Length | 11 mi (17.7 km) |
| Preserved gauge | 4 ft 8 1⁄2 in (1,435 mm) standard gauge |
| Commercial history | |
| Opened | 1 August 1882 |
| Closed | 17 March 1958 |
| Preservation history | |
| 1960 | Re-opens to the public between Sheffield Park and Bluebell Halt |
| 1962 | Extension opens from Bluebell Halt to Horsted Keynes |
| 1994 | Extension to Kingscote re-opened |
| 2013 | Extension to East Grinstead re-opened |
| Headquarters | Sheffield Park station |
The Bluebell Railway is a special 11 mi (17.7 km) long railway line. It is mostly in West Sussex, England, but part of it is in East Sussex. This railway is run by the Bluebell Railway Preservation Society. It uses old-fashioned steam trains. These trains travel between Sheffield Park and East Grinstead. They also stop at Horsted Keynes and Kingscote.
This railway was the first in the world to save and run a standard-sized steam passenger train service for the public. The society started its first train ride on August 7, 1960. This was less than three years after the main railway company, British Railways, closed the line.
On March 23, 2013, the Bluebell Railway began running trains all the way to its new station at East Grinstead. At East Grinstead, you can connect to the national train network. This was the first time the Bluebell Railway connected to the main network in 50 years. The old connection closed in 1963.
Today, many volunteers help manage and run the railway. The Bluebell Railway saved many steam locomotives even before steam trains stopped running on main lines in 1968. Now, it has over 30 steam locomotives. This is the second largest collection in the UK, after the National Railway Museum. The Bluebell also has almost 150 old train carriages and wagons. Most of these were built before 1939.
Contents
How the Bluebell Railway Started
In 1877, a special law allowed the building of the Lewes and East Grinstead Railway (L&EGR). Local landowners, like the Earl of Sheffield, supported this idea. A year later, another law let the London, Brighton and South Coast Railway Company (LB&SCR) buy and run the line.
The railway had six stations. Only Barcombe was near a village. Sheffield Park station was built for the Earl of Sheffield. Newick and Chailey station was for other supporters. Other stations were at Kingscote, West Hoathly, and Horsted Keynes. A side line also ran from Horsted Keynes to Ardingly and Haywards Heath.
The laws from 1877 and 1878 said that four passenger trains had to run each way daily. These trains had to connect to London at East Grinstead. This meant the railway had to provide a service. The only way to stop this was to pass another law.
The line was built to have two tracks. But only the part between East Grinstead and Horsted Keynes had two tracks. South of Horsted Keynes, it was a single track with places for trains to pass. The railway opened in 1882.
Trains carried local goods like milk, farm products, coal, and timber. Sheffield Park station only got many passengers when Lord Sheffield invited the Australian cricket team to play a match.
Why the Line Closed
In 1954, British Railways wanted to close the line from East Grinstead to Lewes. Local people tried to stop this. But the closure was agreed for June 15, 1955. The line actually closed earlier, on May 29, because of a rail strike. A big fight then happened between British Railways and the people who used the Bluebell Line. This lasted for three years.
After the closure, a woman named Margery Bessemer found the old laws from 1877 and 1878. These laws said British Railways had to keep the service running. So, on August 7, 1956, British Railways reopened the line. Trains stopped at the stations mentioned in the old laws.
British Railways took the case to the government in 1957. This led to a public meeting. British Railways was criticized. But later, they got Parliament to remove the special part of the law. This meant the line finally closed on March 17, 1958.
Saving the Bluebell Railway
On March 15, 1959, a group of people met and formed the Lewes and East Grinstead Railway Preservation Society. They raised £940 to start the society. At the meeting, they voted to change the name to the Bluebell Railway Preservation Society.
At first, the society wanted to reopen the whole line as a normal train service. But this plan did not work out. The society could not buy the whole line. Also, most local people were not interested in a normal train service. So, the group decided to run the part of the track between Sheffield Park and Horsted Keynes as a fun tourist attraction. They would use old trains and volunteers to run it.
From Sheffield Park to Horsted Keynes
In 1960, the railway opened from Sheffield Park to Bluebell Halt. This was just south of Horsted Keynes. In 1962, the society extended the service to Horsted Keynes. A small stop called Holywell (Waterworks) also opened in 1962, but it closed the next year. In 1963, the main railway company stopped passenger trains north of Horsted Keynes. This cut off the Bluebell Line from the rest of the train system.
From Horsted Keynes to Kingscote
In 1974, the society bought the land where West Hoathly station used to be. This was the first step to extend the line north towards East Grinstead. In 1985, they bought the land for Kingscote station. These efforts led to a public meeting. In 1985, the government gave permission to extend the railway to East Grinstead.
The Bluebell Railway Preservation Society finished the extension from Horsted Keynes to Kingscote in April 1994. They laid new track through Sharpthorne Tunnel. This tunnel is 731 yards or 668 metres long, making it the longest on a UK heritage railway. North of the tunnel, the line passes the old West Hoathly station site. The station was taken down in 1967, but you can still see parts of the platforms.
In 2010, the Bluebell Railway celebrated 50 years of running trains. They had a big event with all their trains and some visitor trains. Some of the people who started the society gathered to see a special steam train arrive.
From Kingscote to East Grinstead
From the very beginning, the society wanted to reach East Grinstead. This would connect them to the national train network. In 1992, the main railway company gave Imberhorne Viaduct to the Bluebell Railway. But it took until 2003 to buy the last parts of the land needed to reach East Grinstead. After that, construction work could begin.
A big problem was an old rubbish dump in a 30-foot-deep (9.1 m) ditch near Imberhorne Viaduct. The local council had filled it with household waste in the 1960s and 1970s. Tests showed the 96,000 cubic metres (3,400,000 cu ft) of waste in the 500-metre-long (1,600 ft) ditch was not harmful.
The dirt covering the dump was taken south by train. It was used to fill the site of an old bridge and bank on another railway line. In 2008, work started to clear plants from the dump. On November 25, 2008, a famous BBC newsreader, Nicholas Owen, helped start the removal of the actual rubbish.
At first, rubbish was taken away by lorries. But this was very expensive. So, in 2009, they tried removing the waste by train. This was cheaper. A new tax on landfill was going to start in April 2012. This would make removal much more expensive. So, the society asked for donations to finish clearing the dump by March 2012. Thanks to many donations, the rubbish was removed by train on time.
In late 2008, work began at East Grinstead to build the new station. It is about 100 yards (91 m) south of the main national rail station. In 2010, at the railway's 50th anniversary, Dame Vera Lynn launched an appeal to raise £3.8 million. Most of this money was for reconnecting the line to East Grinstead. The local council also gave £50,000.
On March 7, 2013, the last section of track was officially joined. The extension to East Grinstead officially opened on Saturday, March 23, with a two-week celebration.
Future Plans: Horsted Keynes to Haywards Heath
This line was originally built with two tracks. It was electrified in the 1930s. In its final years, only one track was used for trains. The second track stored old carriages.
After the line closed in 1963, a local person bought the land. In the 1990s, the society bought the abandoned track from Horsted Keynes to Ardingly. This included the land up to the Hanson Aggregates depot.
The society hopes to connect this line to the main national rail network again. This would allow access to the London to Brighton main line. New stations could be built at Copyhold or Haywards Heath. There is also an idea to make the line electric again. This would allow the society to use its electric trains.
The Lywood Tunnel, which is 218 yards (199 m) long, is in good condition. But two big jobs are needed to reopen the line. They need to replace a short bridge and rebuild the 117 yards (107 m) Sheriff Mill Viaduct. This viaduct was taken down in 1969. The dirt from the Imberhorne cutting has been placed where the viaduct used to be. This will help build a new bridge later. In 2013, a bridge from another old railway line was given to the Bluebell Railway. It will be used for the new bridge.
Future Plans: Sheffield Park to Lewes
In the past, the Bluebell Line was the fastest way from Lewes to London. The Bluebell Railway ran south from Sheffield Park to Culver Junction. It had stations at Newick and Chailey and Barcombe. At Culver Junction, it joined another line to reach Lewes. The line from East Grinstead to Culver Junction closed in 1958. The Lewes to Uckfield line closed in 1969.
Some Bluebell supporters want to rebuild the line south to Lewes. But this would be very difficult. Many large obstacles are in the way. For example:
- A main road (A275) has been widened and moved just south of Sheffield Park. A bridge would be needed.
- Rubbish has been dumped under old road bridges near Sheffield Park and Barcombe stations. This would need to be dug out.
- A road (A272) now crosses where the railway used to be.
- More rubbish, including industrial waste, has been dumped at the old Newick and Chailey station. This waste produces a lot of methane gas.
- A large group of houses has been built on and around the old Newick and Chailey station site.
The part of the line from Lewes to Sheffield Park that is not developed is now a path for walking and horse riding.
Stations to Explore
The stations on the Bluebell Railway have been restored to look like different times in the railway's history:
- Sheffield Park looks like the Victorian times (before 1922).
- Horsted Keynes looks like the Southern Railway period (1923 to 1947).
- Kingscote looks like the British Railways period of the 1950s.
- East Grinstead is a mix of the 1950s and 1960s British Railways.
Current Stations
- East Grinstead to Sheffield Park
- East Grinstead
- Kingscote
- West Hoathly (closed)
- Horsted Keynes
- Bluebell Halt (closed)
- Holywell (Waterworks) (closed)
- Freshfield Halt (closed)
- Ketches Halt (closed)
- Sheffield Park
- Horsted Keynes to Ardingly (proposed)
- Horsted Keynes
- Ardingly (proposed)
Original Stations
- Lewes to East Grinstead (Low Level)
- East Grinstead
- Kingscote
- West Hoathly
- Horsted Keynes
- Sheffield Park
- Newick and Chailey
- Barcombe
- Lewes
Train Collection
The Bluebell Railway saved many steam locomotives before steam trains stopped running on main British railways in 1968. Today, it has over 30 steam locomotives. This is the largest collection in the UK, after the National Railway Museum. The society also has almost 150 old train carriages and wagons. Most of these were built before World War II. A special project is trying to rebuild a very rare type of locomotive from a few old parts.
In April 2008, the Heritage Lottery Fund gave £2.8 million to build new shelters for up to 17 carriages near Sheffield Park. This money was also used to:
- Create a museum and learning area.
- Build new facilities for train crews.
- Set up a system to collect rainwater from the roof. This water is cleaned and used to fill the steam engines' boilers.
- Restore the railway's historic station buildings.
Railway Friends
The Bluebell Railway is connected with the Museumstoomtram Hoorn – Medemblik. This is another heritage railway in the Netherlands.
Images for kids
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Bluebell Railway SECR P class Bluebell 323
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