Goods Train Weekend

Saturday 14th and Sunday 15th April 2007

Photos on this page from the event, thanks to Derek Hayward, Andrew Strongitharm and David Warwick.

Birch Grove with the post-grouping goods train - 14 April 2007 - Derek Hayward

Featuring the return to service after major overhaul of the SR Queen Mary brake van, and the Pipefit

Photo reports available from:

Matt Allen

Videos provided by:

Jon Bowers (Sunday)

(Sadly of the 11 galleries and 2 videos available in 2007, these are all that remain online 13 years later)

Goods trains were a very important source of revenue on railway lines like ours. In the early 1880s, the railways were able to move many tons of materials, livestock and commodities across the country, the like of which had never been seen before.

The Bluebell's Goods train weekend was a chance to see a wide variety of goods trains, as well as travelling the line on our vintage passenger trains.

The Steam locomotives in use over the weekend were:
55 Stepney, 32473, 672 Fenchurch, 1638, 80151 and 34028 Eddystone

Pick up the Goods

We demonstrated how this was achieved with period British Railways road vehicles delivering and collecting parcels for conveyance by goods trains.

A barrel of Harveys' Beer was delivered to The Cat - James Young

Delivery to Gravetye Manor - James Young

Flour collected at Chailey Windmill - James Young

Delivery at Barcombe Station - James Young

These photos, from James Young, show onward road collections or deliveries being made to:
The Cat Inn at West Hoathley, Gravetye Manor, Chailey Windmill and Barcombe Station.
Our greatful thanks to the relevant proprietors for joining in with the spirit of this event.

Saturday:
Two goods trains: one pre-grouping (i.e. pre-1923) and one pre-nationalisation (representing the period up to 1948).

A two-train passenger service also ran on both days, one conveying a Southern Railway milk tanker.

Eddystone on Passenger train - 14 April 2007 - Andrew Strongitharm

U-class 1638 on passenger train - 14 April 2007 - Andrew Strongitharm

Sunday:
One much larger goods train, behing the U-class, 80151 and 32473 on the two passenger trains, and an all-Pullman Golden Arrow hauled by Eddystone.

1638 with Sunday's goods train - 15 April 2007 - Derek Hayward

32473 with the milk train - 15 April 2007 - Derek Hayward

Vintage Road Vehicles delivered consignments to and from the Bluebell Railway. This included a barrel of Harveys Mild which was collected from the Lewes Brewery on Saturday at 0930. Conveyed to Sheffield Park Station by a British Railways Mechanical Horse. From there the beer was transported to Horsted Keynes on the goods train for further shipment to The Cat Inn, at West Hoathly, by a further vintage road vehicle.

This was just one of a number of similar scenarios.

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Last updated 2 January 2008 (and 15 May 2020) by Richard Salmon.
Photos © Derek Hayward, David Warwick, James Young and Andrew Strongitharm
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