The Bluebell Railway's

2008 Goods Train Weekend

was on Saturday 29th and Sunday 30th March

This page provides photos from the weekend, including road movements, and also from the Photo Charter on Friday 28th March 2008. My thanks to Derek Hayward, Jon Bowers, Ashley Smith and David Haggar for the use of these photos.

Dukedog with goods train - 30 March 2008 - Derek Hayward

Photos from the weekend are also available in galleries from:

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.

Dukedog with goods train - 30 March 2008 - Ashley Smith

Fenchurch and 32473 with Goods trains at Horsted Keynes - 29 March 2008 - Jon Bowers

Fenchurch shunting at Horsted Keynes - 30 March 2008 - Derek Hayward

Lowmac at Horsted Keynes - 29 March 2008 - Derek Hayward

On each day of the event, at Horsted Keynes, one loco was employed shunting some more trucks about, including the newly restored (and not quite completed) Lowmac.

The Bluebell's Goods train weekend is a great opportunity 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:

1638 - SR U-class 2-6-0, built in 1931 at Ashford
9017 "Earl of Berkeley" - GWR 'Dukedog' 32xx 4-4-0, rebuilt at Swindon in 1938 from two locos, which were themselves built in 1899 and 1906
80151 - BR 'Class 4' 2-6-4T, built in 1957 at Brighton
672 "Fenchurch" - LBSCR A1 'Terrier' 0-6-0T, built in 1872 at Brighton
32473 - LBSCR E4 class 0-6-2T, built in 1898 at Brighton

As well as the goods trains - we ran a full passenger service

The vintage set, formed of the Victorian Metropolitan Railway set plus the LNWR Observation Saloon also conveyed the six-wheeled SR milk tanker. The lunchtime Pullman train ran on the Sunday.

Picking up the Goods

Scammell mechanical horses at Horsted Keynes - 30 March 2008 - Ashley Smith

Scammell mechanical horse at St Giles Church Horsted Keynes - 29 March 2008 - Derek Hayward

Scammell mechanical horse at Ardingly Station - 29 March 2008 - Derek Hayward

Scammell mechanical horse and delivery van at Horsted Keynes Station - 29 March 2008 - Derek Hayward

Scammell mechanical horse and delivery van at East Grinstead Station - 30 March 2008 - Derek Hayward

Photo Charter with U-class - 28 March 2008 - Dave Bowles

We demonstrated how this was achieved with period
British Railways road vehicles, which made pick ups and deliveries
between local towns and villages and the railway.
This will, once again, included Harvey's Brewery at Lewes.

The timetable for the road movements over the 2008 goods train weekend is available here.

Photo Charter with U-class 1638 - 28 March 2008

My thanks to Dave Bowles and David Haggar for sending these photos.

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Last updated 31 March 2008 by Richard Salmon.
Photos © Derek Hayward, Jon Bowers, Dave Bowles, Ashley Smith and David Haggar
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