SCHOOL VISITS
| Projects based on the Bluebell Railway will contribute towards Key Stages 1 & 2 of the National Curriculum. |
| Projects based on the Bluebell Railway will contribute towards Key Stages 1 & 2 of the National Curriculum. |
The Bluebell Railway is based at Sheffield Park Station, East Sussex, between Haywards Heath (7 miles) and Uckfield (8 miles) and runs for some 9 miles between Sheffield Park and Kingscote. The Railway's three stations, its locomotives and rolling stock, cover a period of railway history from the 1870s to the 1950s and, as such, provide children with a unique insight into a way of life that has largely disappeared from Great Britain today.Visits can be tailored to meet specific teaching needs relating to the syllabus or to provide experience of specific events, such as wartime evacuation exercises.
Facilities available include:-
| Provision for disabled visitors - a carriage for wheelchair bound or mobility impaired visitors is normally available - further information on facilities for disabled visitors | |
| Reserved accommodation on trains - seating, in open plan carriages, is reserved for groups starting their journeys from Sheffield Park or Kingscote | |
| Toilets - facilities are available on board most trains (not disabled) and at all three stations | |
| Picnic areas - these are available at all three stations while covered areas are available beneath platform canopies and in the Waiting Rooms at both Horsted Keynes and Kingscote. Snacks can also be eaten on board the train | |
| Refreshments - full refreshments facilities are available at Sheffield Park while a buffet car serving light refreshments is normally available on the train | |
| Classroom - a classroom seating up to 25 students is available at Sheffield Park Station | |
| Gift shop at Sheffield Park Station - a souvenir pack can be made up in advance of your visit | |
| Free parking at Sheffield Park and Horsted Keynes Stations | |
| Guided visits to booking offices, signal boxes, engine sheds and to the footplate of a steam locomotive |
More detailed information about all of these facilities is provided the Teachers' Information Pack, which can be downloaded here (as a pdf - 2.9MB).
To open the PDF you require Acrobat Reader. If you don't already have it installed you can download it free of charge from Adobe.
For further information please contact the Information Office at Sheffield Park:-
Telephone: 01825 720800 or E-mail.
Page updated 19 June 2008 by Richard Salmon with information from David Cockram.