SECR H Class 263

Completing the quartet of locomotives running during my last visit to the Bluebell Railway is South Eastern and Chatham Railway H class 263.  Unlike S15 class 847, U class 1638 and LBSCR E4 tank B473, 263 was not running in olive green colours, but rather the magnificent fully lined SE&CR livery.  The Bluebell Railway’s C…

Ex-LBSCR E4 Class B473

With Bachmann’s eagerly anticipated 00 scale model of the LBSCR E4 radial tank hitting our shores and layouts, it seems a good time to have a look at the only survivor of the class on the Bluebell Railway.

U Class 1638

As with most visits to the Bluebell Railway, last Sunday proved to be an absolute Southern Railway delight!  Working alongside S15 class 847 was U class 1638, another machine owned by the Maunsell Locomotive Society.  The locomotive is in it’s final year of operation, with its’ ten year boiler certificate coming to an end soon. …

S15 847

    I was happy on Sunday to catch the Bluebell Line’s S15 class 847 in action.  It had been many years since I had seen it in action before and it was as impressive as I remembered it!  The S15 class is a classic British two cylinder 4-6-0 design with its origins in pre-grouping…

Sheffield Park Update

  After visiting the Bluebell Railway on Sunday, I thought it would be a good time to post a quick update from Sheffield Park works.  We begin with a brief look of recently overhauled Maunsell Q class 30541, sporting (for the first time in preservation) a British Railways late crest, as pictured above.  I was…

A Mid-Sussex Adventure

What an interesting day it was today!  After an unplanned errand left me in Sussex late this morning, I was left at a lose end.  Now for most people they would head back home, a mere 30 minutes away but instead I carried on in the other direction into the depths of Sussex countryside.  A…