East Grinstead

The Bluebell Railway is a heritage line running for nine miles along the border between East Sussex and West Sussex, England. Steam trains are operated between Sheffield Park and Kingscote, with an intermediate station at Horsted Keynes.

The railway is managed and run largely by volunteers, and has the largest collection of steam locomotives after the National Railway Museum (NRM) and a collection of carriages and wagons which is unrivalled in the south of England. In addition to the 30 locomotives resident on the line, one more is on loan from the NRM (another has recently returned there), and a project to recreate a long-lost type of locomotive (A London, Brighton and South Coast Railway H2 Class Atlantic) from a few surviving parts is well under way.

Dr Richard BeechingThe Bluebell was the first preserved standard gauge railway in the world – it opened in 1960, shortly after the line from East Grinstead to Lewes was closed by Dr Beeching & British Railways. It preserved steam locomotives before the cessation of steam use on British mainline railways in 1968.

During his tenure, Dr Beeching became a hugely controversial figure when he recommended a massive programme of railway closures to cut the cost of running the railway system. He was also responsible for modernising many aspects of the railway system.

The intentions of the Beeching Report were to remove the unprofitable branch lines while keeping the highly profitable main lines, using the money saved to update the system and speed the progress of the Modernisation Plan. Unfortunately, the Treasury decided that since the money was no longer needed for the support of branch lines, it could be spent by other departments, making the plans futile.

Another mistake in the plans was the assumption that if a branch line closed, passengers would drive to the nearest railhead and still use the railway for the rest of their journey. Instead, they found it more convenient to drive the entire journey, costing British Rail far more in the long term.

The Bluebell Railway Preservation Society is working to reinstate the remaining two miles of line from Kingscote to East Grinstead, having completed the initial extension from Horsted Keynes to Kingscote in 1994. The Bluebell have now bought the station site at East Grinstead however, the station may well be changed to provide a direct link with Network Rail [citation needed].

Looking North, towards Horsted Keynes, from Sheffield ParkWork has now actively started on the final push to the North towards East Grinstead where the line will once again join to the national rail network. The small matter of 300 metres of rubbish filling a 50 metre deep cutting will be removed by convoys of road freighters, although some of the clay is being taken south by rail to help fill the site of a removed embankment on the old Ardingly spur.

It is hoped that in the future this spur will also reconnect with the main London to Brighton line at Copyhold Junction, restoring a major bypass of the main London–Brighton line. During the Second World War the signal box at Horsted Keynes was manned day and night to provide a second route for troop trains.

The station at Sheffield Park has been restored to a generally Victorian ambience, as close as possible to how it would have appeared during the time of the London, Brighton and South Coast Railway (up to 1922). Horsted Keynes tries to emulate the style of the Southern Railway (1922–1948), and Kingscote echoes the early British Railways period (1950s).

Christmas is a peak time for bookings, as the Santa Special is very popular with families. Complimentary Clown entertainment, a children’s visit from Father Christmas, Mince Pies and refreshments are served during the journey.

The Bluebell Railway has been used as the location for several films and television programmes. In October 1999 the film The Railway Children based on the book by E Nesbit was filmed at the railway.

Looking South, towards the former line to Newick and Chailey and to Lewes, from Sheffield ParkThe Bluebell Railway is also featured in The Railway Series written by the Rev. W. Awdry. The book was called Stepney the “Bluebell” Engine, with Stepney as the main character, visiting the fictional Island of Sodor.