Visiting locomotives O2 No. 24, 'Calbourne' and Beattie Well Tank 30587 joined the Bluebell Railway fleet for the Branch Line weekend. A full timetable and unusual workings made for an excellent weekend.
The weather was very mixed; sunshine, high winds and showers of sleet, rain and even a few snow flakes at one stage and the Bluebell Railway shone through with many varied workings. This including 4 Bulleid coaches together, the full Metropolitan 'Chesham' set and three immaculate Maunsells along with the vintage 4 wheelers hauled by the smaller Bluebell and visiting locomotives. (Not a Mk 1 in sight).
Q class 0-6-0 with 4 Bulleid coaches climbs past Black Hut towards Sharpthorn tunnel.
O2 class 0-4-4T and Beattie Well Tank 2 4-0T, No. 30587, of 1874 vintage thunder up past Black hut with a Maunsell set.
H Class 0-4-4T No. 263 clatters up towards Horsted Keynes with the vintage set of 4 wheelers with the LNWR observation saloon and then towards Sharpthorn Tunnel past Horsted Place Farm.
O2 No. 24 and Beattie Well Tank, class 0298, 30587 head South from Horsted Keynes against a gloomy sky.
30587 leads No. 24, 30583, Bluebell's own 4-4-2T Adams Radial tank and 0-4-0T B4 'Dock Tank' All in British Railways Black.
30587 runs back onto its train and pulls out of Horsted Keynes on the wet and very windy Saturday morning.
O2 No.24 and H No. 263 roll into Horsted Keynes with the Metropolitan Railway 'Chesham' set.
P class 0-6-0T No.25 is topped up with coal from the platform at Horsted Keynes.
Q Class 30541 climbs up towards Horsted Keynes.
H 0-4-4T No. 263 runs downhill towards Sheffield Park
O2 No. 27 and H No. 263 combine to scurry the Maunsell set from Sheffield Park to Horsted Keynes and sunshine under Three Arch Bridge and onwards to East Grinstead.
P Class 0-6-0T No. 178, pulls into Kingscote with a mixed vintage set, runs round the train, shunts it into the north siding beyond the signal box to return after the arrival and departure of: -
O1 class 0-6-0 Goods engine No. 65 eases it's train of Bulleids, including S5768S straight from the workshops, into the station northbound to cross Q 0-6-0 30541 heading south.
O2 No. 27 and P Class No 178 pull put from Horsted Keynes behind B4 0-4-0T 30096
No pheasants were harmed in the making of this video!
© Nick Dearden 2019