SECR Wainwright P-class, No.323 "Bluebell"
Owned by the Bluebell Railway
Web Page
Long the flagship of the Bluebell's fleet, painted blue (Photo:
Right) and named "Bluebell" between 1961 and 1998, this loco was
repainted into SE&CR wartime plain green livery, for the 1999 centenary
of the SE&CR (Photo: above).
The P-class tank locomotives were, in design terms, an updated copy of the LBSCR Terriers, but, with only eight of them built, made rather less of a name for themselves. However, with four of the eight surviving into preservation, they have blossomed, and are now much more favourably regarded as highly capable little locomotives. Their greater water capacity and larger cabs give them a slight advantage over the considerably older Terriers.
An appeal to raise the funds for the overhaul was started towards the end of 2003. The locomotive was partially dismantled, but the overhaul was suspended whilst the workshops concentrated on larger locomotives. Then in September 2009 the loco entered the works and was lifted from its wheels, signifying the re-starting of its overhaul, with the aim of completing to overhaul for the 50th anniversary celebrations in August 2010. This was thwarted by the discovery of the need for additional boiler repairs, and after this additional work, the loco returned to service just in time to put in an appearance at the Branch Line weekend in March 2011.
Dorking Greystone Lime Company, No.3 "Captain Baxter"
Wheels: 0-4-0T
Built: 1877, Fletcher Jennings
Last major overhaul completed: August 2010
Boiler ticket ends: July 2020
Web Page
Owned by the Bluebell Railway.
Lewis Nodes has provided a video clip of Baxter
working the Vintage Goods train in September 1997. The file is a 6MB
Mpeg.
"Baxter" arrived at the Bluebell in 1960 after spending its working life at
the Dorking Greystone Lime Works at Betchworth station. It was only in 1982
that it returned to traffic after a comprehensive overhaul.
"Baxter" runs a very low mileage each year, so, having received a major mechanical overhaul in the early 1980s and a boiler overhaul ten years later, following the expiry of its boiler certificate in July 2000 it was not expected to take much effort to give it another ten-year certificate. However various items have needed rather more work than expected, and the opportunity is also being taken to fit steam heating and vacuum braking equipment for the first time. This work (reported here) has been undertaken by the volunteer team who undertook the overhaul of "Fenchurch", and "Captain Baxter" (as it had been named until 1947) returned to service at the 50th Anniversary Gala in August 2010.
LBSCR Stroudley Terrier, No.55 "Stepney"
Class: A1X
Wheels: 0-6-0T
Built: 1875
Numbers carried: 55, 655, B655, 2655, 32655
Last major overhaul completed: May 2010
Boiler ticket ends: April 2015
Owned by the Bluebell Railway
Web page - Photos of 2010 overhaul.
Stroudley's famous Terriers survived for decades after more modern
designs had been scrapped, working on lightly laid Branch lines. Here
these diminutive engines were often the only engines light enough to cross
some particular bridge. In later years "Stepney" was particularly
associated with the Hayling Island branch, until sold to the Bluebell
Railway in May 1960 as our first locomotive.
Repainted into Stroudley's famous "Improved Engine Green" gamboge livery (as seen on the right),
it has been a favourite of many children, and some of those children are
now introducing their own children to "Stepney the Bluebell Engine". In
spite of its fame, "Stepney" has spent considerable periods out of traffic
in its fifty years on the Bluebell, but its popularity always causes it to
bounce back to the top of the railway's priorities.
In the first few months of 2010 the minimum boiler work to get the loco back into steam for our 50th anniversary celebrations was done, and Stepney will now remain available for limited service for as long as it does not require major repairs. It has been repainted into the black (lined with red) livery it carried 50 years ago in the Bluebell Railway's first season, and will be repainted again at some point soon. At its next major overhaul it will require new cylinders, the castings for which are already to hand, and significant work on the frames.
SECR Wainwright P-class, No.178
Class: P
Wheels: 0-6-0T
Built: 1910
Numbers carried: 178, A178, 1178, S1178, 31178
Last major overhaul completed: February 2010
Boiler ticket ends: Feb 2020
Owned by the Bluebell Railway
The last of the four P-class tank locomotives to have steamed in preservation, 178 came to the Bluebell in 1969 after industrial service at Bowaters Paper Mill, where it carried the name "Pioneer II".
Its best chance of restoration was seen to be outside the Bluebell Railway's direct ownership, due to the railway already having two other Ps, and so it was sold to Southern Locomotives Ltd, who commenced its overhaul, at Sheffield Park. However, with the shift in emphasis of that group to become major providers of motive power to the Swanage Railway, it was decided more appropriate to transfer ownership of this 'P' class loco back to the Bluebell. This was achieved in mid 2006, thanks to funding made available by the Bluebell Railway Trust.
The overhaul was undertaken by the Loco Workshop working group, and the loco now runs in full SECR lined green, after just a few weeks initially operating in its industrial guise as "Pioneer II".
LBSCR Billinton Radial Tank, No.B473
Class: E4
Wheels: 0-6-2T
Built: 1898
Numbers carried: 473 "Birch Grove", B473, 2473, s2473, 32473
Last major overhaul completed: January 2010
Boiler ticket ends: Dec 2019
Owned by the Bluebell Railway
Web page and details of the last overhaul
The only surviving locomotive to a design by Robert Billinton, "Birch
Grove" is one of a family of locomotives known as Radial Tanks due
to the radial axle beneath the cab. Mixed traffic locomotives, they were
equally at home on local passenger workings as branch-line goods services.
Although almost the oldest, the E4s were amongst the last of the Brighton
Radials to survive.
"Birch Grove" itself was one of the first two Brighton locos to be repainted into Southern Railway livery, as B473, in February 1924. It was bought straight out of BR service in 1962 and served the Bluebell
for a decade before being withdrawn for a protracted stop-go overhaul. It
finally became operational again in 1998 thanks to a bequest which paid for the major boiler
repairs required and a team of volunteers who undertook some of the
easier boiler work and most of the remaining work, as is well recorded on
the following web
page.
Remarkably "Birch Grove" retains her original boiler, number 891, fitted new in July 1898. It had been passed to various other Brighton tanks of classes D3, E3 and E4 before being refitted to Birch Grove in 1960.
It was repainted from LBSCR umber livery (right) into BR lined black in February 2005, for a limited period. With a boiler still in good condition, its overhaul was started immediately following the expiry of its boiler certificate in May 2008, and after a major rebuild of its cylinders, which was the most significant item of work required, it re-entered service in January 2010, carrying 1920s Southern Railway olive green livery.
SECR Wainwright goods, No.592
Class: C
Wheels: 0-6-0
Built: 1902
Numbers carried: 592, A592, 1592, 31592
Last major overhaul: 2007
Boiler ticket ends: May 2017
Owned by the Wainwright 'C' Preservation Society
Web Page
After the amalgamation of the SER and the LCDR in 1899 it fell to Harry
Wainwright to put some order into the locomotive designs the new company
inherited. The C-class was his standard goods design, and served
the SECR, and in turn the SR and BR, well. The steam powered reverser on
this locomotive was most successful, and this design was to be found on
goods and shunting engines built by the SECR and the SR for more than 40
years afterwards.
Preserved initially at Ashford Works, it moved to the Bluebell in 1970, and finally entered service in 1975 after work on its boiler and a badly damaged axle journal. Its 1994 overhaul at the hands of volunteers saw it returned to service with a spare overhauled tender which we had been fortunate enough to obtain. In 2006-7 we overhauled the spare boiler which we have for this locomotive, since the firebox of the existing boiler was deemed beyond repair. Mechanically the locomotive was in reasonable order, although the condition of the cylinders may determine how long it runs after overhaul; it is thought likely to require a new cylinder block at a subsequent overhaul. It returned to service on 8th October 2007.
SR U-class, No.1638
Class: U
Wheels: 2-6-0
Built: 1931
Numbers carried: A638, 1638, 31638
Last major overhaul completed: 2006
Boiler ticket ends: Jan 2016
Owned by the Bluebell Railway, on long-term loan to the Maunsell Society
Web
Page
One of two U-class locomotives on the Bluebell Railway, both coming via Barry scrapyard, this one was privately purchased and donated to the Bluebell. It has been placed on long-term loan to the Maunsell Locomotive Society, who also own 1618, and was their main restoration project for over a decade. Having lost its tender whilst at Barry, a new one has been built, starting from the remains of a snowplough which in turn had been created using a Schools class locomotive tender as its base. The loco steamed for the first time in preservation in February 2006.
BR Standard Tank No.80151
Class: 4
Wheels: 2-6-4T
Built: 1957
Last major overhaul completed: 2001
Current status: Available for service
The 4MT tank locomotives were closely linked to the last years of the Bluebell line, and although the last Brighton-built locomotive, 80154, escaped preservation, the Bluebell now plays host to three other members of the class, all one-time residents of Barry scrapyard. 80151 arrived from another preservation site in 1998 and returned to steam after the completion of its overhaul in the Bluebell's workshops in October 2001. Additional boiler work during early 2011 should hopefully now see it running into early 2012.
Howard Petrol-engined locomotive
Class: 2-speed 7 ton Main Line Loco
Wheel arrangement: 4w, chain driven, maximum speed 8mph
Engine: Dorman type 4-JUD 3970cc developing 41bhp at 1000 rpm
Built: 1926 by James & Frederick Howard Ltd, Britannia Iron Works, Bedford
Maker's number: 957
Operated: 1926-1965
Arrived on Bluebell Railway: March 1965
Used on Bluebell until 1969, and returned to service: August 2010
Web Page
Built by Howards in 1926, No 957 was used to shunt their agricultural
implement and railway wagon factory sidings in Bedford. The Britannia Iron
& Steel Works Ltd took over the site in 1932 to make pipe fittings and
continued using it until a larger shunting loco was obtained in 1965.
Through the intervention of a local enthusiast the company presented 957 to
the Bluebell Railway where it was used for light shunting until about 1969.
Under the auspicies of the Alf Brown Group an overhaul (details of which are here) was begun in the
1970s at Horsted Keynes which had to include new wheelsets, and it made its debut at the 50th Anniversary Gala in August 2010.
Although nominally operational, at the present time more work is required to complete the restoration of the locomotive.
13236, a 350hp diesel shunter built in 1956, has been hired by the Bluebell Railway to assist with shunting and the construction of the extension to East Grinstead. It entered Bluebell service in mid-May 2008. As a short-term plant hire it is not part of the Bluebell's loco stock. It is based at Shackerstone (Battlefield Line) and is now painted in 1950s BR black livery with the early BR crest.
Sentinel/Rolls-Royce/Thomas Hill 4-w Diesel-Hydraulic loco No.10241
Acquired by the Bluebell Railway's C&W department mainly for shunting work around the carriage yard, this loco arrived on 7th May 2010, in working order.
A Sentinel designed loco, this one was built after the company became known as Rolls-Royce and is their No. 10241 of 1966. However, the loco was rebuilt by Thomas Hill (Rotherham) in 1973 (who had by then acquired the Sentinel/Rolls-Royce locomotive business), becoming their No.247V.
Note: Boiler Certificates. Steam locomotive boilers are certificated by the Insurance Company's inspector, initially for seven years from the date of pressure testing after overhaul. The dates given above assume that a mid-term boiler examination/test allows an extension to a full ten-year term. At the end of this period, unless a futher short extension is granted, the locos must be taken out of service for a boiler overhaul including a complete re-tube, and it is also usual at this time to undertake a full mechanical overhaul.
Last updated 10 November 2011 by Richard
Salmon.