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NEWS FROM THE BLUEBELL RAILWAY | 13 January 2019
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A Successful Santa Season
The Railway enjoyed another very successful Santa Season last month. Although in terms of passenger numbers, 2017 had seen a record 14,414 travel on 53 Santa Trains, 2018 beat that figure with 15,473 (10,867 adults and 4,606 children) travelling on 53 trains over 9 days (1,654 toddlers can also be added to the number).
Following its introduction in 2017, all Santa bookings are handled online, and 2018 saw customers booking not only in greater numbers but also earlier.
Visitor numbers over the Christmas period were boosted by 654 customers attending the Horsted Christmas event on 21 December, 12 Pullman dining trains, and 612 from six Festive Feast trains, all of which were sold out .
Communications Director Roger Garman explains that this year saw even more services delivery directed to customers wishing to start at East Grinstead. Nearly one-third of all Santa trains, all of the six Festive Feast trains, and half of the trains operated as part of the Horsted Keynes Christmas started at the northern end of the line.
Although customers book in advance, the weather can still be a key factor, not only in terms of family enjoyment but also operational delivery. In the main, give or take some rainy saturdays, the Railway was very fortunate: Christmas Eve being a perfect blue-sky day.
Overall revenue for the Christmas Season will be in excess of £500,000. But delivering the Railway's festive experience to more than 18,000 customers is not without cost, and once these costs are finalised, the Railway will learn how solid the overall contribution that Santa broughtwill make to 2018 numbers.
Society Chairman Graham Aitken and PLC Chairman Dick Fearn express their"thanks to all involved for again making the Bluebell Railway the preferred venue to see Santa for literally thousands of families in the South East. To delight our visitors in this way requires a tremendous team effort, and the contribution made by all was sincerely appreciated."
Photos in Santa stories by John Sandys, taken on 22 Dec., 2018.
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A Steward's Perspective
I was steward on three days of Santa trains, plus Christmas Eve, and the Horsted Christmas event on 21 December. It was pleasing to see new faces coming forward from the volunteer ranks to help make the season the success it was.
Santa Season is a crucial time forthe Railway, and the integrated team of staff and volunteers is key to atop class delivery. But you know it is not only about the kids and families having fun; we are there to have fun too, and we did.
So please mark your diaries for next year—you know when it is!—and be ready for the call for assistance:you will always be welcome.
By Roger Garman, Communications Director
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Thank you, Santa's Helpers!
Well, Santa Claus has returned to the North Pole after a long and very busy month of meeting all those children big and small who went away happy and excited. A great time was had by everyone on all trains, and we have received a lot of excellent feedback on social media.
Meanwhile, a big thank you to all of those stewards and train managers who gave up their time at a busy time of the year to staff the trains. Not only did we have our regulars but there was a number of new volunteers as well (some of whom have put their names down for 2019!) Your hard work made 2018 another successful season of Santa Specials, and without you there would not have been so many happy and contented customers.
The season was not without the handful of passengers who turned up at the wrong station, and among other challenges was one party for which the person who booked the tickets put the wrong date in their diary and turned up a week late! Naturally, in the true Bluebell Railway spirit of“can do”, they were put on the next train and all concerned had a good laugh at the oversight. Then there was another party that turned up withtickets for the Kent & East Sussex Railway! I can’t wait until nextyear to tackle new challenges.
Once again thank you to everyone for making the Christmas season so magical for customers and staff alike!
By Keith Riggs
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The New Year brings a new look for the eNewsletter. A change in the newsletter's design is necessary because our service provider—Constant Contact—has begun to phase out older design templates, such as the one the newsletter has been using.
This new newsletter template iscompatible with modern smartphones and tablets, and it is more accessible. Readers who rely on Text to Speech tools, for instance, willhave a better experience.
Although the new template does not support one or two features from the old "Branch Line" section, we hope that you will continue to enjoy, support, and share the eNewsletter. Please let me know if we can improve your reading experience further. Thank you.
—John Walls, Editor-in-Chief
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OP4 Progress: DDD Surpasses Goal!
Not a lot has happened on the ground during the past few weeks, for two reasons. Firstly, the Infrastructure Team has been working on other projects around the Railway, and secondly, I have been waiting to see the outcome of the fundraising effort during November and December.
The response to the Double Donations Dash has been fantastic. We had hoped to raise £225,000, but we have in fact raised more than £260,000. Thank you to all who have contributed most generously.
The next stage of the work will be to erect walls, doors, and windows around the eastern and northern faces of the shed and Skills Centre. To this end, our contractor (Robin Stevenson LLP) is preparing a tender forthis work. This represents the main element of expenditure for the forthcoming year, and this quotation will enable me to plan in more detail what other work can be undertaken within the finances available.
We propose starting work during the second half of February, once the current programme of work on the running line is complete. The first elements will be to complete the ground floor slab of the Skills Centre,followed by the dwarf brick wall which forms the base for the cladding.Once this work is complete, the cladding can be erected, and this is currently programmed for April/May.
During the same period, work will continue to complete the trackwork in the shed (road J) and the connections in the yard to roads H and J.
By Barry Luck, OP4 Project Manager (Infrastructure)
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CCT Van Update: Getting Closer
Excellent progress is being made with the restoration of the Camelot CCT. All new plywood is being fitted to the sides, rather than re-using just the better bits of wood that were on it previously. This process will not only ensure that all the materials are of a consistent quality but also will save the hassle that would have been involved cutting out the damaged edges, just to get to the salvageable middle sections of plywood sheet. The heavy longitudinal locking bars/beams that were used to secure vehicles at floor level inside also have been re-instated.
All four sets of side doors are now on the van, and I'm told that the large end doors will be going on soon as well. The replacement sheets ofsafety glass for the side windows are on order. This purchase is anticipated to be the last expenditure on items needed to complete the restoration.
The brake cylinder has been overhauled and re-attached. On the suspension, the springs have had been checked and found to be satisfactory. New solid rubber suspension pads were needed to replace the corroded originals, and these have been fitted.
As ever, the
Camelot Locomotive Society
thanks all those involved with the project for their amazing skills and continued dedication.
By Julian Heinemann
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Evening Supper Specials
Dates are now available for the popular 2019 Fish & Chip evening supper trains. Tickets can be booked online, and purchasing options include gift vouchers and celebration packages.
2019 dates can be viewed here
.
Also announced are the dates for
2019 Rail Ale trains
.Enjoy a sausage & mash supper and live jazz, with the first pint onthe Railway! Evening trains depart from East Grinstead on 24 May, 19 July, 23 August, and 27 September.
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Afternoon Tea
Enjoy a relaxing journey in one of the four comfortable 1950/60s lounge or restaurant carriages. A traditional Afternoon Tea includes a choice of luxury teas, a selection of delicious sandwiches, and mouth-watering cakes, tarts, scones, and shortbread.
The Wealden Rambler runs on most Saturday afternoons, some weekday afternoons, and other special days from February to October. The train departs at 2:45 p.m. from Sheffield Park station for a return journey toEast Grinstead.
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During the January closedown, the Infrastructure Team is relaying about half a mile of track between Sloop Bridge and Monteswood Lane Bridge. Normal services resume on 16 Feb., 2019.
Bruce Healey reports
that around 44 60-foot track panels are being replaced. By close of play on 9 January, the new track had reached the half way point.
The Infrastructure Team has been greatly helped by the young volunteers of the 9F Club, as well as Network Rail workers on "away days".
Ballasting and tamping will take place when all of the new track is in place. The unseasonably warm weather and lack of rain have made the taska little easier.
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Southern Electric
There's plenty for Southern Railway fans here. The Eric Sparks film features Southern action when electrification was making an impact on the region. Writes Martin, "I was fascinated by its content, especially the Brighton Belle train and the River Arun bridge refurbishment from 1938."
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"A Horsted Christmas" on 21 Dec., 2018, by "JR Railway Videos".
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"SteamieWithGlasses": "Part one of my visit to the Bluebell Railway on 27 Dec., 2018. It was bitterly cold at Sheffield Park Station, and two of the three P class 0-6-0Ts were standing in the siding alongside the SteamWorks!"
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Brian Lacey's
photo
from New Years' Eve shows O1 No. 65 passing C class No. 592 at Horsted Keynes.
Over the New Year period, the Southern Railway luggage van, which is used as an art exhibition, was accommodated in the Carriage Works, whereMatthew Cousins, with help from other volunteers, replaced some planks,and, with Dave Clarke, repainted those areas that can't be accessed from the dock.
The placing of the C class in the dock proved very popular with visitors during the Christmas period.
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IS YOUR NEW YEAR'S RESOLUTION TO VOLUNTEER AT THE RAILWAY?
No matter whether you are male or female, skilled or with no previous experience, or can offer a day a month or more, then why not find out what volunteering in the various departments on the Railway entails?
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Can You Help? Photographic Archive Volunteers Sought
The Bluebell Railway Museum Photographic Archive team is pleased to report that we have had a number of positive responses from our recent appeals; however, we continue to look for people to help catalogue the important photographic collection.
Specifically, we continue to look for volunteers with experience in the scanning of photographic prints and negatives, coupled with a basic knowledge of working with Excel.
We welcome the participation of Bluebell Railway members with an interest in the railways of southern England and not currently actively involved in the Railway. Monthly meetings are held on a Monday at our storage base in Horsham, but all the practical work is completed in members' homes to suit their personal schedules.
Thank you.
By Chris Wilson
Photos: (Left) BR No. 32661 A1X at Hayling Island, arriving at station and token being exchanged, and (right) Langston Station on the Hayling Island branch. Both photographs come from the Joe Kent collection and were scanned by John Quinton, a new volunteer at the archive who joined the team last November.
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FROM THE SCIENCE & SOCIETY ARCHIVE
Prince of Wales' steam loco
Class A3 No. 54
in winter 1947. This LNER up express is about one mile north of Potters Bar.
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Tony Hillman: "John J. Smith continues his tour of Europe with a trip through Spain."
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Glen Mears
(28 Dec., 2018): "A short visit to the line with the family to see the new shed mainly."
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John Sandys
(2 Jan., 2019): Dennis of the Friends of Sheffield Park gets stuck intosome maintenance work on a Bessemer Arms window sill.
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David Goldberg
: "SECR P class about to leave Sheffield Park Station on a rainy December afternoon."
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Peter Edwards
(1 Jan., 2019): The last train before the maintenance closedown. No. 73082 "Camelot" at Town House Bridge with the 2:45 p.m. from Sheffield Park. Materials for track relaying are stacked at lineside.
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FOLLOW THE RAILWAY ON SOCIAL MEDIA: FACEBOOK, TWITTER, OR YOUTUBE
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Thankyou for reading our eNewsletter. It's because of you--our members, volunteers, visitors, and supporters--that the Railway continues its success.
Pleasecontinue to support us by passing this issue onto your friends, family,and/or colleagues by forwarding using the social media links above, or encourage others to sign up for the twice-monthly eNewsletter
at this link
.
If you ever have a question, comment, or contribution, don't hesitate to get in touch with me at
Sincerely,
John Walls
Editor-in-Chief, eNewsletter
Bluebell Railway
© Bluebell Railway Preservation Society 2019
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