Bluebell Railway.

[Kent Seagull]

Say hello to Kent Seagull when you're there. He's the manager.

Let me know when you're coming and I'll make sure I say hello. Just hope it's not the first week in October as I'm on holiday, firing steam engines on the North Yorkshire Moors Railway!

 

[maffew]

Yup. For my 50th my mum bought me a day's engine driving tuition at the Kent and East Sussex! Going to do it next month hopefully.

Cool, So you get do drive a steam engine? Would bloody love that for a present, where do you get it?


do you think they breathalise you?

 

[Grendel]

A great day out, and hopefully one day it will stretch from Lewes to East Grinstead, with an off shoot to Ardingly.

It will NEVER go down to Lewes. Unless the people whose houses have been built on the trackbed agree to have them demolished.

 

[Brovion]

Let me know when you're coming and I'll make sure I say hello. Just hope it's not the first week in October as I'm on holiday, firing steam engines on the North Yorkshire Moors Railway!

Ok, I'll try and avoid that week. I'll let you know.

Cool, So you get do drive a steam engine? Would bloody love that for a present, where do you get it?

I'm guessing my mum asked the railway. I know the Bluebell do a similar thing.

 

[West Hoathly Seagull]

I can see the Bluebell from my top window on a clear day. Unfortunately they decided not to have a station at West Hoathly, which is a bit of a nuisance. It's a lovely 2 mile walk across fields from my house to the old West Hoathly Station site. Sadly, though, the old Bluebell Inn has closed, so one can no longer stock up on Harveys after such a walk. I would prefer it, though, if the BR line still ran from East Grinstead to Haywards Heath. I could commute from West Hoathly instead of East Grinstead (which is an annoying 15 minute drive from home) and travel to games from there, giving me the chance to have more than one pint after the game. Having said all that, the Bluebell is a fine establishment, and my Godfather is the archivist on Bluebell News.

 

[Grendel]

Unfortunately they decided not to have a station at West Hoathly, which is a bit of a nuisance.

They didn't have a choice. The station was demolished long before the Bluebell owned the site and the planning permission for the East Grinstead extension doesn't allow them to build a station there.

 

[Man of Harveys]

Yup. For my 50th my mum bought me a day's engine driving tuition at the Kent and East Sussex! Going to do it next month hopefully.

That sounds superb, I'd be up for doing that. Will you report back? *nerdometer explodes*

How good does this look?! http://www.steamway.dircon.co.uk/footplate.html

 

[Marshy]

The railway at Swanage is also worth a visit, as is the Isle of Wight Steam Railway.

Until the engine breaks down at Corfe Castle and you have to wait an hour and a half to move with a 4yr old for company....

 

[Kent Seagull]

Cool, So you get do drive a steam engine? Would bloody love that for a present, where do you get it?

Click this link to book a footplate day on the Kent & East Sussex Railway http://www.kesr.org.uk/drive/drive_index.htm

The alternative is to become a volunteer, then you can do it for free. It's hard work and takes several years before you become a driver, it's worth it though.

Nowadays I get paid to drive them, today I even got to drive the real Thomas the Tank Engine!

 

[British Bulldog]

The alternative is to become a volunteer, then you can do it for free. It's hard work and takes several years before you become a driver, it's worth it though.

It's quite ironic that in all my years on the railway theres allways been a rivalry between signalmen and drivers, But the ones who volunteer to work on private railways often choose to do the other persons job.

 

[Silvanus]

Always enjoyed the classic railways