Preparations for the January track relay – Winter 2022
There are two sections of track to be re-laid in the new year. The smaller relay, postponed from November, is a short section of around 200 yards immediately north of the Tunnel. The main task will be at Vaux End. This area has been needed more tamping and re-levelling than should be necessary over the years. There are two reasons for this, one is it is the site of an old pre-Bluebell slip which was filled with engine ash which has settled and the other is rabbit activity. Consequently, it has been ballasted and tamped a lot more than normal, increasing the ballast depth. This is not helped by the fact that when Bluebell laid first the track over the bridge, the track bed wasn’t fully levelled in the area as an expediency of for extending to West Hoathly in the early 1990s. The main area to be relaid is the section at Vaux Bridge where 4 wheeled carriages are presently banned owing to the state of the track.
As a result of all of this there is much too much ballast over the bridge creating potential future problems
   
Left image – Vaux End Bridge with the ballast half way up the parapets. Photo: – Jon Goff
Right image – Surveying with the theodolite from the bridge to the nail on a yellow peg at the top end of the relay. Photo: – Jon Goff
Ardingly Embankment Slips – Summer 2022
When the extension to East Grinsted was built, a lot of spoil cleared from the cutting was moved to the end of the Ardingly spur. This has slipped down onto the neighbour’s land and is in an unstable condition. When the extension soil was deposited, the contractor was supposed to layer in the soil with geogrid netting cut into the original embankment. However, exploratory investigations with a digger show that they appear to have started the task with plenty of layers at the very end only but not at all along the length. Furthermore, the netting was not cut into the embankment but just folded back away from it thus not anchoring the deposited material.
The embankment had been widened all the way down its length in pre-Bluebell days mainly with dumped ash and some of this has settled and slipped. The tracks on top are not on the original alignment but overhang the widened ash section.
 
  
Photos: Jon Goff
Tree clearance started last year and recently continued. The stock has been removed from all but the near end of the spur and the track has been lifted from. However this work has been put on hold owing to other priorities.
Horsted Keynes Cable work – Summer 2022
The infrastructure team have been working on burying cables as part of the Horsted Keynes ‘Jewel in the Crown’ work. Much of our work involves burying cables requiring trenches to be dug and manholes to be concreted. In many instances, the trenches to be dug are in awkward places and one such required taking up part of platform 4/5 road for one cable run. The opportunity was taken to improve the drainage of this section of track by putting in a waterproof membrane. As with much of infrastructure’s work, the completed job looks very little different. Photo: Manhole in Dock Wall Platform (Jon Goff)
Waterproof membrane being laid (Jon Goff)
 
 
Laying the sleepers and gauging with a Mk 1 (Jon Goff). Measuring Clearance (Mike Hopps)
OP4/Skills Centre gate and carpark – Summer 2022
The Infrastructure team completed the OP4 car park area. The car park gates were replaced by some larger and more secure gates which had been donated together with a pedestrian gate and palisade fencing. A screen was erected to conceal the gas tanks. The car park was had two layers of tarmac laid by an external contractor.
All photos – Jon Goff
Goodwood – Spring 2022
The Bluebell was approached last year to help set up a private murder mystery event at Goodwood. The infrastructure team were involved in the setting up of ‘Richmond Halt’ for the one-off event, Carriage and wagon supplied a coach and the Loco department supplied Standard class 4 number 75027 in very shiny condition. A station was constructed by a specialist company for the locomotive with tender and single carriage.
Five bullhead track panels were pre-assembled in short lengths at Horsted Keynes and transported to site, just requiring the panels to be fish plated in situ. Plastic sheeting was laid on the tarmac. A subsequent visit brought ‘props’ in the form of sack barrows, enamel signs, old suitcases and milk churns.
After the event, the scene was broken down and the location returned to its previous state.
 
Top right and bottom left: ‘Richmond Halt’ under construction at Goodwood. Photos: – Bruce Healey
Centre: 75027 Returned from Goodwood – Photo Jon Goff
7B Points at Sheffield Park renewed – 4 March 2022
Jon Goff’s photos cover the relaying of the 7B Points at the South end of Sheffield Park, which took place on 28 February.
As previously reported, the point blades, chairs and sleepers had been prepared in advance at Horsted Keynes. The renewal was just of the blades and associated rails; the crossover part had been renewed a few years ago.
On the right we see the points before renewal, and below, the old blades being lifted out, and the ballast dug out and the underlying ground being levelled.
Left: An impervious membrane and then a geotextile layer now sit beneath the new ballast.
Below: the new rails are cut to length, and the trackwork all completed by the end of the day.
The S&T then reconnected the point motor and signalling over the following two days.
Infrastructure update – 17 February 2022
Jon Goff’s photo on the right shows the re-laid track which was tamped last week in advance of services restarting last weekend. At the time of the photo it awaited mechanical brushing to tidy the site of the re-lay.
Below are a series of photos from Mike Hopps.
The Sheffield Park 7B point ends (at the south end of the platforms there) are to be replaced, and these are being assembled at Horsted Keynes. Scaffolding has been erected around Horsted Keynes water tower to enable to replacement of the roof. The tower itself (unlike the adjoining engine/pump house) is in good condition, but with its tank having been removed in BR days, and the roof we fitted 40 years ago now life expired, this work is to secure the future of the building for the future.
Yesterday a working party from University College London (UCL) were helping us with a very accurate survey of the lineside and boundaries to identify structures, track alignment, culverts, drains and access points. This data, when all put together with footage from the drone, will help particularly with the planned duct route from Sheffield Park to Horsted Keynes, and will allow us to update digitally information we already have. The scanner was mounted on the Wickham trailer and the line was surveyed all the way from Leamland Junction (north of Horsted Keynes) to the Pump House siding at the south end of Sheffield Park. Separate readings and scans were taken at intermediate points as well to establish references. This was also done in the Salt Yard at Horsted Keynes and the Loco Yard and the platforms at Sheffield Park.
The drone has a high definition camera and data collected allows images to be overlaid on the topographical scans. The system, even from a moving vehicle and guided by GPS, is accurate to 10Â mm. We managed to get a picture of the drone before it flew away!
Below we see work that is taking place in what will be the car park for the carriage works and Heritage Skills Centre, where kerb stones and drainage channels are being laid out prior to tarmacking. Also shown is an area outside OP4 where several short track panels have been made up with examples of different sleepers, rail, clips and chairs, which will be used by visiting training groups.
There are two sections of track to be re-laid in the new year. The smaller relay, postponed from November, is a short section of around 200 yards immediately north of the Tunnel.
Ballasting of recently re-laid track – 2 February 2022
The 09 provides the motive power for ballast drops from the dogfish hoppers, and the road-railer then acts as a ballast plough.
The photos were taken on 1 February by Kevin Tucker (right and below right) and Jon Goff (below left). The ballast drop was completed on 2 February.
This section of newly relaid track between Lindfield Wood and Waterworks will be tamped next week.
Winter track re-laying:
Joining up the previously re-laid sections. Week 2 – 20 January 2022
The re-laying north of Lindfield Wood has gone well, and the track is joined up again.
Jon Goff’s photo shows the track re-laid, but awaiting final alignment, ballasting and tamping.
The second week’s report with more photos is here (pdf).
There are two sections of track to be re-laid in the new year. The smaller relay, postponed from November, is a short section of around 200 yards immediately north of the Tunnel.
Horsted Keynes Up Inner Home signal – January 2022
Ali Bruce provides this photo showing the culmination of a recent signalling improvement at Horsted Keynes. The new Inner Home, Calling On Signal (with the “C” arm) and Route Indicator are now installed at Horsted Keynes. Due to a shortage of spares for the traditional Westinghouse Signal machines, the new signals are powered by a hydraulically actuated system that has been developed in house. The route indicator is housed in a genuine SR fitting, also an improvement compared to the previous BR-era one as befits the SR-era portrayed at Horsted Keynes.
The entire installation has been the result of a massive team effort by all of the Bluebell S&T with support from others in the Infrastructure department.
The old bracket signal to the right (which was the third on the site in Bluebell days, installed 26 years ago) has been stripped of all its parts and awaits removal. It had become difficult to maintain, and now that the land on the up side no longer slopes steeply away, it was possible to site a more appropriate signal in this location. Because the site is made-up land, the new post is actually 39-ft long, with much of it underground!
Winter track re-laying: Joining up the previously re-laid sections. End of week 1 – 16 January 2022
The re-laying covers 311 yards of track at Milepost 9/1 (between Lindfield Wood and Waterworks), which is the last significant stretch to be re-laid between Sheffield Park and Horsted Keynes, although a section south of Freshfield Bank, and a short section over New Road Bridge remain to be tackled. Jon Goff’s photo shows the track re-lay in progress. You can read the full report here (pdf).
OP4: J-road connected and stock enters last part of the storage shed – August 2021
Bruce Healey’s photos show the inauguration of J-road of OP4 (Operation Undercover Phase 4) on 4 August, with the C&W Works Sentinel shunter breaking an improvised ribbon, and then putting the first carriages (LSWR 494 and SECR/SR 1050) inside the final road of this long-term storage shed.
With huge thanks to Barry Luck, Jon Goff, Mike Hopps, Kevin Tucker, Brian Kidman and Bruce Healey for contributions to this page.
