SECR P Class 323 Bluebell
Encyclopedia
South Eastern and Chatham Railway
P Class
number 323 Bluebell is a preserved British steam locomotive based on the Bluebell Railway
in Sussex
. It holds the distinction of being one of the two engines which worked passenger trains during the first year of the Bluebell Railway Preservation Society
. It was stored out of service at Sheffield Park
, partially dismantled following an aborted overhaul until September 2009, when it entered the works in an attempt to have it operational for the railway's fiftieth anniversary celebrations in August 2010. However the restoration was delayed due to cracks in the firebox backhead. This has now been rectified and Bluebell is expected to enter service in Spring 2011. It is expected to be replaced in the works by sister engine number 27 Primrose. Since withdrawal by British Railways in 1960, it has been a continuous resident on the Bluebell, apart from a spell on loan to the East Somerset Railway
from 1980-1984.East Somerset Railway page for 'Bluebell'
South Eastern and Chatham Railway
The South Eastern and Chatham Railway Companies Joint Management Committee , known by its shorter name of the South Eastern and Chatham Railway was a working union of two neighbouring rival railways, the South Eastern Railway and London, Chatham and Dover Railway , that operated services between...
P Class
SECR P Class
The South Eastern and Chatham Railway P Class is a class of 0-6-0T steam locomotive designed by Harry Wainwright.They were inspired by, and loosely based on, the more successful LB&SCR A1 Class "Terriers" and eight were built in 1909 and 1910. They were originally intended for lightweight...
number 323 Bluebell is a preserved British steam locomotive based on the Bluebell Railway
Bluebell Railway
The Bluebell Railway is a heritage line running for nine miles along the border between East and West Sussex, England. Steam trains are operated between and , with an intermediate station at .The railway is managed and run largely by volunteers...
in Sussex
Sussex
Sussex , from the Old English Sūþsēaxe , is an historic county in South East England corresponding roughly in area to the ancient Kingdom of Sussex. It is bounded on the north by Surrey, east by Kent, south by the English Channel, and west by Hampshire, and is divided for local government into West...
. It holds the distinction of being one of the two engines which worked passenger trains during the first year of the Bluebell Railway Preservation Society
Bluebell Railway
The Bluebell Railway is a heritage line running for nine miles along the border between East and West Sussex, England. Steam trains are operated between and , with an intermediate station at .The railway is managed and run largely by volunteers...
. It was stored out of service at Sheffield Park
Sheffield Park railway station
Sheffield Park is the southern terminus of the Bluebell Railway and also the headquarters of the line. It is located on the southern bank of the River Ouse and is also situated on the Greenwich Meridian....
, partially dismantled following an aborted overhaul until September 2009, when it entered the works in an attempt to have it operational for the railway's fiftieth anniversary celebrations in August 2010. However the restoration was delayed due to cracks in the firebox backhead. This has now been rectified and Bluebell is expected to enter service in Spring 2011. It is expected to be replaced in the works by sister engine number 27 Primrose. Since withdrawal by British Railways in 1960, it has been a continuous resident on the Bluebell, apart from a spell on loan to the East Somerset Railway
East Somerset Railway
The East Somerset Railway is a heritage railway in Somerset, running between Cranmore and Mendip Vale. Prior to the Beeching Axe, the railway ran from Witham to Wells, meeting both the Cheddar Valley line and Somerset and Dorset Joint Railway at the latter station.- History :The line was...
from 1980-1984.East Somerset Railway page for 'Bluebell'