Footplate Days and Ways have been running steam engine driving and firing courses on the Bluebell Railway for over twenty years. During this time Clive has made use of a variety of different locomotives and stock to train more than six and a half thousand students who have attended his one day Introductory and five day Stage I and II courses to learn the basics of steam enginemanship.
| Easy when you know... John gives some careful instruction on the operation of the 'C' Class's injector. |
| Just like that: Clive explains how an injector works. |
| The Dukedog: One of the very first courses run at the Bluebell railway with No. 3217 'Earl of Berkeley'. This engine has since been overhauled and is now running as No. 9017. |
| Serious Business: The Dukedog driven and fired by students on a Stage I & II course. (Photo by J. Feltham). |
In 1959 a group of students formed a society to preserve part of the Lewes - East Grinstead line which had closed a year earlier. Thus on the 7th August 1960 the Bluebell Railway began working a short stretch of railway from Sheffield Park to a halt just south of Horsted Keynes. At this stage the line was leased from BR, but by 1968 enough money had been raised to buy the track and the stations at Horsted Keynes and Sheffield Park. Since then the railway has expanded its collection of locomotives and rolling stock and the facilities to restore, repair and maintain them. The railway has been extended through Sharpthorne tunnel to Kingscote station, and it is planned to extend the line as far as East Grinstead within the next couple of years. The trackbed from Horsted Keynes to Ardingly has also been purchased and it is hoped to eventually have a true branch line running over this ground.
For a more information about the Bluebell Railway and details of locomotives and rolling stock visit their website.
| Sheffield Park Station: Headquarters of the Bluebell Railway, Sheffield Park Station is situated on the A275 East Grinstead - Lewes road, about two miles north of its junction with the A272. The route is well signposted from the A22 and A23 main roads. |