Homage to 100 years of steam
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STEAM-TRAIN buffers have a treat in store in the centenary celebrations of the Lewes and East Grinstead Railway. The picturesque Bluebell Line from Hprsted Keynes to Sheffield Park is the only surviving part and the Preservation Society is rising to the occasion with special days and locomotive visits.
The ex-GWR Earl of Berkeley will steam again in July, and Stepney, immortalised by the Rev Awdry, is due to take to the rails again on August 1. The two giants, Blackmore Vale and Stowe, will revive memories for many, but the most significant exhibit is perhaps Gladstone, which is 100 years old and hauled expresses from London to Brighton and the South Coast until 1926. It has been lent by the National Railway Museum at York.
Sharpthorn, a locomotive used in the construction of the line in 1882, is on loan from Samuel Williams and Co. Other steam locomotives will make guest appearances during the year. I can think of less interesting guests on the Parkinson show.