Thumper & Shoebox to the Bluebell (207202 & 73133)

[bramling]

You’re both right of course in that “odd” was normal for quite a few years! A 205 or BR design EPB trailer would be the best fit I think.

They could always get another Thumper and couple them together to make a longer train!

There is the motor car from 207203, which I believe remains at the Swindon & Cricklade Railway, paired with a class 205 driving trailer.

 

[fgwrich]

Slightly diverting may own thread for a moment, does anyone happen to know about the Hungerford vehicle? I know there was a former CEP? trailer at a reclamation yard on the outskirts of the town for years, but that since seems to have disappeared.

I would guess that the drivers would prefer the engine at the south end, if the prevailing grade is uphill to East Grinstead. I 'rode shotgun' with a driver on the last DEMU to leave Eastleigh Works to Selhurst. Engine end leading from Eastleigh to the Toilet Pans behind Norwood Junction. After we changed ends the silence was almost deafening!
Pat

I'm not surprised! I was lucky enough to sample many of the NIR 80 Class Thumpers in their final years, and 8090 certainly lived up to it's nickname of 'Ear Basher'. Still, though not being the biggest fan of EE, I'll always remember the amount of shear joy I used to get from flame throwing 4SRKTs. Shame the East Lancs vehicle never had a pair of UK B4s & Motor Bogies put underneath it!

 

[DustyBin]

There is the motor car from 207203, which I believe remains at the Swindon & Cricklade Railway, paired with a class 205 driving trailer.

There were the “tadpole” units back in the day, so there’s a historic precedent for this sort of thing!

 

[colchesterken]

As a long time member I so want to see the VEP running on the line with a 33 or 73

 

[yorksrob]

As a long time member I so want to see the VEP running on the line with a 33 or 73

I'd like to see the VEP running the shuttle from Victoria to East Grinstead, then connecting to the thumper.

What a day out that would be !

 

[DustyBin]

I'd like to see the VEP running the shuttle from Victoria to East Grinstead, then connecting to the thumper.

What a day out that would be !

Yes!

 

[32475]

Yes!

Yes again!!

 

[Graham H]

Yes again!!

Ducking for cover but quickly save a 442 for Victoria to East Croydon shuttle, then the VEP to East Grinstead.....

 

[zwk500]

Ducking for cover but quickly save a 442 for Victoria to East Croydon shuttle, then the VEP to East Grinstead.....

442's fitted with chisels to get through Oxted Tunnel, presumably? (ban on Mk3 bodyshells).

A special event Sunday could theoretically see the VEP doing East Croydon - East Grinstead shuttles though. Anything from Victoria would probably be a 1-shot deal, so Start from Vic in the morning, run down to EG, drop a loco on and take it on to HK or SP, then return to VIC in the evening. Could sell tickets both ways on both legs as a day out in London if they wanted to.

 

[Graham H]

442's fitted with chisels to get through Oxted Tunnel, presumably? (ban on Mk3 bodyshells).

A special event Sunday could theoretically see the VEP doing East Croydon - East Grinstead shuttles though. Anything from Victoria would probably be a 1-shot deal, so Start from Vic in the morning, run down to EG, drop a loco on and take it on to HK or SP, then return to VIC in the evening. Could sell tickets both ways on both legs as a day out in London if they wanted to.

Only the first one through would need chisels surely. but I was only proposing a Vic to East Croydon shuttle for it.....seriously though a heritage connection from Victoria would be a great idea, maybe even if only from South Croydon if there is provision to layover/reverse there and thus avoid the main line.

 

[zwk500]

Only the first one through would need chisels surely. but I was only proposing a Vic to East Croydon shuttle for it.....seriously though a heritage connection from Victoria would be a great idea, maybe even if only from South Croydon if there is provision to layover/reverse there and thus avoid the main line.

South Croydon you'd be turning round in Platform 4, between the slow lines, but very doable with a bit of fiddling. However what you'd really want to do is get to East Croydon P5.

 

[bramling]

I'd like to see the VEP running the shuttle from Victoria to East Grinstead, then connecting to the thumper.

What a day out that would be !

Thinking back to the “Uckfield Gala” events of the 1990s, it was possible to have exactly that. 8VEP from Victoria to Oxted, and then a selection of four DEMU combinations running up and down the Uckfield line every half an hour. Two 2x205s, a pair of 207s one of which was 207017, and of course 1001 completing the line-up. To think that evil Connex arranged this!

 

[yorksrob]

Thinking back to the “Uckfield Gala” events of the 1990s, it was possible to have exactly that. 8VEP from Victoria to Oxted, and then a selection of four DEMU combinations running up and down the Uckfield line every half an hour. Two 2x205s, a pair of 207s one of which was 207017, and of course 1001 completing the line-up. To think that evil Connex arranged this!

I wish I'd not been an impoverished student at the time !

Should we forgive them their hideous livery though (yellow and grey - yuk)

 

[DustyBin]

I wish I'd not been an impoverished student at the time !

Should we forgive them their hideous livery though (yellow and grey - yuk)

Don’t forget the “ghost train” CIGs!

 

[bramling]

I wish I'd not been an impoverished student at the time !

Should we forgive them their hideous livery though (yellow and grey - yuk)

I always thought the Connex livery did actually sit ok on the slam-door trains in its own sort of way. And to be fair their colours were quite well applied to stations including picking out details such as on ironwork, unlike Southern who just splurge their green paint fairly indiscriminately.

I must admit I yearn to travel in a 205 down the Uckfield line again. The unique slightly dusty smell, wood panelling around the windows, being almost deafened passing through the tunnels at Edenbridge and Crowborough, jointed track, and the unique jolt passing over the misaligned bridge between Hurst Green and Edenbridge Town. It certainly won’t go amiss if the Bluebell can recreate some of this.

 

[yorksrob]

Don’t forget the “ghost train” CIGs!

Ah yes, the unfinished ones.

I always thought the Connex livery did actually sit ok on the slam-door trains in its own sort of way. And to be fair their colours were quite well applied to stations including picking out details such as on ironwork, unlike Southern who just splurge their green paint fairly indiscriminately.

I must admit I yearn to travel in a 205 down the Uckfield line again. The unique slightly dusty smell, wood panelling around the windows, being almost deafened passing through the tunnels at Edenbridge and Crowborough, jointed track, and the unique jolt passing over the misaligned bridge between Hurst Green and Edenbridge Town. It certainly won’t go amiss if the Bluebell can recreate some of this.

I thought Southern's two tone green looked beautiful on the slammers. It's a shame only one VEP made it into it.

I too yearn for a 205 - across the Romney Marsh in my case.

 

[paul1609]

In the final days I don’t think any effort was made to orientate the trains any particular way round. Certainly on both Uckfield and Ashford to Hastings it was very much pot luck.

Great news about 207202 going to the Bluebell, it will make a fantastic addition to their line-up.

Dont forget that from 1996 to the end of thumper service Marshlink operated through to Brighton so services reversed at Eastbourne anyway.

442's fitted with chisels to get through Oxted Tunnel, presumably? (ban on Mk3 bodyshells).

A special event Sunday could theoretically see the VEP doing East Croydon - East Grinstead shuttles though. Anything from Victoria would probably be a 1-shot deal, so Start from Vic in the morning, run down to EG, drop a loco on and take it on to HK or SP, then return to VIC in the evening. Could sell tickets both ways on both legs as a day out in London if they wanted to.

Realistically isnt the ban on mk3 bodyshells likely because theyve never been cleared? A class 171 is more or less the same size.

 

[zwk500]

Realistically isnt the ban on mk3 bodyshells likely because theyve never been cleared? A class 171 is more or less the same size.

I don't know for sure, but I believe the Turbostars have a slightly more tapered body than a Mk3 at the bottom. You'd need to speak to a gauging engineering to know exactly what the issues are, but I think the reverse curve is a problem.

 

[gmaguire]

Do thumpers not have type codes, like the CIGs and VEPs etc.?

 

[bramling]

Do thumpers not have type codes, like the CIGs and VEPs etc.?

Yes they do. For example class 205 is 3H, and class 207 3D. In the case of the former it refers to Hampshire, in the latter to Oxted.

My memory may be misremembering, but I have a vague memory the three class 207s which received the CEP trailers were 3DEL?

 

[43096]

Yes they do. For example class 205 is 3H, and class 207 3D. In the case of the former it refers to Hampshire, in the latter to Oxted.

My memory may be misremembering, but I have a vague memory the three class 207s which received the CEP trailers were 3DEL?

And the Hastings units were 6S, 6L and 6B.

 

[Train Maniac]

I'd like to see the VEP running the shuttle from Victoria to East Grinstead, then connecting to the thumper.

What a day out that would be !

Me 4!!
I would totally pay good money for that idea!

 

[fgwrich]

Some Good News!

News time!
This is a piece from Geoff Mee’s address in this months “Bluebell times”

“I am pleased to say that the boards have approved the adoption of the 2 Car Oxted Diesel Multiple Unit ‘Thumper’ 1305 and the Class 73 Electro Diesel locomotive ‘Bluebell Railway’ so there is a lot of organising to do by locomotive engineering director Paul Russell and diesel traction engineering co-ordinator Ben Wetherall to get the Diesel gang mobilised and prepare the space to do the work.
A small minority of people are critical of the introduction of diesel traction which I find frustrating. The Bluebell will always be a predominantly steam railway but some people are stuck in a Time Warp that ends in the 1960s and does not acknowledge that the history of the Southern Railway continues to this day. We are the custodians of that journey through the archive
and the display that we can put on as a living museum.”

https://m.facebook.com/story.php?story_fbid=pfbid0y9VPYg6GiAFwLXbjeT6YBEEN5r24Vn7Anv8naEHH6Y9Ft7jiucSbUoPUZP5d8uCrl&id=100087447292229

 

[yorksrob]

Excellent news - must make a visit when I'm doewn south !

 

[DustyBin]

Excellent news - must make a visit when I'm doewn south !

Indeed. I’ve never visited the Bluebell but now have cause to do so!

 

[zwk500]

Are both the Thumper and 73 still mainline registered? Would be good if the Bluebell has some stock it can use to run railtours through a FOC.

 

[JonathanH]

So the 73 due to arrive is 73133?

 

[Ted633]

Are both the Thumper and 73 still mainline registered? Would be good if the Bluebell has some stock it can use to run railtours through a FOC.

The 73 may well still be, however the Thumper is certainly not!

 

[fgwrich]

So the 73 due to arrive is 73133?

The chosen 73 hasn't been revealed yet. Of the 73s mooted, 73133 is currently owned by Cambrian Transport but currently on hire to Arlington fleet services at Eastleigh. It's quite tired and would need a good overhaul, and Cambrian have recently denied that it is for sale. Ex TSGN 73202 has also been mooted in various circles. It currently has no planned future but, being the Stewarts Lane pet, it is in much better condition than 133, is mainline registered and has no current ties or contracts. I'm sure we'll find out soon enough though.

 

[Techniquest]

I'd like to see the VEP running the shuttle from Victoria to East Grinstead, then connecting to the thumper.

What a day out that would be !

I'd be well up for doing that! Thanks must go out for that video of 207202 as well, that got some nostalgia going on with the NI 450s, and I never got to doing the Thumpers when they were still in service in the South East. A bit late to the party, as I was with the first-gen DMUs in Manchester, missed them by a matter of days I recall.

I haven't been to the Bluebell Railway for some years, I don't actually remember which diesel gala that was. With a Thumper and a 73 on their way in due course, I will soon have a good reason to return!