#bluebellrailway — Public Fediverse posts

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Bluebell Railway: Diesel Gala 2026

For steam engine fans, this summer has been long and at least a little disappointing. For a start, warmer weather means the exhaust coming out of the chimneys is never as impressive as spring, autumn or, if you’re really lucky, a sunny winters morning hovering close to freezing. This summer was worse, because the weeks-long drought meant that eventually steam operations were banned across much of the country, because the lineside vegetation had become so dry it was basically tinder.

This has meant that the usual summer gala at the Bluebell Railway – which last year was their 65th anniversary, and this year would have been another home gala called Bluebell on Parade – was cancelled outright, and all services were replaced by diesels. That’s why it’s been over a month since my last post with steam in it. This is a railway post – but there will still be no steam, because September is the month of the Bluebell Railway Diesel Gala.

This year, thanks to a relatively new phenomenon in my life called other kid’s birthday parties, I was only able to attend the Sunday of the event, the first time in two years I’ve only done a single day at a multi-day Bluebell gala. I would, however, reunite with a few of my lineside friends for the first time in a while – Chailey Stowe, South East Classic Rail, 72B Photography and Sharpthorne Steam, the latter of whom I’d not been out shooting with since the Bluebell Spring Gala almost six months prior.

We all started our day at the buffers south of Horsted Keynes station, which is a great spot to start the day, with the sun coming in nicely from the east. You do often take your chances as locomotives, whether diesel- or coal-powered, can often let off the power on approach to the station. There would be little risk of that this morning, as the locomotive we were waiting for, 03179 Clive, was a shunter engine not coming in that fast anyway.

Clive is seen here in the iconic red, white and blue Network SouthEast livery. This year marks the 40th anniversary of NSE, and the gala had this as a loose theme to celebrate. It certainly piqued my interest in the event, as the old NSE livery takes me back to my childhood days with Network SouthEast trains passing by the end of my garden. Not everything would be in the iconic livery at the gala, but there was at least a healthy contingent.

With Clive safely in the station compound, where she’d be doing brake van rides for much of the day, we headed north, where we’d wait at the Horsted House Farm foot crossing for the next service, which would be pulled by Class 33 33108, a locomotive that may seem familiar from last year’s gala.

This spot was working quite nicely for us so we stayed here for a bit. First, I shot the Hastings unit 1001 travelling away from us (mainly because it looks mostly the same forwards or backwards, with the exception of its one green carriage, but since the unit was heading south and the green coach was on the southern end, it looked nicer going away).

Next would be one of the other visitors, Class 60 60028 doubleheading with one of the Class 31s, 31210.

We then decided to move, heading south towards Three Arch Bridge. There, we saw the railway’s own E6040 The Bluebell Railway top-and-tailing with NSE-liveried visitor 73128, with a consist of the observation coach and visiting luggage van 9002.

We held here for the next service, which was the Hasting unit coming back north.

We then headed further south towards Holywell, the spot where I shot the banner image for the Bluebell Spring Gala. There, we shot another doubleheader, as 33108 led 31108.

We returned north, and this time stopped to shoot 31108 coming back south on its own. This is not a shot you would normally want to get with a steam locomotive, as this is a downhill section where the engine would not be working very hard, but the difference is not that apparent with a diesel.

One of the locomotives I was most interested in seeing was Class 50 50026 Indomitable, because it’s a big, boxy-looking thing in splendid Network SouthEast livery. Unfortunately she had many problems over the weekend, so on the Sunday we were out she was late to the party, and then couldn’t be trusted on her own at any point – but at least we got to see her out and about. We eventually saw her at Freshfield Bank, where she was being escorted by 31108.

We hung around at Freshfield Bank for a while. The next train was the Hastings unit coming up north which, as has already been documented, meant that the funny green coach was at the back out of sight.

We then used the opportunity to shoot another diesel-only angle, as the two Class 31s came back south. We positioned ourselves on the south side of Town Place Bridge to shoot them.

We headed back a little closer to the bridge for the next train, which was headed by 73128 The Kent and East Sussex Railway, one of the few times we’ve gotten good view of her so far.

We didn’t move far for the next service, which was 31108 bringing a train back north.

Keen eyes might recognise a noted diesel spotter and nascent car show entity sticking a head out of one of the windows.

By this point, things were beginning to wind down, and we didn’t have many services left in the day. We decided to head back to Horsted Keynes, based on suggestions that all of the Network SouthEast liveried visitors would be there at the same time later that afternoon. We arrived at the station to quickly realise that the Class 50, which we thought wouldn’t be going anywhere, was in fact getting ready to depart. With a timetable full of swapped diagrams and a handful of delays thanks to the odd troublesome locomotive, we had lost track of what was doing what and where. We hotfooted it to a spot just south of Leland Bridge to shoot the departure.

Spur of the moment, because both 72B and South East Classic suggested doing the same thing, I changed my settings for a zooming pan shot. In the tiny snippet of time I had I only changed the shutter speed, not the aperture, so the shot came out pretty overexposed. I was able to recover most of it, although it’s still clearly not quite right.

With only one service left, a final Class 31 doubleheader, we headed back north along the footpath to capture it was Horsted House Bridge.

Once again I took a swing at a pan-zoom, although this time I made sure to switch over to Shutter Priority to let the camera worry about the aperture.

It didn’t work quite as well, but I’m happy with the result.

We headed back to Horsted Keynes to see if there was any sign of a gathering, but nothing took form (there was something of that nature later on, after the event had finished). I did grab a final shot of the Class 50 coming back into the station, but without a clear view I decided to embrace the people on platform for the shot.

With most of the services having now run, and with us having a deadline to get back to drop off our hi-viz vests, we headed back to base, and then headed home.

I do enjoy the diesel gala as something a bit different. It’s not a patch on steam of course, but it’s nice to see a variety of different locomotives running and making a different sort of noise. That said, the diesels at the Bluebell last way more than a weekend thanks to the steam ban. Luckily, rain has since come, and the weekend after I rejoined several of these friends to shoot some steam in action – for me, after a break of almost three months.

Our next gala will be the big one, Giants of Steam, and this year it’s got some cool visitors. But you’ll have to wait to see the post for that one.

As ever, I’ve got a few extra shots among the images in the gallery below.

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Bluebell Railway: Model Railway Weekend 2026

It’s time once again for what, in 2026, has become a monthly visit to the Bluebell Railway. In March we had the Spring Gala, in April I went bluebell hunting, in May there was the Road Meets Rail event, and this time, for June, I’m back again for the Model Railway Weekend, another event more akin to Road Meets Rail than a full-scale gala. I hadn’t intended every other post to be one from the railway, but that, for now, is how things are shaping up.

Although the Model Railway Weekend is primarily an exhibition of model railway layouts, as well as featuring stalls from sellers and resellers, I’ll be honest from the outset that’s not what I was there for, so there isn’t any model railway content in this post. I’d have loved to have spent a bit more time looking at the layouts, and maybe even let myself be tempted by a model or two, but my focus, ultimately, was the real locomotives running on the day.

My day started by meeting up with Chailey Stowe and 72B Photography to sign out our vests. 72B and I planned to wing it together for the day, whilst Chailey was doing his usual thing of running up and down the line like a madman getting clips from all over the place. With the admin done, we briefly had a wander around some of the loco sheds having a skim of some of the layouts being set up, and saying a quick hello to Stepney, famous for his appearance in the Railway Series, on a rare excursion from his usual pen. With that done, Chailey headed off, whilst 72B and I headed down to the platform, with the idea being we’d start out by wandering up the line from Sheffield Park and figure things out as we went along.

On Platform 1, 2999 Lady of Legend was already in steam, ready for the day. With not many people in the way, I grabbed a shot of the roaring fire.

As we headed down to the lineside entrance, I looked back and shot one of the crew talking to a member of the public. It’s a nice shot, but because of how prominent the other person is, I’m not sure if I’ll include it as one of my weekly ‘Crew Tuesday’ posts on Instagram.

Then it was time to trek up the line a bit and find our spot for the first departure. We settled on a corner a little further south than usual, on the southern side of Ketches Wood, based on the theory that if we went any further north the light would be behind the loco, or we’d be in the shade of the wood, and that it was a warm enough morning that we’d not lose the locomotive in a cloud of steam, as can often happen on colder mornings this close to Sheffield Park. Luckily, it paid off. I say luckily, I mean thanks to our skill and experience. Obviously.

With it being high summer, the dramatic exhaust that has become the hallmark of my rail photography is nowhere to be seen – not helped by the fact that we were out only a couple of days removed from a rare Met Office Red Warning for extreme heat. It is the main downside of shooting trains in the summer. I’ll definitely be happier when the autumn comes, at least as far as my photography is concerned. Although it’s also a little more pleasant to be out exposed to the elements in autumn than in high summer too.

Despite the lack of exhaust, this still proved to be one of the runs where I was very happy with most of the shots I got from it. Some select choices are here, but there are a few more in the gallery at the end of this post.

This next shot, however, is probably my favourite. A little by accident I ended up replicating the shot that has become my profile picture for my rail photography across social media.

All in all then, a decent start to the day. Not bad for two guys without a plan.

We headed up the line to find a spot for the next service, and settled on a spot very close to my lucky spot at the corner of Ketches Wood. The idea here was that the mottled light coming through the trees would make for an interesting shot.

Somewhat unusually, the next service would be a light engine movement, as 32424 Beachy Head needed to head up to Horsted Keynes to collect the coaching stock she’d be using for the day. The quirk of a light engine movement is that, as there’s no passengers to wait for, the service can set off as soon as the section is clear, so can potentially be early if the preceding service made good time to Horsted. Which is why, as I was still working to clear some flora to clean up my shot, 72B pointed out that Beachy was already bearing down on us. This meant a quick hop to grab my camera and start my video recording. In the rush my camera caught on my bag, slipped out of my hand, and landed on a stray bit of ballast, so my camera now has a small war wound – perhaps surprisingly, its first one, considering the unforgiving nature of the lineside environment it spends a lot of its time in.

Despite the rush and the warm air, we still got some decent exhaust, which was backlit nicely by the light through the trees.

With the light engine movement out of the way, we had a little more time to make progress up the line. We decided that Freshfield Bank would be the ideal spot for the next train, pulled by 73082 Camelot. This area is quite open and exposed to the elements – it’s not called Freshfield for nothing – so we took some time to figure out the locations for our next shot in a lovely, cooling breeze. Panning shots out in the field were debated, but ultimately we settled on a slightly more front-on shot, from a spot that I don’t think I’ve technically used before.

We didn’t venture far for the next service, which was comparatively not far behind, as it was a shuttle service only operating between Sheffield Park and Horsted Keynes. For this shot we split up; 72B headed out into the field, whilst I positioned myself down in the cutting near Town Place Bridge. I’ve done this spot a few times before, but this time I followed the light, and stood on the up side of the line. Although I was still in a position of safety, the track is closer to the embankment on this side so the angle was a little steeper, and I had to position myself carefully to ensure the crew of the locomotive could see me. It made for a slightly different shot.

Thanks partly to some indecision, we stayed in this area for the next service. Beachy was running in a top-and-tail consist with 72 Fenchurch, operating the shuttle service between Sheffield Park and Horsted; Beachy was on the north end of the train, pulling it towards Horsted, whilst Fenchurch was on the south end, pulling it back towards Sheffield Park. This meant the train could run between the stations with minimal turnaround time, because there’s no need to shunt a locomotive from one end of the train to the other. For us, this also meant the train would be running back southbound not long after it had gone by northbound – good for having more things to photograph, not good for drastically changing your location between runs. So we stayed here, and ventured out into the field to get a wide shot of Fenchurch‘s first southbound run of the day.

With the spot working well for us, and no better ideas coming to mind, we stayed at Freshfield for the next train, which would be Lady of Legend on her second run of the day. For this, I decided to stand out in the field and get a low shutter panning shot, which came out quite nice.

This shot was posted to my Instagram just over a week ago and has already become my second-most liked photography-based post.

To change things up a bit, for the next shot we trekked up the line towards the broken bridge, thinking we could probably get some decent shots of Beachy on the power south of the bridge, and then Fenchurch on the power north of it. We split up a bit, with 72B going right up to the bridge, while I stayed a bit further south where I hoped Beachy would be more likely to be putting down power. Ultimately we were both a little disappointed, but we weren’t exactly expecting much in the heat.

With the quick turnaround at Horsted we didn’t have too long to wait before the shuttle came back.

For Camelot‘s next run we headed back to Freshfield Bank again. 72B elected to go more front-on, whereas I went wide. I’d originally intended for another panning shot, but time was not on my side and I had to just drop my stuff and run to get a decent, yet more traditional shot.

I then reunited with 72B, who had himself reunited with Chailey Stowe and The Southerner. The latter quickly headed off for another shot elsewhere, whilst Chailey, 72B and I waited for the next run of the shuttle.

Having no better plans (the theme for the day), 72B and I then decided to tag along with Chailey up to Horsted Keynes by car, in order to head up to Vaux End Bridge for the next run by Lady of Legend.

At this point Chailey headed off for another shot, and 72B and I realised we were a bit stuck, as my car was still back at Sheffield Park. We headed back to Horsted Keynes station to get some water and look at some stalls, with the idea being we’d catch a train back to base. Before long, however, Chailey let us know he’d completed whatever shot he had left to do, and was coming back to the station, giving us the freedom for some extra shots at this part of the line. We headed just south of Leamland Bridge, thinking that the trees might give us some interesting mottled light for the next northbound departure. In the end, Camelot was in full sunlight, although she was on the up line closest to us which was not entirely ideal.

Originally, 72B and I had thought to head back to Sheffield Park to shoot the last few departures of the day back closer to Ketches Wood. We weren’t particularly wedded to this idea though, so when Chailey suggested heading to Three Arch Bridge we went with it.

Sadly the temperature had risen to the point there was barely a hint of exhaust. At least the sun came out and helped bring out the colours of the flowers lining the track.

The spot worked well enough that we decided to stay here for the final northbound service of the day.

Despite the lack of exhaust, all told it was a decent day. I got good shots of every train we saw, and I survived the heat. That said, I do much prefer shooting in autumn and am looking forward to Giants of Steam in October when the exhaust should be back in droves.

As always, there are a few extra shots of many of the passes in the gallery below.

Bluebell Railway: Road Meets Rail 2026

We are technically in a lull period for galas at the Bluebell Railway. The last one was the Spring Gala back in March, and the next is not until the start of August. The gap, though, is filled with smaller events, which typically do not feature any visiting locomotives, but usually feature a slightly more interesting timetable and some other attractions to tempt people in. One such event, back in May, was the Road Meets Rail event, that celebrates road steam as well as rail steam, giving demonstrations of old steam-powered industry from back in the day.

I hadn’t originally intended to attend this event, but I woke up in the morning with nice weather and nothing else to do so at the last minute decided to head out, with only the vaguest idea of a plan. So as ever I headed to Sheffield Park, signed out a vest, and then headed to Horsted Keynes, which would be the epicentre of the event. I had decided to start my day at the Horsted House Farm foot crossing, where I knew a bunch of my friends would also be. Immediately there were a few challenges, the first of which was getting briefly stuck behind a steam-powered lorry moving at about 6mph, and the second being the fact that the car park at Horsted was being used for the event, so I had to make use of an overflow car park in a field outside the station, which added a fair bit to my walk to the crossing.

I still arrived with a decent amount of time before the first train, which admittedly I wasn’t too bothered about anyway since it would be 80151, a tank engine, running bunker-first. Already there at the crossing were 72b Photography, Chailey Stowe, Southeast Classic Rail, and another photographer called Neil who I first met over two years ago, back at my very first lineside training course. Joining us shortly later would be tangoh21, who has recently started posting their stuff to Instagram too.

Soon enough, 80151 came along. Although it was May, it was still a bit chilly, meaning we were getting some nice exhaust.

Most of us weren’t really there for the tank engine, if we’re honest. The next train along would be № 65 pulling the railways’ goods demonstration set, and since she picked that up at Horsted Keynes itself this was one of the earliest spots to be able to see her.

Being one of the last to arrive, I didn’t get the best pick of spots, and I do think I ended up a little too tight on the track for a train where the most interesting part is the rolling stock. I still got a nice shot, helped in no small part by the fact the light played its part.

At this point, Southeast Classic Rail and 72b headed off to Rock Cutting in order to shoot 80151 coming back down the line, I stayed at the crossing, as the next train up would be 34059 Sir Archibald Sinclair, which is my favourite locomotive at the railway, and not one I’d photographed in this spot before, so I remained here with Chailey Stowe and Tango.

While we were waiting, 80151 came back down the line past us. We knew she wouldn’t be on power at this point, but it did present an opportunity to photograph her amongst some lovely spring daisies.

With the train crossover taking place at Horsted Keynes, we didn’t have long to wait before Archie came up past us.

With Archie gone by and a little time before the next interesting service, Chailey, Tango and I decided to head to Horsted Keynes and explore the road steam event. Here, there was a load of steam-powered road machinery on display, most of which in steam and in a functional state. The first vehicle we stopped to photograph turned out to be the steam-powered lorry that had briefly held me up on my way to the station.

With many of the vehicles parked and stationary, I had the opportunity for some more abstract closeups. In editing, I’ve edited a few for a more artsy style that brings out the textures of these aged and weathered machines.

There was also several traditional steam traction engines, including this big one.

Some of them were smaller but even more eye-catching, like this one that was bright orange with a chrome nose.

There was also a stall offering blacksmith experiences. It gave me the opportunity to get some interesting closeups with the orange glow of the fire.

I shot a little underexposed to get detail in the glowing fire. In the edit, I further emphasised it with some contrast, and adjusting the texture and clarity sliders to bring out the lovely little sparks. The photo above was also shot in landscape, but cropped into portrait. The shot below is closer to the original framing.

I also got a shot of part of the earlier steam traction engine. It brought some more detail, but because I was shooting in Aperture Priority I ended up using a bit of a short shutter and getting some unintended motion blur.

I continued to wander around, and saw this lovely little red traction engine.

What I like about this this shot is that even the woman in the background is dressed the part – although that’s a little undermined by the modern coffee cup next to her.

Once again I spent a little time on the details of this machine.

At this point the engine’s flywheel was spinning pretty fast, which I tried to capture, but for some reason that might or might not have been laziness I still shot in aperture priority, but even so, motion is visible at 1/200th.

Nearby, another traction engine was using its flywheel to power some sort of agricultural machine. Given its colours, in the edit I elected to bring out the black and the orangey-brown.

Nearby there was a slightly more modern blue internal combustion tractor. I chose to focus on one of its headlights, edited using some presets to bring out the blue, and used a mask to add detail to the headlight itself.

In the main part of the carpark, more advanced demonstrations were underway, including a roadbuilding one.

This steamroller distracted me for a while. For a start, it looked the part, as did its driver.

One of the other things that caught my eye was the underside of the steamroller. Hanging below it were a red lantern and a blue lantern, right next to valves that were periodically letting off steam. First I got a closeup of the lanterns, alongside some of the other mechanisms, and edited the shot to bring out the colours.

Then I got a bit distracted trying to time my shots to get some nice bursts of steam.

Nearby, other old-fashioned steam-powered roadbuilding equipment was on display.

Another steamroller was also nearby and moving around.

In the background of this shot you can see the pile of coal used to power these machines, which was worth a closer look, mostly because I loved the texture on the old wheelbarrow.

The roadbuilding demo was dominated by a steamroller rolling a load of bricks flat into a road surface.

It made for a nice sight, other than the anachronistic ear defenders hanging on the back of the steamroller.

Perhaps the most impressive demonstration, however, was the logging demo. Here, a traction engine powered a large saw from its flywheel, which was being used to cut a large log in half. Firstly, I shot the engine, and this time I remembered to switch to shutter priority mode to capture more movement in the flywheel.

Then, I did the same for the saw blade itself.

The log being sawed in half was not small by any means, and made for an impressive sight as saw met lumber.

I admit the face of the man winding the log through the saw is a bit unflattering, but it shows the effort being put in – plus I love the details of the sawdust flying everywhere. The sawdust was even more prominent in these next few shots.

One of the other men in this demo also really looked the part.

Then I spent a little bit of time photographing the traction engine powering this demo, starting with a side-on view, again shot in shutter priority to maximise the motion of the flywheel.

The dashboard of the engine was also beautifully aged.

At this point, Chailey and Tango went off together to Freshfield Bank. I decided I wanted to shoot the next service coming into Horsted Keynes at Three Arch Bridge, which would be № 65 on another goods run.

When the goods set had gone by previously, I’d noticed that one of the trucks had an old tractor on it, but missed getting a shot. This time I was a bit more ready.

Yes, that is an upturned tin of beans on top of the exhaust pipe. I assume, given it was a day that threatened patches of rain, that it was there to keep water out of the exhaust system.

I elected to stay in this spot for the next train, which would be Sir Archibald Sinclair‘s next run. For this, I decided to try a shot I’d thought of whilst out at a previous gala. Thanks to the way the track curves, it is possible to stand in a position of safety while still being able to see straight down the track through the bridge – a bit like at my long-used spot at Ketches Wood. You can only do this in certain places, as funnily enough they tend frown on people standing in the four foot as a train bears down on them.

My position was also such that I could still take a few steps to the right and get a more side-on view as the train came by, getting the both of both worlds – especially with a lens than can go from 300mm to 28mm very quickly.

Given it was due soon, I stayed in this spot again for the next train, which would see 80151 heading back south. I had hoped – but again not expected – for the locomotive to be doing some work as she got up to speed out of the station, but with it being a downhill gradient she disappointingly shut off before she got anywhere near us. Even so, I do like this shot for the dramatic sky, the reflections on the engine, and the spring daisies.

For the last two public trains of the day, I decided to drive back to Sheffield Park to trek up to my trusty old spot at Ketches Wood. The dynamic of that spot has changed a lot since last year, as the track was relaid in January and with it, the temporary 10mph speed restriction that made for great shots as the locomotives opened up once they passed the limit. Now, the trains run along the new stretch of track at 25mph line speed, making some new shots possible (and for the first time makes the spot interesting for videographers). So for the next run of the goods train, I positioned myself slightly closer to Sheffield Park, in what is a new spot for me.

I also snuck another shot of the bean can-topped tractor.

For the last train, which would be Archie again, I returned to my old faithful spot at the corner where the track curves round towards the climb up Freshfield Bank. As I said, this time the locomotive would be putting some effort in from further away.

The lack of temporary restriction does make the corner a little less dramatic, but there’s still plenty of exhaust as the locomotive makes the climb up the gradient.

And as ever, with a quick change of zoom I could get a wide shot as she went past. This is a spot I used to shoot with my 100-500mm, but the tightness at the lower end of that zoom range meant that I would often lose a shot of the actual pass.

And with that, it was the end of my day. I walked back to Sheffield Park, turned in my vest and went home.

I hadn’t actually intended to make this its own post. Since this is not a major gala, I had expected to do what I did last year and have so far been doing this year – put them into one bit medley post saved for the end of the year. But with all the extra vehicles on show, it became obvious this was big enough for a post of its own, especially as I’m pretty pleased with all of the road steam shots (and if I’m honest, the shots are better than almost all of the shots I got in April on my bluebell excursion. On that front, this set feels like a reassuring return to form.

As ever, there are a few extra shots in the gallery below.

More Bluebells at the Bluebell

Bluebell season is starting to wane; the bluebells are slowly dying out as their brief time in the sun comes to a close for another year. Here on Creative Splurges though, we’re still very much enjoying their presence. Last time we saw a bunch of owls amongst the bluebells. Now it’s time to look at something altogether different amongst the blue flowers.

Last year, I took what is now my annual trek to the Bluebell Railway to photograph the bluebells at the start of May. Although by all accounts the bluebells sprouted earlier this year, I think I went out a little too late last time. Although they were still present in decent patches, the ferns were beginning to take over, ultimately softening the colours. I also didn’t exactly travel the track much, only making it from Sheffield Park to the broken bridge.

This year, I went out a bit earlier, in the middle of April. I also had a companion this time in frequent collaborator 72B Photography. Like last time we started out at Sheffield Park, and decided to trek up the line, this time with the hope of getting to Lindfield Wood – usually a reliable bluebell area – in time to shoot the lunchtime train, by which point the sun should have moved enough for the light to be good.

The first decent patches of bluebells we found were up near Ketches Wood. With a bit of time to make decisions before the first train came along. we were first distracted by the impressive fields of bluebells that lined the railway.

It was a little annoying – but entirely expected – that these bluebells all lined the track beyond the fence boundary, meaning there would be no way that we could get into a position to shoot the trains with them included. It was a shame, since the patches were so dense.

So with that in mind, we continued looking for a patch we could use.

Ultimately we settled on a patch near the signal that had previously marked the end of the temporary speed restriction out of the station. Although I’ve shot many trains at this location, it’s never been from this angle – I’m usually further away. We realised at the time that the light would not be ideal, as it would largely be behind the locomotive, but we decided we couldn’t get to another, better-located patch before the service was due. We did, however, earmark a different spot for the way back, when the light would be on the right side.

Soon, long-term loaner locomotive 2999 Lady of Legend came chuffing around the corner.

Compared to my usual settings, I shot at f/8 to get more of the bluebells in focus (or at least, less out-of-focus). As you can see though, the light really fought against me. The exhaust is equal parts shady and blown out, and the locomotive looks flat and dull. Ultimately, I am disappointed with my results from this pass, although I’m not exactly sure what I could have done better (other than picking a slightly different location).

We carried on up the line past Freshfield Bank (where there were very few bluebells) and before long reached the broken bridge. Considering this was basically the limit of my previous year’s saunter I was pleased we managed to make it before the second train of the day, but it does beg the question of how I managed to cover so little ground last time. I can only assume I was trying to get back home by a particular time – either that, or it’s just the fact I knew so much less of the line then than I do now. We decided on a spot just before the bridge, concerned that there would be less patches a reasonable distance up ahead, and we wanted to get the light from the right direction whilst still being somewhere where the locomotive would be putting down power. There is so much to think about when trying to get good shots of steam trains – part of the reason, I suspect, that I like to go out on the railway with other people who can help with the thinking.

The next train would be pulled by 73082 Camelot. Annoyingly she wasn’t working too hard by the time she came round the corner.

We’d positioned ourselves next to a patch of bluebells next to an old hut. Annoyingly there was a bit of a dead spot which I didn’t entirely manage to conceal.

This shot would go on to become one of the first shots used by the Bluebell Railway’s social media team.

Annoyingly again the light didn’t entirely play ball. As you might expect for a spring day, conditions were changeable. It was often hit-or-miss as to if a cloud would pass by just when the train did. It was also a decently warm day, which means that the dramatic exhaust I love to capture would be largely non-existent (save for the earlier first train of the day). So I’m happy enough with this shot but I certainly feel it could have been better.

After Camelot had passed by, we then had a little over an hour to make the rest of the journey up to Lindfield Wood. The bridge was roughly the halfway point between Sheffield Park and the wood, so we knew we had the time, but all the same, covering another mile and a half is always a bit tricky when walking along a railway line.

After a brief distraction escorting a trespasser off the line at Rock Cutting and a short pause for Lady of Legend to come back down the line (which, as is typical, we didn’t bother to photograph), we eventually made it to Lindfield Wood.

The wood was everything we’d hoped for. The embankment on the side of the line we’d need to be on for the light was engulfed in bluebells. The challenge was finding the right spot to maximise their coverage. There were two other photographers there too, and we all ended up lining up in a spot. Luckily one of the other photographers was also a lineside volunteer and so happily cleared away a bunch of the non-bluebell flora for a cleaner shot. At some point I need to remember to pack a set of secateurs whenever I’m lineside for the same purpose.

Before long Lady of Legend came along on her second train of the day.

Unfortunately the atmospheric conditions meant there was no exhaust at all. It didn’t help that the crew also shut off as they came round the corner, although once they saw us they gave the regulator a good shove because the noise got substantially louder, but sadly there was no extra exhaust alongside it.

With that pass done, we held firm. The spot was ideal, and old Victorian locomotive № 65 would be along not long after pulling the Wealden Rambler afternoon tea coaches. The green locomotive with the blood and custard rolling stock promised to compliment the bluebells beautifully.

Even better, as she came round the corner, she even was throwing out some exhaust.

She kept the exhaust on all the way past us.

As you might imagine I’m pretty happy with these images – they are exactly the shots I had set out to get. My one complaint, after comparing to 72B’s shots which were shot from a stool, is that the nearest rail, and with it the bottoms of the wheels, disappear behind the bluebells. Ideally I’d have preferred to be able to see a bit of ballast between the rail and the flowers, but that is only with the benefit of hindsight.

With this service now passed, we had only two services left in the day. 72B and I agreed that our priority would be to get back to Ketches Wood in time for the last service of the day pulled by Lady, and that we’d just shoot Camelot wherever we happened to encounter her.

It turned out that we’d encounter her at Rock Cutting. We didn’t expect much, given the general lack of exhaust and the fact this spot is not typically on the power.

I am a bit annoyed I managed to blow out the sky in this shot. I think I need to start deliberately underexposing by a stop or so and see if I get better results, especially now there is less exhaust to use as an exposure point.

We then continued on our journey back to Ketches Wood. When we reached the broken bridge, we decided to take a pause and give Lady of Legend a chance to come back down the line. There was a decent patch of bluebells on the other side of the bridge (and the other side of the line) which we hadn’t used that morning because it was in the wrong place for light, for seeing the locomotive do any work, and even just getting a good angle on the engine. Given that it was a shot of Lady going tender-first and the sun was generally staying in, we figured it was a shot better than nothing.

Whilst we waited, I caught sight of a bee buzzing around the bluebells, and got a bit distracted trying to catch a decent shot of it.

Soon Lady came by – although typically, the sun came out when we didn’t really want it to.

We then got on with heading back down past Freshfield Bank to Ketches Wood. We made it in good enough time to figure out the spot to use. Whilst we were waiting, № 65 came back down towards Sheffield Park tender-first, and since we had a patch of bluebells to use for the angle, we made sure to photograph it too.

Soon, it was time for Lady to come back north.

That was the last outbound service that day, so we headed back towards Sheffield Park call it a day. On the way, I took a quick snap of the signal gantry outside the station.

This trip was good for thinking differently about my composition. Usually I’m mainly focussed on the locomotive, but with the bluebells I was forced into making sure there is more environment included too.

That said, I think I was a bit disappointed by these shots. A lot of them haven’t come out as good as they felt in the moment, and I think I could have done better, although they’re better than last year to be sure. At time of posting I haven’t actually been out on the railway since this trip due to the rest of life, but I’m keen to get back out soon and get myself back in the groove.

As ever, I have included more shots from this trek in the gallery below.

Sonic the Hedgehog returns to Sussex railway next weekend http://dlvr.it/TSMh5r #BluebellRailway #EastGrinstead #EastSussex #HorstedKeynes

Bluebell Railway: Spring Gala 2026

It’s Easter, which is prime spring gala season in the heritage railway world. Many railways like to run galas at this time of year, running more intensive timetables and bringing in guest locomotives to attract crowds. In previous years, the Bluebell Railway has run what they call a Branch Line gala in the spring, but this year they ran a more general spring gala, presumably to free themselves from working to a ‘branch line’ theme.

As is now traditional for me at a Bluebell gala, I attended the Friday and Saturday of the event, and would once again mostly be rolling with Sharpthorne Steam and 72B Photography (although our little lineside crew is getting bigger, with both Chailey Stowe and SouthEast Classic Rail now also holders of the orange vest).

We started the weekend at Freshfield Bank, which is also a very popular spot for people on the fence side of the line. There are usually a couple of choices when shooting here: out in the field for a wide shot, or lineside with a more front-on shot. This time out I went for the lineside shot. Although it was a sunny day it was a hazy morning, so I decided to edit this shot in monochrome to cover up the slightly pale colours. The first locomotive was one of the visitors for the event, British Railways standard 4 75069.

As has also now become standard, I was shooting in Manual Mode (with auto ISO) and mostly using my 28-300mm “railway lens” for the freedom to shoot both zoomed in (as above) and wide angle (so below).

The good thing about spring galas is the weather is still usually good for lovely exhaust.

We headed north to a spot known as Holywell. It’s just south of the s-bend near Waterworks I’m quite partial to. There we readied for the arrival of 75069’s big sister, resident locomotive 73082 Camelot.

As I opened up the angle, all the factors aligned for this next shot.

Lovely exhaust, beautiful morning light, blue skies, a locomotive perfectly matched to a set of gorgeous rolling stock, and if you’re really picky (and I’m usually not, but I can’t help but notice it) the wheel connecting rod is in the more aesthetically pleasing downward position. I didn’t realise it at the time, but this is probably one of the better shots I got all weekend.

One of the challenges of this gala was that several of the locomotives running would be facing south. There aren’t as many spots to capture a south-facing steam engine working as there are north-facing ones, so it’s harder to get into the right spots. We tried to make it south to shoot 80151 at a decent spot but decided we had ran out of time, so we ended up shooting her coasting.

We then travelled by car up to Horsted Keynes and headed north, so shoot the next northbound train, which would be 34059 Sir Archibald Sinclair on a stonking run, come under Horsted House Bridge.

This was one of the best runs of the weekend. My photos don’t really do it justice, but luckily as ever I also took some video too.

https://www.instagram.com/reel/DWHbkAjDI4N/

We headed north, eventually meeting up with The Southerner who was also out. We trekked up in the general direction of the southern portal of Sharpthorne Tunnel. The idea was to try shooting a locomotive coming out of Courtland Wood. That locomotive ended up being 80151, which as she would be coming bunker-first, made it a little bit of a throwaway shot. It worked quite nicely though – definitely one to try again.

We then headed back south a little, to catch 75069 just north of Vaux End Bridge, running through the s-bend where we’d shot Sir Archie on New Year’s Day. With the longer shot, I broke out my bigger 100-500mm telephoto.

On the footplate of this locomotive over the weekend was a Bluebell volunteer who originally fired this very engine back in the BR days, making this a nice reunion of man and locomotive. He can be seen on the right of the shot below.

From here, we returned to the car and headed up the line towards Kingscote station. We headed to just south of the station, where we encountered SouthEast Classic Rail, and waited for the other visitor, W8 Freshwater, doubleheading with 72 Fenchurch, to arrive from the south.

The plentiful daffodils also served as an interesting framing device when 75069 went back towards Sheffield Park, tender-first.

We continued south, with the intention of getting into a spot ready for both Fenchurch and Freshwater to come back south, which they’d be doing in a triple header with 80151, facing the right way and hopefully working hard. On the way we met up with Chailey, because that sort of thing seems to happen often when you’re lineside at the moment. In the meantime, we had another run from Sir Archibald Sinclair to enjoy. For this, 72B, SouthEast and myself positioned ourselves north of Birchstone Bridge, whilst Sharpthorne and Chailey headed to the south. Luckily, Archie got signal checked, meaning we actually had some exhaust where we were, unlike the unfortunate pair south of the bridge.

The question then became where to go for the triple header. We ended up scattered across this section of the line. SouthEast and I decided the light would be better slightly north, on an embankment that would also give us a wider angle and some elevation (which is nice for a train pulled by three locomotives). Sharpthorne and Chailey remained south near Birch Farm crossing hoping the engines would be working harder there, and 72B chose somewhere in the middle. In the event, the locos didn’t work particularly hard on this run, so I’m glad I chose to go where I ended up, because at least I got some decent photographs out of it.

With the triple header done, focus shifted back to locomotives facing north, so we headed back to the Horsted Keynes footpath, there to capture 75069. This remains a shot where I prefer to use my bigger telephoto.

We then headed to Freshfield Bank for the last trains of the day, the first of which would be Sir Archibald Sinclair, which I elected to shoot lineside, exactly where I’d started the day.

The last train we planned to shoot this day would be pulled by Freshwater and Fenchurch, albeit bunker-first. For this, I decided I wanted to head out into the field and get a slow shutter panning shot. Whilst I waited, Camelot came back south, which presented a nice opportunity to further practice the technique (which is to shoot in shutter mode at a speed of 1/25th or thereabouts, and pan smoothly with the locomotive).

Soon Fenchurch and Freshwater arrived.

This run marked the end of the first day of the gala for most of us. Apart from me, because (much like during Giants of Steam the previous October) I stayed on to do a night shoot with Freshwater at Horsted Keynes – although the results of that will be coming in a separate post.

The next morning, for various logistical reasons, I made my own way to the lineside to meet up with 72B and Sharpthorne. The first locomotive was due to be Sir Archibald Sinclair making a light engine movement down to Horsted Keynes to pick up a set of coaches and forms the first service of the day from there. When I entered the lineside at the Tremains foot crossing I decided I didn’t have the time to make it down to Holywell to meet them before the locomotive came up, so instead I positioned myself at Rock Cutting for the light, knowing full well the engine probably wouldn’t be working that hard (there was also another photographer there, so I could check whether I’d missed the run entirely).

It was then safe to head up the line to meet up with Sharpthorne and 72B at Holywell, where we prepared for the next service, which would be 2999 Lady of Legend leading Camelot in a doubleheader. Lady visited the railway for Giants of Steam last October and hasn’t actually left yet, although for whatever reason she hasn’t been in steam for most of that period. Hopefully she’ll be out a bit more over the coming weeks, especially once the bluebells start sprouting.

My shooting at 1/2000th was an error. I suspect I knocked a setting somewhere. AAs it didn’t lead to any crazy ISO settings or me missing the shot, it’s not that much of an issue – certainly it didn’t cause as much headache as another settings whoopsie I’d make later in the day.

After this it was back to Freshfield Bank for 75069, where again I decided I wanted to get a panning shot. Unfortunately as it’s so exposed, Freshfield can sometimes be a bit breezy, and on this occasion the wind was blowing towards us, so the exhaust did obscure the locomotive a little bit.

Then it was up to Horsted Keynes, where we headed north with only a vague idea of what we were going to do. In the end we went our separate ways, with 72B heading further north towards Vaux End Bridge and Sharpthorne and I staying near Horsted House Bridge. I wanted to try a shot I’ve been thinking about for a few months, involving looking up at a locomotive as it passes under a bridge, with the exhaust pluming around the arch of the bridge. I had done a couple of test shots in the weeks leading up to the gala, so I had an idea of what I wanted to do and how it would work. Sharpthorne stayed south of the bridge so he wasn’t in my shot, and I sat just north of the bridge with my wide angle lens ready for Sir Archibald Sinclair to arrive. The shot just before the one I was aiming for actually had the engine and her exhaust nicely framed by the arch of the bridge.

But this next one is pretty much the shot I was after.

I’m happy with the result, but it’s not as dramatic as the shot I was visualising. More than anything the exhaust was not as voluminous as I was hoping. I think the next time I try this shot (and try it I will) it’ll need to be somewhere like Leamland Bridge, where locomotives are moving slower and working harder to get moving. It’s the bridge that inspired the shot in the first place, with this run during the New Year’s Day gala. I might also need to wait until winter comes back before giving it a proper go again.

For our next shot we headed down to the footpath north of Horsted Keynes station for another run by Lady of Legend, where we bumped into a bunch of other shooters. This is where I made my second settings-related boo-boo of the weekend. At some point, presumably when I was switching over to my big telephoto (which is my go-to lens for this bit of track), I knocked my camera into Shutter Priority mode, which was still set up for a slow shutter panning shots, and didn’t notice. Some shots came out completely blurry and unusable, as expected. A few, though, came out pretty decent, and a bit different because the exhaust was smoothed out a little, rather than frozen in time.

Although it makes a nice change, I’d definitely have been happier with the shot I was going for, which was capturing the texture in the exhaust. Even so, I’m glad I got something useable and a bit different out of my error.

We then hopped back to Freshfield Bank, where a BR standard doubleheader was in the offing, with standard 4 75069 leading standard 5 Camelot. With a doubleheader such as this, it makes sense to get wide of the track where you can see both locomotives clearly.

Unfortunately the wind was still blowing in the same direction as earlier and so the exhaust started to obscure Camelot.

Then it was back in the car to head all the way up to the other end of the line, to photograph a repeat of the previous day’s triple header from Imberhorne Bridge as it departed from East Grinstead. This is another public spot, as linesiders aren’t allowed on the section of track north of Kingscote.

We continued hopping about, this time heading back to Tremains to head to Lindfield Wood. The sun was starting to get a little low so it wasn’t entirely clear how much light would be shining on the next locomotive, which would be Lady of Legend. As it turned out, it wasn’t too bad, but Lady wasn’t working hard when she came through.

In this light she looks really nice with the Pullman dining coaches. Only thing this shot is missing is a nice thick exhaust.

We then headed back to Rock Cutting, as both Fenchurch and Freshwater were due to come back south light engine. This spot is usually not bad for locos heading south, but can sometimes be hit and miss, and this time they were taking things easy.

At this point, we split up again to shoot the upcoming doubleheader of Camelot and 75069. Sharpthorne headed north back towards Holywell, whereas 72B and I headed south towards the broken bridge. For both groups, timing would be tight.

With the tightness of time, unfortunately 72B and I didn’t pick quite the right spot. Going for a shot through the bridge, sadly the locomotives shut off before they passed through, so we got some nice light, but not much exhaust.

For the next train, we moved only a few feet up the track, for 80151 to come back down.

Considering I don’t have too many great shots of 80151 the conditions for this run were pretty spot on, with exhaust, clear skies, and lovely golden hour light.

You might have also spotted the second exhaust plume in the shots above. This service was top and tailed, with № 65 sitting on the back. The locomotive caught the light nicely too so I made sure to get a shot, and it’s one I can might be able to pass off as an engine going forwards, if I were so inclined.

We then headed south to Freshfield Bank again for our last booked photograph of the day, Sir Archibald Sinclair. Unfortunately she was pulling the metropolitan coach set, which is a very odd pairing. Even so, the golden light was continuing to impress.

With that, all our planned shooting for the day was done, and we started walking back to Tremains to meet up with Sharpthorne and head back to Sheffield Park. Inevitably on the way we encountered another locomotive coming the wrong way, but given the light remained lovely shooting it was inevitable.

The glint off the tender is lovely, but a little bit blown out. Turns out, it is possible to have too much glint on a locomotive.

Now, this was planned to be the end of my time at the Spring Gala, but unfortunately when we got back to Sheffield Park, the offices were shut and we weren’t able to return our hi viz vests, which necessitated a trip back to Sheffield Park for me on Sunday to return my vest. Of course, I wasn’t about to leave my camera at home, even if I had every intention of being good, and not going lineside (I even handed in my vest as soon as I arrived).

Inevitably, I ended up spending a little bit of time around the station, photographing some of the sights and comings and goings. Firstly, the crew of 75069 were taking on water.

I also had the opportunity to do some of the more abstract railway photography that I just don’t get when lineside shooting running trains.

With the venting steam, this shot of the engine cab takes on a lovely atmosphere.

Soon 75069 backed down into her coaches, giving me a chance to shoot this member of crew watching proceedings. In monochrome it could almost be from 60 years ago. As long as you don’t notice the modern shunting signal.

Out near the loco shed, Lady of Legend was sitting steaming away in a siding, complete with The Merchant Venturer headboard.

Lady soon moved out behind the loco shed, so I headed in to see the sights. There, Lady was steaming away alongside Fenchurch, also being prepared for the day, and № 65, who had the day off.

Atlantic House was open too, meaning I could pop in and give my regards to the Adams Radial 30583, patiently waiting for her own overhaul (which sadly isn’t any time soon).

From here I could also see Freshwater getting ready for the day.

As well as a clearer view of Fenchurch and Lady.

Not that it was the most visible, I also got a shot of the current state of 21C123 Blackmoor Vale, whose boiler is off in Devon. This is a locomotive I’m looking forward to seeing back in steam.

I walked back into the engine shed and caught sight of Camelot lined up nicely with the window slats.

I got back out onto the platform in time to see 75069 getting ready to go. She let off a big plume of steam which contrasted nicely against the now blue sky.

Soon she was off, making a nicely dramatic departure.

It after two hectic days of shooting running locomotives, it was nice to spend a calm hour or so watching steam engines shunting about. The perfect way to end the weekend – technically the first gala where I’ve attended all three days. But with the station now quiet, it seemed like the perfect time to head back home.

But since it was gala season, it would only be a week before I was out at another railway, and their own spring gala. But that, obviously, will be another post entirely.

As always, there are a lot of shots that didn’t make the cut above, which are in the gallery below. A video montage of the weekend can be seen on my Instagram account.

Sir Nigel Gresley

https://dailyphoto.creativesplurges.com/2026/04/02/sir-nigel-gresley-3/

6989 ‘Wightwick Hall’

https://dailyphoto.creativesplurges.com/2026/03/23/6989-wightwick-hall-4/

Standout winners at this year’s Heritage Railway Association Annual Awards http://dlvr.it/TRTGkZ #Awards #Bala #BalaLakeRailway #BluebellRailway

World Witnesses Largest Railway Celebrations in 2025 http://dlvr.it/TQb642 #Ashington #BluebellRailway #CommunityRailWeek #Darlington

6989 ‘Wightwick Hall’

6989 Wightwick Hall sits in front of some bluebells at Sheffield Park Station on the Bluebell Railway in Sussex. This locomotive is currently painted red and appearing in the upcoming Harry Potter TV series.

Found In: Lineside at the Bluebell Railway

Three visiting steam locomotives to visit the Bluebell Railway http://dlvr.it/TPt69V #BluebellRailway #BRStandard4No75069

Steam locomotive wows crowds at Lord Mayor’s Show http://dlvr.it/TPCDXg #BluebellRailway #LBSCRTerrierNo72Fenchurch #London #RailNews

Sir Nigel Gresley

60007 Sir Nigel Gresley sits on platform at Sheffield Park steaming away to herself ahead of her first service of the day.

Found In: Bluebell Railway: Giants of Steam 2024

60007 Sir Nigel Gresley and 34059 Sir Archibald Sinclair to attend Hampshire Autumn Steam Gala http://dlvr.it/TNMVdN #BluebellRailway #Hampshire #LNERA4No60007SirNigelGresley

Cab

A shot inside the driver’s cab of D8188 at last year’s Diesel Gala on the Bluebell Railway.

Found In: Bluebell Railway: Diesel Gala

Investigation launched after steam locomotives start moving during coupling up sequence http://dlvr.it/TMhYjC #BluebellRailway #RailNews #SheffieldPark #standardgauge

Steam locomotive 34059 Sir Archibald Sinclair set for Watercress Line gala http://dlvr.it/TMbQvt #BluebellRailway #LNERA4No60007SirNigelGresley

Awake The Giant Project release update on steam locomotive 92240 http://dlvr.it/TMKjvn #BluebellRailway #BR9FNo92240 #RailNews #Restoration

Over 1,000 People Visit Inspiration at Margate http://dlvr.it/TM6M6K #BluebellRailway #InspirationTrain #Margate #Network

Visit the Inspiration Train at the Bluebell Railway http://dlvr.it/TM53BN #BluebellRailway #HorstedKeynes #InspirationTrain

Inspiration to Visit Bluebell Railway at the End of July http://dlvr.it/TLwVsk #Birmingham #BirminghamMoorStreet #BluebellRailway #InspirationTrain

Class 73 E6040 Announced as the Final Kent and East Sussex Railway Visitor http://dlvr.it/TLgLK3 #BluebellRailway #BRClass73No73133TheBluebellRailway #Class14

HS2 donates 4,000 tonnes of ballast to the Bluebell Railway http://dlvr.it/TKwX3m #BluebellRailway #GoviaThameslinkRailway #HorstedKeynes #HS2

HS2 donates 4,000 tonnes of ballast to the Bluebell Railway http://dlvr.it/TKwVwl #BluebellRailway #GoviaThameslinkRailway #HorstedKeynes #HS2