Bluebell Railway: Giants of Steam 2026
Without a doubt, one of the highlights of the heritage railway year is the Bluebell Railway’s annual Giants of Steam gala. This is my third event, and this year the theme was loosely based around the British Rail ‘standard’ locomotives, with standard class 8P locomotive 71000 Duke of Gloucester and standard class 9F 92134 joining Bluebell resident standard locomotives class 5MT 73082 Camelot and class 4MT tank engine 80151, as well as a few others we will see later.
Kit ListCanon EOS R6 Mk IICanon EF 28-300mm f/3.5-5.6 L IS USMCanon RF 24-70mm f/2.8 L IS USM Jump to GalleryFor the first time, I had decided to attend all three days of the gala, something that didn’t seem as daunting this year as it has for previous galas, where I usually run out of puff after two days and take Sunday off to rest. Perhaps that’s because I’d done relatively few railway visits over the summer, but at the same time, in the week leading up to the gala I’d spent the Saturday and the Monday at the railway too, one of the densest periods of railway photography I’ve ever done (and for good measure, a couple of days after this gala, I was back shooting the Ghost Train). Anyway, point is, there might be a few more photos than usual.
As is becoming traditional, I rolled with some railway creator friends, SouthEast Classic Rail, Sharpthorne Steam, and Chailey Stowe (and 72B Photography would join us on Saturday and Sunday).
The first day started out pretty rainy. Technically the first service of the day was a light engine movement of 80151 from Sheffield Park up to Horsted Keynes to collect the coaches that would form the first passenger train of the gala, but given the weather we decided not to bother shooting it, and instead headed to Horsted station, where there would be shelter, to see it depart from there, and to see out the worst of the weather. Given it was a little chilly and very damp, the departure was a very steamy one.
1/640sec, f/5, ISO 1250, 24mm80151 is a locomotive that normally faces south, towards Sheffield Park, but for this gala she was turned to face north (no mean feat, as the railway does not have a turntable – she had to be turned using a lorry that was collecting another visiting locomotive, 33108 from the Diesel Gala). This has opened up all sorts of new shots; the line generally favours locomotives facing north, as it’s primarily uphill in that direction. Supposedly she’ll be staying facing north for the foreseeable future.
The rain continued, and so we stayed at Horsted to see Camelot come up. 151 and Camelot are, after all, home fleet locomotives, and so we weren’t prepared to suffer the weather to get decent shots of them when there will be plenty of better chances in the future.
1/640sec, f/5, ISO 1600, 32mmThe rain started easing, and with the next service up being pulled by a visitor, we headed up the line to get something a bit more interesting than a station shot. We headed up to just past Vaux End Bridge, and positioned ourselves on an embankment I’ve not often used in anticipation of the coming of visiting standard 9F 92134.
1/640sec, f/5, ISO 640, 100mmThe next service would also be a visitor-hauled train, the first of the Duke of Gloucester‘s non-stop ‘express’ runs. We headed a little further south, to just north of Horsted House Bridge, to capture the shot. This time we spread out a little more, each having our own ideas of where to go. Given it was still very grey with no signs of breaks in the cloud, I elected to position myself on the wrong side of the track for the light, so that I was on the inside of the curve, so I could get a better view of the ‘blood and custard’ coaches that I am quite partial to.
1/640sec, f/5, ISO 320, 35mmhttps://www.instagram.com/reel/DekFTg6MNYr
By this point the sun was just starting to burn through the clouds. We headed back south to the foot crossing before Horsted Keynes station, there to shoot the next service, a doubleheader of 80151 and the other visitor for the gala, tank engine 41313 (who will also be sticking round for the winter). We waited for a while, but it became apparent that something was up. News reached us that 41313 had failed, so we binned off that shot and headed further south down the line, to shoot the next couple of services in Lindfield Wood.
Now, Lindfield Wood can be a frustrating place. At this time of year the sun can get quite low and cast shadows onto the track and the locomotive, either from the trees (especially when they still have most of their leaves) or the embankment itself. It is also a spot where the locomotive crews can sometimes ease off on the power, so whilst you can get a stunner of a shot here (see № 65 in the bluebells from earlier this year), sometimes you can leave frustrated.
With the sun just starting to poke out, we were hopeful, but such is the curse of the railway photographer, the sun that was out dipped back behind some cloud just as 92134 came through.
1/800sec, f/5, ISO 250, 105mmYou might be able to see the little patch of sun we were left it, far back long the train. It’s a bit more obvious in the wide shot.
1/800sec, f/5, ISO 250, 35mmWe held our ground for the next train, hoping for better luck the next time. It was not to be. The sun once again teased us until we could hear the loco, then disappeared. This time, the exhaust from the loco blew over the coaches towards us, spoiling the view even more.
1/800sec, f/5.6, ISO 400, 110mmSharpthorne and I headed back north towards Three Arch Bridge, whilst SouthEast Classic headed back to their car (Chailey is often doing there own thing, and we’d separated from them a while back). Here, we photographed 80151. We were north of the bridge, which worked out nicely for us as she got signal checked, meaning she had to work a bit to get back moving.
1/800sec, f/5, ISO 100, 90mmWe held this spot for Camelot‘s next run. This location is another one where crews can sometimes shut off the power just past the bridge, in anticipation of stopping outside of Horsted Keynes, and that was the case here. I got some decent shots as she passed under the bridge, but sadly she shut off not long after.
1/800sec, f/5.6, ISO 500, 300mmAt this point we reunited with SouthEast Classic Rail, who had suffered from a puncture, something that seems to have afflicted almost everyone in our friend group this year. We hopped in his car to head down to Freshfield Bank, a spot we often seem to end our gala days at, not least because the end-of-day light can be really lovely there. By this point the clouds were being a bit more cooperative, and the day had brightened up nicely.
The first service whilst we were here would be headed 92134. Having already shot a lot of this loco by this point – not just the runs on this day, but also a full day’s photo charter and a running day with the goods set the previous weekend, some shots of which are on my Instagram but which I haven’t quite decided how I’ll share here – I was prepared to mix things up a bit and take a chance with a low shutter panning shot. After some shots from the previous weekend at 1/20th of a second hadn’t quite come out as blurred as I was hoping, this time I chanced going all the way down to 1/15th.
1/15sec, f/32, ISO 100, 105mmFrom here you can see most of what makes the 9F so unusual, with its 2-10-0 wheel configuration and a boiler sitting high above the frame for ease of maintenance.
By this point the sun was starting to get low in the sky, and with it the light was turning nicely golden. A perfect time, then, for the Duke to have her last run of the day.
1/800sec, f/5.6, ISO 160, 150mmI elected to shoot this one from the public side of the fence. I had decided, from looking at my shots from earlier in the day, that I wasn’t the biggest fan of 71000’s front, and that she looked a lot nicer from the side, so I didn’t want to shoot on the lineside. I stand by the logic, but in hindsight I perhaps should have gone even wider – or possibly even held my ground where I shot the 9F.
The last run of the day would be 80151 again, and by this point golden hour was well underway.
1/800sec, f/5, ISO 200, 80mmAnd with that, the first day of the gala was done, and it could not have ended much better. We went our separate ways, looking forward to a second day that was promising to start with similar weather to how the first one ended.
Saturday’s timetable started the same way as Friday’s, with 80151 making a light engine movement from Sheffield Park up to Horsted Keynes to collect some coaches, so Sharpthorne, SouthEast Classic and I – now joined by 72B Photography – headed to the curve outside Sheffield Park to capture it. I love seeing steam engines on cold mornings. Aside from the light, they look amazingly dramatic, with thick exhaust and often open drain cocks, and this morning did not disappoint.
1/640sec, f/5.6, ISO 100, 300mm 1/640sec, f/5.6, ISO 250, 300mm 1/640sec, f/5, ISO 125, 65mmNext up, 92134 would be hauling the day’s first passenger service out of Sheffield Park. 72B and I held our position, whilst the other two moved slightly further up the track. The light had turned a smidge less golden, but the departure was no less dramatic.
1/800sec, f/6.3, ISO 100, 300mm 1/800sec, f/5.6, ISO 100, 300mm 1/500sec, f/5.6, ISO 100, 280mm 1/500sec, f/5.6, ISO 100, 50mmFrom here, it was back in a car and up to Freshfield Bank for 34059 Sir Archibald Sinclair‘s first run of the gala. Unfortunately we had the usual Freshfield problem, and the exhaust blew across the locomotive a little – although admittedly, not as bad as it has done in the past.
1/800sec, f/5.6, ISO 100, 90mmThen it was in a car again up towards Horsted, to head down to Three Arch Bridge for some of the coming services. This is where our group split up, with 72B, Chailey and Sharpthorne heading south from the bridge, whilst SouthEast Classic and I stayed at the bridge itself. The first service up would be Duke of Gloucester on her final non-stop run of the gala.
1/800sec, f/5.6, ISO 160, 28mmNext would be 41313 and 80151 in a doubleheader.
1/800sec, f/5.6, ISO 100, 40mmHere is where a little problem developed. SouthEast and I had travelled in Sharpthorne’s car, but he had disappeared down the line with 72B, and we had no idea if he would come back. So, we hopped into Chailey’s car to head back to Freshfield Bank, as per our original plan, there to see Camelot and 92134 in a doubleheader.
1/800sec, f/5.6, ISO 160, 300mm 1/800sec, f/5.6, ISO 160, 28mmChailey then left us, and we found ourselves without a clear plan to get up to Horsted Keynes, where a lineup of the standard locomotives was planned for that afternoon. We stayed here for the next service, heading down into the cutting in the hope that were would be less breeze to blow the exhaust about, as Sir Archie, a Bulleid that produced a lot of smoke, came up on her second run of the day.
1/800sec, f/5.6, ISO 500, 135mmAt this point we decided that the best way to get to Horsted was to walk up the line. The timing would be tight, but we had no other options. Luckily, we didn’t get too far before we reunited with Sharpthorne and 72B, who had come to find us. The lack of phone signal at the railway is sometimes a real curse. Reunited, we made our way to Horsted Keynes. Before the lineup, there was still one more run of the Duke to come, and for that we returned up to Vaux End Bridge.
1/800sec, f/5, ISO 200, 24mmThen it was back to Horsted Keynes for the lineup, which would feature the standard locomotives lined up on the four roads at the station, in order of class. Much like the lineup of new build locomotives at Giants 2025, the only spot to get a decent shot of this sight was up in the paddock overlooking the station, so we tried to get there relatively early to secure a place. We got there early enough to shoot some of the movements whilst we waited – including me finally getting a fully side-on shot of the Duke.
1/800sec, f/5, ISO 640, 28mmOne by one the locomotives arrived, completing the lineup. From left to right as we were looking at it, we had 9F 92134, 8P 71000, 5MT 73082, and 4MT 80151.
1/640sec, f/7.1, ISO 320, 110mmAfter the lineup had sat for a while and photos were taken, the locomotives began to leave, starting with Camelot.
1/640sec, f/7.1, ISO 400, 28mmA little while later, 80151 departed.
1/640sec, f/7.1, ISO 320, 35mmThis left space for 92134 to run around in order to pull a train back south.
1/640sec, f/7.1, ISO 320, 35mmWe hung around the paddock, waiting for Sir Archibald Sinclair to bring another service north from Sheffield Park.
1/640sec, f/5.6, ISO 400, 40mmWe then headed south, back to Three Arch Bridge in order to shoot 92134 coming back north. Unfortunately, on this run she shut off power just after passing the bridge, so in the spur of the moment I switched camera modes in order to get a dramatic zoom pan.
1/25sec, f/10, ISO 100, 65mmWe headed to the bridge itself for the last public train of the day. My plan here was to shoot 41313 approaching the signals, a shot I’d done every Giants gala before that.
1/800sec, f/6.3, ISO 6400, 28mmWe headed back to Sheffield Park, knowing that the Duke would be pulling a Golden Arrow supper train that evening. Unlike the last two big galas, there was not a nighttime photo charter, so we sort of invented our own. Whilst the locomotive was taking on water on Platform 2, I took the opportunity to get some tricky shots of the crew in the cab.
1/80sec, f/2.8, ISO 25600, 50mmAs you can see, we’re back to the sort of big ISO values I needed when shooting the Ghost Train. Exposing for the fire did bring the numbers back into more typical values.
1/80sec, f/2.8, ISO 250, 24mm 1/200sec, f/2.8, ISO 16000, 32mmBefore long the locomotive was at the front of her train, and we could use tripods for some long exposures.
1sec, f/5, ISO 800, 34mmWe then retired to the station pub for some dinner and some good conversations about plans to come, the details of which I’m not yet in a position to share. Hopefully early next year. We were there long enough that the Duke came back for the second leg of her dinner tour, giving us the opportunity to shoot the crew taking on water.
1sec, f/5.6, ISO 1250, 50mmI’m not sure I got the settings right on that one, but clearly dialled them in eventually, as in the shot below.
1/2sec, f/2.8, ISO 400, 64mmSoon the Duke was back on the front of her train. Luckily, someone had brought lights with them this time, allowing us to get some better-lit shots.
2sec, f/5, ISO 800, 38mm2sec, f/5, ISO 500, 24mmSoon, Duke of Gloucester departed, and we all went our separate ways home, ready for the final day of the gala.
The next morning, we started out north of Horsted Keynes, along the footpath. We didn’t bother with the light engine movement that morning, which was 41313 rather than 80151, instead focussing on shooting the service it formed. Today the Southerner joined us, and after a bit of his trademark deforestation we were ready for the train, which showed all of the drama of a cold morning departure.
1/640sec, f/5.6, ISO 800, 300mm 1/640sec, f/5.6, ISO 400, 170mm 1/640sec, f/5, ISO 320, 100mm 1/640sec, f/5, ISO 320, 28mmWe stayed near this spot for the next service, heading slightly up the track for a marginally different perspective. This next train was a doubleheader pulled by 80151 and Sir Archibald Sinclair, although from this tight angle there isn’t much of Archie to see.
1/800sec, f/5.6, ISO 200, 135mm 1/800sec, f/5, ISO 100, 28mmFor the next service we decided to head further north still. However, after a bit of waiting it became apparent that there was some sort of problem. Luckily, we had enough mobile reception – a rarity on the line it has to be said – to see that the shunting of the coaching stock for the train was running pretty behind. After a while, 72B, SouthEast Classic and I decided to head south towards Three Arch Bridge to photograph the train there, despite the timing being tight. We were only just approaching the station when it became apparent that the loco was too close for us to make it, and we backtracked a little to the outer home signal to catch it there.
1/800sec, f/5, ISO 100, 28mmAfter this it was a quick hop in the car to Freshfield Bank to shoot a doubleheader of Camelot and the Duke.
1/800sec, f/5.6, ISO 100, 110mmWe nipped back to Three Arch Bridge to shoot 41313.
1/800sec, f/3.5, ISO 100, 28mmWe then headed back to base ourselves at Freshfield Bank in anticipation of the gala finale, a 12-coach loaded run headed by the Duke. But there would be a few more services before that, starting with a doubleheader of Camelot and 92134.
1/800sec, f/5.6, ISO 640, 300mmThen the rain started. Freshfield Bank is very exposed and the rain came sideways, causing a lot of us to seek various forms of shelter. Before long, an Archie and Duke doubleheaded service would come along, and we mostly just shot it where we were, on the east embankment that offered the most protection from the weather.
1/800sec, f/5.6, ISO 500, 65mmWe decided to head south for the next two services, the last two before the loaded run. We headed down to Ketches Wood, a location that’s been very successful for me in the past. First up would be 41313.
1/800sec, f/5.6, ISO 800, 28mmNext would be Camelot, and given the weather we elected to shoot on the wrong side of the light, pretty confident the sun would not come out. Before that, though, we had to wait for the doubleheader of Sir Archie and the Duke to return south, and when they finally came, they were held at the outer home signal, presumably whilst some shunting took place within the Sheffield Park station limits in anticipation of the 12-coach train. I took the opportunity to get some more abstract shots of Duke, starting with one of her very pretty driving wheels.
1/800sec, f/5.6, ISO 8000, 28mm 1/800sec, f/5.6, ISO 10000, 28mmI have always loved the industrial nature of steam locomotives, so it was perhaps inevitable I also shot some of the loco’s workings.
1/800sec, f/5.6, ISO 10000, 90mmAnd her whistle.
1/800sec, f/5.6, ISO 1600, 160mmWhilst they were waiting, a safety valve opened, venting steam into the air.
1/800sec, f/5.6, ISO 1000, 60mmSoon they were underway, and the road was clear for Camelot‘s northbound journey.
1/800sec, f/5.6, ISO 1250, 300mm 1/800sec, f/5.6, ISO 2000, 70mmThen we walked back up the line to Freshfield Bank for the loaded run. For most of us, not prepared to chase the train all the way up the line, this would be a one chance deal. I went up the embankment with 72B, thinking the angle would be wider to see the full length of the train, but SouthEast and the Southerner, apparently united by their cardinal names, went low and behind the bridge for a different angle.
Soon, the train was upon us.
1/800sec, f/6.3, ISO 1000, 180mm 1/800sec, f/6.3, ISO 1000, 28mmIt was a stonking run, although if I’m honest, 92134 sitting on the back was doing a bit too much work, when the Duke could probably have taken it all (the 9F on the back was a necessity, as the train is twice the length of a normal service on the railway, and too long for running around at the other end of the line).
https://www.instagram.com/reel/DfaFDn6sZHL/
And that was that, the end of the 2026 Giants of Steam gala. Definitely the best gala I’ve been to all year, and from a photographic perspective one of the best I’ve done ever. And importantly, for something so tiring and demanding, it was a lot of fun.
https://www.instagram.com/reel/DernfR4Mwfs/
It was the first time I’d done a full three days of a gala, and it was worthwhile. I will definitely consider doing that again for future galas, depending on the locomotives featured.
Giants of Steam also represents the end of the gala season for me, The next main ones planned are some of the New Year galas in January. I will probably go to the railway before then – I was there last Monday for a photo charter, in fact – because after a summer of not much train photography, I’m keen to make up the deficit (and perhaps build up a stockpile of images to make it through next summer).
I have perhaps not been as selective as I could have been when making the long list of shots for this post, and there are plenty of shots in the gallery below that did not make it into the post above.
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