Rascals - Wear A Smile Not A Frown

The day had dawned; we had all been looking forward to. It was overcast, but was still warm, showers had been forecast, but it was not going to dampen the spirits or spoil the day.

We had all arrived by 2pm at Sheffield Park in Sussex, to find there were lots of people on the station either waiting to get on the train or heading for the large cafateria to have a snack or lunch. We were travelling on the 2.15pm train for a 45-minute journey each way through the countryside from Sheffield Park to Kingscote; this was a journey back in time to those days when steam trains ruled our railways. What a wonderful sight to see those magnificent engines belching out smoke, the distinct sound of the whistle, the men hanging from the sides some stoking the fire to keep the engines going to be able to pull the train with carriages full of passengers, to the Pullman Car, where you could be pampered by having lunch or Dinner, and the all important freight carrying ballast and coal. For the children Thomas the Tank engine was there on certain dates and of course the Santa Special in December to delight the children and of course for the adults who have not quite forgotten the magic of Christmas.
These steam trains all having been lovingly restored and cared for by so many people who give up their spare time to bring pleasure to people who have fond memories of the days of steam or for those who have never experienced it before.

Our Engine was a Standard 4 built at the Brighton Works in 1957. Today the engine was being driven by father and daughter, one being the fireman the other being our driver; also sitting on the plate at the back of the engine was a little Yorkshire terrier who has travelled many miles with his owners on this line, which was a delightful sight to be seen.

Many of us had wondered how we were to manage the step up on to the train, but there was a ramp for wheelchairs, so our fears were unfounded. Soon we were all settled comfortably and looking forward to our afternoon.

Most important before we departed was the driver had to be handed the staff, this being because two trains cannot be travelling in opposite directions at the same time on a single line track, the driver who has the staff has the right of way. So it was our driver who had right of way to carry the staff to Horsted Keynes where our driver will give the staff to the signalman.

At 2.15 on the dot with us all settled the guard waved his flag, blew the whistle, and we were off.

Michael who is a volunteer on the Bluebell Railway and has had much experience and does various positions on the Railway, is Anne’s husband and he was to give us a talk on the history of the railway, and the various places we were to pass on our journey. The scenery was lovely, with houses dotted about some being farms or riding stables, the fields were full of pheasants making the most of the days strutting without a care in the world, before the start of the shooting season, amazing thing is you never seem to see them from the 1st October onwards. They are not silly are they? We saw young deer, horses and some lovely countryside.

Soon we were slowing down to stop at our first Station Horsted Keynes to let passengers off. The station is full of history, the old billboards and signs, chocolate and cigarette machines on the walls. The waiting rooms with old-fashioned grates, for when coal fires were lit to keep them warm the only means of heating then. Strolling along the platform and looking at freight carriages, or seeing the coffin carrier with windows that would have shown the coffin on its final journey with flowers surrounding it, or browsing in the memorabilia carriage at the end of the platform where you could pick up a old magazine for as little as 10p. All things from a bygone era.
The station was a picture of colour with hanging baskets and well-attended flowerbeds.

Soon we arrived at Kingscote where we stopped to enable some of us to stretch our legs and have a cuppa or something stronger if need be from the buffet car. Some walked along the platform and had a closer look at the engine or admired the carriages, or looked in wonder at the Directors Saloon built in1897, from the Great Northern Railway, was a sight to behold. Soon we all were back on the train for our return journey, passing carriages, engines and freight trains all waiting to be restored back to their former glory.

Too soon our journey would be over. Michael had done a wonderful job on giving us the history and answering all our questions and making it an interesting afternoon.
When we arrived back we were ready for our cream tea, the scones were all warm with plenty of jam and cream, also that cuppa was most welcoming. Waistlines all went up by an inch, that is for sure.
Some wandered off to look in the engine sheds or go in to the shop to find every conceivable thing to do with steam trains from key rings, videos, postcards, and puzzles and much more. Our day was now nearly over. The weather had been kind, and the rain had held off and we had a great time.

I want to say Thank You to Jennifer for donating the money made from the Garden party to pay for members to have this afternoon out. To Thank Michael also and especially not to forget a big Thank you to the many volunteers who work so hard to get these engines and trains back to what they were in yesteryear and to keep the Bluebell Railway open to relive the age of Steam.