Hastings DEMU 1013 fronts the ‘Blue Belle’ | Bluebell Railway - 17/05/25

As part of the Hastings Diesel Limited’s 2025 programme, the group would run a tour to the Bluebell Railway appropriately dubbed: “ The Blue Belle” using their six coach configuration ‘1013’. The tour would start early in the morning at Hastings where she would climb the steep gradients of the 1066 line where we first capture the unit trumping the climb out of the small, sleepy hamlet of Stonegate. The tour would continue up the 1066 line until she’d eventually reach London Victoria. From here she would pick up more passengers before returning south but this time, onto the East Grinstead line where we catch her once again racing over Riddlesdown Viaduct. The tour would eventually stumble onto Bluebell metals where we beat her to the punch at West Hoathly. From here the tour would continue down the full line until reaching Sheffield Park and thus terminating, passengers would disembark here to be able to ride on the railway’s steam services for today which was fronted by BR Standard 5 73082 ‘Camelot’ & new build 32424 ‘Beachy Head’. The sole surviving O1, No 65, would also be out hauling today’s Wealden Rambler service. The tour would leave Sheffield Park at 16:20 where she would retrace her steps up the line and back to London Victoria and eventually back to Hastings. Follow me on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/chaileystow... Locomotives Featured: BR Standard 5 No 73082 ‘Camelot’ LBSCR H2 No 32424 ‘Beachy Head’ SECR O1 No 65 Hastings DEMU No 1013 Timestamps: 0:00 1013 - Stonegate 1:05 1013 - Riddlesdown Viaduct 1:44 1013 - West Hoathly 3:07 32424 - Sharpthorne Tunnel 4:34 73082 - Sharpthorne Tunnel 5:33 65 - Three Arch Bridge 7:04 32424 - Horsted Keynes Footpath 8:30 73082 - Freshfield Bank 9:45 1013 - Freshfield Bank 11:03 1013 - Sharpthorne Tunnel 12:07 1013 - Dormans