BLUEBELL WELCOMES A ‘CROMPTON’

FOR MANY years the Bluebell Railway was a proud bastion of steam traction, but in late June it was announced that Class 33, D6570 Ashford, had been sold to a company founded by a group of Bluebell Locomotive Department volunteers and within days it had been delivered to the East Sussex heritage line.

Previously located at the Kent & East Sussex Railway, D6570 (33052), has been sold to D350 Ltd, the same group which owns the Class 09, D4106 (09018), which is also based on the Bluebell Railway. Once D6570 has received some repairs at its new home, it will be available for the railway to hire on an asrequired basis.

The railway stated that during periods of high lineside fire risk where steam operations may be curtailed or prohibited by the authorities, D6570 would allow passenger services to continue, minimising revenue loss and business risk.

The new arrival will also potentially be available as a 'thunderbird', capable of rescuing failed trains quickly and allowing passenger service to continue. The ‘Crompton’ being capable of maintaining timetables which is a limitation for D4106. The ‘33’ is also expected to be used for engineering and infrastructure works on the line.

In recent years, the Bluebell Railway has hosted a number of successful diesel galas, although it has always brought in visiting locomotives for these events. The arrival of the Class 33 is not thought to be the start of an influx of heritage modern traction to the line, but it is clear having a locomotive capable of handling some of the Bluebell’s heaviest passenger trains, while able to maintain the railways timetable, will greatly assist the railway in times when steam locomotives are unavailable. D6570 is now expected to undergo a programme of repairs and bodywork attention before it is available for service.

Acting locomotive director for the Bluebell Railway, Bob Pamment, acknowledged that the arrival may not be universally popular with supporters of the railway, but believes the acquisition would bring added value to the line and its operational flexibility.