Bluebell Railway SR Coach Group

Bluebell Railway SR Coach Group We are restoring the railway's unique collection of Southern Railway Maunsell and Bulleid coaches.

Restaurant Car UpdateThe Final update today.Many people have been asking what's happening with the Restaurant Car. We ar...
29/08/2026

Restaurant Car Update

The Final update today.

Many people have been asking what's happening with the Restaurant Car. We are currently awaiting the completion of some work on the underframe so that we can assemble the new bottom rail and associated components and put the floor in to give us a working platform on which to re-assemble the body.

This consists of removing the Truss Rods so that the brackets attached to them can be straightened - we believe the vehicle has been involved in a minor accident at some time in it's BR life - there was evidence of accident repairs to the North East corner of the frame and this has probably caused the brackets to become bent.

At the same time the gusset plates are being removed to inspect for any build up of rust behind them. This work has been delayed by the staff who are qualified to undertake this work being redeployed to some urgent work on the generator van, but we have been promised that once this is complete work will resume on our underframe.

However, this does mean that a significant amount of resource has ben diverted to 971 which has benefitted from the delay to the Restaurant Car.

People (3)Today's Second Update.I have done another count up and reckon we now have over 25 volunteers working on SRCG p...
29/08/2026

People (3)
Today's Second Update.
I have done another count up and reckon we now have over 25 volunteers working on SRCG projects (plus a couple of volunteers who help keep track of our finances - an equally important task).
Today we welcomed back a couple of volunteers after an extended break - Nene and our Leader Tony. We also have visits form a couple of longer distance volunteers - Rob from Bristol and Huw from Canada.

The first of three updates todayScooty Patrols the Workshop.
29/08/2026

The first of three updates today
Scooty Patrols the Workshop.

When we arrived this morning Scooty was already out, running around the yard. However, as the temperature increased he r...
26/08/2026

When we arrived this morning Scooty was already out, running around the yard. However, as the temperature increased he retreated to his favourite cardboard box (he does have a proper cat basket , but he seems to prefer the cardboard box when it's hot), from where he observed Steve working on preparing more floor panels, before finally giving in to the heat and lying down.

Just to show that we don't just watch Scooty, Tim painted the ceiling in Compartment E upto top coat, David undercoated Compartment F, whilst Sam J and Paul G carried on with doors. Sam W was the sole member of the scraping team today.

A busy Saturday with twelve volunteers working on 971. Richard returned to complete the partition repairs between Compar...
22/08/2026

A busy Saturday with twelve volunteers working on 971. Richard returned to complete the partition repairs between Compartments E and F. Some more new flooring was placed into position in Compartment B, although a minor adjustment was needed to the new flooring for Compartments A and K (which being the end compartments are very slightly different to the flooring in Compartments B to J).
The scraping gang continued their work. Eric and Keith removed the final mouldings from Compartment B. Alex continued work on the seat supports and Sam worked on doors, while Steve continued preparing new floor panels.
David and Tim continued with painting in the Compartments.
And we have some news on the adventures of Scooty, the works cat.

Bullied Brake 2526 UpdateAs those that have followed our earlier posts will know, 2526 has been having an interim (above...
20/08/2026

Bullied Brake 2526 Update

As those that have followed our earlier posts will know, 2526 has been having an interim (above solebar) overhaul, this has ben a joint effort between SRCG volunteers and the full time staff.
The vehicle is scheduled to return to traffic in early September and is currently in the paint shop. On Wednesday the final top coat was applied, leaving just the varnishing to do.

Although not part of SRCG, the paint shop can also accommodate new volunteers any day Monday to Friday. This would mainly be preparatory work such as rubbing down.

The railway is also looking for volunteers to help with deep cleaning interiors of vehicles when they are in for routine maintenance. As always, if interested, message us first and we will get back to you.

People (2)The second update this week returns to our theme of people. As previously mentioned we have over 20 volunteers...
15/08/2026

People (2)
The second update this week returns to our theme of people. As previously mentioned we have over 20 volunteers working on our various projects and we have had some new faces join us in the last couple of months. Feel free to join us - we have work for all abilities, message us and we'll get back to you if you want to know more about joining the team.

Two Updates this week - the first will look at work being carried out inside the compartments of 971. For those not fami...
15/08/2026

Two Updates this week - the first will look at work being carried out inside the compartments of 971. For those not familiar, the Southern lettered the compartments from A to K, with A currently being the southern most compartment. Now the eagle eyed amoung you will spot that 971 has 10 compartments, but there are 11 letters in A to K! This is because there is no Compartment I, they are lettered from A to H and the two northern most compartments are lettered J and K.

PeopleWe currently have over 20 volunteers assisting with the various SRCG Projects. So this week we will look at some o...
05/08/2026

People
We currently have over 20 volunteers assisting with the various SRCG Projects. So this week we will look at some of the volunteers and the work they are doing. As you will see, much of the work is unskilled. We can always accommodate more volunteers - if you are interested reply to this post and we'll get back to you.

The SRCG’s web pages have recently been updated to reflect what’s been going on over the last few months (https://www.bl...
21/05/2026

The SRCG’s web pages have recently been updated to reflect what’s been going on over the last few months (https://www.bluebell-railway.co.uk/sr-coach-group/ ). We’ve also released our Issue 5 of our Newsletter (linked via the website), which was sent to SRCG members in March, for general viewing. As well as our latest news and updates on the work of the group, the newsletter contains the first part of a historical survey of Southern Railway catering vehicles. If you enjoy reading the newsletter, please consider subscribing to support our work. For only £15 per year, you’ll receive the newsletters when they are first released and be invited to an annual event at Horsted Keynes.

Address

Horsted Keynes Station
Haywards Heath
RH177BB

Opening Hours

Wednesday 9am - 8pm
Saturday 9am - 5pm

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