I’m new!
Bluebell Railway has built a whole new steam train from scratch. It took volunteers 25 years to do it. The original train called the Beachy Head was broken up for scrap in the Sixties. They were able to find the original plans to work from and raised it from the dead. Or cloned it anyway.
Here’s some raw data about it. There’s an amazing story here that I can’t find online. Many of the things you need to build just don’t exist in modern Britain. Where did they go to cast the gigantic wheels? How many parts that were once mass produced had to be machined by hand?
Unfortunately, the kind of guys who build a steam locomotive from scratch are not the kind of guys who write blogs. I don’t think. I haven’t found one.
When we were in London, it was fairly easy to get to the Bluebell Railway. Of course it was. The country’s entire transportation system is historically built around getting things to and from London.
Incidentally – I’m sure I’ve mentioned this – it’s always “up” to London and “down” to wherever else. Very confusing to a furriner.
Moving between any two other points can be much harder. So when friends from London suggest meeting up in Brighton – because it’s just up the coast from you, innit? – they have no idea…
September 4, 2024 — 7:38 pm
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