Heritage railway to restore three steam locomotives

The Bluebell Railway has announced plans to restore three of its historic locomotives to working order, including Adams Radial Tank No. 30583, Adams B4 Class No. 96 Normandy, and Wainwright P Class No. 323 Bluebell.

The announcement was made following discussions and an agreement between the Bluebell Railway PLC Board and the Board of the Bluebell Railway Preservation Society.

The three locomotives to be restored – London and South Western Railway (LSWR) Adams Radial Tank No. 30583 and Adams B4 Class No. 96 Normandy, and South Eastern and Chatham Railway (SECR) Wainwright P Class No. 323 Bluebell – will all be overhauled and steam again at The Bluebell Railway.

30583 and Normandy will be restored by the same dedicated team at Atlantic House at Sheffield Park that built the new-build LBSCR Marsh Atlantic No. 32424 Beachy Head.

The plan for Bluebell is that it will enter the workshop at Sheffield Park early next year, with the aim being of getting it ready for next summer.

Bluebell is one of eight P Class tank engines that were designed by Wainwright for the SECR, and built in 1910 at Ashford Works. It was withdrawn in 1960 and the same year became one of the first locomotives to be saved by The Bluebell Railway, where it was named Bluebell and became one of four P Class locomotives to have survived into preservation. 323 became the railway's flagship locomotive and was key to establishing the line as a major tourist attraction. Bluebell last ran on the railway in 2019 when it was withdrawn from service for an overhaul, and is currently on static display at Steamworks at Sheffield Park.

Adams Radial No. 30583 was built in 1885 by Neilson & Co. in Glasgow and ran with the LSWR until it was sold in 1917 to the Ministry for Munitions for the war effort. After the end of World War I, 30583 ran on the East Kent Railway until 1946 when it was bought by the Southern Railway for the Lyme Regis branch in Devon, where it remained until withdrawal in 1961. It was then transported to The Bluebell Railway where it became a firm favourite with crews and enthusiasts until 1990, since when it has been on static display.

Normandy was one of a class of 25 locomotives built in 1893 at Nine Elms by the LSWR for shunting duties, especially at Southampton Docks until it was displaced by American USA dock tanks after World War II. It was then transferred to Winchester for shunting duties until withdrawal from BR service in 1963 and sold for industrial use until it was saved by The Bluebell Railway in 1972. Normandy returned to steam in 1986 and was an extremely useful and popular locomotive until last steamed in 2006, and placed on display at Steamworks at Sheffield Park.

Paul Churchman, Chairman of The Bluebell Railway, said: “I am really pleased that we have been able to achieve this, with 323 coming back so quickly and to then have Normandy and then the Adams Radial will be so exciting and shows the amazing collection of locomotives that the Bluebell has. It also shows the magnificent skill set of our paid and volunteer workforce.”

Vernon Blackburn, Bluebell Railway Trust, said: “It will be marvellous to see these three vintage locomotives, on average already more than 125 years old, in steam again. They are popular with the public and favourites of many of our supporters. They look fantastic with our historic carriages of the same era and are economical to operate.”