THE railway lines of Sussex are more varied than you might imagine.

Not just tracks to transport commuters to and from the capital, there are lines great and small for everyone.

Tucked away near the East and West Sussex border is the Bluebell Railway, which keeps intact a stretch of line between East Grinstead and Sheffield Park, the rest of it south to Lewes having closed in 1958.

Its steam engines offer a look back at the past, helping recollect the excitement of being hauled by such a huffing, puffing beast.

Another preserved line is the Kent and East Sussex Railway between Bodiam and Tenterden, in Kent.

A branch to Kent that did not survive was the Lewes-Tunbridge Wells line, remembered as a pleasant line in the early 1960s with serene stops at Barcombe Mills and Isfield.

With the help of volunteers, the Volk's Railway still services Madeira Drive. The oldest electric railway still running was pioneered in Brighton in 1883.

Ian Gledhill, of Volk's Railway, said: "I think it's a charming experience to ride along the seafront. With the breezes and the view, you can take your time and it's a very pleasant journey. It's only a mile long but that's enough to enjoy yourself."

Aside from routes that tell tales of preservation and perspiration, there are the everyday lines that still delight.

Attuned to his daily commute is Chris Daniels, 30, a London worker from Hove.

He said: "I love the break you get from the London tower blocks and Sussex terraces as you cross the Balcombe Viaduct. It's a brief but beautiful glimpse of the British countryside."

Another reader wrote to us to say that, of the lines still operating, they found the Arun Valley line from Ford to Horsham "very attractive", along with the River Ouse line from Lewes to Newhaven.

He said: "It is surprising how sparsely populated Sussex can look from a train window. Even just to ride between Falmer and Lewes gives magnificent views of rolling downland."

In the city itself, away fans marvelling at Brighton and Hove Albion's American Express Community Stadium from the train window can also be observed admiring the rooftop view from the Preston Road viaduct - itself a monument, having survived a German bombing raid in the war.