Brighton Belle is right on track (From The Argus)
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Brighton Belle is right on track
10:37am Thursday 26th January 2012 in News
The Brighton Belle in December 1968
It is an important part of railway heritage and the Brighton Belle could be running on the Brighton to London mainline by next summer.
The much-loved art deco Brighton Belle is being restored in a £2 million project.
The 5Bel Trust has also announced plans to open a museum once the train is fully restored. The preliminary plans envisage a museum built somewhere along the Southern region.
It is planned to run the rejuvenated five-car train, which was taken out of service in 1972, between Brighton and the capital at weekends, subject to a pathway being found by Network Rail.
It had been hoped to be up and running in time for the Olympics but trustee Neil Marshall said engineering work had proved more difficult than originally thought.
One of the most challenging aspects is updating the carriages for mainline running and they are being restored to Office of Rail Regulation guidelines.
“People could not believe it was there. It is very much at the heart of Brighton’s history.
Neil Marshall, 5Bel Trust
The Brighton Belle started running in 1933 and was the only all-electric Pullman multiple unit train in the world.
This year marks 80 years since the train was built and 40 years since it was taken off the tracks.
With its chocolate and cream livery and sumptuous interior of brass fittings, handmade lampshades and armchairs it was a classic way to travel between Brighton and London, with regular commuters including Laurence Olivier.
Mr Marshall said the train is historically important: “When we first started the project we felt that Brighton had forgotten about the train.
“But when we displayed it last year it literally stopped traffic.
“People could not believe it was there. It is very much at the heart of Brighton’s history.
“The project is a huge engineering challenge. Only 15 carriages were ever made. Half were bought by the Orient Express for spares.
“The restoration of the trains only started in anger at the end of last year.”
The project has been funded mainly by private benefactors, with some donating monthly sums.
Mr Marshall said: “There are a variety of backers who believe in restoring heritage for the next generation.
“It is quite humbling.”
To donate to the 5Bel Trust visit www.brightonbelle.com
Comments(13)
Telscombe Cliffy
says...
11:16am Thu 26 Jan 12
Falstaff
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11:34am Thu 26 Jan 12
Sepp Piontek
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12:16pm Thu 26 Jan 12
The Heretic
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2:20pm Thu 26 Jan 12
Hope thet'll have kippers on the breakfast menu!
Rita Snatch
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2:31pm Thu 26 Jan 12
1st Class had a higher suppliment fee.
I loved travelling on this train as it never stopped at Clapham Junction. lol
mackeson
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3:34pm Thu 26 Jan 12
rolivan wrote:There was one of the old Brighton Belle coaches at the Bluebell Railway but it has been swopped with another one from the Golden Arrow to allow the Belle Trust access to 5 original coaches.
So what are the carriages at Sheffield Park Railway I thought they had something to do with the Belle.
Falstaff
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6:58pm Thu 26 Jan 12
ghost bus driver
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7:30pm Thu 26 Jan 12
rolivan wrote:One was ex Belle and one was from what was known as a 6PUL (normal train with a Pullman in it) The rest are ex Loco hauled. They do have a fair few Pullmans up there...
So what are the carriages at Sheffield Park Railway I thought they had something to do with the Belle.
Amazingly only one Brighton Belle car was scrapped the rest are either at Stewarts Lane depot in London or at various steam railways around the country. 5 are now with the 5 BEL trust, apparently provided by VSOE Ltd and the 5th one by the Bluebell Railway.
Brightonian in Germany
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7:44am Fri 27 Jan 12
It was an experience I shall treasure all my life & I hope the girls I took as well. lol.
It would be very good indeed if it started running again. I would most certainly take the journey to London & back, when I visit Brighton again sometime next year. It would be miost certainly worth the money & has to be better than the terrible service offered these days!!!
At last something positive about a Railway service.
Gelatine magic
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8:35pm Fri 27 Jan 12
Brightonian in Germany
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9:14am Sat 28 Jan 12
Gelatine magic wrote:I remember the delicious coffee they served & the Kippers were very tasty as well. I missed out on anyone being so stupid as to try to trip up the Conductor.
I rode that train as a child, an adult, and old man, and a child again. I loved the smell of the conductor as he used to run through the carriages with his massive ticket scissors, screaming his head off. Occasionally, a schoolboy, 'ted', mod or New Romantic would extend a slender ankle in his path in anticipation of trippage, but the conductor was always alert. He would stop, lower his voice to a deafening hullabaloo, and say, "oooh, I'm going to trip up the conductor" in such a sarcastic way, the recipient would blush. These days, it's just burley Scotsmen throwing diabetics about.
What is that reference about Scotsmen throwing Diabetics about??? I missed out there. When was that then?
Gelatine magic
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6:37pm Sat 28 Jan 12
lymail.co.uk/news/ar
ticle-2073929/Big-Ma
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rolivan says...
10:55am Thu 26 Jan 12