50 years after closure - Sheffield Park to Lewes

[@TakisTravel]

Nature is gaining its space. Nice video. 👍👍👍👍👍 Best wishes from Greece.

[@SteveBrissle]

Very interesting video. Thanks for posting. Returned to Lewes two weeks ago after 40 years. Lovely station.

[@WaxingRadiance]

My grandfather was the signalman at Culver Junction.

[@robertbennett7731]

Nice area for a railway line. The formation would have run very close to Piltdown, Barcombe Mills and Sheffield Park, so perhaps this railway is the "missing link" !

[@tomparsons3319]

It run through Newick and chally under the a272 now covered in houses

[@angelsone-five7912]

Nicely done. Shame the river bridge is gone, looked reclaimable up to that point.

[@TheSeafordian]

I remember this line being open. I still expect to see the railway bridge in front when I go over Cliffe Bridge.

[@mystified1429]

I was on every weekday train to and from Uckfield to the grammar school in Lewes until it closed. Then the useless bus service.

[@likklej8]

Back in the early 80s there was evidence of the link to Bluebell Line on the left of Lewes Station. I don’t know if it’s still there but there was a builders yard with parking area which partially covered where the trackbed would have been. Unless someone has stolen it there was an old southern railway sign.

[@olegstudios2125]

Country roads take me home

[@dolape7002]

sad sad sad Much similar happened in my country, Argentina

[@williamradford9631]

50 years after the closure of the Sheffield to Lewes line, Barcombe station is in private owner ship. All the land is redeveloped. Nature has taken over, were the line used to be.

[@611unterscharfuhrer]

I heard a rumour, they were going to electrify part of the bluebell line, for heritage electric trains, don't know if there is any truth in it tho

[@nigelkthomas9501]

Should never have closed! I’d love to have personally dealt with Beeching and Marples before they buggered the railways of this country!

[@petercallomon9681]

Marple thought the M1 was Nirvana. Back then it was 20 minutes between each Ford prefect

[@pp37903]

This line was such an economic basket case it closed nearly ten years before the Beeching Report was published.

[@angloaust1575]

People were purchasing cars which Caused loss of revenue on railways

[@nigelkthomas9501]

@@angloaust1575 Be that as it may, but what position are we in now? Far too many cars and gridlock particularly in peak hours. Answer: more trains!

[@heathstjohn6775]

The Dpt. of Transport like all government dpts. often finds it convenient to implenment their policies in the names of other people. Reviews and their outcomes then become known by the Chairman's name. Afterwards, the departments then announce that they have decided to accept or to reject the reccomendations of 'The Whoever Committee', not 'The Committee which we Established and whose Panel we Chose, and which was Subject to Great Influences, Political and Commercial, with Many Conversations off the Record over the Phone, in Clubs and Restaurants'. Thete was no case to keep many of the closed railway lines open. Many people have since become trained in abilities they should never have had, by volunteering. Those who work on what remains do so because they own in voluntary societies lines to which they feel a personal responsibility mere users of them never do. The places are quieter, greener, and still used by walkers and horseriders. If people wanted to keep them they should even before the last world war had used them more. If they'd done so, all the thousands of jobs created in the automotive industry should never have been created, and the country not be traversable as it is today in cars which no public service could ever equal in comfort and convenience.

[@Northstander]

Lovely video, shows that a lot of the trackbed is still intact, though I understand that there are some bits that have been built on. I wonder whether Railtrack still own the route or if it has passed into private ownership. It would be wonderful if the Bluebell could start a journey southwards after finally reaching East Grinstead in the north.

[@wt8012]

It's not impossible, but it doesn't look like there are any plans to extend south. It would be very expensive and would require *_A LOT_* of engineering work - moving waste and what have you, not to mention that houses and gardens lay on the site of the former trackbed. Looks like we'll just have to hold on to memories for now...

[@quasimoto7662]

wt8012 they’ve mentioned it a few times but it sounds like that’s in the extreme long term. They’re in particular thinking about extending west to Ardingly first within the next decade or so (maybe a few years after OP4 and track work south of Horsted Keynes is complete) and if there’s ever a full line rebuild from Lewes to Uckfield (which is unlikely but possible) to contend them to do so. Not impossible but it would require other factors. They are trying their best to safeguard most of the ROW though and it’s certainly far more possible than some other heritage Railway Projects that have been completed.

[@neilfranklin5644]

This were my 1st preserved railway I got to travel on Sheffield Park to Horsted Keynes, I think it was. Way back in the late 1970's early 1980's and have been back on two other times but not since 1983, so when I can I want to do it from East Grinstead this time rather than get a coach trip there, yes I heard the route south had been built on but I thought it was built over and the video didn't show any houses on the track so hopefully one day it will be possible.

[@tomparsons3319]

@@neilfranklin5644 it's been filled in and built on at Newick and chally under the a272

[@dtaylor4552]

If they remade the Great St Trinians Train Robbery on the Bluebell Railway the possibility of expanding the line South of Sheffield Park Station could be part of the plan.

[@leey7h]

All that blood sweat and tears 150 odd years ago---all wasted

[@Redgatemill]

I believe it is the Bluebell Railway's policy to try and protect the track bed going south of Sheffield Park.

[@johngreen3543]

Not wasted, it served a purpose at the time. Just got too expensive to maintain and unprofitable.

[@angloaust1575]

Unfortunately people were buying Automobiles which caused railways Not being used as much Actually railways put the waterways Out of business so now the car and lorries are doing the same to the railways Anyhow with all the strikes maybe close down the whole rail network And make them fast bus lanes!

[@williamradford9631]

Nice footage, open land views, were the line used to be, now farmland, some parts look like a right of way? access with owners permission

[@mystified1429]

No right of way . Just farmers taking back what was the farm's land before the railways came

[@nigelkthomas9501]

Now that the Bluebell Railway have got to East Grinstead is the focus going to move to extending southwards?

[@trainmaniacstudios8216]

I think they are going to focus on doing something with the Horsted Keynes to Haywards Heath section first. Lewes is still a long term ambition though. Never say never :)

[@marke5503]

Some of the track bed from Horsted Keynes to Ardingly is already owned by the Bluebell. There is privately owned existing track between Ardingly and the junction (Copyhold Junction) with the Brighton main line into Haywards Heath. So, in the very long term, going West into Ardingly/Haywards Heath is far more likely (and logistically possible) than going South to Lewes.

[@Ingramdumpkiss]

I enjoyed it. Just one thought - you showed all the places where the course of the line is still extant, but you didn't show where it has been built over.How much of the line is blocked, and to what extent?

[@Redgatemill]

Ingramdumpkiss I did shoot some footage at Newick where a cutting has been infilled, but didn't use it. Where Newick & Chailey Station once stood there is some housing. Also in Barcombe goods yard back gardens extend across the trackbed. You can still see the original course of the line at Hamsey.

[@brianolivey4550]

English soldier marching bands

[@brianolivey4550]

Nana maskouri

[@WaxingRadiance]

If you look on googlemaps you can clearly see the entire line with the exception of a small mile or so section between Hamsey and Culver. Just look for the gently curving lines of trees. Armed with that knowledge and a map of the old network most of the lines axed by Beeching are still visible using google maps.

[@freqeist]

I ve always wanted to go up on there.

[@bstrutt]

love to see you get back to Lewes on day ,Have the railway got any plans SVR volunteer

[@merledoughty5787]

No rea;l forethought all based on the now rather than what will happen in years to come, yes it is crstal ball gazing but as some comments say all that blood sweat and tears just so sad

[@angloaust1575]

Some old lines are being reopened To ease traffic congestion

[@lasalleman]

Pretty RR country.

[@freqeist]

is there much private land you cannot walk on?

[@johntcashdown1363]

Not impossible to reopen but Ardingly is the priority for at least the next ten years.

[@joshbuckwell9787]

I was there not long ago

[@bstrutt]

should read one day

[@611unterscharfuhrer]

Could it not re- open

[@dtaylor4552]

The Bluebell line is going to put it in a long term plan.

[@marke5503]

Highly unlikely unfortunately.

[@scopex2749]

Its in superb condition just needs ballasting with scalpings!! For a start we will have them OUT of Barcombe station compulsory purchase order!!! So WHY are they not storming ahead with the project? The Bluebell was THE first preserved railway in the UK I want to see Bulleids, and A4,s storming down that track before i die so better hurry up!!!

[@highdownmartin]

(First was talyllyn. )Just waiting for your 100 million pound donation before we start work.

[@johntcashdown1363]

@@highdownmartin I imagine it will cost even more, also taking into account all the CPOs, almost guaranteed resistance from a few (KESR Bodium to Robertsbridge anyone?And that is ridiculously easy to complete by comparison!😂) the costly legalities and of course, what happens after Culver junction, as the rest of the route into Lewes is owned by network rail, as well as the opposite direction, in which NR have already turned down flat the Lavender line extending from Isfield into Uckfield.

[@highdownmartin]

@@johntcashdown1363 I didn’t know the last two bits of information. I doubt lewes Uckfield is ever gonna happen but it’s safeguarded by a big entity than the bluebell or escc

[@johntcashdown1363]

@@highdownmartin big, big politics behind that one, stretching back to 1964! BML2 are confident it’s not far off reopening now but it would also possibly open a huge can of political worms 🐛 in the process (the dealings of Ernest Marples etc etc) as the original intention was to electrify the line, not close it down altogether to build an unfinished road scheme. So no, it’s not too likely to happen.

[@highdownmartin]

@@johntcashdown1363 I don’t think anyone wants a secondary route as a mainline two. 2 1/2 hours to London, May as well go via Littledick. The chord at Arundel jn would be a quicker cheaper and better ml2. Someone else here was saying that it’s not about an alternative to London but a connection to Brighton across country. Well,post covid I can’t see that paying for itself And I live in lewes

[@jonathanpoole1464]

really good condition . if only someone had a pile of cash to get the land

[@angloaust1575]

Seek government help to open The railway again

[@TheSeafordian]

The government is more skint than I am.