Great Bush Railway Explained

Railroad Name:	Great Bush Railway
Start Year:	1969
End Year:	Present
Length:	500m
Hq City:	Hadlow Down
Locale:	England

The Great Bush Railway is a private, narrow gauge running round the edge of Tinkers Park, Hadlow Down, Sussex. The railway is operated by the Claude Jessett Trust Company.The line is 500 meters long and has three stations, Hadlow Down, Bracherlands Junction and Tinkers Lane.

The railway only opens to the public on Tinkers Park events.

History

The line was laid down by Claude Jessett as an attraction to accompany the yearly steam rallies and as a replacement for an earlier miniature railway that existed around his garden. A heavily converted Motor Rail (later named Aminal [''sic.'']) was acquired from a nearby brickworks. This, alongside coaches built from brick trolleys, ran for a couple of years.

A volunteer group (named FIDO, not an acronym, but named due to the age of the volunteers) established themselves on the site and ran the line. More locomotives were acquired, putting the very worn Aminal out of use. Later the coaches were retired and a bogie coach built to take their place. Over time the FIDO group left for pastures new and the line has since been run by the Claude Jessett Trust as part of the Tinkers Park site.

The line was extended gradually, with a cutting dug by hand, to allow the line to run along the edge of an adjoining field.

The line today

The line runs in a U shape around the edge of a field. From Hadlow Down station, there is a straight run alongside the "Great Bush" which gives the railway its name, before reaching the locomotive shed, workshop and various sidings. After passing alongside, the line then reaches Bracherlands junction passing loop. The line then drops into a 1in25 curve situated in a cutting. The cutting being the largest feature on the line, having been dug gradually while the old organ museum halt being the end of the line (removed and replaced by the latter Bracherlands Junction platform.)After the cutting the line has taken a 180 degree turn running alongside another hedge before crossing over an access road between event fields and ending at Tinkers Lane station.

Current Locomotives

Number	Name	Builder	Type	Date	Worksnumber	Notes
1	Aminal	Motor Rail	(ex)	1933	5361	Purchased from the Ludlay Brick and Tile Company. Heavily modified using parts from a Trojan Van
4	Mild	Motor Rail		1941	8687	Purchased from the Crowborough Brickworks
5	Alpha	Ruston & Hornsby		1937	183744	Donated from the APCM Rodmell Works
10	Cape	Orenstein & Koppel		1935	5926	Received from Cape Universal Products, 1976. Moved to Amberley Museum. Then to Abbey Light Railway. Returned 2018.
14	Albany	Ruston & Hornsby		1941	213840	Originally from the gauge Royal Arsenal Railway, converted to gauge in 1973
15	Olde	Hudson Hunslet		1940	2176	Arrived 1977, left 1979. Went to the Stevington & Turvey Light Railway. Returned 2022.
22	Lama	BEV		1953	5033	Purchased from the Crowborough Brickworks
23	Dennis	BEV		1972	M7534	ex Crowborough Brickworks, In unrestored condition
24	Titch	BEV		1972	M7535	Purchased from the Crowborough Brickworks
25	Wolf	Motor Rail		1940	7469	Worked at Ham Marsh Gravel Pits, Faversham
28	São Domingos	Orenstein & Koppel		1928	11784	Worked at the Douro valley coal mines, Portugal.
29	Penrhyn No.24	Ruston & Hornsby		1955	382820	Worked at Penrhyn Quarry Railway
30	Drusilla	Motor Rail		1965	22236	Ex Drusillas Zoo Park
31	Grünewald	Diepholzer Maschinenfabrik Fritz Schöttler		1953	1600	Was owned by the Efteling Steam Train Company at Efteling theme park. Later Ex Stevington and Turvey Light Railway

Former Locomotives

Number	Name	Builder	Date	Worksnumber	Notes
2	Sezela No. 2	Avonside	1915	1720
3	Goat	Lister	1936	8022	Purchased from the Crowborough Brickworks, swapped for Albany with the Island NG Group IOW, 1977
6	Sezela No. 6	Avonside	1928	1923
7	Fido	Motor Rail	1931	5297	Ex Island NG Group IOW, 1976; sold to Ian Jolly, 1977, Now at Old Kiln Light Railway^[1]
8	Tuesday	Hibberd	1941	2586	Ex Island NG Group IOW 1976; sold to the Leadhills and Wanlockhead Railway, 1988
9	Smifsagit	Hunslet Hudson	1944	3109	Ex Island NG Grop IOW, 1976; sold to Alan Keef, 1979
11	Layer	Fowler	1936	21294	Ex Brockham Museum, later Leeds Industrial Museum at Armley Mills
12		Hibberd	1938	2136	Ex Horam Brickworks, later to Nick Williams, Reading
13	Peter Pan	Kerr Stuart	1922	4265	Arrived September 1977, left May 1978
17	Bear	Ruston & Hornsby	1952	339209	Arrived 1978, left 1979
18	Owl	Ruston & Hornsby	1939	283513	Arrived 1978, left 1979
19		Hibberd	1943	2631	Arrived 1979, left 1987
20		Wingrove & Rogers	1951	4634	Arrived 1980 ex Crowborough Brickworks, scrapped 2006
21		Wingrove & Rogers	1953	5035	Arrived 1980 ex Crowborough Brickworks, Scrapped 2010
26	No 4	Ruston & Hornsby	1936	177638	Arrived 2000, left 2011
27	Number 22	Ruston & Hornsby	1944	226302	Arrived 2000, left 2011

Current Rolling Stock

Number	Name	Builder	Type	Date	Notes
105		Robert Hudson	Bogie Coach	1981	Built in 1981 to replace former 4w coaches built on Crowborough brickworks wagons.
106	"Trev"		4w Coach		Built originally for a private line in Newbold Vernon. Was used in the 2017 season as a generator coach.
110		Great Bush Railway	4w Penrhyn Replica Coach	2018	Built in 2018 to a Penrhyn Quarry Railway Design.
111		A Vaughan Woodworks	Bogie Coach	2019	Built in 2019 to a freelance design inspired by Manx Electric Railway trailer cars.
112		Severn Lamb	Bogie Coach	?	Built for the Cotswold Wildlife Park. Ex Stevington and Turvey Light Railway. Currently operating as a bogie flat wagon, awaiting a new coach body superstructure to be built as the old one was unserviceable.
201		Du Croo & Brauns	4w flat		Currently not carrying barrel unlike seen in the picture.
202		Robert Hudson	4w Skip		Ex Rodmell Cement Works
203		Robert Hudson	4w Skip		Ex Rodmell Cement Works
204		Robert Hudson	4w Skip		Ex Rodmell Cement Works
205		Robert Hudson	4w Skip		Chassis converted to a planked side wagon.
207		Robert Hudson	4w skip		Chassis converted to a flat wagon
208		Robert Hudson	Bogie Flat		Ex MOD. Originally built for RAF Chilmark as NGF 8037, was moved to RAF Eastriggs after RAF Chilmark closed. Believed to have been acquired in the dispersal auctions.
209		Robert Hudson	Bogie Bolsters		Ex wagon bogies converted to bolster wagon pair.
210		Robert Hudson	Brick Wagon		Ex Crowborough Brickworks, was used as a coach before rebuilt.
211		Robert Hudson	Brick Wagon		Ex Crowborough Brickworks, was used as a coach before rebuilt.
301		Great Bush Railway	Pump Trolley		Old skip frame converted to a pump trolley.

Former Rolling Stock

Number	Builder	Type	Date	Notes
101	Robert Hudson	4w Toastrack	1969	4w Coach built on Crowborough Brickworks chassis.
102	Robert Hudson	4w Toastrack	1969	4w Coach built on Crowborough Brickworks chassis.
103	Robert Hudson	4w Toastrack	1969	4w Coach built on Crowborough Brickworks chassis.
104		4w Toastrack with roof	1969	4w Coach built on Ludlay Brickworks chassis. Body later used on old 206 bolster wagon as a temporary passenger coach.
107	East Hayling Light Railway	4-wheel third		Sold to the Old Kiln Light Railway. Awaiting overhaul and conversion into a coach for disabled persons.
108	East Hayling Light Railway	4-wheel third	1996	Sold to the Old Kiln Light Railway. Awaiting overhaul.
109	East Hayling Light Railway	4-wheel third	1992	Sold to the Old Kiln Light Railway. Now under overhaul.
206	Great Bush Railway	Bogie Bolsters		Replaced by current 209, bolsters built from Crowborough Brickworks wagons
208	Great Bush Railway	Tool Van		Built on ex Lydd Ranges chassis. Dismantled. Replaced by current 208 bogie flat

References

Web site: Old Kiln Light Railway . 15 September 2014 . https://web.archive.org/web/20151130143504/http://www.oldkilnlightrailway.com/mr5297.php . 30 November 2015 . dead .

Book: Mitchell, Vic . Smith, Kevin. Sussex Narrow Gauge. Middleton Press. 2001. 1-901706-68-0.
Book: Oughton, Ian . Great Bush Railway Locomotives.