25 September 2012

Please note: this news article is in our archive. Articles were correct at time of publication, but should not be relied on for accuracy after the passage of time.

This walk has been postponed to 18th November due to inclement weather – the Town Mayor can still be sponsored at http://www.justgiving.com/LizBennett and has raised over £1000 with gift aid so far!

Read more on the Bluebell Railway’s web site.

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THE Bluebell Railway’s new extension into East Grinstead will be accessible for the only time this year on Sunday 30 September when a sponsored ‘Track-Trek’ will take place on the land between East Grinstead and Kingscote Station.

So far 550 people have registered to walk the route between the two stations.

Funding director Roger Kelly said: “This is a chance not only for supporters to see the route through Imberhorne cutting and over the viaduct but also to raise money for us by getting sponsorship from friends, family, and work colleagues. Every walker will receive a commemorative certificate, and those who raise £100, will receive a sponsorship medal.”

Town Mayor Liz Bennett, who has already raised £600 on her ‘JustGiving’ page on the web, said: and “It is a great privilege to support the Bluebell Railway by helping to raise money for their Northern Extension Project. I will be walking (and chuffing!!) the four mile trek on 30 September to see for myself the route trains will take through the Imberhorne cutting and over the viaduct next year.

“Please support my JustGiving page and with your help, East Grinstead will look forward to the Bluebell Railway making history and being part of our town.”

To be involved in this event it is imperative to register beforehand. To do this, please contact track-trek@bluebell-railway.co.uk. Places are filling up fast and cannot be guaranteed.

* The Bluebell Railway is a heritage line running for nine miles along the border between East and West Sussex. Steam trains are operated between Sheffield Park and Kingscote, with an intermediate station at Horsted Keynes. The Railway is managed and run largely by volunteers. It has the largest collection of steam locomotives in the UK after the National Railway Museum. The Bluebell also has a collection of almost 150 carriages and wagons.

The Bluebell Railway was the first preserved standard gauge steam-operated passenger railway in the world to operate a public service, running its first train on 7 August 1960, less than three years after the line from East Grinstead to Lewes had been closed by British Railways. The year 2009 marked the Bluebell Railway Preservation Society’s 50th anniversary. For further information contact 07703 730122 or go to www.bluebell-railway.co.uk