AFTER WEEKS of testing and running-in, replica London, Brighton & South Coast Railway ‘H2’ No. 32424 Beachy Head made its public debut at the Bluebell Railway on August 23.
The new-build ‘Atlantic’ – Britain’s first operational ‘true’ 4 ‐ 4‐2 since Great Northern Railway ‘C2’ No. 990 Henry Oakley last steamed at the Keighley & Worth Valley Railway in 1978 – hauled its maiden revenue-earning passenger services five days after it was formally handed over to the Bluebell Railway from the Brighton Atlantic Group at a ceremony at Sheffield Park on August 18. Among the many special guests in attendance was Ralph Gillam, who joined the Southern Region in February 1948 and is one of the last surviving ex-BR enginemen to have worked on the original ‘H2s’.
The handover marked the culmination of what has been a 24-year, £1.4 million project, officially started in October 2000. With Beachy Head now in regular, everyday service on the Bluebell, the Brighton Atlantic Group is turning its attention to the overhauls of ex-LSWR ‘B4’ No. 96 Normandy – which is already largely disassembled inside Atlantic House at Sheffield Park – and former Lyme Regis branch Adams ‘Radial’ 4 ‐ 4‐2T No. 30583, work on which will start in earnest once Normandy has returned to steam.
The day after its first day hauling regular service trains, Beachy Head starred in the Bluebell’s ‘Brighton Works Weekend’ on August 24 ‐26, alongside three other Brighton-built locomotives from the Bluebell’s resident fleet. Joining No. 32424 were 1872-built LBSCR ‘A1’ 0‐6‐0T No. 72 Fenchurch, rebuilt ‘Battle of Britain’ No. 34059 Sir Archibald Sinclair (originally built in air-smoothed form at Brighton in April 1947), and BR Standard ‘4MT’ 2‐6‐4T No. 80151. Built at Brighton in January 1957, it masqueraded at the event as scrapped classmate No. 80154 – the last locomotive to be outshopped from Brighton Works, in March 1957. One interloper was Ashford-built ex-South Eastern & Chatham Railway ‘O1’ 0‐6‐0 No. 65, which deputised for Fenchurch on the Bank Holiday Monday.
Following its week-long launch event, Beachy Head’s remaining rostered turns for 2024 are October 5/6, and October 1113 (as part of the line’s ‘Giants of Steam’ gala, starring alongside visiting ‘A4’ No. 60007 Sir Nigel Gresley).
