The Great Bush Railway is a private, narrow gauge running round the edge of Tinkers Park, Hadlow Down,

Sussex Sussex (), from the Old English (), is a historic county in South East England that was formerly an independent medieval Anglo-Saxon kingdom. It is bounded to the west by Hampshire, north by Surrey, northeast by Kent, south by the English ...

. 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 runs 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 Motor Rail was a British locomotive-building company, originally based in Lewes, Sussex, they moved in 1916 to Bedford. In 1987 loco manufacture ceased, and the business line sold to Alan Keef Ltd of Ross-on-Wye, who continue to provide spar ...

(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.

History

The line today

Current Locomotives

Former Locomotives

Current Rolling Stock

Former Rolling Stock

References

See also