# Great Bush Railway

The Great Bush Railway is a private, 2 ft (610 mm) 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 | Works number | Notes |
| 1 | Aminal | Motor Rail | 4wDM (ex 4wPM) | 1933 | 5361 | Purchased from the Ludlay Brick and Tile Company. Heavily modified using parts from a Trojan Van |
| 4 | Mild | Motor Rail | 4wDM | 1941 | 8687 | Purchased from the Crowborough Brickworks |
| 5 | Alpha | Ruston & Hornsby | 4wDM | 1937 | 183744 | Donated from the APCM Rodmell Works |
| 10 | Cape | Orenstein & Koppel | 4wDM | 1935 | 5926 | Received from Cape Universal Products, 1976. Moved to Amberley Museum. Then to Abbey Light Railway. Returned 2018. |
| 14 | Albany | Ruston & Hornsby | 4wDM | 1941 | 213840 | Originally from the 18 in (457 mm) gauge Royal Arsenal Railway, converted to 2 ft (610 mm) gauge in 1973 |
| 15 | Olde | Hudson Hunslet | 4wDM | 1940 | 2176 | Arrived 1977, left 1979. Went to the Stevington & Turvey Light Railway. Returned 2022. |
| 22 | Lama | BEV | 4wBE | 1953 | 5033 | Purchased from the Crowborough Brickworks |
| 23 | Dennis | BEV | 0-4-0BE | 1972 | M7534 | ex Crowborough Brickworks, In unrestored condition |
| 24 | Titch | BEV | 0-4-0BE | 1972 | M7535 | Purchased from the Crowborough Brickworks |
| 25 | Wolf | Motor Rail | 4wDM | 1940 | 7469 | Worked at Ham Marsh Gravel Pits, Faversham |
| 28 | São Domingos | Orenstein & Koppel | 0-6-0WT | 1928 | 11784 | Worked at the Douro valley coal mines, Portugal. |
| 29 | Penrhyn No.24 | Ruston & Hornsby | 4wDM | 1955 | 382820 | Worked at Penrhyn Quarry Railway |
| 30 | Drusilla | Motor Rail | 4wDM | 1965 | 22236 | Ex Drusillas Zoo Park |
| 31 | Grünewald | Diepholzer Maschinenfabrik Fritz Schöttler | 4wDM | 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 | Type | Date | Works number | Notes |
| 2 | Sezela No. 2 | Avonside | 0-4-0T | 1915 | 1720 | |
| 3 | Goat | Lister | 4wDM | 1936 | 8022 | Purchased from the Crowborough Brickworks, swapped for Albany with the Island NG Group IOW, 1977 |
| 6 | Sezela No. 6 | Avonside | 0-4-0T | 1928 | 1923 | |
| 7 | Fido | Motor Rail | 4wPM | 1931 | 5297 | Ex Island NG Group IOW, 1976; sold to Ian Jolly, 1977, Now at Old Kiln Light Railway |
| 8 | Tuesday | Hibberd | 4wDM | 1941 | 2586 | Ex Island NG Group IOW 1976; sold to the Leadhills and Wanlockhead Railway, 1988 |
| 9 | Smifsagit | Hunslet Hudson | 4wDM | 1944 | 3109 | Ex Island NG Grop IOW, 1976; sold to Alan Keef, 1979 |
| 11 | Layer | Fowler | 4wDM | 1936 | 21294 | Ex Brockham Museum, later Leeds Industrial Museum at Armley Mills |
| 12 | | Hibberd | 4wDM | 1938 | 2136 | Ex Horam Brickworks, later to Nick Williams, Reading |
| 13 | Peter Pan | Kerr Stuart | 0-4-0ST | 1922 | 4265 | Arrived September 1977, left May 1978 |
| 17 | Bear | Ruston & Hornsby | 4wDM | 1952 | 339209 | Arrived 1978, left 1979 |
| 18 | Owl | Ruston & Hornsby | 4wDM | 1939 | 283513 | Arrived 1978, left 1979 |
| 19 | | Hibberd | 4wDM | 1943 | 2631 | Arrived 1979, left 1987 |
| 20 | | Wingrove & Rogers | 4wBE | 1951 | 4634 | Arrived 1980 ex Crowborough Brickworks, scrapped 2006 |
| 21 | | Wingrove & Rogers | 4wBE | 1953 | 5035 | Arrived 1980 ex Crowborough Brickworks, Scrapped 2010 |
| 26 | No 4 | Ruston & Hornsby | 4wDM | 1936 | 177638 | Arrived 2000, left 2011 |
| 27 | Number 22 | Ruston & Hornsby | 4wDM | 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 |