Historic Horsted Keynes

Continuing my summer-time visits to heritage railways that are affiliated to the Watercress Line – meaning free reciprocal travel for working volunteers like me – I am making a long overdue return to what must surely be the UK’s finest preserved station.

Horsted Keynes station is roughly midway along the 11-mile long Bluebell Railway from East Grinstead to Sheffield Park and has been superbly preserved in Southern Railway 1930s style, which helps account for its appearance in countless films and period TV dramas.

It is a remarkable 65 years since the Bluebell Railway became the world’s first preserved passenger railway in the world on 7 August 1960, and for the first three years of its life in preservation the station was shared with Southern Region electric services working to and from Seaford and continuing up a short branch line to Horsted Keynes from Haywards Heath.

While re-building of a short section of this former line to Ardingly, and potentially linking up with the Network Rail-owned spur to a quarry there, now seems a remote possibility, the outstanding achievement of the Bluebell Railway was to rebuild its line north from Horsted Keynes to East Grinstead.

This ambitious project was completed in 2013 and created a valuable connection with Southern services to East Croydon and London, as well as a physical link that allows the regular movement of stock between the Bluebell and the national network.

Travelling by rail from Haslemere to Horsted Keynes via Clapham Junction and East Grinstead, my plan was to capture steam departures from the magnificent five-platform station by standing on an over-bridge called Leamland Wood Bridge, a short walk north from the station through its car park and onto a public footpath over the bridge.

Not knowing which way the trio of steam locos in action on 2 August 2025 would be facing, it came as a pleasant surprise to discover that all three of the locos in action on that day were chimney-first heading north towards East Grinstead.

That impressive trio comprised re-built Battle of Britain Pacific (4-6-2) 34059 “Sir Archibald Sinclair”, British Railways Standard Class 5 (4-6-0) 73082 “Camelot” and the Bluebell’s re-creation of an extinct London Brighton & South Coast Railway (LBSCR) H2-Class Atlantic (4-4-2) loco, 32424 “Beachy Head”.

Having met a fellow enthusiast on the bridge I was directed to another great vantage point a short walk north of the bridge, where we were able to capture 32424 adorned with Golden Arrow headboard and hauling three chocolate and cream Pullman cars on a wine and cheese special from Sheffield Park.

For much of its long life in preservation the Bluebell had a policy of only using steam locos, but that has changed in recent years and there was evidence of that change at Horsted Keynes in the form of the preserved 6S Hastings unit 1001/201001, which is due to operate in a forthcoming diesel gala, and Class 33 33108, on loan from the Severn Valley Railway.

There is so much period detail to appreciate at Horsted Keynes, where all signage and signalling is in keeping with the 1930s, as is the small and charming refreshment room on platforms 3-4, and pictured above, where draught beer is on offer and where I enjoyed an excellent pint of Dorking Brewery DB One (4.2% / £4.80).