After a mere sixteen years the BASH project came to its formal conclusion with a gala special on Saturday 28th July 2007. The Buckinghamshire Railway centre had kindly loaned their version of the Bluebell Railway's SECR H class, Metropolitan Railway E Class 0-4-4T. It hauled all four Metropolitan Ashbury coaches all day with the greatest of ease . The event started with Bluebell Chairman, Roy Watts, introducing the event inviting Martin Lock the project's originator and for 13 years its leader, to recount the project. Martin, who had flown in from New Zealand to attend the Gala welcomed the coaches to their third century, pointing out that they and been a footnote to history including Queen Victoria's Funeral, transporting troops on their way to the front in the First World war and still showing scars from the Blitz in the second world war. Fred Ivey, Bluebell volunteer and a former Metropolitan station master, despoiled a can Boddingtons ( Meesrs Ashbury were located in manchester hence the use of Boddingtons) in formally declaring the project complete and the set relaunched. Over the years some 100 volunteers have helped raise the funds and carry out this massive restoration project. No other railway can run a rake of four Victorian coaches designed to run as a close coupled set. Visitors to the Bluebell Railway can experience this train for themselves during the weekend of 10 - 11 August.
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BEULAH. All Rights Reserved.
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Ashbury Set in action on The Bluebell Line 1961]