| SECR P Class 323 Bluebell | |
|---|---|
| Designer | Harry Wainwright |
| Builder | South Eastern and Chatham Railway |
| Build date | 1910 |
| Total produced | 8 |
| Configuration | 0-6-0T |
| Gauge | 4 ft 8 1⁄2 in (1,435 mm) |
| Wheel diameter | 3' 9.5" |
| Locomotive weight | 28 ton 10 cwt |
| Boiler pressure | 160psi |
| Cylinders | 2 |
| Cylinder size | 12" x 18" |
| Tractive effort | 7,810 lb |
| Class | P |
South Eastern and Chatham Railway P Class number 323 Bluebell is a preserved British steam locomotive based on the Bluebell Railway in Sussex. It holds the distinction of being one of the two engines which worked passenger trains during the first year of the Bluebell Railway Preservation Society. It was stored out of service at Sheffield Park, partially dismantled following an aborted overhaul until September 2009, when it entered the works in an attempt to have it operational for the railway's fiftieth anniversary celebrations in August 2010. However the restoration was delayed due to cracks in the firebox backhead. This has now been rectified and Bluebell is expected to enter service in Spring 2011. It is expected to be replaced in the works by sister engine number 27 Primrose. Since withdrawal by British Railways in 1960, it has been a continuous resident on the Bluebell, apart from a spell on loan to the East Somerset Railway from 1980-1984.[1]