Sussex Belle evokes memories of the age of steam at Hastings

Kevin Boorman captured these great shots of the Sussex Belle steam train leaving Hastings Station enroute to Ore when it visited the area on Thursday.

By Andy Hemsley

Published 11th Sep 2020, 12:39 BST

Sussex Belle 2 by Kevin Boorman SUS-201109-113847001

The train of Pullman style coaches was taking passengers on a South Coast excursion, with a stop at Hastings, and was pulled by the steam locomotive Braunton.

The West Country Class loco was built at Brighton Works in 1946 and is now based at Crewe.

Its visit to the South Coast, from London Victoria, saw a number of railway enthusiasts gathering at Galley Hill and Bulverhythe to watch the train go past.

Sussex Belle 1 by Kevin Boorman SUS-201109-113836001

It evoked the time of the Southern Belle Pullman Express, which once ran between Brighton and London Victoria in 60 minutes and billed itself as ‘The most luxurious train in the world’.

Kevin said: The photos were taken after the train left Hastings and climbed towards Ore. It is more unusual to see steam locos running on the Marshlink east of Hastings.”