Sharpthorne: At the End of the Tunnel

The Bluebell Railway's No.323 emerges from the north portal of the tunnel at Sharpthorne, pulling a train consisting of four veteran carriages.

The station that used to be here in the olden days has not been restored, but a permissive path has been created across the remains of the old platforms, from which this picture was taken.

You can see right through the tunnel from the old platforms: it is on a slope, so that engines must work hard to pull trains through it in the northbound direction, as here.

Today's 'extra' shows the plume of steam from the engine as it leaves the tunnel, just before the driver eased off the regulator as the line levels out before passing through the site of the old station.