At the National Railway Heritage Awards held in London on 4 December a special Award — The Heritage Railway of the Decade — was made to the Bluebell Railway in recognition of the line’s completion of its project — often considered to be impossible as a result of the dumping of almost 100,000 tons of rubbish into the Imberhorne cutting following the line’s closure — to reconnect the preserved line to the national network at East Grinstead. This success was recognised on Sunday 1 June 2014 when David Allan, Chairman of Ian Allan Publishing (the award’s sponsor), officially unveiled the plaque at Sheffield Park station.
David Allan, Chairman of Ian Allan Publishing, unveils the plaque at Sheffield Park on 1 June 2014. The plaque commemorates the success of the Bluebell Railway in being awarded Heritage Railway of the Decade at the 2013 National Railway Heritage Awards. Jon Bowers