Editing Bluebell Railway (section)

===West: Horsted Keynes to Haywards Heath via Ardingly===
[[File:3724smallRSBR.JPG|thumb|left|150px|The Ardingly spur, just south of {{stnlnk|Horsted Keynes}}]]
[[File:Former Ardingly Branch Line - geograph.org.uk - 859564.jpg|thumb|left|150px|The trackbed just east of the [[Hanson plc|Hanson Aggregates]] depot, {{stnlnk|Ardingly}}]]
Originally built as a double-track line,<ref name=Turner3/> it was [[Third rail|electrified]] in the 1930s, with [[SR Class 2NOL|2-NOL]] units used for the [[Seaford railway station, East Sussex|Seaford]]-Horsted Keynes service. The line between Horsted Keynes and Ardingly was operated as single-track in its final years, with [[British Rail Class 401|2-BIL/Class 401]] and [[British Rail Class 402|2-HAL/Class 402]] units. The second track was left in place and used for carriage storage, most notably the new Kent Coast electric stock prior to its introduction and later the steam-hauled stock that it replaced.<ref name=BBExtn/>

After the line's closure in 1963, the trackbed was purchased in its entirety by a member of the local gentry. In the 1990s the society bought the abandoned trackbed west between Horsted Keynes and Ardingly from his estate. This included up to the [[Hanson plc|Hanson Aggregates]] depot built on the former [[Ardingly railway station]] site.<ref name=Welch/><ref name=BBExtn/>

The society plans to reconnect the line with [[Network Rail]] at Copyhold Junction, to allow access to the [[Brighton Main Line|London to Brighton Main Line]].<ref name=Welch/><ref>{{cite web|access-date=2022-12-28|title=Bluebell Railway ready to advance 'through' railway|url=https://www.railmagazine.com/news/network/2022/09/16/bluebell-railway-ready-to-advance-through-railway|website=www.railmagazine.com}}</ref> Stations could either be located at Copyhold or Haywards Heath. There is a proposal that the line could be restored as [[third rail]] electrified, allowing operation of the society's electric stock.<ref name=BBExtn/>

While the {{convert|218|yard|adj=on}} Lywood Tunnel remains in good condition, there are two major areas of work that would be required to re-open the line, these being the replacement of a short girder-bridge span bridge and the {{convert|117|yard|adj=on}} Sheriff Mill Viaduct, which was demolished in 1969. The removed clay-cap from Imberhorne cutting has been deposited on the banks of the former Sherriff Mill viaduct to allow later bridging of the gap.<ref name=BBExtn/> Also in 2013, the former [[Tewkesbury and Malvern Railway]] bridge that crossed over the [[M50 motorway (Great Britain)|M50 motorway]] was donated to the railway for eventual installation in the replacement bridge.