Connections with Brighton and Hove : Railways played a major role throughout the unusually long life of Bernard Holden. He was born in the station at Barcombe near Lewes in 1908 where his father was the station master. In 1912 the family moved to the busier station of Steyning. Holden joined the Southern Railway as a clerk, following the family tradition, before going to London at the outbreak of war in 1939. He supervised the evacuation of children from London and later ran railways as part of the war effort in northern India. In 1948 he joined British Railways on nationalisation and stayed there until retirement in 1972. By then he was runnng a railway himself in his spare time. With four friends, he reopened the line between Sheffield Park and Horsted Keynes in 1960 less than three years after it had been closed by British Railways... The Bluebell was a pioneer in restoring disused railways. Holden became superintendent of the line and president of the preservation society. Holden lived long enough to see the railway extended to meet national services at East Grinstead. He was appointed MBE in 1992. He died in Ditchling aged 104 in 2012 and his coffin rode on the railway as part of his funeral.
477 Volvo Gemini - carried name since delivery in November 2013 on Route 5. Route 5 branding removed September 2017. Repainted into new standard livery March 2021.