50 years since the end of steam on BR Southern Region

[rs1952]

Although railways seem to be a minority interest in Boats Plane and Trains, if anyone is interested the weekend of 8th and 9th July marked 50 years since the end of steam traction between Waterloo and Salisbury, and Waterloo, Southampton and Bournemouth.

I took myself off down to the area just recently to get some “then and now” shots of various locations, and I have posted the first two in the series on Flickr:

Southampton 1st October 1966 and 5 the July 2017: https://www.flickr.com/photos/93122458@N08/3523991...

Whitchurch North 1st June 1967 and 27th June 2017: https://www.flickr.com/photos/93122458@N08/3595807...

More will follow as I get around to writing the captions

[Yertis]

Well, I appreciate those if no one else does. Where's the place in the second pic? It has no third rail.

[rs1952]

Yertis said:

Well, I appreciate those if no one else does. Where's the place in the second pic? It has no third rail.

Whitchurch (formerly Whitchurch North) between Basingstoke and Andover.

https://www.google.co.uk/maps/@51.2374797,-1.33546...

[TommoAE86]

Great pictures! Definitely prefer the steam age

[Equilibrium25]

rs1952 said:

Although railways seem to be a minority interest in Boats Plane and Trains, if anyone is interested the weekend of 8th and 9th July marked 50 years since the end of steam traction between Waterloo and Salisbury, and Waterloo, Southampton and Bournemouth.

I took myself off down to the area just recently to get some “then and now” shots of various locations, and I have posted the first two in the series on Flickr:

Southampton 1st October 1966 and 5 the July 2017: https://www.flickr.com/photos/93122458@N08/3523991...

Whitchurch North 1st June 1967 and 27th June 2017: https://www.flickr.com/photos/93122458@N08/3595807...

More will follow as I get around to writing the captions

Nice comparison shots.

One of the best things about old railway photographs is just how much else of 'normal life' they capture around them. I always find them fascinating for that reason.

[rs1952]

Another one has been uploaded, this time depicting Eastleigh 50 years apart - the train now standing in the car park...


https://www.flickr.com/photos/93122458@N08/3576795...

[Flying Phil]

Great pictures and back story. I too like Southern locomotives, but living in the midlands meant that I saw only a few. Visits and shed bunks to Nine Elms were usually in the rain and I only realised that the Pacifics were Green when I visited Salisbury station!

[rs1952]

The next one, comparing March 1967 and July 2017's fast trains from Southampton to Portsmouth, is now on Flickr.

https://www.flickr.com/photos/93122458@N08/3548573...

[RacingPete]

Great photos. Always love a then and now comparison, and particular like Clan Line pic where you have managed to get a bus nearly in the same place too.

[rs1952]

Micheldever has now been added to the comparison series:

https://www.flickr.com/photos/93122458@N08/3633754...

[bmw320ci]

i have worked for the new Southern as it is now and Clan lane is down at the Battersea sheds when not in use for the VSOE I managed to catch a ride on the foot plate while I was migrating the IT services of national express's Gatwick Express service to Southern Railway, and out of interest there is a Southern Steam loco in the York museum too.

[rs1952]

The next comparison shot has been posted on Flickr showing Wareham:

21st March 1967 - 41320 on the MRTS "Hants & Dorset Branch Flyer"
8th July 2017 - D6515 with the 1319 to Swanage (33025 was on the other end if anyone is interested)

https://www.flickr.com/photos/93122458@N08/3554608...

[rs1952]

The latest upload - Waterloo 50 year on - vanished scenes:

https://www.flickr.com/photos/93122458@N08/3628169...

[TommoAE86]

Massively interesting photo's and stories thanks for doing them, I grew up in Winchester and I have travelled through/to a number of the ones you've been doing.

Micheldever is a funny little station, I had a friend that lived there and the pro tyre place that is right next to it used to be my go-to place for tyres, when travelling up to visit family we'd take the old Intercity services (HST's for the most part but occasionally Class 47's) from Winchester to Leamington Spa and my grandfather in a bid to keep us occupied would get us to count the 4 tunnels before we hit Basingstoke!

About train lengths the cynic in me would say that SWT has more to do with the length of trains on that route, the express commuter trains would be the only ones with enough carriages for the passenger volumn but even then 10 (hope that's right I don't remember them being longer) didn't feel enough because all the others were shorter.

[Yertis]

rs1952 said:

8th July 2017 - D6515 with the 1319 to Swanage (33025 was on the other end if anyone is interested)

They should have got a Class 33 plus 4TC for that gig. In blue and grey. Does such a combination survive?

[rs1952]

Yertis said:

rs1952 said:

8th July 2017 - D6515 with the 1319 to Swanage (33025 was on the other end if anyone is interested)

They should have got a Class 33 plus 4TC for that gig. In blue and grey. Does such a combination survive?

I didn't actually say so in the Flickr caption but the coaching stock is a 4TC set that London Transport acquired back in the 90s primarily for their "Steam on the Met" events. It has been painted in LT red/maroon ever since.

I don't know of any 33s in blue and grey but that's not to say there isn't one

[RacingPete]

rs1952 said:

The latest upload - Waterloo 50 year on - vanished scenes:

https://www.flickr.com/photos/93122458@N08/3628169...

Nice to see an Ivatt Class 2MT working there, especially as I drove one a few weeks back - lovely responsive engine.

View from the cab...

[rs1952]

The latest then and now shot has been uploaded - Weymouth Jersey Sidings 1967 and 2017

For those with more of a Western that Southern bias, the 2017 shot has an HST in it

https://www.flickr.com/photos/93122458@N08/3567802...

[NDA]

Do you have any that feature Witley or Cranleigh stations? Cranleigh has long since gone of course....

[rs1952]

NDA said:

Do you have any that feature Witley or Cranleigh stations? Cranleigh has long since gone of course....

The short answer to both questions is no.

The longer answers are...
I have ridden my push bike down the former railway line on which Cranleigh used to stand from nearly Guildford to nearly Christs Hospital, not that that is much use in this context!

The "Portsmouth Direct" line from Guildford to Pompey was already electrified by the time I got interested in railways, so I didn't use it all that much. I have however posted a couple of photographs of the Longmoor Military Railway that used to run into Liss, not far down the road from Witley:

https://www.flickr.com/photos/93122458@N08/1552625...
https://www.flickr.com/photos/93122458@N08/1490852...


I do have a shot of a steam hauled special train at Pompey that had just come down the direct line from Guildford, and this will be posted on Flickr shortly as one half of a then and now comparison - the delays are being caused by trying to think up some good captions

oddited for teepees...

Edited by rs1952 on Friday 11th August 13:43