Features

Brian George:

"I am in Nottingham and have fond memories of the branch lines to Sidmouth and East Budleigh branch lines. I had Camping Coach holidays at East Budleigh in 1960 and 1961. Otter Valley.

I can remember the hot summer days, the steam trains coming down the Otter Valley. Listening to the Crickets in the filed opposite my camping coach (evening time). Getting grit in the eye and the senior station hand getting it out. Happy days!"

Ray Wilshaw:

"The weather in June and early July 1967 was much better than this year, thankfully, and it allowed the steam fans to enjoy and take plenty of precious photographs of the last days.

The last spam can, 34102 West Country Class Lapford will always be a personal favourite of mine and was in action during the last week. Nobody realised at the time how much would be subsequently saved. Congratulations to all those volunteers who have done so much since to keep steam alive."

John Gribble:

"In the 1950's I lived in London and our two week holiday was on he Isle of Wight , steam was not working at that time on the southern down to Portsmouth , but over to the island on one of the paddle steamers, arriving at Ryde pier head to be met by two steam trains one for Cowes and the other to Ventnor with that special sound that the island trains made.

I was only a lad so the beach was the place I stayed the most, but was taken on day trips over island and yes was by train and what a joy it was"

Robin Mussell:

"in the early sixties i was signalman at alderbury jnct. on the salisbury soton, salisbury bournemouth line. early turn started in time for the 3.10am paper train to bomo, we had two tilly lamps and blackrange for home comforts."

John Kendall:

"I have my grandfathers good watch bought for him when retire a good yard clerk by the local traders. This shows how important the railways use to be."

Geoffrey Robertson:

"We as a family use to travel from havant railway station to hayling island on a regular basis more in the summer months rather than winter. The little engines used to pull either two or four coaches. It used to be great traveling by steam in them days. until beeching threw the axe and closed the line. after that we traveled by bus. brilliant days had on steam trains. not like now."

David Booker:

"Being a train "fanatic", my last steam recollection was of the daily Brighton to Exeter train passing Barnham Junction hauled by the West Country class locomotive numbered 21C145 and named "OTTERY ST.MARY.

Those were the days!"

Philip Gardner:

"Trying to bunk (cop) Redhill shed... sneaking through between the buildings and dashing across the Tonbridge line to gain access to the steam shed... Health& safety... yeah right... days nad days spent on Wiggie footbridge and coming home with a sooty face...marvellous!!!!!!"

Stuart Andrews:

"I started train-spotting in the mid-sixties when Steam was just begining to be phased out. I live at High Wycombe, Bucks (which was on the Great Central / Great Western Region). One of our happier Saturdays out (myself and a mate or so) was to travel to Basingstoke for the day.

Watching the great giants of Southern Region Steam (Battle of Britain Class, West Country Class and Merchant Navy Class) hurtling through Basingstoke with full 10 carriage sets was a sight to behold !

I remember one particualr occasion when a Battle of Britain Class pulled into the slow platform pulling a sad, empty loco (withount it's tender or connecting rods).....the loco in question BODMIN (chalked upon the side of the cab)! The driver of the first loc said it was being taken to Eastliegh to be scrapped....we almost cried. But, during our next visit to Basingstoke, we were elated to see the self same 'Bodmin' hurtling majestically through the town ! It has obviously been in for an overhaul, and am pleased to recall that the 'Southern' Steamers were some of the last to be cut up (or sent to the Barry Island Coal Yards)."

Dave Mant:

"I'ts hard to know where to start. We used to go by train from Salisbury to Waterloo and also to Templecombe to visit family. My dad first took me to watch the trains when I was very little in the early 50's. Then I went to an Eastleigh Works open day in 1955 and got my first spotters book. I was hooked.

I well remember being on Salisbury station on 9th Jul 1967 as locomotives were brought to Salisbury for storage at the engine shed. The last one was eventually towed away for scrap in March 1968. At one time there were over 70 locomotives stored awaiting the cutters torch. A few escaped into preservation however - and even the many of the ones that went to the Barry scrapyard were eventually saved for preservation."

Ted Robbens:

"We lived in Surrey and always took our holidays with our relations in Bournemouth. Mum always told us we were on the Bournemouth Belle, although I'm not sure our train was always pulled by this engine. When we arrived my mother would make us go and thank the driver. I am not sure if this was a custom of the time and would be interested if anyone else used to 'thank the driver'.

Times have changed and I expect drivers prefer to remain anonymous now. All the telephone lines that followed the tracks on poles used to fascinate me as well and you could become mesmerized if you stared at them too long."

Anon:

Steam memories: 'home' trains - the railway track that ran through my Grandfather's fields at Thorley, and the special treat of Grandma walking me across to the line to wave to the train, which looked enormous from beside the track, and sounded incredibly loud. She used to tell me the story of the short-sighted pig on the farm that had his ear cut off in a straight line because he had wanted to cross and had put his ear to the track to hear if a train was coming. His tail was also cut off from when he turned to run away! This was a much greater deterrent than simply telling me not to go on the line. The continuation of this line through Yarmouth is now the track-bed that forms the footpath along the river Yar to Freshwater; I still imagine I can hear the steam trains.

We always had to go past the steam engine at Waterloo and say 'Thank you' to the driver at the end of the journey - an excuse for trying to see as much as possible of what was inside the engine - a furious world of fire and 'wobbly air'."

Denny Shrewsbury:

"As a toddler my cousin and I used to play in a sandpit that was literally underneath he railway bank. I can remember the steam trains stopping there at the signals just before Fareham Railway Station and being thrown small packets of dolly mixtures by the drivers!"

Robin Plumley:

"I lived in Guildford and remember the locomotive shed and turntable under the chalk cliff just before the tunnel towards Portsmouth.

I travelled on steam pulled trains to Christchurch from Woking for holidays at Mudeford. My great-grandfather was an engine driver, initially at Ringwood then at Guildford for 47 years until his death in 1935."

John Herbert:

"My father was a driver on the old LMS.I have spent many hours train spotting when i was young.My uncle was also a driver on the railway he taught me to drive steam and diesel engines. Bring steam back."

Dave Court:

I was wondering whether your viewers may be able to help with the attached photo.

Can you help to identify this picture?

It is a picture of my great great Grandfather who was station master for a station in the New Forest. My Grandmother would love to know which station it was however as she has a keen interest in our family history.

Any help would be greatly appreciated and I may be able to get some more information about it should you think it may be of interest. The photo is very old and therefore not in the greatest condition! Thanks"

Barbara Carpenter:

"My brother and I actually sat on the Swanage Dorset railway line to try and stop the last train leaving, but to no avail. A burly policeman lifted me up in the air by my scarf.
It was a sad time as I and many Swanage people used it quite a lot to go to Poole and surrounding areas to work."

John McGivering:

"When I was selling houses here in 1949 or thereabouts we had one for sale on the very edge of the cutting just outside Brighton station; passenger services were of course electric but the occasional goods-train was hauled by steam and every time one went past this house the kitchen filled with smoke ! There was no time-table for goods, so we had to take a chance.

I am sorry I cannot now remember whether we sold the house or not."

Nick Pearson:

"My grandfather was an engine driver, very hard work, at 51 he was dead, they wer,nt the nice romantic machines that the "anoraks" think, they were dirty, labour intensive, inifficient monsters.

Sadly i never really knew my grandfather, the physical and mental responsability of these metal monsters sent him to his grave all too soon, as a small child, living near a "line" our washing was always dirtier after it had been on the washing line than when it was hung out, best thing to happen, demize of the steam locomotive!"

Nicola Symes:

"In the early 1960s I had to travel from Nettlestone in the Isle of Wight to Sandown Grammar School. This necessitated a bus to Ryde Esplanade railway station where we caught the school special train. It was the type without a corridor, so we were allocated a specific group of pupils with a carriage prefect.

For some reason they had mixed ages in these carriages, being very small and thin some of the older pupils took great delight in bundling me into the luggage rack overhead, and teasing me by leaving me there until the last minute. On one occassion they left it too late and I didn't manage to get out on time!

Not so happy days for me! Riding on the Watercress line a few years ago brought it all back."

Peter Sargent:

We came out of Godstone Tunnel at 70mph.
As was usual he shut the regulator as we passed the Distant Semaphore Signal.
She must have had a touch of the big valve (maximum regulator) because not being satisfied that we were coasting he stood up, pulled the regulator out to maximum and closed it again.

He then casually moved the reverser forward to the coasting position.
WHen he looked up we were almost at Nutfield station and travelling at 65mph.
The look on his face of surprise was picture to behold.
He made a full emergency application of the brake.
We went through the station and out the other end.
THe station being some 8 coaches behind us.
It was in the rule book that providing a station is not overshot by a distance not exceeding a quarter of a mile the the train may be reversed into the station.

Working on steam traction was a dirty dangerous and filthy job but I wouldn't have missed it for the world.