Eastleigh Works and Southampton Docks in one Day

It is exactly 50 years ago this weekend that the Home Counties Railway Society ran one of the most interesting steam trips on the Southern of the time. Saturday December 6th 1964: Broad Street to Southampton Old Docks via Kenny O, East Putney and the Portsmouth Direct. Back to Eastleigh for a tour around the Works and then straight up the SWML to Waterloo.

A visit to Eastleigh Works would have been worth the money on its own but in addition you had the novel departure from Broad Street, the very unusual routing from Kenny O through Clapham Junction and then onto the District line via Point Pleasant Junction to access the main line at Wimbledon. The route to Portsmouth took us via Cobham rather than Woking and then there was the run via Netley (rare nowadays) to get to the Docks.

The motive power was also imaginative. We were booked for 70004 down to Fareham where 34079 came on to take us to the Docks. 30073 and 30069 then took the train up to Eastleigh and the Brit would return us to London.

Things were not looking good at Broad Street however. The train arrived with a diesel up front. We were told that 70004 had failed with injector problems and that 70020 Mercury had been scrambled as a last minute substitute but had come off shed facing the wrong way. So to save time the train would be taken to Willesden High Level where steam would come on. Nevertheless we were still 25 minutes late off Willesden and I never had steam out of Broad Street. But after that things looked up.

Despite the best efforts of the infamous Gordon Porter to hurry us down the Guildford New Line we were out of our path and half an hour late at Guildford where a Fratton driver (Taylor) took over. With a heavy load of 12, he was clearly determined to try and make up time over the switchback route although the booked 48 minutes to Havant was fairly tight. We went over the top at Haslemere in the low twenties and then almost literally took off. In the dip beyond Liss we touched 79 and then averaged 60 between Petersfield and Rowlands Castle including a storming climb of Buriton. At the time, the speed restrictions at Rowlands Castle and coming off the Pompey direct at Havant were 55 and 20 respectively. We eased slightly to 70 at the first and swept through Havant at 40 before a final blast along the coast to Fareham!

Although it was not unusual in 1964 for steam to visit the Docks, it was a treat for non ocean-going passengers to do so. The two USA tanks were also a fine head-turning sight as they powered back up to Eastleigh where 34079 was waiting to pull us back into the Works Yard. (More new track.) At that time the Works was still in full flow with, for example, 34086 having an intermediate overhaul and 80089 a general. But it was the main MPD that was an amazing but also a sad sight.

There were 92 locomotives on shed but not all of these were in steam. LMS 5's and 8Fs were well represented, also 9Fs and other Standard locomotives, including, of course, 70020. There were a few familiar faces like 34023 that featured on the Southern till the end of steam, and subsequently. Inevitably, though, it was the line of withdrawn locomotives that caught the eye like 35001, 34061 and 34091. But little did I know that this was not going to be the last time that I would be seeing some of these condemned locomotives. Amazingly, on Dec 6th 1964, sitting in the same place waiting, as it turned out, for a new life were the following:
35006, 34058, 34067, 34072, 34081, 34105, 30053, 30830, 45699.

And so, back up to London. The climb up to Roundwood with 12 up was steady rather than spectacular and we actually lost eight minutes although this included a check at Micheldever. The running was better after Worting with, bizarrely, the best leg, not on the racing stretch to Woking but after the junction when we didn't drop below 70+ until signals at Wimbledon and a fourteen minute jog to Waterloo.

This was a memorable day with plenty of variety and interest including new and unusual track, four locomotives and some lively running in places. Looking back at it though, it has become even more memorable for a different reason - the sight of all those locomotives that I thought were gone forever, that actually remain with us for another generation to enjoy.

 

The diesel was D5009 and the locomotives on shed, in no particular order were:
48471, 45699, 48111, 48510, 34105, 30548, 41260, 48408, 73170, 35001, 80142, 34021, 82018, 48061, 35006, 30830, 73017, 92179, 48724, 34058, 34081, 48329, 34067, 30071, 92197, 33015, 92155, 31410, 34054, 48380, 92152, 48700, 41303, 34073, 48506, 76019, 76063, 34096, 34091, 34072, 34042, 30073, 30069, 73116, 34010, 80017, 76054, 92045, 34104, 70020, 73022, 73117, 73155, 34023, 34103, 73041, 30053, 80083, 73089, 41325, 41319, 80066, 80150, 80014, 76060, 80065, 76061, 73081, 75068, 34088, 80082, 73054, 41313, 30067, 80087, 34061, 76064, 34008, 76012, 92053, 34101, 73119, 30064, 73043, 75079, 34087, 80015, 76016, 80016, 34082, 76006, 34002.

 

First among equally possibly? It really is amazing how many locos that are now preserved were at Eastleigh that day. I've only listed those that were already withdrawn in #1. But there was also 34023, 34101 - both in steam and still with some days of service left, not to forget the soon-to-become ex-works 80079. A remarkable moment in time.

 

That would have been clever wouldn't it? Sadly I had no camera and given that my notes tell me I went around the MPD in 27 minutes, I suspect I'd have taken very little if I had!