Tag Archives: Salisbury

Anniversaries all round, a diamond look back to 1963

This is not only incredibly my 750th post on this here little part of the interweb Southern Railway related blogosphere, but more importantly today marks the 60th and Diamond Wedding anniversary of my dear Mum and Dad.

One of my favourite pictures of my Mum, in happier health times, and my Dad, celebrating his 80th Birthday on the Bluebell Railway in dining style, five years ago.

The last 18 months has been a huge challenge for all the family due to my Mum’s health, thankfully she fought off a frightening and emotional life threatening low point in time, and she is now being wonderfully looked after by the excellent and dedicated staff at the Hulcott Nursing Home,  although her ongoing condition is still an emotional challenge to us.  Dad has coped admirably with great compassion, strength and dignity to the change of life routines that has inevitably evolved.

I offer them both my most hearty congratulations, love and also thanks for sticking with it and coping with bringing up myself and my older Brother. Also of course it was Dad and his upbringing in Salisbury, where my Granddad worked on the railway, that gave me the interest in all things Southern Railway.

So in addition to the joining in matrimony of my parents Ken and Wendy, 1963 was a notable year for a number of other things, I won’t go into the politics of the time, dreams, or assassinations (as I definitely can’t remember where I was at the time as I didn’t exist!) however the following are railway related:

  • The year started on Monday 1st January when the British Railways Board took over responsibility for the running of the railways from the British Transport Commission’s Railway Executive.
  • On the same day all the Southern Region west of Salisbury, was transferred to the British Railways Western Region for the final time. This was really the first nail in the coffin of the old Southern Railway route to Exeter, North Devon and Cornwall.
  • 1963 also started with the worst winter conditions since 1946/7 and I am sure many of you will have the footage of railway locomotives stuck in the snow across the network. For example on the 8th February snow totally blocked the old Southern main line route at Meldon and no doubt many other place over that period too.
  • The 27th March saw the publication of the infamous Dr Beeching “Reshaping British Railways” Report as I discussed in my post earlier this year here.
  • On Saturday 31st March the Railway Clearing House (RCH) was disbanded after 120 years and its functions and staff transferred to the Chief Accountant’s Department of the British Railways Board. The RCH had been apportioning railway receipts between the British railway companies since 1842.
  • A more sinister event took place on 8th August with what has become known as the “Great Train Robbery” (although not so great for Jack Mills the driver), I used to  drive past the farm they used as their initial hide out every day to and from my then place of work.
  • Metropolitan Railway Loco No.1, that so successfully returned steam to the UndergrounD ten years ago  to celebrate the the Underground’s 150th Anniversary, was originally withdrawn from service in 1963 having taken part in the centenary celebrations earlier in that year.
  • In November the Bluebell Railway was just 4 years old when the line from Haywards Heath to Horsted Keynes was closed leaving them without a connection to the British Rail Network right up until ten years ago when the northern extension to East Grinstead was triumphantly reopened.

Finally: The Beatles released their first album “Please please me” and gained their first Number One with “From me to you” and later that year had Number One singles with “She Loves you” and “I want to hold your hand” all perhaps very apt for my parents starting their new stage of life together!

So to Mum (although she will not be able to read this) and Dad, I say with love, congratulations and many heartfelt thanks!

To regular readers of this blog, I thank you for your time taken to read my ramblings over the last 750 posts, I hope you found them to be informative and sometimes entertaining regarding all things Southern Railway.
I also thank you for the comments and messages received, I always try to respond to as many of them as I can.

With the quantity of posts continuing to increase, the menu / category structure has continued to evolve to make finding relevant, all things Southern Railway, content easier to find, as well the original menu items such as Workbench Witterings and Talking Stock and newer menus including  model news, model reviews, history and book reviews I have also now indexed them further to help you find Modelling Tips and Techniques topics that might be of interest to you. If in doubt you can also use the search facility, or click here for any random post, you never know what you might find.

Smoke & Steam, new quarterly ‘bookazine’ includes a number of Southern related articles

A brand new quarterly ‘bookazine’ from Warners called ‘Smoke & Steam’ is published on 30th April.  It features some of the most famous – and not so famous – routes, featuring locomotive legends. With in-depth articles, including a few Southern related, explaining some of the most important moments of Britain’s railway history from a variety of eras and regions, accompanied by rare or never-before printed photography.

The contents include:

  • Following the Flagman – Dover’s seafront railway – Paul Isles
  • Forgotten Railways – The Peak District mainline – Graham Nicholas
  • Iconic stations: Exploring Salisbury – Graham Muspratt
  • Travelling in style: The Cornish Riviera Express – Adrian Vaughan
  • Mallard: A Pictorial Journey – Tony Wright
  • Semaphore Signalling – Why the GWR was different – Mike Romans
  • There’s only one Edinburgh Waverley – Ian Lamb
  • Restoring an SR Merchant Navy – Graham Muspratt
  • Goods locomotives of Buckingham – Tony Gee
  • Moving Into BR – the GWR becomes the Western Region  – Mike Romans
  • Modelling coal and how to weather a locomotive – Phil Parker

Available digitally or on high-quality paper, Smoke & Steam should make an ideal coffee table companion.

It will be on sale from 30th April – you can pre-order your copy here. Initially, this bookazine will only be available mail order, but once things start to return to normal in the news trade, it should be appearing in good newsagents.

Despite including my articles, having had the opportunity to review some of the excellent other contributors articles from which I have already learnt new things (everyday is a school day) I think it will be a cracking publication.

 

Fisherton Sarum at the Faversham MRC exhibition this weekend – 14th / 15th September

This weekend, 14th and 15th September sees the annual Faversham Model Railway Club exhibition being held at the The Abbey School, London Road, Faversham. ME13 8RZ.  I am looking forward to exhibiting Fisherton Sarum at this show as I havent exhibited this layout in a while, the first of its two appearances on the road this autumn (the other being  Beckenham and West Wickham MRC on the 19th October.)

ex LSWR Adams 0395 class 0-6-0 No 3441 awaits here next pilot tern on Fisherton Sarum.

There will be 18 working layouts across a variety of scales, gauges and prototypes. And a selection of traders.
The show is open on Saturday between 10am to 4.30pm and on Sunday between 10am and 4.00pm.

A quiet period on shed with Bulleid pacific 21C102 “Salisbury” being cleaned, A Drummond 4-4-0 L11 “Large Hopper” No 405 is being coaled. An Adams 0-4-4T O2 No 213 also simmers on shed.

It is also good to be exhibiting Fisherton Sarum again within Southern Railway territory even if the Eastern section in Kent rather than the South Western section.

The venue is just off the A2 London Road and if coming via train it is only approximately an 8 minute walk from Faversham station (up side exit)

If you are planning on coming along,  Fisherton Sarum is stand number 7 located in the hall one, please drop by and say hello, it is always a pleasure to meet and chat with readers of this blog.

Fisherton Sarum at the CMRA Stevenage exhibition this weekend 13th / 14th January

This weekend sees the annual Chiltern Model Railway Association (CMRA) exhibition at the Stevenage Arts and Leisure Centre, Lytton Way, Stevenage, SG1 1LZ. I am pleased to be exhibiting Fisherton Sarum at this this excellent show, the first of its two appearances on the road this year (the other being Milton Keynes on February 10th).

A line up of Bulleid pacifics on shed at Fisherton Sarum awaiting their next turn.

This is the second year the CMRA has held the show at this venue having been previously for many years at the somewhat cramped St Albans Civic Centre.  here will be more than thirty working  layouts across a variety of scales, gauges and prototypes. And as usual a wide selection of specialist and general traders together with demonstrations, static exhibits and society stands.
The show is open on Saturday between 10am to 5.30pm and on Sunday between 10am and 4.30pm.

A quiet period on shed with Bulleid pacific 21C102 “Salisbury” being cleaned, A Drummond 4-4-0 L11 “Large Hopper” No 405 is being coaled. An Adams 0-4-4T O2 No 213 also simmers on shed.

Situated only a couple of hundred yards from Stevenage’s main shopping area, the venue offers a town centre location with the benefits of good transport links and car parking. For those coming by public transport the railway station is literally just over the road and is joined to the venue and town centre by a pedestrian bridge. Services are mainly operated by Great Northern, lying on the route from London King’s Cross to Peterborough & Cambridge. The station is also served by trains between London and Letchworth via Hertford North. The bus station is also close, less than a minutes walk away. For those travelling by car the venue is on the dual carriageway A602 which is easily accessed by two junctions on the A1(M), one from the north and one from the south, with an estimated 5 minute travelling time from the motorway. Several large car parks are next to the venue.

if you are planning on coming along Fisherton Sarum is stand number 65 located in the bowls hall, please drop by and say hello, it is always a pleasure to meet and chat with readers of this blog.

Picture of the Month – May 2017

This months picture…

Gresley A4 class 60033 ‘Seagull’ heads to London on a locomotive exchanges route familiarisation working in May 1948. The Home signal that controls entry to Platform 1 or 3 at Salisbury Station is made from model Signal Engineering components.