60s steam loco scrap lines between Portsmouth and Havant

[highpeakman]

As a student at Portsmouth in the 60s (66/67) I used to catch the London trains to go home. I have a memory of passing a siding with a number of steam engines stored (awaiting scrapping presumably) on the south side of the main line somewhere near Farlington Junction. 

 

I think there were a number of Bulleid Pacifics in the line but I just can't be sure of my memory now.

 

Can anyone please provide any more details about the location and, hopefully, the content of the sidings. I appreciate they may only have been there temporarily while being taken to scrap yards but it would be nice to have my memories confirmed.

 

Thanks to anyone who can help.

[Wickham Green]

As a student at Portsmouth in the 60s (66/67) I used to catch the London trains to go home. I have a memory of passing a siding with a number of steam engines stored (awaiting scrapping presumably) on the south side of the main line somewhere near Farlington Junction. 

 

I think there were a number of Bulleid Pacifics in the line but I just can't be sure of my memory now.

 

Can anyone please provide any more details about the location and, hopefully, the content of the sidings. I appreciate they may only have been there temporarily while being taken to scrap yards but it would be nice to have my memories confirmed.

 

Thanks to anyone who can help.

Scrap locos at that sort of date would have been heading west to South Wales - often via Salisbury shed .................. might you have headed back to 'the smoke' via Eastleigh occasionally - there would have been scrappers around there !

[highpeakman]

Scrap locos at that sort of date would have been heading west to South Wales - often via Salisbury shed .................. might you have headed back to 'the smoke' via Eastleigh occasionally - there would have been scrappers around there !

 

No, definitely not. Although having lived away for some time I was born and bred in Pompey so, even if my detail memory is failing a bit by now, I had a rough idea of where I was. As I said, they may just have been stabled there temporarily.

 

There was still some steam activity around Portsmouth at that time as I remember seeing Tank Locos (either standards or Ivatts) working down to Harbour Station from my college windows.

[Davexoc]

Although also from Pompey, it was a bit early for me, but there were sidings just north of Hilsea on the lido side, which is now Hilsea Industrial Estate. That is unless there was still anything of the gasworks left then, which was south of Hilsea.

 

Try this:

https://maps.nls.uk/geo/explore/side-by-side/#zoom=14&lat=50.8281&lon=-1.0682&layers=11&right=BingHyb

 

Dave

[Enterprisingwestern]

There was a scrapyard at Northam, could they be bound for it?

 

Mike.

[buritonhampshire]

As a student at Portsmouth in the 60s (66/67) I used to catch the London trains to go home. I have a memory of passing a siding with a number of steam engines stored (awaiting scrapping presumably) on the south side of the main line somewhere near Farlington Junction. 

 

I think there were a number of Bulleid Pacifics in the line but I just can't be sure of my memory now.

 

Can anyone please provide any more details about the location and, hopefully, the content of the sidings. I appreciate they may only have been there temporarily while being taken to scrap yards but it would be nice to have my memories confirmed.

 

Thanks to anyone who can help.

 

Not too sure about any pacifics or main line locos but some of the tank locos from Portsmouth Dockyard were scrapped at Bedhampton about 1961. Perhaps this is what you remember?

 

Roger

[highpeakman]

Although also from Pompey, it was a bit early for me, but there were sidings just north of Hilsea on the lido side, which is now Hilsea Industrial Estate. That is unless there was still anything of the gasworks left then, which was south of Hilsea.

 

Try this:

https://maps.nls.uk/geo/explore/side-by-side/#zoom=14&lat=50.8281&lon=-1.0682&layers=11&right=BingHyb

 

Dave

 

Thanks for that but it was not there. It was, I thought, on the other side of the tracks. I am aware of the NLS maps but didn't think to look in this case so Thanks for that pointer. Looking at the 1:25000 map rather than the 1 inch I notice that there is a Works on the right, just south of what used to be Hilsea Halt, so presumably that was the Gas Works?

 

My, probably untrustworthy memory, thought there was water in the background which I had always assumed was Langstone Harbour so that place would fit the bill - if it was still there in the later 60s?

 

Edited to add: I notice that on the earlier 1:25000 map (1892-1914) sidings on the right (east) are shown just past Farlington Junction. There was also an earlier siding and very short branch to Bedhampton Mill. Neither are indicated on the later 1:25000 map but that does not always show every single siding. I have no idea when either of those were lifted. 

 

Also edited to correct comment about Gas Works.

Edited January 8, 2019 by highpeakman

[highpeakman]

Not too sure about any pacifics or main line locos but some of the tank locos from Portsmouth Dockyard were scrapped at Bedhampton about 1961. Perhaps this is what you remember?

 

Roger

 

Thanks for replying but the locos I saw were not the Dockyard Tanks. They were definitely large locos. 

 

It also has to be later, 1966 or 1967.  

[petethemole]

The Northam scrapyard at that time was primarily a ship breakers' yard (Pollock & Brown). Although it had a rail connection dating back to when it was a ship builder's (Northam Iron Works) I've never come across a reference to locos being scrapped there in the 60s. They did break one loco, in 1935, SR No. 408, a Hawthorn Leslie 0-4-0ST formerly from Southampton Docks. http://www.railuk.info/steam/getsteam.php?row_id=31178

[Wickham Green]

Thanks for replying but the locos I saw were not the Dockyard Tanks. They were definitely large locos. 

 

It also has to be later, 1966 or 1967.  

I think Guildford's the only shed that had large-ish locos late in the day and might have despatched scrappers towards Eastleigh via the Pompey Direct ......... not pacifics though !

[highpeakman]

I think Guildford's the only shed that had large-ish locos late in the day and might have despatched scrappers towards Eastleigh via the Pompey Direct ......... not pacifics though !

 

For clarity, I am not stating absolutely that they were pacifics although I was fairly sure they were. It has stuck in my memory because I was so surprised to see them. Also I am not saying they were from Portsmouth or Fratton, just that they were in the siding - they could be en route from anywhere to anywhere - or just tucked away for a day or so - or maybe weeks, maybe months - I just don't know.

 

At that time period I did not make any other train journeys in the area apart from Portsmouth to Waterloo so it must have been on that route.

[Londontram]

Perhaps it was the strategic steam reserve being moved to some secret location!

 

Sorry someone had to say it.....

Edited January 8, 2019 by Londontram

[Wickham Green]

For clarity, I am not stating absolutely that they were pacifics although I was fairly sure they were. It has stuck in my memory because I was so surprised to see them. Also I am not saying they were from Portsmouth or Fratton, just that they were in the siding - they could be en route from anywhere to anywhere - or just tucked away for a day or so - or maybe weeks, maybe months - I just don't know.

 

At that time period I did not make any other train journeys in the area apart from Portsmouth to Waterloo so it must have been on that route.

There wouldn't have been much left knocking around in '66 or '67 other than pacifics and Standards ........... I wonder if there are any clues in http://www.crecy.co.uk/southern-way-special-issue-no-9 ?

[Wickham Green]

Perhaps it was the strategic steam reserve being moved to some secret location!

 

Sorry someone had to say it.....

Bricked up in Ventnor Tunnel ?

[highpeakman]

I have been looking at a number of sources regarding the possible location of the siding. 

 

The old 1:25000 OS map shows a siding immediately after Farlington Junction on the right as you travel north. That would fit in with my thoughts as to where I was when I saw the locos. Langstone Harbour would have been visible behind them which is what I recall. Being to the east of the junction also means they could be routed through Cosham and Fareham on their way to Eastleigh so would not have gone into Portsmouth itself. The problem is that I have no way of knowing that siding was still extant in the 60s.

 

On the web I can find the signal box diagrams for Portcreek Junction (the other side of the Portsmouth - Fareham - Havant triangle) and Havant but not Farlington Junction itself which is very frustrating!

 

https://signalbox.org/diagrams.php?id=102

 

http://www.s-r-s.org.uk/html/srx/R555.htm

 

This diagram of Green Lane crossing also shows the Gas and Water works (?) sidings which I mentioned above at Hilsea (on the Portsmouth line) which also overlooked Langstone Harbour.

 

http://www.s-r-s.org.uk/html/srx/R703.htm

 

 

My money is still on Farlington Junction sidings (if they still existed then!!). 

 

Edit: I should have added that I have watched a Driver Training Video of the line and you can still see where the sidings at Farlington would have been. At first glance it still looked like old track was buried in the vegetation but I soon realised it is half buried cable ducting - two lines of it.

Edited January 8, 2019 by highpeakman

[HonestTom]

Perhaps it was the strategic steam reserve being moved to some secret location!

 

Sorry someone had to say it.....

 

Interesting subject. I've always thought the Strategic Steam Reserve was OF NO INTEREST. THERE IS NO STRATEGIC STEAM RESERVE. CONTINUE GOING ABOUT YOUR BUSINESS CITIZEN. THIS WEBSITE IS NOT BEING MONITORED AND NOTHING IS BEING CENSORED. ry recently.

[IWCR]

Bedhampton water works siding was still in place at this time and has water beyond it. From a reply earlier it would appear that some Portsmouth Dockyard locos were scrapped here, perhaps it was also used for parking something on its way elsewhere.

 

Pete 

[SED Freightman]

Bedhampton water works siding was still in place at this time and has water beyond it. From a reply earlier it would appear that some Portsmouth Dockyard locos were scrapped here, perhaps it was also used for parking something on its way elsewhere.

 

Pete 

 

Pure guess, but could the locos have been en route to / from the Longmoor Military Rly where, amongst others, 35028 Clan Line was preserved for a while.

[highpeakman]

On 08/01/2019 at 16:32, highpeakman said:

I have been looking at a number of sources regarding the possible location of the siding. 

 

The old 1:25000 OS map shows a siding immediately after Farlington Junction on the right as you travel north. That would fit in with my thoughts as to where I was when I saw the locos. Langstone Harbour would have been visible behind them which is what I recall. Being to the east of the junction also means they could be routed through Cosham and Fareham on their way to Eastleigh so would not have gone into Portsmouth itself. The problem is that I have no way of knowing that siding was still extant in the 60s.

 

On the web I can find the signal box diagrams for Portcreek Junction (the other side of the Portsmouth - Fareham - Havant triangle) and Havant but not Farlington Junction itself which is very frustrating!

 

https://signalbox.org/diagrams.php?id=102

 

http://www.s-r-s.org.uk/html/srx/R555.htm

 

 

 

My money is still on Farlington Junction sidings (if they still existed then!!). 

 

Edit: I should have added that I have watched a Driver Training Video of the line and you can still see where the sidings at Farlington would have been. At first glance it still looked like old track was buried in the vegetation but I soon realised it is half buried cable ducting - two lines of it.

 

Just to bring this post up to date, if anyone is interested.

 

I have just been reading the Railway Heritage book about Portsmouth by M.G. Harvey & E. Rooke and found a picture of a 4VEP taken in 1976 approaching Farlington Junction from Bedhampton. Quote " At this point there were sidings on both sides of the line, the down side being a storage point for condemned stock in the early sixties". 

 

The location with Langstone Harbour as a backdrop fits perfectly with the picture in my mind (perhaps my memory is not so bad, making me think I could have been right about the type of locos?)

 

https://maps.nls.uk/geo/explore/side-by-side/#zoom=16&lat=50.8414&lon=-1.0385&layers=168&right=BingHyb

 

I am now very certain that this is where I saw the locos although exactly what they were or where they were heading (certainly for scrapping) my memory won't allow confirmation but i still feel sure that some Bulleid pacifics were there.