LSWR 6-Wheeled Stock on the Central Division, 1937-1938

[sem34090]

Evening (Morning!) all -

 

Just been watching the wonderful 1937/8 Documentary film Southern Railway (An amateur production, but very well executed, by a Mr Eric J. Sparks) on the BFI site (https://player.bfi.org.uk/free/film/watch-southern-railway-1937-online), and saw this:

Now, bearing in mind the date of the film being made, this rake of coaches struck me as being a bit out of place. I don't know the location, but am guessing it to be Lancing on account of the coaches being stored, the fact the train is moving quickly along a straight section of line, and the train going the other way would probably be on a Brighton to West Worthing (I ruled out the other alternatives of Bognor - Barnham and Arundel - Littlehampton as I can't think of anywhere on those routes for the coaches to be stored next to a fast-ish running line and it doesn't look like Brighton to me, which rules out a Preston Park - Brighton). Any information would be very much appreciated, including where they are likely to have come from and where they were likely to be going (the bonfire?).

Edited December 2, 2019 by sem34090

[Nick Holliday]

According to discussions re the composition of the Lancing Belle that occurred here a couple of years ago, from around 1934 the elderly Stroudley four and six wheelers were replaced by short bogie LSWR stock, and I think that is what you are seeing. If you count the ventilators on one of them, I made it eight compartments, rather long for a six-wheeler.

[sem34090]

I did wonder about that, and I suspect you're probably right now I look again...