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North Downs Line Steam Locos


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I cannot find the answer on the forums, but please redirect me if I've missed it...

I am trying to find a history of locomotives on the Reading to Guildford, North Downs Line, in order to model it correctly - and from a personal nostalgic point of view.
As I child of the early sixties i can vaguely remember steam locomotives but travelled to school on the Class 206 'Tadpole' DMUs (and the one Class 33 'express' a day).
Can anyone give me detail of what steam locos I would have seen on the NDL in the early sixties please?
Thank you

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I don't know how you missed this, but a simple Google search on Reading to Redhill locos came up with several potential sources, including this http://alburyhistory.org.uk/attachments/File/North_Downs_railway_by_Alan_Edwards.html

The line probably had the most varied locos running on it, with examples from SER, SECR, LBSCR, LSWR, SR, GWR and BR running between Guildford and Redhill. I remember watching SR Moguls and LSWR/SR 4-6-0's from the viewpoint on Boxhill, but missed the BR stuff.

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Born in Betchworth in 1948, actually fairly close to Brockham Crossing, I can tell you that both N and U classes were very visible at that time. Some Schools class, too, including 30913/4/5/6 at least. The morning train with GWR power was a 43xx in the early '60s, a Manor later. On a once-a-day basis there were, over that period, a Q and an S15 on an up freight mid-evening. Tadpole day was 3.1.1965, although there was one steam-hauled passenger train. 

 

Edited for date.

Edited by Oldddudders
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I remember Reading - Redhill was often mentioned in Railway Magazine etc in the early 1960s as it was still steam worked, Manors and S15s being quoted, perhaps because a rare instance of steam working in an already largely dieselised railway.

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If you happen to be on Facebook there's a "Farnborough (Hants) Nostalgia" group. People occasionally post photos from that era of trains passing through North Camp & Farnborough North which may be of interest to you. Farnborough Main, too. But obviously that's not the line you're interested in. 

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The late David Hey’s wonderful website contains a great many relevant photos, and fortunately he had the wisdom to put it in the UK heritage websites archive https://www.webarchive.org.uk/wayback/en/archive/20151006083411/http://www.davidheyscollection.com/

 

I haven’t found a way of searching within this site, so if anyone has any tips .......

 

 

 

 

Edited by Nearholmer
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  • 4 months later...

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