Great Eastern Lady Posted February 20, 2022 Share Posted February 20, 2022 The world is full of what if’s, what if this had happened or what if that had happened, and the railway world is no different. Many of us have thought about what if this railway had been saved or if this locomotive had been preserved. This is about a what if this had happened to a railway that many of us wish had been preserved. The Hayling Line is one of those that many of us wish had survived and in this world it has and has gone from strength to strength. We know about the attempt to save the line in 1965 using a electric tram which failed and the line was consequently ripped up, this is where the timelines split apart and my what if world begins. In February 1966 there was another attempt and this one succeeded, and after a lot of negotiating with BR a price was agreed to purchase the line up to Langston Station, the rest of the line to Havant was sold to Hampshire Council. A huge campaign was started to raise the £20,000 to buy the line, BR had given them a deadline of September 1966 to submit a deposit of £6000 or the rest of the line will be pulled up, the Hayling and Havant Railway Preservation Society had been born. Langston bridge was the biggest headache for the fledgling H&HRPS, it was in a poor state of repair and BR had already been quoted £400,000 to rebuild, the best they decided was to try keep it from falling into Langston Harbour and it was just constantly patched up until funds could be raised to rebuild it. Hayling Station building was also in a very poor state and really couldn’t be used until it had been repaired so a couple of portable cabins were obtained to be used as offices. The other building was the goods shed which although not brilliant it was better than the station building and various items were stored in there. The coal stage and signal box had already been cleared by BR by the time the H&HRPS had got there, so some of the members started looking around for a replacement signal box. By early April word had got around and membership was on the increase along with volunteers and the station site was starting to resemble a station again. Quite a few of the new volunteers also worked on BR and some had actually worked on the line so their help and advice was invaluable. The permanent way was one of the major concerns as it had been three years since anything had been done to the track, so a detailed survey was started including weed killing which was all done by hand. Rolling stock had started arriving by late April/early May 1966 with various wagons and a couple of very dilapidated coaches. The general Mood so far good, the campaign to raise the money was going well, the track was in better condition than it had been thought and membership and volunteers was ever increasing, however that was to change on the night of the 15th May 1966. A fire had ripped through the goods shed and had completely gutted it including all tools and materials the railway had obtained, the Fire Brigade had put the fire out but not before the building was declared a total loss. The fire was a complete mystery until a few days later a gang of local lads were caught after bragging about it and the money they had received for doing it. Turned out that a business man from Portsmouth had had his eye on the station site and wanted to redevelop it and was a bit miffed that the railway had beat him to it, so he had got some local boys to do his dirty work. The resulting arrest and court case cost him dearly and the railway was awarded over £10,000 in damages. The money now meant that the railway could pay BR the deposit ahead of time and they were able to buy their first steam locomotive, terrier 32661 which they managed to save just before the cutters torch, the loco had been languishing since 1963 after several failed attempts to preserve her. 32661 arrived at Hayling station in late May 1966. The purchase of 32661 gave the railway a much needed lift and the hunt for more locos began with help from their BR volunteers looking around for more terrier’s. With various fund raising campaigns the railways bank balance was looking very healthy. The next two locomotives to arrive came in quick succession. An eagle eyed volunteer while working at Eastleigh came across two terrier’s that were thought to have been scrapped years ago, but were sitting in a siding in a very poor state over grown with weeds and almost totally hidden and they were 32677(13 Carisbrook) and 32669(10 Cowes). BR when approached about the two locos were surprised that they had survived, however a price was agreed and by mid July 1966 32677 and 32669 arrived at Hayling station. The loss of the goods shed did have a hidden bonus, the railway was now free to remodel the goods yard to suite a preserved railway rather than a working steam era railway, and a corrugated shed was erected over the next couple of months and a new siding was laid to store the ever increasing rolling stock. As with most preserved railways at this time, the facilities at Hayling were primitive at best. The new shed was completed in the November, it rattled, it creaked but it offered dry working conditions and 32661 was moved in with the aid of a tractor, the other two would be very long term and after some preventative measures were covered up. 1967 began with another corrugated shed being built and an ex LSWR coach moved in in March 67 and Hayling C&W was born. All through 1967 the P-way up to Hayling North spot re-sleepering took place along with weed killing. Hayling North was pretty much nonexistent as nature had taken it’s toll. After much debate in the local pub it was decided that the halt would be rebuilt and in late spring the work began on rebuilding. A survey of Hayling station building kicked off 1968, and with the poor condition and the fact that it would need major renovation the decision was made to patch the roof up and board up the windows to make it weather prove while it plans were drawn up as to what to do with the building. The restoration of 32661 and the coach is slowly progressing. The rebuilding of Hayling North was coming along well with the new wooden supports for the platform now in place. The platform canopy at Hayling Station was one of the main restoration projects for 1969, although not in bad condition it did need some work and that progressed during the year. With the hire of a crane from a local contractor the boiler was lifted from 32661 so work could begin on it. 1969 proved to be quite an good year. Another ex LSWR coach had arrived, so that now made two of these Maunsell rebuilds. There was another couple fortuitous happenings and that was two more terrier’s that were found in the most usual of places. The first finding was in sleepy Dorset, one of the volunteers an ex boiler smith from Brighton Works was on holiday with his family, and while they out they passed a farm. Facing the small track they was using there was a barn with what looked like a small steam engine sitting in it, this perked his interested and with family in tow took a walk up to the farm house. After a few minutes talk with the farmer he walked over to the barn leaving his wife and children in the care of the farmer’s wife. As they walked up to the barn with the farmer he immediately recognised what the small engine was. The farmer explained that his father had this wacky idea about providing steam power and heating to the farm and had bought this old steam engine off the Southern, but after a few years he just couldn’t get it to work, so he gave up and the engine just sat in the barn. The engine had been painted black but underneath you could faintly see the words Southern and a number which read E735. The mystery was how it found its way from Kent to Dorset when it was supposed to have been scraped in 1936. Apparently the farmer was visiting a friend in Kent and told him about his idea, his friend told him he knew the foreman at Ashford works and that he’d probably be able to get him an engine. A couple of weeks later the loco was delivered to Gillingham station where at sat for another 10 days before the farmer was able to get it delivered to his farm. The second terrier was found in the back of Ashford works, a sorry looking hulk stripped of most parts but the motion was all there even the coupling rods, a loco supposedly scraped in 1938, whether this loco will ever be restored or it might be used for parts history will tell. BR was approached about the loco and for a nominal price the loco was purchased, the railway had a week to get it back to Hayling. That loco was No.5 Rolvenden( 671 Wapping). E735 was delivered to Hayling in the second week of September 69 after two hectic weekends getting her ready to move on to her new home. The new decade began pretty much where the last one left off, Hayling North was progressing well with start of the new platform surface, work on 32661 was going well, and after a detailed inspection of the boiler the work it needed wasn’t too bad, the motion was in the middle of it overhaul and the axle boxes had been remetalled. The LSWR coach was now in the middle of having it’s bogies overhauled, and the station canopy was looking better. The track was again weeded and more spot replacement of sleepers. Hayling North was completed in October 1972. By late 1974 the overhaul 32661 and the coach was almost complete, the railway had obtained its light railway order and after an inspection the railway was declared fit to operate and after many months of testing both were declared fit to operate. With the restoration of 32661 their attention turned to 32677 and the other ex LSWR coach. A run round loop had been squeezed in at Hayling North the first 2.1 miles were complete. There wasn’t much luck in finding a replacement signal box for Hayling so a new one had been constructed. The first public trains ran on Easter weekend 1975 to much fanfare. Hayling Island had got it’s railway back, it had got it’s terrier’s back. The second ex LSWR coach was back in service by June 1977 and 32677 by July 1981. The railway was just going from strength to strength, it was proving to be immensely popular. Langston bridge was finally reopened in 1989 with a much reduced opening span as it was only the boats from the yacht club that was using it, passage under the bridge had to be booked 24 hours in advance. Langston Station was reached in May 1991, with the station having to be moved because of road improvement’s, the run round loop at Hayling North was removed at the same time and rebuilt at Langston. 32661 was back in for overhaul in 1984 and the restoration of 32669 was about half way. The loco department shed at been enlarged in 1983. 32669’s restoration was completed in February 1989. By the mid 90’s Hayling Station building had been rebuilt with a new booking area, restaurant, shop and toilets, the platform canopy had been rebuilt to its original length, an additional siding had been laid along side the bay road for carriage stock and part of a field had been bought from a local land owner for a new car park and for a new permanent way depot. The turn of the century bought new challenges for the railway, the existing loco and C&W buildings were getting rather ragged, so in 2002 they undertook a massive rebuild program of both departments with C&W getting a new single road shed and loco getting a new three road shed. Now all the locos could be kept under cover and the long drawn out restoration’s of 735 and Rolvenden could start. In 2004 an order for three new boilers from Israel Newton of Bradford was put in, the same company that had built new ones for the IoW and K&ESR. The last piece of the jigsaw came in 2008. After long negotiations with Hampshire Council and Network Rail, the railway got the go ahead for the final mile and bit. The railway finally ran into Havant station in September 2014, the island was reconnected again after 51 years. The Hayling and Havant railway is now one of the UK’s premier heritage lines 5 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold 5BarVT Posted February 20, 2022 RMweb Gold Share Posted February 20, 2022 That’s a long story for four locos! Have fun. Paul. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Great Eastern Lady Posted February 20, 2022 Author Share Posted February 20, 2022 @5BarVT I thought it would be nice to have the history of the H&HRPS. There will be five resident terrier’s, the others will be visitors. The H&HRPS are currently in negotiations with Bressingham to purchase 2662. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
StephenB Posted February 20, 2022 Share Posted February 20, 2022 What a delightful start to the story of the H&HRPS. I look forward to the rest of the story. Stephen 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Great Eastern Lady Posted February 20, 2022 Author Share Posted February 20, 2022 @StephenB. Thank you Stephen , I’m glad you enjoyed the history behind the Hayling and Havant Railway. It took a few days to write that and come up with plausible stories although some are stretching it a bit, that fitted in with the timeline. Jayne Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
StephenB Posted February 21, 2022 Share Posted February 21, 2022 You did actually miss two Terriers which could have survived, namely the ones on the WCPR that ended up owned by the GWR. Stephen Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Great Eastern Lady Posted February 21, 2022 Author Share Posted February 21, 2022 @StephenB. Strange you should mention those terrier’s, I did think about getting one of those, but being as I had already bought the others ie 735 and Rolvenden I had to make the story line fit into those locos, even if it is a bit far fetched. Just as well I hadn’t bought Leadenhall, she was scraped in 1905 I think, that would be been stretching the realms of possibility Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nearholmer Posted February 21, 2022 Share Posted February 21, 2022 Any excuse, however tenuous, is a good excuse to own lots of model Terriers, so don’t feel obliged to stop being creative at this early juncture. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Great Eastern Lady Posted February 21, 2022 Author Share Posted February 21, 2022 @Nearholmer @StephenB You two guys are filling my head with ideas for another terrier. I think I am going to have to have a good look around and see if I can pick up one of those GWR terrier and coach packs that Hornby did. If I can then the timeline will have to have a a little bit of a modification Jayne Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RodneyS Posted February 21, 2022 Share Posted February 21, 2022 I don't think the GWR Terrier and coach pack is out yet. It was due early this year. However I've just checked the Hornby website and it seems to have disappeared completely. A pity as I was interested in one. Rodney Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Great Eastern Lady Posted February 21, 2022 Author Share Posted February 21, 2022 32 minutes ago, RodneyS said: I don't think the GWR Terrier and coach pack is out yet. It was due early this year. However I've just checked the Hornby website and it seems to have disappeared completely. A pity as I was interested in one. Rodney It is still on their website R3960, due Spring 2022 so they are saying. I already have the Terrier 150 pack on order, add the GWR Terrier and coach pack and it will be an expensive spring time Jayne 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RodneyS Posted February 21, 2022 Share Posted February 21, 2022 Thanks Jayne, that's good news. It didn't come up under 'new for 2022' but did when I put in the number you quoted. Thinking about it I suppose it would be new for last year, not this one ! Terriers have always been a favourite of mine so I shall be following this with interest. Rodney Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Great Eastern Lady Posted February 21, 2022 Author Share Posted February 21, 2022 @RodneyS. You’re welcome Rodney, they’ve always been a favourite of mine since I used to volunteer on the K&ESR. I don’t know if you’ve got this book, if not you should as it lists every single terrier and what happened to them. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RodneyS Posted February 21, 2022 Share Posted February 21, 2022 Thanks for the thought. I do have that book and it is very good. The history of the Terriers gets rather complicated and my copy is well thumbed. Rodney 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
StephenB Posted February 22, 2022 Share Posted February 22, 2022 Two other potential sources of Terriers, complete or in bits, were the Shropshire & Montgomeryshire and the Edge Hill Light railways. More likely bits than complete locos. Stephen Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Great Eastern Lady Posted February 22, 2022 Author Share Posted February 22, 2022 1 hour ago, StephenB said: Two other potential sources of Terriers, complete or in bits, were the Shropshire & Montgomeryshire and the Edge Hill Light railways. More likely bits than complete locos. Stephen I’ll have to check my book when I get home , but I think bits might be more the case, plus I’m not sure where they were scraped. Anyway I think I’m going to call it a day with the GWR terrier being the last barn find so to speak. Jayne Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Great Eastern Lady Posted February 24, 2022 Author Share Posted February 24, 2022 Ordered up the baseboards today from Grainge & Hodder, I just didn’t fancy making my own this time and ordered dowels and catch’s from Station Road. I’ve got some track and points that I haven’t used yet on Little Framling, so I’ll be using those, I’ll have to get some more points and flexi track as I know I haven’t got enough. I will be using Peco code 100 again as I just prefer it and it seems a bit more robust than code 75 to me. Jayne Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Torn-on-the-platform Posted February 24, 2022 Share Posted February 24, 2022 An exciting project! Preserved Hayling Island is a great idea. I look forward to seeing the layout progress 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Great Eastern Lady Posted February 24, 2022 Author Share Posted February 24, 2022 @Torn-on-the-platform. Thank you, I’ve seen a few layouts of Hayling in either Southern or BR days, but I’ve yet to come across one as a preserved line, so it’s going to be interesting to see how it plays out. Jayne Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Great Eastern Lady Posted June 21, 2022 Author Share Posted June 21, 2022 I've got the boards, i have most of the track and points, i have most the the materials to build the station building and canopy, the only thing i am lacking in is time, grrrrrr Jayne 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium John Besley Posted November 29, 2022 RMweb Premium Share Posted November 29, 2022 Any further progress, looks an interesting project. Definitely one of those if only it had survived ... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Great Eastern Lady Posted December 8, 2022 Author Share Posted December 8, 2022 On 29/11/2022 at 06:11, John Besley said: Any further progress, looks an interesting project. Definitely one of those if only it had survived ... I’ve had a busy year volunteering on the RH&DR, so the layout has taken a bit of a back seat. i have finally started to build the baseboards that I’ve had for months . Once I have got the Santa’s and Christmas out the way then I shall start getting the track down and working out where to put things. jayne 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium John Besley Posted December 9, 2022 RMweb Premium Share Posted December 9, 2022 5 hours ago, Great Eastern Lady said: I’ve had a busy year volunteering on the RH&DR, so the layout has taken a bit of a back seat. i have finally started to build the baseboards that I’ve had for months . Once I have got the Santa’s and Christmas out the way then I shall start getting the track down and working out where to put things. jayne Interesting, what do you do on the RH&DR... my Exhill Works is basically a 10.1/4" minimum gauge railway, at some point I intend to build a somewhat similar loco to a 15" one bit like 'The Bug', once I've finished the 'Tinkerbell' build. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Great Eastern Lady Posted December 9, 2022 Author Share Posted December 9, 2022 4 hours ago, John Besley said: Interesting, what do you do on the RH&DR... my Exhill Works is basically a 10.1/4" minimum gauge railway, at some point I intend to build a somewhat similar loco to a 15" one bit like 'The Bug', once I've finished the 'Tinkerbell' build. I am a Train Dispatcher there. In the New Year i will taking my signallers theory course, and with luck once i've passed it, i shall being training at New Romney box. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Great Eastern Lady Posted January 10, 2023 Author Share Posted January 10, 2023 Hi everyone I hope someone might be able to help. I have searched high and low, gone through my books on Hayling island railway, but i cannot find the dimension’s of the station building. Has anyone got an idea, or I’ll have to just take a guess. thanks Jayne Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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