The history periodical for students of the SR BR(S) and pre-group constituents
Issue No 12: Autumn / Winter 2025
The next issue of Southern Times, No 13, will contain:
To close a railway - the Ilfracombe line
Gosport Part 1
The E1/R tank engines
Godalming old station
Extracts from the SR Magazine
Recently found b/w images
Ken Wightman Part 2 Electric locomotives and units
More
SC
From the Footplate etc etc.
After steam there is definite need to redress the balance with some images of what are a favourite of many, the 4Cor (and variant) sets albeit in their final (blue) days. Livery is of course a subjective point but I don’t think any of us could not hanker back to the comfort provided in these units, externally perhaps displaying the then current livery but internally without doubt still resembling the originals of three decades before.
The images that are featured come from a recent acquisition by Transport Treasury but unfortunately without dates or locations, although of course some of the latter are obvious.(You are permitted to sway gently in your chair for what follows.)
4-COR unit 3112 at the head of a 12 coach formation leaving Guildford. Displaying the ‘81’ headcode and running on the Up fast line, this is a Portsmouth Harbour to Waterloo (fast) running via Woking and probably recorded in the last full year of operation for the trains, 1971. No 3112 was one of five 4-COR sets (the others were Nos 3109/25/27/40) which had the yellow end wrap around the bodyside. The set was withdrawn on 1 January 1972 and two days later was at Selhurst for stripping of usable parts. On 28 March 1972 it was transferred to Micheldever for storage until sold for scrapping to F T W Ward Ltd at Briton Ferry on 17 July 1972. Alan collection / Transport Treasury
Note: detail information on the individual sets comes from the excellent ‘blood and custard’ website, also the SEMG website reference headcodes. https://sremg.org.uk
Opposite and right: We referred to Graham Bowring’s new and excellent book ‘Signalling along the South Western’ in the previous issue. In his book Graham sets a poser in relation to the gate box at St Cross which Ian Shawyer is now able to answer in photographic terms.
Graham comments, ‘St Cross was a minor level crossing about one mile south of Winchester, and this shows the gatekeeper’s hut probably around 1895, before the signal box was built in 1898. It was an ancient byway although by the time of the railway, a private road; a block of two railway cottages was built in 1859; installation of signal to protect the crossing was approved in 1865, and the gate hut was probably provided at the same time. This is one of a pair of postcard photos, the other showing two men taking a photo of a train. Another photograher has recorded the action but of poorer quality with the train rather blurred; which suggests this other individual was not used to taking photos of moving trains. Neither has a date or caption on the back. There is no sign of the signal box in either photo although it is possible it was there but well out of view but that seems very unlikely as they would have included it in a photo. The signal box, a wooden version of the standard LSW Type 4, was built as part of a programme of improvements to provide extra block sections for running specials to Southampton Docks and other destinations. This shows the gate hut in use; it would have housed bells or indicators to advise of the approach of a train and it looks like there are two signal wires near the track on the left. Sadly the notice on the door is impossible to read and the interior of the hut is very dark. But is that a crutch on the right against the fence used by the older man? The cans and funnel on the left are probably for topping up oil in signal lamps. A super photo but if only we could see the interior of the hut. Perhaps it was taken because the gatekeeper, the man standing inside the hut, was about to retire or knew that he would be replaced by the signal box about to be built.’
InST10 we included an article on the Mid-Sussex line with a promise a set of line diagrams would follow.
As referred in ST11, these arrived just too late for inclusion in that issue so now with grateful thanks to Colin Peters the promised contemporary line detail follows. No date is quoted other than ‘Southern Railway’.
A map key (‘Table of References’) is provided on page 22.
RMS Queen Mary in the final months of he life; she would outlive steam by just three months being deemed uneconomical to operate. She was older than the steam engines she saw on this side of the Atlantic having been launched in 1936. Queen Mary left Southampton for the final time on 31 October 1967 and sailed to the city of Long Beach, California where she is permanently moored. In the lower view we see what is probably No 34089 again with a Hillman ‘Husky’ estate (the editor is showing his ageagain). Recycling is also present using old rail as a fence.
Another superb portrait of No 34021 and the back end of Queen Mary behind (perhaps not her best side). Hard to believe that less than one week later No 34021 would lie cold and lifeless at Salisbury waiting her next move to South Wales and scrap. (No 34089 would suffer the same fate scrapped in May 1968.) The use of pallets for goods was then in its infancy and they may well be waiting to be loaded on to the lorries - max gross vehicle weight for the latter then 32 tons. Below we see No 34089 with its 12 coach train; 2 vans and 10 coaches, ready to leave. Did the appearance of a grimy steam engine and a rake of coaches in mixed colours really serve as a welcome to England, but then Waterloo at the time was little better.
Tony Hillman
The Bluebell Museum Display in connection with Railway 200.
To complement the Bluebell Railway’s activities in connection with Railway 200, the Museum is displaying artifacts and ephemera covering the 200 year period.
One or two artifacts from each decade are shown, starting with the period 1825 – 1839, then every ten years, until the last period 2020 – 2025.
Shown on these pages are the 20 display boards. To see the artifacts described you will need to visit the museum. The display will be on show until the end of October.
SOUTHERN TIMES is the periodical for followers of the Southern Railway, British Railways Southern Region, as well as the pre-group companies:
SECR, LBSCR, and LSWR
Three issues per year, 80 pages packed with articles and images that are Southern related including where possible, unseen views in every issue.
A subscription service is available through the publisher; The Transport Treasury.
£13.50
