Sunday 29 November 2015

St Denys 1983

ST DENYS






433


434


(All 28.10.1983  Copyright Steve Sainsbury/Rail Thing)



One of my favourite spiots for rail photography was St Denys, between Southampton and Eastleigh. It was always a busy spot and before electrification of the Portsmouth line had plenty of old school diesel workings, plus anything could appear on the main line! The station also had nice classic buildings and a layout that allowed you to catch anything coming through just by loitering at the end of the up main line platform!

Back in 1983 the Wessex units were still a good way off, and of course class 33 hauled trains with five mark one coaches were commonplace.

More info (from Wikipedia)

St Denys railway station

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
St Denys National Rail
StDenysStation-Platforms.jpg
St Denys station platforms
Location
PlaceSt. Denys
Local authorityCity of Southampton
Coordinates50.9220°N 1.3880°WCoordinates50.9220°N 1.3880°W
Grid referenceSU431138
Operations
Station codeSDN
Managed bySouth West Trains
Number of platforms4
DfT categoryE

Annual rail passenger usage*
2004/05 0.190 million
2005/06Increase 0.195 million
2006/07Increase 0.202 million
2007/08Increase 0.207 million
2008/09Increase 0.219 million
2009/10Decrease 0.214 million
2010/11Increase 0.235 million
2011/12Increase 0.247 million
2012/13Increase 0.263 million
2013/14Increase 0.289 million
History
Original companyLondon and South Western Railway
Pre-groupingLondon and South Western Railway
Post-groupingSouthern Railway
1 May 1861First station opened asPortswood
5 March 1866Station relocated
1 January 1876Renamed St Denys
National Rail – UK railway stations
A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z
* Annual estimated passenger usage based on sales of tickets in stated financial year(s) which end or originate at from St Denys.

St Denys railway station serves the St. Denys and Portswood suburbs of Southampton in Hampshire, England.
Built in 1865, the station is named after the surrounding area, which in turn is named after the Priory of St Denys, a major landmark in medieval Southampton.
Services run hourly to Portsmouth & Southsea and Southampton. These are run by Class 450s. Also, there are hourly services between Salisbury and Romsey, run by Class 158s.
The station is at the site of the junction between the London to Weymouth mainline and the West Coastway Line running between Southampton and Portsmouth. It is currently served mainly by South West Trains, with irregular services operated by Southern. There are four platforms; two on the main line and two on the branch line.

History


St Denys station building (now in private ownership)
The original station was opened by the London and South Western Railway on 1 May 1861 and named Portswood after the small village to the west of the main line. Shortly after, to accommodate the Portsmouth branch line, a new station building was built 0.25 miles (0.40 km) to the south; the relocated station was opened on 5 March 1866. However to avoid confusion with Portsmouth, the station was renamed to St Denys on 1 January 1876.
The station buildings themselves are fine examples of Victorian architecture. The original station building on platform 1 is listed, although it is now privately owned. Platforms 2 and 3 house the waiting room and ticket window, whilst the old station buildings on platform 4 house The Solent Model Railway Group, a local organisation.

Accidents and incidents

  • In August 1939, a train overran signals and was derailed by trap points. The accident caused a set of points to move, diverting an approaching boat train. This averted a more serious accident, as wreckage was foul of the route the boat train should have taken.
  • On 14 August 1940, a passenger train was derailed due to enemy action. A bomb fell on the line ahead of the train, which was unable to stop in time.
  • On 29 October 1959, a passenger train overran signals and was derailed by trap points.
  • On 12 December 1960, a passenger train overran signals and was derailed. Two people were injured.


Friday 27 November 2015

Millbrook 1984

MILLBROOK



33 XXX


47 XXX


73 130


73 XXX


1126


6072

(All 24.5.1984 copyright Steve Sainsbury/Rail Thing)



An hour or so at Millbrook back in 1984 produced plenty of variety with classes 33, 47 and 73 on various trains and light engine, plus some older slam door units on stopping trains. I've never been a big fan of island platforms for photography, although their reduced cost appeals to the economist in me!

More info (from Wikipedia)
Millbrook railway station is a small station in the Millbrook area of Southampton, England.
The station is served mainly by the Salisbury to Romsey stopping service. This service runs once per hour in each direction. The station is run by South West Trains. The platforms face the slow lines only, there are no platforms for the fast lines.
Millbrook Freightliner Terminal is located next to the station on the up side. A car terminal and rail access to Southampton's Western Docks can be seen from the down side of the station.

Services

Preceding stationNational Rail National RailFollowing station
Southampton CentralSouth West TrainsRedbridge
Historical railways
SouthamptonLondon & South Western Railway
Andover and Redbridge railway
Redbridge

Passing trains and freight traffic


The Freightliner Terminal at Millbrook
It is popular with railway enthusiasts due to the wide array of freight and passenger trains which stop and pass through. Services into Southampton Central which pass through Millbrook include: the Weymouth - London Waterloo services normally Class 444s, the Southampton Central - Wareham services, normally Class 450s, the First Great Western Cardiff Central - Portsmouth Harbour service normally a Class 158 but often a 150, the Westbury - Southampton shorts either a 150 or 153, the SWT local service to/from Salisbury to Romsey with a Class 158 and also the CrossCountry service to/from Bournemouth to Birmingham and beyond which are operated by the Voyager fleet.
The freight traffic is also frequent as the Millbrook Freightliner Terminal is behind the station, with frequent Freightliner Class 66s hauling containers to Leeds and Cardiff. More freight services withEWS operate daily intermodal trains into the docks and also a car/van train which operates most days. Passing though the station as well are Freightliner Class 66s on intermodal or heavy haul, EWS 66s on intermodal, petroleum or engineers; Mendip Rail's Class 59s operating stone trains and GBRf's daily gypsum service into the docks. The future of the freight looks promising with EWS and Freightliner continually increasing the freight traffic into Southampton. SoonDRS traction may also pass through, if they win the MoD contract operating out of Marchwood.
Heritage traction are also frequent visitors to the South with occasional DRS Class 37s running on Serco test trains, and in the summer seasons diesel and steam tours pass though. Steam trains include: TangmereClan Line and Lord Nelson. The latest diesel traction includes Riviera Class 47s and EWS Class 37s on Pathfinder Tours.
Annual rail passenger usage*
2004/05 20,937
2005/06Increase 21,122
2006/07Increase 21,992
2007/08Increase 29,265
2008/09Decrease 27,422
2009/10Increase 29,936
2010/11Increase 33,418
2011/12Decrease 31,362
2012/13Increase 31,850
2013/14Increase 39,340

Sunday 22 November 2015

Salisbury 21 November 2015


SALISBURY



158 880 Salisbury 21.11.2015


158 890 Salisbury 21.11.2015



158 798 Salisbury 21.11.2015


158 798 158 890 Salisbury 21.11.2015


159 022 Salisbury 21.11.2015

(All Salisbury station 21.11.2015 Copyright Steve Sainsbury/Rail Thing)



It's been nearly 15 years since I last visited Salisbury, but it was a big haunt of mine between 1975 and 1987, and that's how I remember it most vividly, with class 50s on the Waterloo-Exeter trains and class 33s on the Wales to Portsmouth or Brighton trains, with Hampshire units running from Salisbury down to Portsmouth, together with a few shorter workings on the main line from Waterloo, usually using class 33s.


Salisbury 33 038 14.4.1986


Salisbury 50 043 14.4.1986

Yesterday was a bitterly cold day. I was staying for a long weekend in Salisbury with family, and managed a brief escape to the station (which was about a minute from our apartment) whilst the rest went to the cathedral.

First shock was the barriers!! What on Earth are they thinking? Salisbury is classicly OPEN station, with people wandering between the outside world and the station, spending money in the shop and the cafe. Hopefully this will be just a temporary aberration. At the very least a station with barriers needs to offer PLATFORM TICKETS (not that I asked, but I think I already knew the answer). 

Luckily the car park runs alongside platform 1 and 2, which was where I'd always taken pics anyway. I went right to the end and stood on the rail barrier, which gave me enough elevation so the camera was above the fence. Still a pain though - and the REAL problem was the bitter cold, a real shock to the system after such a record-breakingly warm autumn, and half an hour was enough. Had the station still had open access no doubt I'd have spent a few quid in the buffet and then returned to the platform, but the short-sightedness of whoever is in charge has closed that particular pleasure and cash flow from non-travelling folk!

One last little image (not caught on camera) was when we walked into the city in the evening and a drift of diesel fumes wafted over the bridge at the south end of ther station, which gave a pretty good impression of the steam that ruled the station and the lines that served it up to the mid sixties.

More info (from Wikipedia)

Salisbury railway station is located in the city of Salisbury in Wiltshire, England, 83.75 miles (135 km) south-west of London Waterloo. It is operated by South West Trains (SWT) but also served by Great Western Railway (GWR). Salisbury is the crossing point of two routes: SWT's West of England Main Line between London Waterloo and Exeter St Davids, and GWR's Wessex Main Line between Cardiff Central and Portsmouth Harbour/Brighton. In the past it was also served by trains to destinations such as IlfracombePadstow and Plymouth.

Railways in Salisbury

History

There have been three different railway stations in the city of Salisbury, built by the London and South Western Railway (LSWR) from 1847 and the Great Western Railway (GWR) from 1856, as well as two further railway stations at Wilton, two and a half miles away.

London and South Western Railway


The original LSWR station

The new building of 1902
The LSWR opened their Milford station on the Eastern side of the city in 1 March 1847, with the opening of their branch line from Southampton to passenger traffic. For nearly a decade this was the only rail route to the city, until 30 June 1856 when the GWR opened their branch line from Westbury, and 1 May 1857 when the LSWR extended their main line from London to Andover.
On 2 May 1859 the LSWR opened a new station on the south side of the Great Western station, west of Fisherton Street, to coincide with the opening the first section of the Salisbury and Yeovil Railway was opened as an extension of the LSWR's line. As the two railways were built using different gauges through goods traffic had to be unloaded and transhipped in a transfer shed; a footbridge was opened in 1860 linking the two stations to allow passengers to change trains. The LSWR station had a single long platform served by trains in both directions and a second bay platform was provided at the London end.
In the 1870s the LSWR opened a second platform east of Fisherton Street for services towards London; it had an entrance from the street and was linked to the old platform by a subway. It too had another bay platform for trains to the East.
The LSWR station was again enlarged between 1899 and 1902 and the 1870s platform east of Fisherton Street could then be closed. Two new platforms serving three tracks were opened between the GWR platforms and the original LSWR one, reached by a subway from the LSWR's new station offices which were built on the west side of their original building of 1859.
In the early morning of 1 July 1906 an overnight boat train derailed in Salisbury station, killing 24 passengers and 4 railwaymen.

Great Western Railway


The former GWR station
The (GWR) opened their 7 ft (2,134 mmbroad gauge Salisbury branch line from Westbury on 30 June 1856. The terminus was on the north side of Salisbury on the west side of Fisherton Street. Isambard Kingdom Brunel provided a brick-built station with a wooden train shed to cover the tracks.
The GWR converted their line to 4 ft 8 12 in (1,435 mm) standard gauge in 1874 and four years later a connecting line was laid between the two railways which allowed wagons to be shunted between the two stations. In 1896 a through service between Cardiff on the GWR and Portsmouth on the LSWR began operating over a junction line at Salisbury.
On 12 September 1932 the GWR's passenger trains were transferred to the LSWR station, and the two railways were in common ownership by British Railways from 1 January 1948. Brunel's passenger buildings now house the Salisbury Railway Social Club. In October 2008, English Heritage gave the station building Grade II listed status.[5]

Goods facilities

The former Salisbury Milford station was used as a goods station until it was closed in 1967 and demolished in 1968. Goods traffic was also handled in goods sheds at the west end of the station – north of the GWR station and south of the LSWR station – and also on the 460 yards (420 m) Market House branch from the east end of the LSWR station which opened in 1859. A new LSWR marshalling yard was opened on the site of the old platform east of Fisherton Street after it had closed in 1902, but the main LSWR goods depot was kept at the old Milford station until 1967. The former GWR station remained in use as a goods depot and was used until about 1991 as the base for British Rail's exhibition trains.

Motive power depots

An engine shed, water tower and turntable were erected on the Milford site from the January 1847 as the line was then open for freight traffic. A replacement engine shed was built by the LSWR at Fisherton Street in 1859. The GWR also built a small engine shed adjacent to their station in April 1858. This was demolished in 1899 to allow expansion of the LSWR station, and a replacement built on the north side of the line. This was closed by British Railways in 1950.
A large new and well equipped engine shed was opened by the LSWR on 12 January 1901. This remained in use until the end of steam in southern England on 9 July 1967. The shed lay derelict for some years before being demolished.
The sidings around the former GWR station were redeveloped in the 1960s as Salisbury TMD where South West Trains maintain their fleet of DMUs.

Description

The approach road from the city is accessed from a road junction on the south side of the railway bridge across Fisherton Street, which leads into a one-way parking lot with 287 spaces. The large building on the right of this approach is the old LSWR buildings of 1859, which now houses the Salisbury signal panel. Immediately next door is the red brick building of 1902, now the main entrance where the ticket office and buffet are located.
The main platform adjacent to the entrance is platform 4 which is mainly used for trains towards Exeter and Cardiff, as is platform 3 opposite. This is one side of an island platform, the opposite side of which is platform 2 which is used by trains to London Waterloo and Portsmouth Harbour. Platform 5 is a bay platform at the west end which is no longer used by passenger trains, and terminal platform 6 is an eastwards extension of platform 4 and is predominantly used by local services to Southampton.
Beyond platform 2 is another disused platform, formerly platform 1. Behind this are the sidings of Salisbury TMD where the trains form the West of England Main Line are maintained. At the east end of this is an old water tank and the brick offices which once served the GWR station.
Alongside the station is Salisbury Depot, where South West Trains maintain their fleet of diesel multiple units.

Services


South West Trains (left) and First Great Western (right) trains to Southampton
South West Trains operate frequent services from London Waterloo through Salisbury to Exeter St Davids, and from Salisbury to Chandlers Ford via Romsey and Southampton Central. There are also a few services from London Waterloo to Bristol Temple Meads.
Great Western Railway operate regular services between Cardiff CentralNewport, Bristol Temple Meads, Southampton Central, Portsmouth Harbour and Brighton
Preceding stationNational Rail National RailFollowing station
WarminsterGreat Western Railway
Wessex Main Line
Romsey
Tisbury
or Terminus
South West Trains
West of England Main Line
Grateley
or Andover
WarminsterSouth West Trains
Wessex Main Line
TerminusSouth West Trains
Wessex Main Line
Dean
Disused railways
TerminusSouthern Region
Salisbury and Dorset Junction Railway
Downton
Annual rail passenger usage*
2002/03 1.437 million
2004/05Increase 1.560 million
2005/06Increase 1.603 million
2006/07Increase 1.621 million
2007/08Increase 1.681 million
2008/09Increase 1.757 million
2009/10Increase 1.758 million
2010/11Increase 1.824 million
2011/12Increase 1.873 million
2012/13Decrease 1.857 million
2013/14Increase 1.944 million