Woking Trainspotting
Nine Elms-allocated rebuilt 'Merchant Navy' Pacific 35030 'Elder Dempster Lines' makes a sure-footed start from its station stop at Woking with an express in 1959, shortly after being rebuilt. It was the last of the class to be built and was taken into traffic in April 1949. Rebuilding from its original air-smoothed casing form was completed by the end of April 1958. Allocated to Nine Elms, it was transferred to Weymouth in September 1964, where it stayed right up to its brief return to Nine Elms for the three months until the end of steam traction on the Southern Region in July 1967. Withdrawal of the 'Merchant Navy' Class began in February 1964, when their workings were gradually taken over by the 'Warship' class diesel-hydraulic diesels. 35030 hauled the last down steam-hauled passenger service into London Waterloo, with suitable chalk inscriptions on the smokebox, and it was at Woking where I saw that very train. Woking proved to be a favourite location for me around 1964. Although there was traffic levels there were slightly more than at my home station, just up the line, at Walton-on-Thames, with freight taking the Addlestone Junction line to Feltham and ballast working in and out of the up and down yards, the spectacle of Bulleid Pacifics and Standard Class 5's either thundering through the station at incredible speed with whistle sounding, or starting away, quite often with wheels spinning in the case of the Bulleid Pacifics! Add to this the bustling activity of the station in general, with electric multiple units being uncoupled and coupled for separate stopping services on the Portsmouth Harbour and Alton lines, the cafeteria, bookstalls where you would longingly look at the Ian Allan ABCs and monthly railway periodicals, and of course have the opportunity of 'cabbing' locomotives during their station stop! It was also a place where lifelong like-minded friends were made. No wonder that my lifelong passion of and association with railways has remained with me since that time.
© Gordon Edgar collection - all rights reserved. Please do not download, copy or use this image without my explicit prior permission
Woking Trainspotting
Nine Elms-allocated rebuilt 'Merchant Navy' Pacific 35030 'Elder Dempster Lines' makes a sure-footed start from its station stop at Woking with an express in 1959, shortly after being rebuilt. It was the last of the class to be built and was taken into traffic in April 1949. Rebuilding from its original air-smoothed casing form was completed by the end of April 1958. Allocated to Nine Elms, it was transferred to Weymouth in September 1964, where it stayed right up to its brief return to Nine Elms for the three months until the end of steam traction on the Southern Region in July 1967. Withdrawal of the 'Merchant Navy' Class began in February 1964, when their workings were gradually taken over by the 'Warship' class diesel-hydraulic diesels. 35030 hauled the last down steam-hauled passenger service into London Waterloo, with suitable chalk inscriptions on the smokebox, and it was at Woking where I saw that very train. Woking proved to be a favourite location for me around 1964. Although there was traffic levels there were slightly more than at my home station, just up the line, at Walton-on-Thames, with freight taking the Addlestone Junction line to Feltham and ballast working in and out of the up and down yards, the spectacle of Bulleid Pacifics and Standard Class 5's either thundering through the station at incredible speed with whistle sounding, or starting away, quite often with wheels spinning in the case of the Bulleid Pacifics! Add to this the bustling activity of the station in general, with electric multiple units being uncoupled and coupled for separate stopping services on the Portsmouth Harbour and Alton lines, the cafeteria, bookstalls where you would longingly look at the Ian Allan ABCs and monthly railway periodicals, and of course have the opportunity of 'cabbing' locomotives during their station stop! It was also a place where lifelong like-minded friends were made. No wonder that my lifelong passion of and association with railways has remained with me since that time.
© Gordon Edgar collection - all rights reserved. Please do not download, copy or use this image without my explicit prior permission