Ramble on
31st March 1979
Organised by Brighton Model Railway Club, their 'special' train took on a tour of various locations around the County with what became the last ever passenger train to travel on what was left of the Shoreham to Horsham railway line axed during the infamous Dr. Beeching cuts of the 1960's.
Back then the non-electrified line still ran from the junction just West of Shoreham-by-Sea up to the Blue Circle Cement Works at Upper Beeding.
From there the line originally ran on through Bramber, Steyning, Henfield and on to Horsham. The track had long been removed as had much of the ballast and like most of those lines, much had been turned over to agriculture and development.
Here on that grey March day nearly 40 years ago, BR Electro-Diesel Type 73 '73 136' heads up four-car electric 4TC '415' packed full of enthusiasts as they negotiate the line to the sidings at Beeding where the whole train simply went into reverse with the 4-car unit leading.
Whilst the main lines they used for most of their journey that day were 3rd rail 750 volt DC - here the Loco's Diesel 'option' was used to haul the Special up to the 'end of the line' before reversing for the return journey.
Photo 1.
The Train negotiates the original location of the Toll Bridge Railway level crossing which by then the signal box had been demolished and the main gates replaced by pedestrian only ones and fencing each side of the remaining single line.
The original A27 which crossed the river here had long since been routed further North - see later
In the background the buildings still stand - residential and part of the 'Amsterdam' restaurant and Pub as does the Railway bridge taking the South Coastway main line across the River on to Worthing, Chichester and Portsmouth
Compare this to
Photo 2
Which, taken today shows the same view but with the line long gone.
However the whole area has recently been 'uplifted' where the Environment Agency has raised the River Bank levels by over a metre so the aspect of where I stood to take the latest two images is probably slightly higher than the original
Although not quite visible - as a tribute to the original line, the four pieces of track that were the original level crossing have been re-instated albeit slightly South East of their original location
Photo 3
Locals get up close as the Sussex Rambler passes at a slow pace. That concrete box vantage point is where the Toll collector sheltered when taking the sixpence (6d) it cost for cars to drive across the Old Shoreham wooden Toll Bridge which still stands today
Photo 4
A shot of the Loco 'pushing' the Rolling Stock past my Late In-Laws' Garden as they returned South
Photo 5
An unusual view with the trailing 'electric' 4TC on the non-electrified line heads up the Adur Valley with the River to
the left winding along in parallel with the line and about to pass under the A27 fly-over behind.
In the distance the then still working Blue Circle Works chimney belching it's signature plume of smoke
Compare that to
Photo 6
This shows today's vista - all very similar bar the new raised track which is now the 'Downs Link' Bridleway,
used extensively by Horse-riders, cyclists, Ramblers, walkers etc.
That chimney still exists but these days it's not in use as the Works lies derelict. Only yesterday BBC SE TV ran a story
denoting the fate of the complex and it's associated Chalk quarry should be decided by the end of 2018.
The A27 is still very much there with a marked increase in the volume of traffic.
That small building to the right in Photo 5 is a pumping station currently being refurbished but hidden by the hedgerow.
Check out Trevor Bance's page on the Special's itinerary that day here:
www.sixbellsjunction.co.uk/70s/790331bm.htm
Scanned Kodak 35mm transparencies mixed with Nikon P610 digital
Ramble on
31st March 1979
Organised by Brighton Model Railway Club, their 'special' train took on a tour of various locations around the County with what became the last ever passenger train to travel on what was left of the Shoreham to Horsham railway line axed during the infamous Dr. Beeching cuts of the 1960's.
Back then the non-electrified line still ran from the junction just West of Shoreham-by-Sea up to the Blue Circle Cement Works at Upper Beeding.
From there the line originally ran on through Bramber, Steyning, Henfield and on to Horsham. The track had long been removed as had much of the ballast and like most of those lines, much had been turned over to agriculture and development.
Here on that grey March day nearly 40 years ago, BR Electro-Diesel Type 73 '73 136' heads up four-car electric 4TC '415' packed full of enthusiasts as they negotiate the line to the sidings at Beeding where the whole train simply went into reverse with the 4-car unit leading.
Whilst the main lines they used for most of their journey that day were 3rd rail 750 volt DC - here the Loco's Diesel 'option' was used to haul the Special up to the 'end of the line' before reversing for the return journey.
Photo 1.
The Train negotiates the original location of the Toll Bridge Railway level crossing which by then the signal box had been demolished and the main gates replaced by pedestrian only ones and fencing each side of the remaining single line.
The original A27 which crossed the river here had long since been routed further North - see later
In the background the buildings still stand - residential and part of the 'Amsterdam' restaurant and Pub as does the Railway bridge taking the South Coastway main line across the River on to Worthing, Chichester and Portsmouth
Compare this to
Photo 2
Which, taken today shows the same view but with the line long gone.
However the whole area has recently been 'uplifted' where the Environment Agency has raised the River Bank levels by over a metre so the aspect of where I stood to take the latest two images is probably slightly higher than the original
Although not quite visible - as a tribute to the original line, the four pieces of track that were the original level crossing have been re-instated albeit slightly South East of their original location
Photo 3
Locals get up close as the Sussex Rambler passes at a slow pace. That concrete box vantage point is where the Toll collector sheltered when taking the sixpence (6d) it cost for cars to drive across the Old Shoreham wooden Toll Bridge which still stands today
Photo 4
A shot of the Loco 'pushing' the Rolling Stock past my Late In-Laws' Garden as they returned South
Photo 5
An unusual view with the trailing 'electric' 4TC on the non-electrified line heads up the Adur Valley with the River to
the left winding along in parallel with the line and about to pass under the A27 fly-over behind.
In the distance the then still working Blue Circle Works chimney belching it's signature plume of smoke
Compare that to
Photo 6
This shows today's vista - all very similar bar the new raised track which is now the 'Downs Link' Bridleway,
used extensively by Horse-riders, cyclists, Ramblers, walkers etc.
That chimney still exists but these days it's not in use as the Works lies derelict. Only yesterday BBC SE TV ran a story
denoting the fate of the complex and it's associated Chalk quarry should be decided by the end of 2018.
The A27 is still very much there with a marked increase in the volume of traffic.
That small building to the right in Photo 5 is a pumping station currently being refurbished but hidden by the hedgerow.
Check out Trevor Bance's page on the Special's itinerary that day here:
www.sixbellsjunction.co.uk/70s/790331bm.htm
Scanned Kodak 35mm transparencies mixed with Nikon P610 digital