Back to where it all started

Branch member John Goodrich concluded our 2022/23 season of indoor meetings on 17 May taking us on a journey from Southampton, where he has lived since 1969, to his former home town of Weybridge using slides and digital images taken over a period of more than 50 years. This long time frame enabled him to illustrate many changes in traffic and motive power ranging from the final months of steam traction on the Southern in 1967 to modern electric units and diesel locomotives. Many of the scenes would have been unremarkable at the time, but traffic flows such as oil trains from Fawley, chalk slurry from Quidhampton and l.p.g. trains from Furzebrook have passed into history.

Unusual workings recorded on camera included the use of Tadpole unit 1205 on an Alton - Southampton working in May 1972 and a Class 45 at Eastleigh on a military freight in October 1971.

Various special events were attended such as D-Day commemorations at Southampton Eastern Docks in 1994, numerous open days at Eastleigh Works, and the excellent Basingstoke Rail Show of September 1987.

A diversion from the main line was made at Byfleet and New Haw to see a Standard Class 5 locomotive re-start a southbound freight, and Virginia Water to see a pair of Class73s on a Quidhampton working that John had raced up the M3 to photograph, having seem them earlier near Andover.

The evening was concluded by John showing his first railway colour slide taken in April 1967 (a 4 REP unit), a 4 EPB unit in early BR blue livery coming off the Chertsey branch at Weybridge, “Warships” on Exeter - Waterloo services and the modern scene at Weybridge.