1121 Eastleigh 13.5.1973
1127 Eastleigh 13.5.1973
1129 Eastleigh 13.5.1973
1121 (ex Fareham) Eastleigh 13.5.1973
Back in May 1973 I was just sixteen and armed with the ubiquitous Zenith Russian-made camera that most of us had (and a few frames of film) I made my way over to Eastleigh for the Works Open Day. This was never really my thing, I've always been far more interested in the lines themselves rather than what ran over them, but it was fun to get close to stuff for a change! Back then I was still sulking that I'd just missed real steam (which had ended less than 6 years at Eastleigh) so the presence of a steam loco caught my interest.
The few random shots of the station ooze atmosphere now, being 42 years old! For some reason I only seem to have taken pics of rail blue Thumpers, but having been brought up slap bang in the middle of Southern Electric territory diesels in any form were VERY exotic, which probably expalins it!
At Eastleigh there was an interesting combination that was working the shuttle into the works itself - Class 33 6535 and 4-TC 418.
6535 Eastleigh (Works Open Day shuttle) 13.5.1973
4-TC 418 Eastleigh (Works Open Day shuttle) 13.5.1973
6535 propels 418 Eastleigh Works Open Day shuttle 13.5.1973
It was a quick trip into the Works! (The Ford Anglia wasn't one of the displays by the way!)
6535 Eastleigh Works Open Day 13.5.1973
Over at the works I was able to roam around and get a few more pics on my rapidly filling roll of film - with a glimpse at the past and the space age vision of loveliness below -
4001 Eastleigh Works Open Day 13.5.1973
4001 Eastleigh Works Open Day 13.5.1973
Also on display was this nice pre-TOPS class 73 and School Class 'Stowe'.
E6012 Eastleigh Works Open Day 13.5.1973
928 Stowe Eastleigh Works Open Day 13.5.1973
Back to Littlehampton via Fareham, Fratton and Barnham and a last look at the event ...
Eastleigh Works Open Day 13.5.1973
(All pics copyright Steve Sainsbury/Rail Thing)
Eastleigh Works is a locomotive, carriage and wagon building and repair facility in the town of Eastleigh in the county of Hampshire in England.
History
LSWR
The London and South Western Railway (LSWR) opened a carriage and wagon works at Eastleigh in 1891. In 1903, the Chief Mechanical Engineer, Dugald Drummond oversaw the construction of a large motive power depot in the town replacing the existing maintenance and repair shops at Northam, Southampton. In January 1910, locomotive building was likewise transferred to the new workshops at Eastleigh from Nine Elms in London.
Among the locomotives produced by the LSWR under Drummond at Eastleigh were the S14 0-4-0 and M7 0-4-4 tank engines, the P14 and T14 4-6-0, and D15 4-4-0, classes. Following the appointment of Robert Urie as Chief Mechanical Engineer in 1912, the works were responsible for the construction of the H15, S15, and N15 (King Arthur) 4-6-0 classes, and the G16 4-8-0, and H16 4-6-0 tank engines.
Southern Railway
Following the merger of the LSWR and other railways in southern England to form the Southern Railway, as part of the Railways Act grouping of 1923, Eastleigh was to become the principal works for the new railway. The new Chief Mechanical Engineer, Richard Maunsell re-organised the works and directed the design and construction of various new classes.
Like most of the railway works, Eastleigh was heavily involved in the war effort, producing, in 1938, sets of parts to convert Blenheim bombers so that they could be used as fighters. The works was also part of a joint venture with other workshops, railway and private, to produce Horsa gliders for the D-Day airborne assault. With Lancing works, it turned out 200 tail units. It also produced 1,500 anti-tank gun barrels and, with Brighton railway works, 240 multiple rocket launchers, plus landing craft, fuel tenders and harbour launches.
Under the Southern Railway, the works were responsible for building the Maunsell SR Lord Nelson Class 4-6-0, the Schools 4-4-0, U1 2-6-0, W class 2-6-4 tanks, and Q class 0-6-0 locomotives. Under the regime of Oliver Bulleid, after 1937, Eastleigh works constructed all thirty of the SR Merchant Navy Class and six of the West Country 4-6-2. During the Second World War, Eastleigh works built 23 examples of the London Midland and Scottish Railway designed 8F 2-8-0s. By the end of 1947, the works had built 304 locomotives with a further 16 before steam locomotive building ceased in 1950.
In 1945, the carriage works began constructing all-steel carriages, both electric and steam hauled. It pioneered the use of plastics and glass fibre reinforced resin for doors, seating and roof sections.
British Rail
In 1950, following the nationalisation of the Southern Railway to form the Southern Region of British Railways new steam locomotive building ceased at Eastleigh. However the works were kept fully occupied between 1956 and 1961 in rebuilding over 90 of the Bulleid 4-6-2 classes. Thereafter the works gradually changed over to steam and diesel repairs.
In 1962, the works was again reorganised with the carriage works site being sold, and carriage and electric multiple unit repairs transferred to the main locomotive works.
In 1962, Eastleigh carriage works[contradiction] built the first six electro-diesel locomotives of British Rail Class 73 but the remainder of the class were built at theVulcan Foundry.
Post privatisation
The plant was acquired from BREL through a management buyout becomingWessex Traincare Ltd; it was acquired byAlstom and renamed Alstom Wessex Traincare. The site was used for carriage and multiple unit repairs. In 2004 the company announced it was to close the works due to lack of work, work at the site continued until March 2006.
The 42-acre (17 ha) site has been managed since 2002 by St. Modwen Properties in 2007 Knights Rail Services (KRS) began operations on site, using it to store off lease rolling stock, as well as undertake repairs and refurbishments. As of 2010, the site's facilities include overhead cranes, third rail electricity supply, paint facility, and refuelling facility. Additionally Siemens undertook maintenance of Class 444 and Class 450 on site, and Network Rail MPVs were stored on site. Arlington Fleet Services Ltd. (maintenance, heavy repair, painting) performs maintenance from the site.
In 2012 KRS acquired an extended lease on the site to 2016.
Locomotive Depot
Adjacent to the locomotive works was a very large 15-road engine shed which was opened in 1903 and closed in 1967.[10] This depot was one of the largest on the SR: in 1946 its allocation was 131 engines of extraordinary variety in age and origin:- 17 4-6-0, 31 4-4-0, 7 2-6-0, 19 0-6-0, 15 0-4-2, 1 0-8-0T, 13 0-6-0T, 23 0-4-4T and 5 0-4-0T. Although closed as a TMD, the site was used for scrapping engines as late as 2003.
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