50s in the 80s

(All pics copyright Steve Sainsbury/Rail Thing)

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I generally order railway stuff in my own mind by line rather than motive power, but I've departed from that today with this post featuring the iconic class 50s around the network in the 1980s. Always one of my favourite locos which exuded real power!

I will add numbers, locations and dates later!

Haslemere 6.7.1977

HASLEMERE

(All pics 6.7.1977 copyright Steve Sainsbury/Rail Thing)

FACEBOOK - RAIL THING - 70s UK RAILSCENE

On a warm July afternoon in 1977 I motorbiked up the Portsmouth Direct line, stopping at each station to take pictures. This is Haslemere, a neat station with an extra platform and substantial buildings and canopies. I only caught one train going through sadly!

Haslemere station

Haslemere is a station that from  a small wayside stop has grown into a very busy commuter station over the years. It lies on the Portsmouth Direct line, which was electrified in 1938. The station was opened on 1 January 1859.

It has an excellent service to London Waterloo of four trains an hour, two of them are express services. It is the only station on the Portsmouth Direct line between Guildford and Havant with more than two platforms, platform 3 is used to allow northbound expresses to overtake stopping services.

The station would have become a junction (or will in the future) if the direct line to Midhurst via Fernhurst had opened in the 19th century.

Passenger usage in 2014-15 was 1,785,000 and has been steadily growing year on year.