your first ecounter with the southern?

[pavorossi]

Not in traffic unfortunately. We do have one stored here, but it's a kit of parts at the moment, and it's up for sale. But, you never know what the future will bring.

ok thanks adam,
do you know of anybody who does own unrebuilts?

[pavorossi]

If I remember correctly a gentleman by the name of Jeremy Hoskings owned Tangmere in partnership with Ian Riley, and when he Ian sold his share, Jeremy retained his. I think his current partner is the gentleman at Carnforth, who's anme escapes me at present. Don't know of anybody else off the top of my head I'm afraid.

[HelloControl]

Tunbridge Wells in early 1950s, frightened as a very small child by a steam loco. However, first encounter was in 1960, Ottery St Mary in Waterloo.

[Flying Pig]

Travelling down from London to Tunbridge Wells in the 1990s on CEPs, CIGs, & VEPs to see my fiancee.

(I liked it so much I chucked my career in to become a driver on the SouthEastern )

[ROUGH TOR]

(I liked it so much I chucked my career in to become a driver on the SouthEastern )[/QUOTE]

Bet that cured you!

[John H-T]

Originally Posted by SOUTHEASTERN-465

i know but i just have a thing for the unrebuilts!

I think many of us do! Tangmere is my wife's favourite loco from the moment she saw it at The East Lancs Gala in January 2004. (Her 2nd favourite is Stepney). Went on one of the nearly last trips on the Folkstone Harbour Branch with Tangmere in April last year.

The main reason the Bullieds were rebuilt was that they cost an arm and a leg to maintain! Even given the criminally short lives of some after rebuilding, the last one was rebuilt, I think, in 1960, the cost of rebuilding was recouped!

For more information on the rebuilding see "Ron Jarvis - From Midland Compound to the HST" by J.E.Chacksfield, pub. Oakwood Press. Jarvis was in charge of the design work for the rebuilds. He was later involved in the design of the HST! There is a chapter on rebuilding the Bullieds including the costings.

My first memory of the Southern was traveling down to Newhaven to catch the Ferry to Dieppe. Remember the EMUs which did not impress! Can't remember what pulled the boat train.

Also remember going down to Crowhurst and seeing Q1s.

In 1966 went to Collage in Brighton so travelled on the EMUs from London and on the coast line to Lewes. Remeber seeing the Brighton Belle at Brighton.

Best wishes,

John H-T.

[Tony]

A holiday in London in 1952; we stayed on Holland Park Road, just round the corner fron Kensington Olympia which was a fairly busy station in those days. I was entranced by a T9, so much more elegant than the Midland Compounds!
Later I was to learn how dirty Southern sheds were compared to LM & LNE sheds. (Especially Nine Elms).

[Dave Rowland]

Oddly enough, my first encounters with anything Southern was on the ex-GWR line between Reading & Tilehurst. When I was just a sprog in the early 50's, my grandad used to take me to Tilehurst station late on a Sunday morning (he was waiting for The Roebuck to open), and when I was old enough, it was just a few minutes walk, so I started 'spotting, with some of the other kids. On m way home from school at Grovelands, if I was quick enough, I could see an unrebuilt WC/BB (none rebuilt yet) crossing Scours Lane bridge with the Oxford (and probably beyond) train; I once saw an LSWR 700 class 0-6-0 pottering about in the Government cold storage depot next to the Oxford Road, but my most memorable recollection was of a SR Q1 'coffee pot' 0-6-0 chuffing eastward through Tilehurst on a goods train. I can still recall the clanking after all these years!
After moving from Reading around 1957, the family ended up in Gosport, not known for vast quantities of trains, but regular visits to Eastleigh and umpteen shed bunkings there made up for it (then, anyway). During the very early 60's, the shed would have a wealth of SR locos, many of which were of pre-grouping origin, albeit largely on the scrap line. Naturally, I lost 99% of my notebooks. Oh, for a digital camera back then.... (sigh...)

[boilersuit]

Was born in Croydon in 1950 and spent the first 12 years of my life in a house at Addiscombe, overlooking the entrance to the 4-road carriage shed there. My young memories of that house are all punctuated by the noise of electric units (EPBs) creeping in and out of the shed. And I have a vague, distant memory of a steam engine which came once a week or so to shunt the coal yard on the other side of the tracks – in my mind's eye it was a Maunsell mogul, but I'd love to know for certain what kind of loco it might have been.