Epsom Downs Station Gallery 2: 1950s - July 1979
Epsom Downs station forecourt on a very quiet day in 1959. No vehicles of any kind are to be seen.
Photo by D. Clayton  On 5 July 1964 the Locomotive Club of Great Britain's 'The Surrey Wanderer Rail Tour' departs the weedy platforms at Epsom Downs, passing the station's large and somewhat makeshift-looking signal box. The locomotive is BR Standard Class 2 2-6-0 No. 78038. A Riddles development of the LMS Ivatt 2MT, the Standard Class 2 was a rare visitor to the Southern Region. No. 78038 was a Willesden locomotive at the time and the reason for its choice on this railtour is unknown. Withdrawn in 1966, she was not among the handful of the class to survive into preservation. Interestingly, parts of this tour also used Drummond M7 0-4-4T No. 30053 which had, at least on paper, been withdrawn a couple of months previously. This locomotive subsequently spent some twenty years at a museum in the USA; since repatriated she is now at the Swanage Railway. Coaching stock set No. 237 is seen here shortened to six car formation; ordinarily it was a 9-set (nine car) allocated to Waterloo - Swanage services and in 1964 comprised mostly BR Mk I stock but the vehicle nearest the camera is of Bulleid origin. In an earlier guise when formed of Maunsell stock, set 237 was one of two used, rather oddly perhaps, for an experiment with a chocolate and cream livery which was rejected by the Southern but later adopted, appropriately, by the Western Region. Beginning at Waterloo and ending at Victoria 'The Surrey Wanderer' really did wander
Photo copyright ColourRail old_large13.jpg) The L.C.G.B. 'The Surrey Wanderer' Rail Tour is seen at Epsom Downs station on 5 July 1964. The tour ran from Waterloo to Victoria and included both the Tattenham Corner and Epsom Downs branches. The motive power for the run to Epsom Downs was provided by BR2/1 No. 78038. She was built at Darlington works in November 1954 and was eventually withdrawn from 84G Shrewsbury shed in August 1966 to be cut up at Cashmores of Great Bridge by the end of the year.
Photo from Jim Lake collection old8.jpg)
The Southern Counties Touring Society 'Surrey Rambler' railtour is seen at Epsom Downs station on 5 July 1966. The tour ran from Victoria and was hauled by ‘Battle of Britain’ class No.34089 from Norwood Junction to Epsom Downs then back to Victoria via West Croydon, St Helier and Wimbledon.
Photo by Robert Bridger from 30937 Transport Photograph Database old9.jpg) The Southern Counties Touring Society 'Surrey Rambler' railtour is seen at Epsom Downs station on 5 July 1966. 34089 (‘602 Squadron’) was built in December 1948 and was withdrawn from 72B Salisbury shed 0n 31 July 1967 to be cut up at Cashmores, Newport in September 1968.
Photo by Robert Bridger from 30937 Transport Photograph Database old10.jpg) Southern Counties Touring Society 'The Thamesider Railtour'is seen at Epsom Downs station on 31 March 1968. The tour was a round trip from Victoria visiting the Tattenham Corner and Epsom Downs branches, Bricklayers Arms goods station and the Merton Park to Tooting line. The stock used was Class 438 4TC No. 424 hauled by D6535.Photo
from John Mann collection
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By February 1975 the station was looking very run down as seen in this view looking north-east towards Sutton. On 21 December 1969 intermediate signal boxes on the line were abolished and the line went over to colour light signals. The Epsom Downs terminus, however. retained its box and its semaphore signals.
Photo by Alan Young downs6.jpg)
In February 1975 Epsom Downs station still retained its BR Southern Region green signage.
Photo by Alan Young downs7.jpg) By 1975 only one island platform remained in use, the track into the other platforms having been lifted. Although the station retained much of its BR Southern Region green signage, the two remaining platforms, 4 and 5 and been renumbered 1 & 2 with a new BR Corporate Identity sign .On 24 February 1975 slam-door Eastleigh-built Class 405 4-SUB EMU 4740 is providing the service on this day.
Photo by Alan Young downs8.jpg)
Epsom Downs station forecourt in February 1975. The two-storey station house on the right is empty and boarded up.
Photo
by Alan Young
Looking north-east from the station concourse in November 1975. The two island platforms, 6 and 7 (left) and 8 and 9 have been out of use since 1969 and 8 and 9 are now becoming very overgrown.
Photo by Nick Catford 
Looking north-east along platform 6 in November 1975. Platform 5 (left) is still in use but now renumbered platform 2.
Photo by Nick Catford  Looking south-west along platform 6 towards the station concourse, now devoid of its roof
in November 1975. Photo by Nick Catford downs9.jpg) '4-SUB' unit No 4721 waits at the Epsom Downs terminus in July 1979. This unit unusually had roller-blind route indicators fitted - almost all the 4-SUBS used stencils.Photo by Neil Clifton. Reproduced from Geograph under creative commons licence Click here for Epsom Downs Station Gallery 3:  Home Page
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Looking south-west towards the covered concourse at the end of the platforms in the 1950s. Although all the platforms are still in use, passenger traffic on race days has declined and the release roads between the platform lines are no longer required and have been lifted. The station still has Southern Railway 'target' signs at this time.