Disused Stations: Fawley Station

[Source: Nick Catford]

Station Gallery 3: 20 March 1966 - 22 March 1975

Class USA No.30073 at Fawley on 20 March 1966. The occasion was The Solent Railtour', organised by the RCTS. This tour operated to Southampton Ocean Terminal via Salisbury and also visited Gosport. No.30073 operated with No.30064 on the Ocean Terminal - Fawley - Southampton Terminus leg of the tour. The return to Waterloo was from Fareham via Petersfield, Guildford London Road, Oxshott and East Putney. It was a Sunday and the unusual routing was due to the ongoing electrification of the ex-LSWR main line to Bournemouth. No.30073 was in malachite green livery and had received a quick clean of the number and British Railways logo areas. Of the two USA tanks used on the Fawley leg of the tour, No.30073 did not survive into preservation but No.30064 did and today can be seen on the Bluebell Railway.

Photo by Graham T V Sracey from Flickr 30937 Photographic Database

A close-up of the platform side of Fawley station building in BR days and, seemingly, after closure to passengers. Station buildings on the Fawley branch were quite utilitarian and made few concessions towards attractiveness and the Southern Railways penchant for concrete (albeit rendered here), which actually began with the LSWR, did nothing for aesthetics. On the approach road, left background, stand a number of period cars. Only one can be identified, an Austin A35.

Photo from John Mann collection

Less cluttered than on the platform side, here is Fawley station forecourt sometime after closure to passengers. Plenty of tank wagons are visible and beside the water tower stands a BRCW Type 3 diesel locomotive, later Class 33. In front of the station is a Lambretta, a moped of some description and a Ford Anglia 100E. In the far background is Southampton Water while dominating the scene are some of the refinery tanks with either maintenance or construction work in progress. Today Fawley station is within the confines of the refinery, which covers four square kilometres and has a lengthy internal railway network. Recent photographs of Fawley station's surrounds are deceptive; the refinery tracks sprawl south-east, north-east and south-west of the station and there is also a branch to the north-west. With the cessation of rail traffic to the refinery in 2016, only time will tell what will become of the internal rail network.
Photo from John Mann collection

Looking along Fawley's platform towards Hythe and Totton during the autumn of 1974. Unlike Fawley's other running-in board, this one retains intact lettering; the board has been painted white. Just beyond the signal box can be seen the upper quadrant signal which replaced the lower quadrant example once on the end of the platform. This change came about following withdrawal of regular passenger services.
Photo by Ian Nolan from his Flickr photostream

Fawley station in the autumn of 1974, looking towards the bufferstops. Although regular passenger trains ceased to operate eight years previously, the lighting along the platform and opposite was required as the station area continued to be used for stabling and shunting of oil tank wagons.
Photo by Ian Nolan from his Flickr photostream

Looking along Fawley's platform towards Hythe and Totton during the autumn of 1974.

Photo by Ian Nolan from his Flickr photostream

Looking along Fawley's platform towards Hythe and Totton during the autumn of 1974. The running-in board, left, has lost most of its 'L' and the general air of dereliction belies the fact the line was still very busy with refinery traffic. The one telling point is the well polished rails, which by this time were a mix of flat bottom and bullhead types.
Photo by Ian Nolan from his Flickr photostream

A mix of ‘derelictia and industria’ as the camera looks north-west at Fawley station building in the autumn of 1974. The grounded body was once a London, Brighton & South Coast Railway van but it is not known if it was a 6, 8 or 10-ton type. Apart from the ventilator on the near end about to fall off, the body appears to be still in reasonable condition. The body is visible in numerous photographs of Fawley station. Most of these vans were withdrawn in Southern Railway days but a number saw further use in industry, on military railways and, of course, as grounded bodies. A few have managed to reach preservation and stand as examples of now-rare 'Brighton' goods vehicles.
Photo by Ian Nolan from his Flickr photostream

Fawley station from across the forecourt in the autumn of 1974 and looking north-east. The cage at the near corner of the station building was for gas bottles but two propane bottles have escaped and stand together around the corner. One of the bottles appears to be connected to a valve protruding
from the wall.
Photo by Ian Nolan from his Flickr photostream

On 22 March 1975 Class 3H 'Hampshire' DEMU No.1124 stands at Fawley during The Branch Line Society's 'Hampshire Railtour'. The tour ran to and from Portsmouth & Southsea and by the time Fawley was reached, having first looked-in at the Marchwood Military Railway boundary, it was running early. Booked times at Fawley were arr.13:18 dep.13:25, actual times were arr.12:45, dep.13:20. With the various edifices of Fawley Refinery in the background, it will be noted that the Fawley branch retained signalling nine years into its freight-only period as warranted by density of traffic to Marchwood and Fawley. The signal on the right is the upper quadrant which replaced the low quadrant which had stood at the end of the platform until withdrawal of passenger services. The resiting of this, the Up Starter, signal probably saw an end the Fawley's Advanced Starter but this detail is unconfirmed. The Southern Region DEMU sets had been introduced for replacement of steam services on routes for which installation of the third rail was not considered justified at the time. The 'Hampshire' units, which were by no means confined to that county, came in 2-car (2H) and 3-car (3H) forms with the 2H later being strengthened by the addition of a centre trailer. Unit No.1124 was one of a batch built new in 3-car form. The origin of the additional trailers used for strengthening is rather obscure with opinions varying between new-build, adapted ex-locomotive-hauled stock and purloined former EMU trailers. The various reformations and reclassifications which took place were, however, complex and not especially relevant here. The Southern Region planned the DEMUs with as much standardisation and interchangeability with EMU stock as possible. In the case of the 'Hampshire' units the result was in effect an EPB type EMU with its own on-board power unit. The engine was the English Electric 4SRKT MkII, the same engine as originally fitted to what became the Class 73 electro-diesel. This engine was somewhat underpowered for a loaded 3H DEMU but it nevertheless gave good service and it was the exhaust beat of this 4-cylinder engine which gave rise to the 'Thumper' nickname applied to the Southern DEMU's. Under TOPS the 3H became Class 205 and as unit 205024 No.1124 remained in service until July 2000 and unlike several others did not survive into preservation. The class finally bowed out in 2004 although a preserved narrow bodied 'Hastings' unit of main line configuration can still be seen in action on the national network.
Photo by Steve Sainsbury from his web site

A further view of DEMU No.1124 at Fawley during the railtour of 22 March 1975. Nearest the camera is the driving trailer. By this time the 'Hampshire' units had been designated Class 205 but, unlike locomotives generally, it was to be some considerable time before multiple unit stock bore six-digit TOPS numbers. On the left is the run-round loop and spur leading into the refinery. Also visible is a typical Southern Railway concrete lamp standard, a product of Exmouth Junction Concrete Works. Further lamps can be seen along the station platform, all necessary owing to the amount of oil train shunting within the station area.
Photo by Steve Sainsbury from his web site

A further view of DEMU No.1124 at Fawley during the railtour of 22 March 1975 and which is described elsewhere. Nearest the camera is the driving trailer with its lavatory and small first class section well away from the vibrations of the power car at the other end. Otherwise these units were of high density suburban layout but nevertheless quite characterful and still missed by enthusiasts who remember travelling on them. Whilst several survive in preservation, trundling along a heritage line at a rate of 0 - 25mph in half an hour is not quite the same. Some of the final units in service were donated to heritage railways on condition that they continued to be used for their intended purpose and not modified structurally. This arrangement suited both parties as it was a way around asbestos
contamination issues.
Photo by Steve Sainsbury from his web site

Click here for Fawley Station Gallery 4:
22 March 1975 - 25 April 1976