Disused Stations: Fawley Station

[Source: Nick Catford]

Fawley Station Gallery 6: April 2008 - 1 September 2016

Boundary changes in 1978 brought the Fawley station site within the refinery with no further public access. Sometime after this date the station buildings were demolished as seen in this view looking towards the buffer stops in April 2008.
Photo by Dave Marden

Looking north-west at Fawley station in April 2008. The signal box closed 9 July 1978 and was probably quickly demolished. The platform remains in good condition and the Southern Railway running-in boards have been given a new coat of paint and are once again green.
Photo by Dave Marden

Looking north towards the gates at the entrance to the Fawley refinery sidings, seen from inside the Exxon Mobil refinery on 1 September 2016. On the right-hand side is a small box in which an arriving driver must place his single line token, collected earlier from the signalman at Marchwood, five miles north. Note the speed limit sign; in recent times basic examples such as this have become more resembling of those found on the roads.
Photo by Simon Beaumont

The final booked working to Fawley Refinery arrives at its destination on 1 September 2016. The locomotive is General Motors Class 66 No.66134, from the batch of 250 originally purchased by EWS, a subsidiary of Wisconsin Central Railroad. No.66134 still carries EWS livery but with the branding of its successor DB Schenker which itself is a subsidiary of Deutsche Bahn AG, the now-ostensibly-private German railway system which has the Federal Republic of Germany as its sole shareholder. Thus what we in effect have is yet another example of supposedly privatised UK rail services being ultimately owned, wholly or partially, by foreign states. Originally intended to be designated Class 61, the Class 66 was a follow-on from the similar but not identical Class 59. Built by EMD (Electro Motive Diesel, formerly Electro Motive Division, of General Motors) in the USA and Canada, the official designation is EMD JT42CWRM. Designed specifically for the European market, the type can now be seen across much of Europe and also on the Egyptian State Railways. The American origin accounts for the enormous bogies and consequent high running plate, features which give the locomotives a deceptively gargantuan appearance. Shipped to Europe complete, apart from a few minor issues which became apparent once in service the locomotives worked straight from the proverbial box and most entered service immediately after unloading which in the UK occurred mainly at Newport, South Wales. A total of 658 examples have operated in the UK albeit not all at the same time. Unfortunately these rather splendid locomotives have fallen foul of European emissions laws, as have also other classes of modern locomotive, therefore no further examples will be imported. Whilst nobody can deny clean air is a good thing, one has to wonder just how absurd constantly tightening emissions laws will become. It should be remembered that the constant tightening of these laws incurs huge expense which ultimately has to be paid for by the end user, be they on road or rail; the fare paying passenger or commercial user who passes the cost on to the consumer. Perhaps Britain's exit from the EU will bring about a more commercially sensible approach. Information in this caption is correct as of September 2016.

Photo by Simon Beaumont

DB Schenker Class 66 No.66134 arrives at Fawley with the final booked working on 1 September 2016. The enormous bogies and consequently high running plate of these locomotives is readily apparent in this view. The 'Hazchem' label on the bogie tank wagon can be seen. It carries the code 3W 1267 which tells us that the tank carries Group III Petroleum Crude Oil. Full details of Hazchem codes
can be seen here.
Photo by Simon Beaumont

DB Schenker Class 66 No.66134 during a shunting manoeuvre for the final booked working on 1 September 2016. The shunter is guiding the driver during the uncoupling.
Photo by Simon Beaumont

Fawley on 1 Sept 2016 with the station platform just visible on the far right and, left, one of the several connections into the refinery and its extensive internal network. Given that this was the final day of working to and from the refinery, there are plenty of tank wagons still around. These wagons are the property of Esso and some would be removed from the site for use elsewhere.
Photo by Simon Beaumont

Sidings at Fawley on 1 September 2016; the station is behind the photographer to the right. Present is one of Esso's Hunslet diesel-hydraulic shunters. Esso locomotives could always been seen from Fawley station, even when the station was still BR/Network Rail property, as they worked into sidings just on the Hythe side of the station and on the north-east side.

Photo by Simon Beaumont

Sidings at Fawley on 1 Sept 2016; the diesel shunter seen in the previous view is behind the photographer. The tank wagons are 4-wheelers but the identity of the rake of bogies is unclear. The track appears somewhat rickety but the camera has exaggerated dipped rail joints.
Photo by Simon Beaumont

The remains of Fawley station, with a rake of tanks present, on 1 September 2016. If we imagine the track to have been lifted, the scene would resemble a station on what is now a footpath and cycleway, having been extricated from the undergrowth and a nameboard plonked onto the platform. Such scenes are now quiet common across the country.
Photo by Simon Beaumont

Looking along the platform at Fawley towards Hythe on 1 September 2016. By this date the increase in trees and undergrowth has become marked. The running-in board has become quite dilapidated but the Southern Railway concrete huts still stand and apparently remain in reasonable condition. These huts provided a reference point for earlier photographs.
Photo by Simon Beaumont

Having been painted white (in line with BR's Corporate Identity) in the 1970s, the running-in board is once again green.

Photo by Simon Beaumont

Click on thumbnail to enlarge