Station Name: MARCHWOOD
Marchwood Station Gallery 4: Pathfinder Tours 'The Wessex Adventurer' stands at Marchwood on 5 November 1988 behind Class 33 locomotives Nos.33114 Sultan and 33102. At the rear of the 11-coach train was Class 45 No.45106 which had brought the train from Manchester Piccadilly to Southampton Central. After visiting the Fawley branch the Class 45 worked the train solo to Bournemouth where, the tour having visited Weymouth Quay with the Class 33s, she returned the tour to Manchester. No.33114 began life in November 1960 as D6532 and she received the name 'Sultan' at Eastleigh in April 1988. 'Sultan' was the name applied to several naval vessels over the centuries but in this case referred to the 'stone frigate' HMS Sultan, an engineering training establishment at Gosport which at the time of writing is also shared with Network Rail and EDF Energy. The crest below the nameplate was presented by the Royal Navy. As was so frequently the case with BR in later years, the name was not to last for long as the name of No.33114 was removed in December 1988. She became 'Ashford 150' in May 1992, the naming rigmarole taking place this time at London Bridge. The meaning of the chevrons and lettering on the cabside is unclear. She was withdrawn in February 1993 and scrapped, at Eastleigh, four years later. No.33102, which was never named during her main line career, was withdrawn in November 1992 and survived into preservation. The 33/1 class code denoted push-pull fitted, thus the clutter of jumpers and pipes seen on the front of No.33114. Of the Class 45, No.45106, which began life in June 1961 as No.D106 and had at one point late in her life carried the name 'Vulcan', painted on by Tinsley depot, was withdrawn in July 1988 but reinstated the following month. She failed at Wellingborough on 3 February 1989 and as a result of damage sustained was withdrawn later that same month. She made her final journey to C F Booth, Rotherham, three years later and was scrapped in April 1992. Her visit to the Fawley may have been the only occasion on which one of these overweight, lumbering monsters visited the branch with a passenger train.
Photo by Chris from his Flickr photostream Pathfinder Tours 'The Wessex Adventurer' stands at Marchwood on 5 November 1988 behind Class 33 locomotives Nos.33114 Sultan and 33102. At the rear of the 11-coach train is Class 45 No.45106 which has brought the train from Manchester Piccadilly. The Class 45 is out of sight due to the dogleg in the track. The train contains a mix of blue/grey and InterCity liveried stock.
Photo by Roddy McPhee from his Flickr photostream ‘Kirrin’ station, complete with fire buckets, wire-type litter bin, flowers, luggage and village idiot. Actually this is Marchwood during filming of the television adaption of Enid Blyton's 'Five Are Together Again', one of the 'Famous Five' series and first published as a novel in 1963. This shot is believed to date from 1996 and the episode was initially screened by HTV on 2 February 1997. 'Kirrin' was a favourite fictitious name use by Enid Blyton and there are references to Kirrin Station, Kirrin Cottage, Kirrin Lake and Kirrin Castle. The Kirrin community revolves around its centrepiece, Kirrin Castle, which is thought to have been inspired by Enid Blyton's liking for Corfe Castle. Enid died on 28 November 1968 and thus was never to see her Famous Five novels appear on the small screen
Sometime in 2004, EWS liveried Class 37 No.37408 'Loch Rannoch' stands beside Marchwood signal box, possibly on the way to the military sidings. The English Electric Type 3, as Class 37 was known originally, first appeared in November 1960 when the class doyen D6700 was ex-works. The class was initially associated with the ex-Great Eastern lines from Liverpool Street but in time soon spread across the country. The exception was the Southern Region, on which they were a rare sight until migration to freight sectors and, more so, following so-called 'privatisation'. No.37408 was new in June 1965 as No.D6989 and was allocated new to Cardiff Canton. She was to spend the next twenty years on the Western Region, after which she moved to the Scottish Region based at Eastfield (Glasgow) as part of a scheme to replace the BRCW Type 2s. Here she worked services to Oban, Fort William and Mallaig and gained her name and deflectors, seen here below the bufferbeam. She also carries a steam-era shedplate, possibly painted on but too far from the camera to judge. She later returned to Cardiff and worked, still in EWS livery, for Arriva Trains Wales - a move which was to see her demise. While stabled at Rhymney on 1 August 2005 she was involved in an accident which occurred under mysterious circumstances. She ran away while unattended and collided with a rake of stabled Mark 2 coaches, specifically colliding with TSO No.6124. The collision sent the rake of coaches careering into classmate No.37425 which, unlike No.37408, sustained only minor damage. No.37408 was eventually taken to Toton and cannibalised. Officially withdrawn in December 2007, her remains were scrapped the following month by European Metal Recycling, Kingsbury. Her engine was installed in No.37422, which had been stored, and the 'Loch Rannoch' name was to reappear on No.37626. Over the years Class 37 underwent a number of modifications and rebuilds which are too involved to detail here, suffice to say that a major difference with Class 37/4 was that this sub class had been fitted with ETS (Electric Train Supply) in place of the original steam heating facilities provided when new. This refers to carriage heating; steam heating being a throw-over from the days of steam locomotives and for which some diesel classes originally had a oil-fired boiler. Noisy and not especially aesthetically attractive, Class 37 has proved rugged and reliable with several still in service, including on passenger trains, at the time of writing. Others, including D6700, have entered preservation, of which a few have been bought back and returned to the main line but many of the originally 309-strong class have now been scrapped.
A view from Marchwood's platform towards Main Road level crossing in November 2014. This scene could easily be mistaken for one of a heritage railway and may well become one in the event of military rail traffic ceasing. The original purpose of the two concrete huts is not known; they arrived at Marchwood circa early 1970s.
Photo by Nick Catford Double glazing, albeit partial, had arrived at Marchwood station by November 2014. This must be one of very few instances of such a fitting by the railway authorities at a closed station, insofar as public services are concerned. Note the wall-mounted lighting, BR corporate style nameboard, relay cabinets and, left, the triangular 'No Smoking' sticker on the door. This type of sticker was very familiar back in the pre-blue/grey livery era. The example seen here is likely to be a replica.
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by Nick Catford
The platform side of Marchwood station building looking towards Totton in November 2014. The silver/grey boxes are relay cabinets connected with signalling. A relay in the electrical sense is basically a solenoid operated by a low voltage circuit which switches on and off a higher voltage and/or higher current circuit. On the door to the right, and above the plethora of warning notices, is the painted wording 'Relay Room' so presumably some of the equipment inside has been replaced by the cabinets on the platform. The brownish area between the tracks is covering for the rod routing from the signal box.
Photo by Nick Catford Marchwood station from track level and looking towards Totton in November 2014. Of note is the track ballast which, at least at this point, appears to contain a large amount of coarse gravel. To the right, and running along the platform face, are signal wires. One might expect such to be routed through a conduit at the bottom of a platform ramp but presumably staff have no need to use the ramp at this end of the platform. The platform originally extended some distance behind the photographer.
Photo by Nick Catford The level crossing at Main Road, Marchwood, in September 2014 with the station in the background. Visible here are the Strail panels on the crossing, gate construction and access hatches in the road surface for the point rodding. Each of the four crossing gates swing independently of each other, so the signalman's job is a very active one; not only does he have to scuttle along from his box on the station to close the gates to road traffic, but he then has to scuttle back to set the points and pull off the applicable signal, deal with the token exchange, then once the train has passed reverse the procedure with signals, points and crossing gates. Behind the camera are trap points, one on each line and facing in the up direction. These are set in the trap position as the default and changed only when a train is due. Points, signals and gates are all interlocked following standard railway practice and this is the reason the Marchwood signalman cannot open the gates, wait there until a train has passed then close the gates and return to his box. Marchwood signal box was, until 1943, just a gate box so quite why it was part of the station building and not closer to the crossing is something of a puzzle. The distance between level crossing and signal box is 3 chains, which is 66yd.
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by Nick Catford
Signalman Steve Castle at work in Marchwood box on 1 September 2016. At top left can be seen the signal box diagram which shows the track layout as jurisdictioned from the box together with positions of points and signals and the numbers of the levers which control them. Below the diagram are various switches and indicators concerned with signals, points and track occupation. On the far wall is a map, apparently OS, of the line. Below that and in the same frame is what at first glance appears to be a gradient profile but actually looks to be some form of annotation; it is too unclear to confirm. Partly visible on the right is the Tyer's token instrument; this needs a broader explanation than can be accommodated in an image caption and such can be read here and at several other internet sites. Lever colours are: red -stop signals; black - points; blue - facing point locks; white -spare. The black and white levers are thought to be detonator placers. These usually have upward or downward pointing chevrons according to up or down line, so the style seen here probably applies to single track lines. Detonators are small explosive devices placed on the track, mechanically or manually where application by train crew is required, and when struck by the wheels of a train warn drivers of an obstruction on the line ahead - usually a failed or derailed train or vehicle. The devices seen placed over the handle of the white lever are simple and effective safety devices used to prevent a lever being pulled. Four can be seen here and their placing over the white lever will be simply a convenient means of storage. If anybody can clarify the more obscure details, such as the red/white levers, we would be most grateful. Click here for a larger view. On 1 September 2016 General Motors Class 66 No.66076 arrives at Marchwood with what appears to be an engineering train of some description, or perhaps container flats for Marchwood Military Port. By this time things are beginning to look shabby and undergrowth was encroaching. The signal gantry, left, is showing signs of corrosion but it has gained a safety cage on its ladder and signal identification plates. The notice at the bottom of the stanchion is unreadable. In contrast, the Southern Railway signal gantry the other side of the level crossing remains in relatively tidy condition.
Marchwood station looking north-west in November 2016.
Photo
by Nick Catford
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