Westerham Station Gallery 11: Winter 1962/3 - Early 1965
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Soon after the Westerham Valley Railway Association took a lease on the building, volunteers made necessary repairs to the building and repainted it in SE&CR colours, cream with maroon. Once this had been completed, members of the public had access and were able to buy platform tickets for 1d so that they could inspect the progress that was being made towards reopening the line. The building became the WVRA headquarters and is seen here in 1963.
Photo from John Mann collection old130.jpg) Inthe days of the hopeful preservation scheme, this view from circa 1963 is clearly deliberately posed and with no work of any practical value ongoing. Three members are posed with a platelayers’ trolley modified with stanchions for purposes unknown and a 'No admittance except on business' notice. The three men almost look the part with their appropriate headgear but the light coloured trousers are not very practical.
Photo from Richard Ferris rom Bullfinch Close web site old71.jpg) Another posed view from circa 1963 with no work of any practical value ongoing. The men are posed at the west end of the goods shed. Whilst the men are suitably attired and one, with his right hand on his hip, has the look of a professional railwayman about him, photographs such as this cannot have done the preservationists many favours. Quite what was the point of posing with an oil lamp dumped on grass-grown track, one might wonder. To be fair, as mentioned elsewhere considerable bureaucratic battles were ongoing and they probably took priority, but photographs showing useful, practical work might have attracted more support and thereby helped fundraising. The preservation scheme was unlikely, given the hostile government of the time, to have succeeded but had fundraising efforts been more industrious it may well have done - we will never know. Was the route of the Westerham branch, or sections of it, crucial for the future route of the M25? The answer to that is 'no'. Photo from Richard Ferris (on the left with bottle) from Bullfinch Close web site old20.jpg) Another view of the WVRA volunteers from 1963 shows some apparently practical work ongoing although it is difficult to say precisely what. One of the volunteers is Gordon Lamming.
Photo from Richard Ferris rom Bullfinch Close web site old21.jpg) A final view of the preservationists circa 1963. The decks of platelayers’ trolleys - and indeed the axles - were designed to be lightweight and easy to lift on and off the track by a couple of reasonably hunky men, so the use of the 5-ton crane is totally pointless!
Photo from Richard Ferris rom Bullfinch Close web site old1.jpg) In 1963 one of the WRA members came up with a novel form of rail transport consisting of a car on a lightweight trolley. Further details of the scheme will be found in the station notes on the first page. We know two cars were used; a Ford Consul MkII (seen above) Reg. No. SJG 142 and a Hillman Imp (seen below) Reg. No. 384 XKK. The Ford was first registered in Canterbury in July 1959 and the Hillman in Maidstone in May 1963. The Hillman was thus brand new. Although unconfirmed, it is possible the Hillman replaced the Ford as the Hillman Imp had a rear engine and thus more weight on its driving wheels. It has been suggested a Land Rover was also used but no photographic evidence of this has come to light. The whole thing was, of course, merely a publicity stunt. No doubt it was all jolly good fun on part of a disused branch on a Sunday morning while the wife was at home preparing dinner, but to put such contraptions into regular use would have been both absurd and impractical while BR would not have permitted these contraptions anywhere near an operational railway. Thus "The Hillman Imp now arriving at Dunton Green is the 11.25 from Westerham" was an announcement doomed to remain in the realms of fantasy. Joking aside, the scheme no doubt gave the preservationists some publicity but at the same time the amateurishness of it all may well have generated negative publicity. No doubt, however, the late Colonel Stephens would have approved. old2.jpg) The typically 1960s 'Railmobile' idea gave the line publicity but of a comical rather than positive nature. Anybody with even the most basic knowledge of railways would realise that anymore than one Railmobile in operation at any given time would render the idea totally impractical. Another aspect often overlooked is that unless a car used on the Railmobile never ventured onto public roads where it would be liable for road tax, MoT and insurance, the Railmobile would hardly be cost effective. The project therefore probably gave more negative than positive publicity to the Westerham Railway scheme although the Association did make it clear in their newsletter that the Railmobile had nothing to do with them. There was never any implication that Railmobiles were to become the future of the Westerham branch. The line was merely used to demonstrate the idea and, as is known, a preserved Westerham branch would have used steam for tourist services and ex GWR railcars for the commuter service which BR had factored into the terms for taking over the line. With the passage of time the plan to use ex-GWR railcars may seen a little odd but in the early 1960s several were available more or less in running order as the last six remained in service until 1962. Also, the railcars were the only non-steam vehicles available at relatively affordable prices and, short of a tendency to catch fire, were very reliable. Happily two of the railcars, Nos.20 and 22, which almost certainly would have ended up at Westerham did survive into preservation.
old11.jpg) A grassy Westerham station circa 1964. No maintenance work, such as weedkilling, appears to have been undertaken on the track; this would have cost the preservationists dearly had they been successful in reopening the line. The board on the ground bearing the station name was placed there by the photographer and is the trademark of John Leslie Smith.
Photo
by JL Smith
old126.jpg) Westerham station in 1964, over two years following closure and around the end of the period during which the would-be preservationists had access. Evidence of the latter's presence is the repainted station building; a simple but effective move which showed the public something was being done. Most fittings were removed from the station following closure but the lamp post has what at first glance looks like a Southern 'target' nameboard but upon examination of the original photograph under magnification it appears to be a non original item. As mentioned elsewhere, these 'targets' were similar in design to the London Transport 'bullseye'. Painted green and white they were quite appropriate for the Southern's lines in and around London. They were, in theory, replaced by the standard BR totem but some 'targets' managed to survive to outlive the totems and almost outlive the rather bland but easy to read BR 'corporate identity' black and white nameboards. The wooden buildings seen on the left had no direct connection with the railway and some of them still stand today alongside Hortons Way..
Photo by JL Smith old51.jpg) Westerham station looking towards Dunton Green in 1965, four years after closure. Signs of decay are apparent and part of the goods shed road has been lifted but with the rails simply dumped alongside. Quite why this was done is not known but otherwise the railway remains intact as far as can be seen and track in the station area is weed-free. On the left, the familiar advertisements promoting beer have been replaced by a poster depicting Sir Winston Churchill. The Churchill family home was at Chartwell; a beautiful house situated at a rather remote spot on Mapleton Road two miles south of Westerham. The house, which Churchill had purchased in 1922, was considered vulnerable to attack during WWII and thus stood empty for the duration. Churchill returned to Chartwell in 1946, having spent the war in Oxfordshire and London, and had been a user of the Westerham branch from time to time. Apart from accommodation at 10 Downing Street, Churchill had a residence at Hyde Park Gate. Having suffered heart problems and a series of strokes, Churchill's death was not entirely unexpected. Nevertheless and as anybody who remembers that sad day will testify, his death came as a massive shock. Some time prior to his death when his doctor mistakenly thought the end was imminent, Churchill reputed announced "I am not ready to go yet but will go on the same day of the same month as did my father" and that is precisely what happened. Churchill died on 24 January 1965 at his Hyde Park Gate residence, aged 90. The poster seen above at Westerham bore the words 'Winston Churchill Memorial Appeal' followed by 'Give Generously - He Did!'. The poster, in various sizes, appeared across the country and was not, as might be thought, a local initiative at Westerham. A short British Pathé film showing various forms of the poster can be seen at here.
Photo by Malcolm Bryant old52.jpg) Sir Winston Churchill looks on as the camera peers over the fence towards a disused Westerham station, circa early 1965. Behind the closed door of the goods shed the 'Railmobile' probably still lurks. From this far back it is difficult to appreciate the station and branch had been closed for over three years, preservationists notwithstanding. Photo by Malcolm Bryant Click here for Westerham Station Gallery 12:
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