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From Wikipedia - On 21 January 2014 Hampshire County Council decided to shelve the plans to reopen the line to passengers. The council's report came down against committing further funding for the scheme due to a perceived poor value for money business case, although it said the authority should review the position should local circumstances change. The last train serving the refinery ran on 1 September 2016, after which trains would normally run only as far as Marchwood (This has also now ceased) although the occasional private hire train would travel the branch line as far as the gates at Fawley oil refinery.
Last train - On the 14th May 2017 a DMU Railtour ran – The ‘Fawley Forester’ and it was thought that that was probably the last train -  gone forever.
However -  since then on the 3rd October Mick House went back to see the line and found a RHTT in operation at Marchwood. He  managed to speak to a member of staff who was checking the track gauge and was informed that they are still looking at fully reopening the line as a lot more housing and other development  going to take place around the Fawley area. Another point all the time the military are present to Marchwood the railway will stay open.
Today  If you look on Real Time Trains today you will see a train is due to depart Fawley Esso today at 08.24, a DMU is heading for Fawley Esso today at 14.03 that started out at Eastleigh at 05.18 this morning and a train for Marchwood left Bicester at 07.41 due to arrive at 11.19.    
 
So likening it to the Lynton and Barnstable  - Perchance it is not dead, but sleepeth – let’s hope so.

​One of the joys of this website is the photos of the County.  From my point of view, it’s the only modern connection I have on a regular basis so the countryside photos are as important as the trains.  Today’s pictures from the Westwaters, particularly of Kit Hill and environs was  of my old stamping ground around the mines and the Liskeard and Caradon railway.  So thanks to them both for zeroing in on a favourite area and thanks also to the those who photo the rest of the County and its trains, for restoring many fading memories. Thank you too Brian.
 
KJ asked where Brian lives - 

We live in a town in the Olympic Peninsula on Puget Sound about forty miles south of Seattle via ferry or the Narrows Bridge.  The same place where the original bridge collapsed in a storm in 1940!  There are some famous home movies of its demise; Google, Tacoma Narrows bridge.
 
I have indeed checked out the CR coverage, many times and seen how it looks  years after I trekked around there a long time ago.  It was particularly good to see the Wheal Jenkin engine house is still there, simply because my maternal grandfather was a Jenkin from St Austell.  Not a lot of changes otherwise.  I shall miss Sid’s contributions; he and I actually were in contact, not about the L&C, but the CMR and its locomotives.  He knew a lot!
 
Brian Willis, 3812 116th St Ct NW
Gig Harbor, WA 98332.            Thank you Brian.

To see more of Steve's pictures see Features September to December 2017  Click here 

A further tribute to Peter Gray, he will surely be missed

Dear Derek,

What an amazing tribute to Peter Gray that was very special to read I had the privilege of being at a couple of his talks although I lived in Horsham at the time, and spending a day at his home with his incredible slides, and pictures and visiting the Dart Railway in the afternoon of that day.

There will never be anyone now or in the future who had such an incredible knowledge of the railway system and attention to detail and including so many beautiful landscape photographs of trains. His favourite station was Thorverton on the Exe Valley line, and I have the beautiful shot of that on my bedroom wall.

His loss cannot be measured, it is too vast to measure, and his kindness and dedication to others, and those he served and his record of a part of social history I trust will remain for generations to come. He had the vision to see the closing of the railways long before most and realised he was battling against time to take photographs of locations which will never be taken again.

I shall treasure several letters from him, and so enjoyed and treasured his books which I shall look at again and again with fondness of the passing of a great man.

Yours sincerely, Mike Robinson - Melrose     Many thanks Mike.

Every so often, a seed is sown in your mind that a shot may be possible with briefest of glimpses. I passed Hallenbeagle on the A30 the other evening to notice the former mine working bathed in artificial light from the Balfour Beatty worksite. 
I thought, a full moon and there may be an opportunity there. On my way back from Roskear I popped in as the moon was bright and positioned perfectly over the chimney with the faintest of cloud drifting by. The team on site started up the generators for the site lighting and the following pictures were taken from the surrounding fields. 
The down Hind passed by on the down main briefly lit up passing the mine working and it took my breath away. Too quick for a still, but maybe a video.  
I hope you enjoy the pictures. 
Best wishes,  Craig 

I've just been viewing your news page and was rather shocked to see myself at Liskeard 'not dropping my camera'. Yes, that's me in the red hoody, if you study the first picture uploaded you can just make out my little black dog against the white railing, in the second photo I am untying him!! If I had realised the signalman was taking a photo I would've stayed out the way.
​I caught up with the train later in Newquay just gone 2am, photo attached. Noteworthy in that by the time it reached Newquay it was the 4th October, 30 years earlier 4th Oct 1987 was the last BR loco hauled service to the terminus.
Many thanks for your picture at an unearthly hour at Newquay and also for the correction plus that very noteworthy fact.

Note :-  My father told me that during WW2 that for the purpose of training various Cornish Engine Houses were demolished by American Troops before they went to Europe. I was told that preparatory work for the demolition of the pier nearest the road was carried out and holes drilled in the pier for explosives.  Thankfully the training was never carried out.  KJ

Evening Keith,
                      Today (30th September 2017) I paid a visit to our local preserved line, the East Somerset Railway at Cranmore.  When I got to the junction of the road leading down to the village and station, which lies just off the A361 east of Shepton Mallet, an abnormal load was seen to be making its way up the narrow lane.  This load consisted of BR Ivatt 'Mickey Mouse' Tank Engine No 41312. The 1952 Crewe-built loco was just departing for its home railway, the Mid-Hants following it's appearance alongside newly restored sister 41313 (also Crewe-built in 1952), itself due to depart soon for the Isle of Wight steam railway.

Today's motive power was Ivatt class 2 2-6-0 number 46447, another IoW SR-owned loco but on loan to the ESR for a period of 10 years following restoration here from scrap condition. The loco was built at Crewe in 1950 and withdrawn in 1966, then sold to Woodhams, Barry Dock, South Wales from where it was sold in 1972. It re-entered service in October 2014.

In the shed at Cranmore was BR 41313, imminently due to leave for the I of W following a fast-track restoration that started here in early 2015 and ended with the loco's return to service after a 52 year gap on June 24th 2017. Resident GWR tank engine 5637 which was built at Swindon in 1925 was also present. 

Outside the diesel and carriage maintenance shed was former Scottish 'McCrompton' D5410. Also numbered 27123 27205 and 27059 at different times this loco arrived from Kidderminster (Severn Valley Railway) for restoration in February 2016. 

The former Bitumen sidings held first generation DMU cars 51909 and 56271 plus a Sentinel shunter.

Highlight of the visit for me was the discovery inside the recently built 'Sentinel shed' of a previously unknown large enamel 3 piece sign that apparently stood next to the main west of England line close by Westbury Cement Works during the 1960s. It was found during demolition work at the plant in 2016 and very kindly donated to the ESR by Tarmac Ltd. Also in the shed is a Sentinel shunter (PBA 42) dating from 1965 that itself spent several years at Westbury Cement works and still carries remnants of the Blue Circle livery.  

Since my last visit the shop has expanded it's range of local interest books and now includes a quantity of pre-owned volumes too, all reasonably priced and well displayed.  Add in a cafe/restaurant, a very interesting collection of relics on display in the former booking office, the period fixtures both on the station and in the yards, and a couple of hours here is indeed time well spent. An enjoyable visit with plenty of interest to see and experience.

Guy Vincent 
​As usual, a much appreciated and detailed account. Many thanks Guy