No Ferry : No Trains
As well as losing its ferry from Southampton, news breaks that a proposal to bring a passenger train service back to Marchwood and Hythe has been rejected.
Seems a pity not to get something going on the branch which has remained in situ serving the Marchwood military depot, and, at one time, the Fawley oil refinery.
... and oh, so slow.
Definitely an opportunity missed.
fbb guesses that Aliiance Rail would make its money out of the through journeys to Waterloo. The branch line would not generate enough revenue for a fully commercial service.
But isn’t that the sort of thing we are promised from Great British Railways?
Promises, promises.
Leyton Gets A Lift - Two Of Them!
And below, the new footbridge looking back towards the old building.
Congrats all round.
We all applaud the desire to make our railway stations "accessible" by those of reduced mobility. At 81, fbb is getting that way, preferring a lift to stairs any time!
Leiyton is on the Central line of Lindon's Underground, lower left on the map below ...
... one stop east from Stratford.
The station was opened in 1856 by the Eastern Counties Railway but rapidly became part of The Great Eastern. The lines gave up their steam trains post WW2.
Broadly speaking, the station has remained unchanged since the halcyon days of passing trams.
Although the frontage has been "improved" (?).
There is little architectural merit in the 'upgrade' results ...
... although the shape of the building is unchanged.
Now work is under way to provide lifts and a new entrance, replacing the existing stairs down from street level.
The new construction is squeezed in atop the retaining wall ...
... which prevents the station from falling into the A12 Eastern Avenue dual carriageway which now parallels the track.
London Transport provides us with artist's impressions of the new entrance ...
... which has no empathy with the original building!
Maybe the long-term plan is to demolish the original and stick to the new utilitarian.
To be fair, the new entrance will be brighter, broader and more beautiful compared with the existing rather gloomy platform access.
The route across the new footbridge is better shown on the diagram below.
Southampton Tram's Superb Transformation
This is how it was ...
... and this is how it is!
How folk enjoyed the luxury of a tram ride in the good old days!
And this is the celebration.
fbb does not think the tram ran under its own power - no electric overhead - but the refurb (complete rebuild?) is superb.
Remember Toy Trains ...
... that looked like this?
But only if you had wealthy child+indulgent parents! Now wealthy old men collect old models and fill every space on their layout with track and trains.
Scenery, what scenery?
Now you can do the silly things with your layout that you could never afford in your youth.
Look, trains so long that they would never fit in the sidings!
The wagons are probably a rake of these.
This was one of the first plastic bodied SD6 wagons nade by Hornby Dublo. But all SD6 wagons used the very poor quality chassis dating back to 1938. No wonder Hornby collapsed in 1966.
Tomorrow fbb hopes to return to Wuhan, but he will also be looking at this.
Next Wuhan blog : Monday 18th May
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