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INSTITUTE OF TRANSPORT ADMINISTRATION
SOLENT CENTRE NEWSLETTER
2014 ISSUE NO. 4
WELCOME
I welcome you to the latest edition of the Solent Centre newsletter.
You will find reports on the previous two open meetings, the trip to the Isle of Wight bus rally, local transport
related issues and the Chairman’s Christmas message.
If you receive this newsletter by post, a programme card for events from January to May is enclosed. If it is
received by Email, the programme card will be posted to you. I hope you find something of interest.
EMAIL ADDRESSES
In order to improve communications to members, I am regularly adding to my list of Solent Centre member’s
Email addresses so that newsletters, any ad-hoc mail shots, information from HQ etc. can be sent out quicker
and more cost effectively.
The last newsletter was sent out to over 45 members by email (over 50% of Solent Centre membership). If you
have not supplied your addresses, then please send it to [email protected]
With the ever-increasing postage costs it is vital that Email should be used as much as possible to keep our
members informed of centre activities and news.
MEMBERS FORUM
We have been advised by HQ that all national items of interest are being put on the Members Forum on the
Institute website (www.iota.org.uk). Therefore, may I suggest that you give it a try.
Login is by using your membership number (this can be found on any correspondence received from HQ) and
your postcode (upper case with no gap, for example AB123CD)
CONSULTATION DOCUMENTS
The Institute is one of the organisations on the Department for Transport and other Government department’s
list of interested parties that are regularly sent consultation documents for our comments.
David Dalglish, Institute Director wants to build up a list of Institute members who would be interested in
receiving these documents that are within your area of expertise and giving their comments.
If you would like to be included, please let Roger Brown, Centre Secretary know and with your area of expertise
so that you can be added to this list. However, should you just like to view these documents, they can be found
on the Department for Transport website https://consultation.dft.gov.uk/
ANNUAL SUBSCRIPTIONS
May I respectfully remind all centre members that your annual subscription is due on 1st January 2015.
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CHAIRMAN’S CHRISTMAS MESSAGE
You will soon be able to see the re-launch of Transport Management as an annual handbook in which one of the
sections covers the history of the Institute from a national and international perspective. During our research
associated with producing this article we found lots of information about our local centres that preceded the
formation of Solent Centre.
The Institute of Traffic Administration was formed in 1944 and Portsmouth was one of the inaugural centres.
This came about after Len Harrison, then the Chief Traffic Inspector at Portsmouth Transport (CPPD?), had a
meeting with other would be founders at his flat in Southsea. From this meeting, and others like it, a decision
was taken to hold a meeting in London in 1944 from which the Institute was to be founded.
In the fullness of time he became a Fellow of the Institute and was awarded the OBE. The Portsmouth Centre
was split, on 22nd January 1949, to become two centres, Southampton and Portsmouth. Mr. Harry Babbage was
the first chairman of the Southampton Centre.
Both centres flourished and each helped with the formation of new centres. Southampton sponsored
Bournemouth & Poole whose inaugural meeting took place on 15th November 1971 at the South Western Hotel.
Their first Chairman was Mr. R Alletson from Bournemouth Corporation Transport. This was followed by
Sussex at the start of the 1980s, which was sponsored by the Portsmouth Centre.
However, in 1998 Portsmouth closed and its members transferred to Southampton which was then renamed
Solent Centre. Subsequently, Bournemouth & Poole suffered the same fate and its members also joined Solent.
In the early days, members were drawn from major transport operators which, in Portsmouth, included Southern
Gas, United Breweries, Portsmouth Passenger Transport and the Metal Box Company to name but a few.
In addition to the founders, several prominent Institute members worked for Portsmouth organisations. An early
example is Mr. A.W. Fielder, General Manager of City of Portsmouth Passenger Department who was National
Treasurer as well as Secretary and Treasurer of the local centre.
The name was changed to Institute of Transport Administration on 1st May 1981.
As can be seen from the programme card for the first part of 2015, the Solent Centre remains one of the most
vibrant and active centres in the Institute. This is thanks to a hardworking, stable committee and support from a
core of members and friends. My thanks to all of you.
I hope you found this brief report of some of the history of your Institute of interest.
I will end by saying “All the very best wishes to you and your family for a Merry Christmas and Happy, Healthy
and Successful Future.”
Ray Rowsell F.Inst.T.A.
INSTITUTE YEARBOOK
The Institute Yearbook is a new initiative; this will replace the Transport Management magazine that has been
produced in the past. Your comments on it’s content would be appreciated.
INSTITUTE’S 70TH ANNIVERSARY
It is to be acknowledged that Solent Centre committee members, Ray Rowsell and Mike Schmidt, researched
local archives for the article on the Institute’s 70th anniversary that has appeared in the Institute Yearbook.
We were asked not to publish it in the centre newsletter as it was to appear in the Yearbook.
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SOLENT CENTRE ACCOUNTS AUDIT
The Solent Centre accounts were audited in October. Solent centre members Hugh Millar and Ivor Morgan
carried out the audit with Dennis Marriner (Centre Treasurer) and Ray Rowsell (Centre Chairman) in
attendance.
The centre grant request for 2014/15 was been submitted to HQ for approval.
May I thank Hugh and Ivor for carrying the audit. Also thanks to Brian Botley from Brijan Tours for the use of
the training room at their premises in Curdridge.
Copies of the centre accounts will be available to members at the centre AGM in April next year.
THE MID HANTS RAILWAY
For the October open meeting the Solent Centre laid on a presentation by Dave Yaldren who has been a
volunteer with the Mid-Hants Railway for over 25 years. Although the numbers were small, it was a very
informative and interesting evening with a 35mm film from 1981 showing the early days of this heritage line.
The line now runs from New Alresford to Alton, a distance of 10 miles at Alton it connects with Network Rail
services to Waterloo.
The railway operates regular scheduled services, along with dining trains, real ale trains, and numerous special
events throughout the year. The line is well known for its extensive facilities, friendly staff and the quality of the
restoration work carried out at the Ropley Motive Power Depot.
In 1861 the Alton, Alresford and Winchester Railway Company
was authorised to build a new line to connect to the existing
LSWR lines at Alton and Winchester and the line opened in
1865 as the Mid-Hants Railway. Intermediate stations were built
at Ropley and Medstead & Four Marks .
The line reaches its highest point with a 1/60 gradient to 652 feet
above sea level just outside Medstead before descending into
Alton.
The line provided an alternative route between London and Southampton and besides transporting watercress,
locally produced, it was particularly important for military traffic between Aldershot and the embarkation port
of Southampton. This was very noticeable during both world wars.
With the development of motorised transport post war and the closure of the Basingstoke and Alton line in
1932, let alone the Meon Valley line in 1955, the line started to decline. Electrification of the line as far as Alton
in 1937 added to these woes, but under dieselisation a service continued through from Alton to Winchester and
Southampton.
The line survived the Beeching Axe in 1963 and lasted for another 10 years.
In 1975 the section of the line between Alresford and Alton was purchased from British Rail and so the heritage
railway was born. The section from Alresford to Ropley opened in 1977 and a locomotive shed and workshops
were constructed at Ropley. The final section through to Alton was opened in 1985.
Some of the original infrastructure is still in use today and a good example is the signal box at Alresford
together with all the levers, mechanisms, and token system. A number of items have been painstakingly
dismantled from other sites when no longer needed, and rebuilt on site to give authenticity to the whole line.
They include footbridges from Uckfield, North Tawton and Cowes, and a water tower from the Longmoor
Military Railway at Liss, and a signal box from Netley, which is now at Ropley.
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A colour light signalling system now exists at Alton, which allows a more intensive train service, making use of
the loop, and allows shunting within the station and so does away with the earlier flag signalling system. The
line is currently the only heritage railway with a complete AWS (automatic warning system) system. There are
no plans to extend the line further especially to the west as the original line is now cut by M3 motorway and
houses have been built on the original track bed at Itchen Abbas.
In 2008 the line received Lottery money and a new carriage and wagon workshop was built at Ropley and new
machinery was installed. There are now several apprentices across a number of trades following government-
training schemes so that the future of this railway is secure with a future properly skilled workforce to carry on
the maintenance of rolling stock and infrastructure.
The workshops at Ropley include a wheel drop from Bricklayers’ Arms in London and add to the excellent
facilities within the shed.
I would recommend a day out on this line, known affectionately as the ‘Watercress Line’.
ISLE OF WIGHT BUS RALLY
On a bright sunny morning on Sunday 19th October, four centre members
joined Dave Woods, another member, who is also a member of the
Southampton & District Transport Heritage Trust at their yard for a run to the
Isle of Wight and in particular to Newport for the autumn bus rally.
We chose to ride on E289 HRV a Leyland Atlantean from 1987, which was
originally delivered to Southampton City Transport in that year. Uniquely it
is fitted with coach seating and was first painted in Citybus livery.
In 1988 it received the Red Ensign all over red livery and was mainly used on
excursions and private hire duties. In time it was demoted to school bus
duties. The bus then passed in to First Bus ownership in 1997 and was
painted in ‘Barbie’ livery and in 2001 was renumbered 1289. Initially it
stayed at the Portswood depot, but in August 2001 it also worked out of
Hoeford depot in Fareham and in summer 2006 out of Weymouth.
The vehicle was then purchased for preservation in 2009 and painted in the Citybus livery of red and black in
2009. It was the put to use with the newly founded Xelabus and painted in their livery of tilling green and cream
with a dark green skirt. Finally the bus was withdrawn and sold to Dave Woods in April 2012. The vehicle will
continue to be shown and rallied in its Xelabus livery as the last surviving Leyland bus from the Southampton
Citybus fleet.
Part of the fun in attending any bus rally is taking a Mystery Tour, and the one our group undertook on this rally
day was no exception. No sooner had we arrived at the rally site than we boarded EMW 284, a Bristol L6B with
a Beadle body, which first entered service in 1949 with Wilts & Dorset. It was a joy to sit in this old lady, which
once saw service on the regular coach run from Salisbury to London. She was rebuilt in 1957 and later taken out
of service in 1962.
In November 1962 she was converted to carry wheel chairs and was used by Andover Round Table. Re-
registration occurred in 1986 to YSV 610, but in 1991, she was re-registered again and back to EMW 284.
Today she is in all in respects in good condition with the driver and conductor in authentic Wilts & Dorset
uniform it made the tour all the more fun. We were taken first to Newport, then on down west to Yarmouth
where a short break was taken, and then off again to Freshwater, and then back to Newport via Carisbrooke. All
in all over an hour’s tour of the island in a 65 year old bus.
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Finally, my eye caught a ‘foreign’ bus parked up on the display area. It was a
Renault TN4F with the iconic rear open platform so beloved of Parisians.
This particular vehicle (136 NOU) is owned by an Island resident and is good
shape despite its age. These buses could be seen all over the French capital
with their 4 cylinder 58 hp engine, with an overall length of 9.2 m and a
maximum speed of 45 km/h.
They were able to take 50 people, with 33 seated and 17 in so-called first
class. As a child I can remember visiting Paris and seeing them full to
capacity in the rush hour with people crowded on the back platform.
The last one was withdrawn from service in the summer of 1970.
PRESENTATION ON THE DRIVER & VEHICLE STANDARDS AGENCY
The last open meeting of the year for the Solent Centre culminated in a
presentation by Stuart Carter, the Area Manager for the Driver and
Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA) in the Wessex region. The meeting
was well attended by members and their guests and the idea was to bring
us all up to date with the recently formed DVSA and the future objectives
of this agency.
The DVSA was formed out of the Vehicle Operator Services Agency
(VOSA) and the Driving Standards Agency (DSA). There is a vast amount
of information available on government websites and this article can only
give a general overview and an insight in to the some of the future
developments of the DVSA.
The DVSA now controls amongst many other facets of motoring and transport the following; learner drivers,
driver’s hours, MOT testing, ADI’s, CBT training and the effective regulation of freight and bus and coach
transport, to name but a few. As the two former agencies have now merged there is inevitably an excess of staff
and premises and this is being addressed in many ways including more flexible working hours for staff, the
siting of testing stations nearer and more convenient ally to customer’s premises and the greater availability of
modern IT technology to book driving tests, vehicle examinations, and in particular in its use at roadside
inspections of vehicles.
Amongst a number of issues that are being addressed which concern learner drivers is firstly a warning about
extra charges that may be incurred by applicants who inadvertently use ‘unofficial’ and non government
websites to apply for their first licence let alone the test. The hazard perception part of the test has now been
upgraded and the scenarios are computer generated and have won road safety awards.
There is now new guidance on moped and motorcycle training for those wishing to take to the roads on two
wheels. All the above is now easily accessible on line.
Vehicle testing is now part of the DVSA remit and it
was interesting to note that 50% of vans sent for MOT
fail on first examination and this is now being addressed
through education for owners and more rigorous
inspection of MOT stations.
The inspection of large vehicles is now often carried out
at an Authorised Test Facilities (ATF) which are at the
repair and maintenance facilities attached to a local
haulage or bus company, as opposed the conventional
vehicle test centres.
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Any vehicle operator can opt to open his maintenance facilities to become an ATF and may decide to only test
his own vehicles on his premises, or open it to all and sundry, or restrict it to certain types or sizes of vehicle.
Any operator wishing to set up an ATF must first apply to the DVSA in order that an assessment and inspection
of the premises and the facilities on offer meets the standards required. Once authorised, DVSA staff can then
attend the premises and test the operator’s vehicles and if the service is authorised can test third party’s vehicles.
MOT stations will continue to test cars, motorcycles and small vans. The traditional vehicle test stations in some
area have now closed and in time the remainder may well all close as more ATF’s open. There are fees involved
with using ATF’s and full details are available on the website.
Locally, the DVSA has acquired a site at the southern end of the M3 which when complete will be available to
conduct roadside checks for all vehicles and in particular freight and passenger carrying vehicles, especially
those that arriving and heading from the port of Portsmouth. This will be an important tool in the enforcement
part of the remit of the DVSA.
Probably the best way to sum up the work of the DVSA is as follows “To improve road safety in Great Britain
by setting standards for driving and motorcycling, and making sure drivers, vehicle operators and MOT garages
understand and follow roadworthiness standards. To provide a range of licensing, education and enforcement
services”.
Incidentally, June 2015 will see the 80th anniversary of the driving test!
BRISTOL OLD DOCKS STEAM DAY
‘M’ shed along the quay wall of the old docks in Bristol City Centre was buzzing with activity in the 1950’s and
1960’s with all sorts of goods being imported, from timber to condensed milk. Today there is a different sort of
activity based around the heritage of the city and steam, ranging from steam tank engines pulling passengers in
seated in open wagons along the quayside, to working steam cranes and a fully operational steam crane.
I was lucky enough to be there on a weekend in September when all ‘steam’ was up and running.
A Peckett steam 0-6-0 tank engine was running all day from outside the shed down from the quay to the
Brunel’s SS Great Britain and back again. It then took passengers on the branch line a further 2 miles and along
‘the cut’, which is a man-made diversion of the river to allow for tidal flow and ease the strain on the water level
in the old docks and to the 2 remaining six storey brick built bonded warehouses that used to contain WD & HO
Wills tobacco and Harvey’s sherry. Incidentally, the Peckett tank engine was built in the locomotive works in
the city.
I then had to go afloat next and went aboard the small steam tug Mayflower which was launched at Pooles
wharf in 1861. She worked in the old docks and on the ship canal between Sharpness and Gloucester and was
only taken out of service in 1961 and then lay derelict until rescued by volunteers and brought back into service
and now operates on tours of the old docks taking the public out to see the whole area.
About half way along the mile of quay wall between the shed and the SS Great Britain is a fully working
Fairbairn-type steam crane. This was ordered from Stothert & Pitt the crane makers in Bath in 1878 at a cost of
£3,600 and is capable of lifting 35 tons. It would often be used in the 1900’s for lifting in engines for newly
built ships.
During the Second World War it was very busy lowering landing craft in to the docks that had been brought by
road from local factories so that they could be then driven to waiting landing ships in the Bristol Channel.
When the old docks closed the crane was scheduled as an Ancient Monument as the only survivor of its type
and volunteers restored the crane to full working order.
I cannot leave Bristol old docks without mentioning the Pyronaut , which was the port’s third diesel engine
fireboat, built in local yard in 1934. Also the diesel tug John King, again built in a local yard in 1934. Both have
been fully restored and are in good order to take passengers on tours of the docks.
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Close to ‘M’ shed on the quayside are three Stothert & Pitt electric cranes dating from 1951 and on certain days
they too operate and small groups of the public can access the cabs to see what it was like to unload cargo ships
in that era. The last ship’s cargo from the Baltic was unloaded in 1974 but thanks to the work of the Bristol
Museums and the hard work of volunteers they are again all in working order. Incidentally, there are several
similar cranes still in full use in Southampton eastern docks.
The ‘M’ shed has now been turned in to the main city museum to show all aspects
of city life from 1370 to the present day. I cannot leave this article on Bristol
without a mention of the Bristol Omnibus Company, which operated all buses in
Bristol until 1983.
The Bristol Lodekka was the Bristol Commercial Vehicle Ltd’s most successful
design and more than 5,200 were built between 1949 and 1968. The Lodekka was
designed as a low-bridge double-decker bus, it could pass under bridges as low as
13feet 6 inches and carried 73 passengers.
There is so much more to see in Bristol besides everything mentioned above, and I
have only touched on Brunel and the SS Great Britain, and not even mentioned the
Clifton suspension bridge, Bristol’s major contribution to the aviation industry let
alone its university and the iconic main tower. Several days would be needed to do
justice to a full tour of the entire city.
CROMFORD & HIGH PEAK RAILWAY – MIDDLETON INCLINE
The Cromford and High Peak Railway was one of the earliest railways in Britain, opening in 1830 and running
from Whaley Bridge to Cromford. It climbed 1,000 feet, and then dropped 700ft, with nine steep inclines
worked by stationery steam engines hauling cables.
I was lucky enough to spend the day in the area and concentrated on the Middleton incline, the steepest of them
all, 250ft in 700yds or 1 in 8.25. The whole part of this incline is 1100yds long with no catch-pit at the bottom
and was double tracked with standard gauge rails.
The engine house still stands at the top of the incline and is
fully restored and is worked by volunteers on certain weekends
throughout the year.
It contains the fully restored beam engine built by the Butterley
Company when the line was opened and its tall chimney still
forms a conspicuous landmark for miles around. The
locomotive shed contained two engines for working the next
section westward to Parsley Hay and for many years these were
ex LNWR 2-4-0 tank engines.
The whole idea of this line was to carry minerals and goods between Whaley Bridge and Cromford and due to
the steepness of the hills a canal was impractical and so the railway was build.
The line provided a quicker route for Derbyshire coal and limestone between the Trent and Mersey canals. At
the Cromford end this line later provided a link with the then newly built Midland Railway from Matlock to
Derby which is today still part of the national network. The quality of the limestone is particularly good in this
part of the Peak District and was in great demand in the steel works and also for making quick lime for lime
mortar in the building trade.
Just after the First World War the quarry at Hopton near Middleton, because of the excellent quality of stone,
provided all the gravestones for the Commonwealth War Graves Commission cemeteries in France and
Belgium.
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On the Middleton incline and all the others on this line the cable was running on rollers between the running
rails. Wagons were attached to it by chains, which were ‘plaited on’, and the chains had progressively smaller
links, which had a tapering effect and so tightened under pressure. Sometimes three or four laden wagons would
be hitched to the cable to descend and at the bottom it was not unusual for numerous empty wagons and those
with water containers and others full of coal, for the winding engines, to be attached at the bottom ready to
ascend. All the attaching and detaching was all done by hand.
Signals were provided at the top and bottom of the incline and when wagons were ready and attached to the
cable, the pointsmen at the bottom pulled off the signal at the top for the descending wagons. His colleague at
the top then, pulled off the signal for the ascending wagons and the ‘run’ started. Both signals were operated by
a long taught wire running along the length of the incline which when set showed on an arm indicator as to
which wagons were going up and which were going down.
As you might imagine accidents and ‘runaways’ did occur. Probably the most spectacular of these was in March
1888 when a wagon of lime and van loaded with 2cwt of gunpowder loaded in boxes was on the descent when
the chain broke. As the vehicles shot forward the guard and the labourer jumped off the van and landed in the
deep snow.
As the wagons reached the bottom it was estimated that they had reached a speed of around 120mph. One of the
gunpowder canisters exploded and fragments of the wagons were scattered everywhere.
Today, the fully restored notice at the top of the incline at Middleton, reads, “Staff must exercise great care
when walking up or down the incline and keep a sharp lookout for the movement of the wire rope. When the
rope starts to move staff must stand clear of approaching wagons. No one must remain within the ‘Danger Zone’
Notice Boards in the centre of the incline whilst wagons are moving.”
To think that this line worked for 133 years and was eventually closed in 1963, and the cable removed, is a
testimony to its construction and that it survived in to nationalisation and in to British Rail times. Today a lot of
the infrastructure has gone but besides the winding engine in question, there are sections of rails and wagons
from the 1950’s and 1960’s in place together with wheel pits.
The whole of the line is now a long distance footpath within the Peak District National Park, maintained by
Derbyshire County Council.
In one of the car parks that gives access to the trail there is a an 0-4-0 diesel shunter with its Rolls- Royce
engine still intact sat on a rails and sadly just rusting away. A sad reminder of one of the last locos to work the
line, which replaced the earlier steam shunters.
200-TON RAILWAY GUN AT FORT NELSON
Britain’s last largest surviving artillery piece is at present at Fort Nelson Portsdown Hill near Portsmouth where
it is on display at the Royal Armouries site within the fort. The breach loading 18-inch railway gun with a barrel
serial no L1 is one of twelve railway guns left in the world and was manufactured by the Elswick Ordnance
Company, which started business in 1864.
The gun weighs 200 tons and has been on display at Larkhill since 2008. It has recently returned from the Dutch
Railway Museum as part of an exhibition to mark the end of the Spanish War of succession in 1713.
The barrel for this weapon was built during the First World War
but the gun was completed too late to see service, and as the
relatively short range of 13 miles meant that it was no longer
needed for service this gun and the other 4 were put in to storage.
In late 1940 one of the guns was brought out of retirement and
fitted on to its 95 ton sleigh and then deployed on the railway
mounting which had been used in the First World War to carry a
14-inch gun.
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It was stationed at Bishopsbourne on Kent on the Elham to Canterbury line as a coastal defence gun.
It remained there until 1943. Barrel no L1 was the only one to avoid being dismantled and was sent to the
Shoeburyness range in Essex for test firing purposes. Each shell fired weighed a ton.
In 1969 it was retired and I saw it much later on covered up and in a siding whilst working at the range on new
weapons systems which were being tested by firing from the shore in to the mud of the Thames estuary. This
Howitzer and its proofing sleigh were then moved to Woolwich, the then home of the Royal artillery, in June
1991, where it was gifted to the Royal Artillery Trust. After 17 years there it was moved to Larkhill in 2008.
It will remain at Fort Nelson during the period of commemoration of the First World War.
CRUISE SHIP SAILS CLOSE TO THE NORTH POLE
A cruise ship that has just sailed closer to the North Pole than any other arrived in Portsmouth at the beginning
of October this year. Hanseatic, an explorer ship owned by Hapag-Lloyd Cruises is the first passenger ship to
get within 480km of the North Pole using the North East passage.
The five star explorer ship had 175 guests on board who enjoyed
luxury facilities on the 123 metre long vessel built to withstand the
tough conditions of the Artic and Antarctic. In temperatures of
around zero degrees, and with a brisk north-easterly wind, the
passengers took a Rib ride along the edge of the pack ice. The event
was celebrated with a party on deck.
The cruise ended in Norway, after a successful journey through the
North East Passage that had started in Alaska.
BLACKPOOL TRAMS
The Blackpool tramway runs from Blackpool to Fleetwood on the Fylde coast in Lancashire and was the last
surviving first generation tramway in the UK until it was replaced with a modern fleet of Flexity 2 ‘Supertrams’
built by Bombardier in Derby in 2012.
The last time I rode on a Blackpool tram was as a child and I had never ever seen the famous illuminations and
so I went to Blackpool for the week and was able to experience both.
The line dates back to 1885 and is one of the oldest electric tramways
in the world. It runs for 11 miles and carries 6.5 million passengers
every year and is one of the few tramways that use double decker
trams, outside Hong Kong and Alexandria in Egypt.
The first part of the system opened in 1885 as a conduit line after
Werner von Siemens had demonstrated electric traction to the
Blackpool Corporation.
Conduit operation took current from a conduit below and between the tracks and was very successful in the
town, but proved problematic along the coast especially during bad weather.
In 1899 overhead wiring was installed and the conduit removed. As the years went by the line was extended
both to the north and south to its present form.
Depots were established at Rigby Road and Starr Gate, despite all other tram systems in UK steadily being
abandoned in the 1950’s and 1960’s, Blackpool managed to retain theirs.
As time went on the rolling stock was becoming very aged and needed constant repair and maintenance, as was
the infrastructure.
Many of the spares were no longer available and replacement items had to be made in the depot workshops.
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In February 2008 the Government agreed to a joint bid with Blackpool Council and Lancashire County Council
to upgrade the entire tramway and replace the heritage rolling stock with Flexity 2 modern low floor trams.
The total cost of the scheme was £83.5 million. The voltage on
the system was also raised to 600 in anticipation of the new
fleet. In April 2012 the first of the new modern trams ran.
A brand new depot has been built at Starr Gate, the southern
terminus, to house the current modern fleet, and. The new
depot at Starr Gate, built in 2011 at a cost of £20m, is fully
operational and has a maximum capacity for 20 trams.
Some of the heritage stock is housed at the original depot in
Rigby Road. Sadly most of that older fleet has been sold off.
Some examples can be found at the National Tram Museum at
Crich in Derbyshire, which was the subject of an article in
earlier newsletters.
Some of the ‘Heritage Fleet’ has been retained for summer running and for use during the illuminations ‘season’
when specially lit and decorated trams run along the front as part of the display at night.
There are four loops in the system, at Starr Gate, Little Bispham, Fleetwood and the depot at Rigby Road. The
overhead current is transmitted by pantograph for the modern trams and most of the heritage trams still have a
trolley pole.
The depot at Rigby Road was built in 1935 and has the capacity to hold 108 trams, but with the 2012
modernisation is it now primarily a bus depot with a small area given over to the heritage stock and their
maintenance.
There is a planned extension together with a public display area including space to house the heritage stock, but
this is as yet currently unfunded.
As I was in Blackpool ‘out of season’ the only heritage trams running were those specially decorated for the
illuminations and for night running. This was somewhat of a disappointment but I did manage to ride the ‘The
Train’.
The modern fleet is fully accessible and the service is very frequent during the day with the last tram running the
length of the system just before midnight.
In Fleetwood there is a long stretch of street running where the tram has priority over all other traffic, as it
always did, and many of the original Victorian wrought iron tram shelters have been beautifully restored and
repainted to their former glory. Day tickets are on sale at £4 a head, which allows the visitor unlimited access on
all trams and buses all day.
I have only attempted to give the reader a very general overview of the Blackpool trams and the only real
answer is to go and experience them for yourself and perhaps visit the various websites on the subject.
MORE FLIGHTS FROM SOUTHAMPTON AIRPORT
Eastern Airways has added extra capacity to its
Southampton Airport to Leeds and Aberdeen routes with the
introduction of a jet aircraft.
The airport’s fire service marked the occasion greeting the
aircraft with a water arch. A 37-seater Embraer 135 regional
jet now operates daily allowing passengers to be in Bradford
by 0835hrs & in Aberdeen by 0945hrs.
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This service provides south coast business travellers and offshore workers with greater flexibility. This airline
firm first introduced its services from Southampton Airport in 2003 and has slowly but steadily been expanding
its services and has now realised that there are business opportunities that needed addressing.
SACRED SOIL ARRIVES AT LONDON WATERLOO
Carrying on from earlier articles connected with the commemorations of World War 1, I am pleased to report
that South West Trains has helped to transport ‘sacred soil’ collected from the Belgian battlefields of the First
World War to London Waterloo station as part of the Centenary celebrations of The Great War.
The soil, which came from the Ypres Town cemetery, was taken from Waterloo to Wellington Barracks where it
forms part of The Flanders Field Memorial Garden.
The memorial garden was opened by Her Majesty the Queen and King Phillipe of the Belgians on Thursday 6th
October. South west Trains played an important part in this historic journey providing transport for soldiers
from 17 Port and Maritime Regiment and the ‘sacred soil’ on Thursday 9th October.
The Railway played a vital role in the First World War transporting
many thousands of troops and equipment. With war being declared at
11pm on 4th August 1914, less than a week later soldiers began arriving
in London before travelling to the south coast for onward travel to
France.
The line from Waterloo to Southampton was particularly important and
for 21 days from 10th August onwards, one troop train would arrive every
12 minutes.
By the end of August 1914, trains had carried over 118,000 personnel to
Southampton as well as thousands of horses, vehicles and bicycles.
The ‘sacred soil’ started its journey from the Menin Gate on 5th October and has been carried on board the
Cunard liner Queen Mary II and it arrived in Southampton three days later. It was then placed overnight in the
Civic Centre before being carried to Southampton Central station on the 9th October and from there it was taken
by train to Waterloo, and from there to its final resting place at Wellington Barracks.
VISIT OF OASIS OF THE SEAS
On 15th October the large ocean cruise ship Oasis of the Seas arrived in Southampton to take on passengers for
15-night cruise to Fort Lauderdale in the USA. From the capacity point of view it is the largest cruise liner
afloat carrying 6,600 passengers!
For those who love statistics, here are a few, displacement is 225,282 grt, draft of 9.3 m, with six diesel
generating sets producing 13,860 kws and the ship is powered by three 12 cylinder producing 18,950 hp each.
The generating sets consume 1,147 gallons hour at full speed and each of those 12 cylinder main engines at full
power will consume 1,860 gallons per hour.
The electricity produced by the main engines drives three azipods,
which in turn drive three 20foot propellers suspended under the stern.
These are rotatable and so no rudders are needed and to assist docking
there are four transverse bow thrusters. Additional power comes from
solar panels, which cover 21,000 sq ft.
The amenities on board include two storey loft suites and luxury suites
measuring 1,600 sq ft with balconies overlooking the sea or
promenades.
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The ship has a zip-line, a casino, a miniature golf course, multiple nightclubs, several bars and restaurants, a
karaoke club, comedy club, five swimming pools, volley and basketball courts, theme parks and nurseries for
the children.
I can see lots of IoTA members flocking to take a cruise on her, but sadly most of her cruising will be spent in
the southern United States and the Caribbean.
BRIGHTON TOY AND MODEL MUSEUM
And now for something completely different! The Brighton Toy and Model Museum is situated in the railway
arches under Brighton Central Station which was built between 1839-40 for the London Brighton and South
Coast Railway Company and 5 years ago its 4 pitched glass roofs were restored and the whole building now has
listed status.
This delightful museum, which is actually situated underneath the forecourt of the main station, houses 2 large
model rail layouts, as well as a great variety of models and toys of yesteryear.
The largest of the layouts is an ‘O’ gauge three rail electric propulsion layout with some tinplate and some steel
rolling stock all from the 1930’s and earlier. The large layout takes two operators to run and is only working
about four times a year.
On the day that I visited I was lucky enough to see it in
full operation. There were ‘Golden Arrow’ boat trains
running being pulled by Southern schools class
locomotives and French SNCF express trains with
Wagon-Lits and Orient Express dining cars. They were
interspersed with the typical goods trains of the time
from the Pas de Calais area.
The OO gauge is typical of the Sussex countryside in
the days of steam and covers an area the size of two
average main rooms of a house.
Although the two rail layouts make up the main part of the museum there are a number of cabinets full of model
locomotives and wagons from the era of long forgotten names such as Marklin and Bassett Lowke.
Other cabinets display every Dinky, Tri-ang and Corgi die cast ever built. To complement this there are soft toys
from the Edwardian era, a classic Bavarian shop, toys stoves and utensils from the 1950’s for doll’s houses and
lots of Meccano.
The whole museum is well worth a visit, but especially on ‘running days’ and there are plenty of new and
second hand books on transport, especially on railways, in the shop. There is also a particular cabinet in the shop
full of die cast models from earlier times where the collector might just find that missing item to complete their
collection.
WOMEN ON TRAMS IN 1ST WORLD WAR
Owing to the large number of Motormen and Conductors joining the
Services in 1914, the Portsmouth Tramways Committee decided to give
women a trial as conductresses at 5d an hour for a 48 hour week, with a
bonus for good conduct of 10/- every half year. These hours were soon
brought up to the same level as motormen so that each conductress and
motormen could work together.
The rate of pay increased from time to time and by the end of the war
stood at £1 8s 3d with bonuses for single and married women working 56
1/2 hours per week.
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As time progressed women were taken on as drivers being paid £2 19s a week for the same hours.
In July 1914 the number of men employed on the Tramways was 555. By 1919 there were 382 men and 188
women working Portsmouth trams, and of those 365 released to the Colours, 22 were killed and two gained
honours of distinction.
In order to maintain as good a service as possible under wartime conditions a number of stopping places were
abolished and weekend night and Sunday services were curtailed.
However, the revenue in 1917-18 was nearly £30,000 more than is was three years earlier.
This certainly demonstrates how in one particular local field women were able to step in to the breach and
maintain a good service to meet the public demand.
FORTHCOMING CENTRE EVENTS
The first three events of 2015 are detailed below:-
Tuesday 20th January - Presentation entitled ‘Aviation in the Southampton area’ by Paul Gosling.
Tuesday 17th February - Evening visit to First Bus depot in Southampton.
Tuesday 17th March -_Presentation entitled ‘Portsmouth to Petersfield Line’ by Peter Keat.
Please contact Mike Schmidt if you would like to attend either of these events.
I would like to thank to Mike Schmidt for obtaining the various and interesting articles for this newsletter.
If anyone has anything they would like to see published in forthcoming editions of the centre newsletter or any
suggestions for presentations or visits, please contact either Roger Brown or Mike Schmidt.
The Solent centre committee would like to wish centre members, friends of the centre and their families a
Happy Christmas and new year.
Disclaimer
Any facts stated, or opinions expressed in this newsletter are the sole responsibility of the contributors. The
Institute of Transport Administration cannot be held responsible for any loss or injury sustained in reliance
thereon.
Roger Brown, Mike Schmidt,
Solent Centre Secretary Solent Centre Media Officer
Tel: 01489 690256 Tel: 01329 310365
Mob: 07717 016311 Email: [email protected]
Email: [email protected]
