Ashford to Hastings 1970
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- Опубликовано: 16 мар 2024
- Film of a tour along the line from Ashford to Hastings recording the stations as they were in 1970. Features include the semaphore signals, old style level crossing gates, and double track throughout. The original film is standard 8mm, and very old, so the quality isn't great, but I think it is watchable.
Note: My notes date the film as 1970, but I read that Three Oaks and Guestling Halt was renamed Three Oaks and Guestling in 1969 (before becoming Three Oaks in 1980) so I'm not sure.
Lovely film , just out of the stream era , into the new corporate blue era , gas lamps, signal boxes, a Austin Westminster gracing one of the station car parks, and a pre tops crompton comes thumping thru running light , 1970 feels a life time ago now . Thanks for the upload 😊.
Wonderful old Britain. Some of that old Southern railway signage and original station gas lamps, are proudly on display in the stationers, Adam's on Rye High Street. You don't have to get too far from the main roads and not much has changed on the marsh. Thanks for uploading.
Thanks, and I'm pleased you enjoyed it.
what beautiful video footage ! really many thanks for the upload. I used to get the train as a kid between St Leonards on Sea to Rye, with the exciting change in Hastings for the line to Ashford. Whilst I today enjoy the views across the southwest, the view of the marshes and the sounds of the diesel thumpers across the stunning Sussex and Kent scenery was very evoctive as youngster and have always loved trains since. Seeing footage of this era again is so lovely.
Well thanks for that. I'm a rail enthusiast of course, and love this part of the country as well.
Thanks for this, Alan. I have worked in the Ticket Office at Ham Street for the last 11 years and live in St. Mary's Close, opposite the car park. The corrugated iron lamp hut is still there, though the signal box and foot crossing are gone, the latter went out of use in 2014 and the lines are now crossed by a footbridge with brick towers and lifts! Perhaps the biggsst change is in the overall aspect of the place, there are many more trees and, inevitably, houses. The old name lingers on, as some internal paperwork still shows it as Ham Street and Orlestone.
Fond memories of the rest of the line, too...I travelled on it a number of times before Appledore to Ore was singled.
Kind regards, Simon.
Well thanks for this Simon. I'm pleased Ham Street has a ticket office, and trust that the line is well used these days. I'm also pleased it brought back those memories.
Great film - thanks for showing this
Memories of the 1960's, travelling from Bromley to Appledore picking up a thumper unit at Ashford to fish on the nearby Royal Military canal......happy days.
Great old footage of a picturesque route that to this day, remains un-electrified.
It would be good if it were both electrified and double tracked throughout!
Unfortunately having seen the line from the cab, I think doubling would probably be prohibitively expensive. I was told by someone who was involved that singling was done due to the poor state of the trackbed across the Marsh, nowadays the line slaloms between the courses of the up and down lines in places where the trackbed was really poor. Something that would help would be longer, "dynamic" loops at Rye as it would give more flexibility when trains are delayed.
@@TheSpitfiregoggles yes, there is some talk of a dynamic loop between Rye and Winchelsea for that very reason. Electrification keeps being mentioned and this would revolutionise the operation of the line and remove the necessity of Southern having to operate Selhurst based 171 diesel units (good trains that they generally are). When you look at the long term picture then third rail infill would have - and will - save a fortune, as well as opening up a host of through service opportunities. Question is whether it would be better operated by South Eastern (as it was in BR days), rather than a far reached limb of Southern.............
Fabulous save&share (upload) = thank you.
I can hear the Thumpers on the silent film. I must be old!
Don't remind me either...
I was 2 y..o. then. I remember it well! 🤣