The recent good weather lead my best friend to take the decision that we should have a day trip and do something out of the ordinary. She had read an advertisement for the Watercress Line heritage railway line which was taken on by volunteers in the 1970’s and has over the years become a popular tourist attraction in the area. It runs via four stations in approximately ten miles of Hampshire countryside, and you can buy a ticket which enables you to get on and off as many times as you want during that day’s opening times.
Because we had got to bed very late the previous night, we aimed to leave by twelve o’clock so that we could get the train that was due to leave at one o’clock. Some of the trains are pulled by steam locomotives and others by diesel engines, and we wanted to ensure that we caught one of the steam trains.
We depart from the station in Alresford. The station building has been immaculately done out in pre-second world war style, and all of the friendly staff are wearing smart costumes. In reality, the majority are not employed staff, but are a number of the volunteers who are so passionate about trains and railways that they spend their own time being a member of the team who look after the hundreds of folk who visit whenever it is open.
The train builds up a head of steam and we leave the station on our way to the next stop at Ropley. The building here recreates a Southern Region station from about 1948. The platforms themselves are perfectly kept and also feature some amazing topiary. Near to the station is an engineering area, where employees and volunteers together are handling the renovation of several locomotives and carriages. The six carriages on the train we’re seated on are various different styles and have already been restored. It’s good to see that the work is continuing so that even more of a variety of old trains can be involved in the future.
Following Ropley, the next stop is Medstead And Four Marks, which is also kitted out in a post-war fashion. Medstead is the highest stop on the Watercress Line and is also the railway station which is the highest above sea level in the whole of the south of England, and years ago when steam was the only sort of train transport, the drivers and train crew used to refer to going over the summit at Medstead as ‘going over the Alps’. These days there is a marker at the highest point which tells you this.
We depart from Medstead and we are soon in Alton, the end of the line, although this station is also used by South West Trains, so you can jump on the mainline train into London from here. We have a quick stretch of the legs on Alton station platform and then rejoin the train for the journey back the other way which departs about fifteen minutes later.
The journey back to Alresford is somewhat more eventful as the steam engine leading our train has been experiencing problems throughout the day and finally gives up completely despite the best efforts of the crew to keep it going. Therefore a diesel engine is called out to drag both the steam engine and the six carriages back along the line. So we got the rather unique experience of going, not just on a steam train or a diesel train, but by both types of engine on the same trip!
The Watercress Line does a fantastic job of keeping alive the memory of the old fashioned railway network, and to be honest, the old trains have a lot of charm when viewed against the impersonal rolling stock that we travel on these days. But then nostalgia is always a pleasure to those who yearn for the ‘good old days’.
If I am honest, I can understand both views. A steam train is good fun for a Sunday afternoon spent with friends, but if I have to go into London in a hurry for a meeting, I’d much rather rely on the high speed train link that can take me to St Pancras in under twenty minutes at speeds faster than one hundred miles per hour. Also, I’d prefer to hold on to my automatic washing machine rather than relying on a washboard and a mangle, given the option I’d go for Laser eye surgery rather than having to wear glasses which are constantly getting grubby and can be broken easily, and I would undoubtedly much rather send updates to people by email than have to hand write all my correspondence.
But of course, there are plenty of people who lived during the days of steam and quite likely wish for the friendly service they got in those days. They wouldn’t wish to use a computer to keep in contact with friends because it doesn’t seem personal to them and they wouldn’t want Laser eye treatment because they are concerned that it would go wrong, all of which is perfectly understandable for folk who were born years before computers and Laser eye treatments appeared.
All in all I would thoroughly recommend a ride on the Watercress Line. They also organise lunch trips, evening meals and themed days for both adults and children, and if you really want to treat a loved one, you can buy them a day working on the trains or as a signalman. (That might be when the Laser eye surgery would come in handy. At least you wouldn’t find yourself with soot all over your glasses!)
Because we had got to bed very late the previous night, we aimed to leave by twelve o’clock so that we could get the train that was due to leave at one o’clock. Some of the trains are pulled by steam locomotives and others by diesel engines, and we wanted to ensure that we caught one of the steam trains.
We depart from the station in Alresford. The station building has been immaculately done out in pre-second world war style, and all of the friendly staff are wearing smart costumes. In reality, the majority are not employed staff, but are a number of the volunteers who are so passionate about trains and railways that they spend their own time being a member of the team who look after the hundreds of folk who visit whenever it is open.
The train builds up a head of steam and we leave the station on our way to the next stop at Ropley. The building here recreates a Southern Region station from about 1948. The platforms themselves are perfectly kept and also feature some amazing topiary. Near to the station is an engineering area, where employees and volunteers together are handling the renovation of several locomotives and carriages. The six carriages on the train we’re seated on are various different styles and have already been restored. It’s good to see that the work is continuing so that even more of a variety of old trains can be involved in the future.
Following Ropley, the next stop is Medstead And Four Marks, which is also kitted out in a post-war fashion. Medstead is the highest stop on the Watercress Line and is also the railway station which is the highest above sea level in the whole of the south of England, and years ago when steam was the only sort of train transport, the drivers and train crew used to refer to going over the summit at Medstead as ‘going over the Alps’. These days there is a marker at the highest point which tells you this.
We depart from Medstead and we are soon in Alton, the end of the line, although this station is also used by South West Trains, so you can jump on the mainline train into London from here. We have a quick stretch of the legs on Alton station platform and then rejoin the train for the journey back the other way which departs about fifteen minutes later.
The journey back to Alresford is somewhat more eventful as the steam engine leading our train has been experiencing problems throughout the day and finally gives up completely despite the best efforts of the crew to keep it going. Therefore a diesel engine is called out to drag both the steam engine and the six carriages back along the line. So we got the rather unique experience of going, not just on a steam train or a diesel train, but by both types of engine on the same trip!
The Watercress Line does a fantastic job of keeping alive the memory of the old fashioned railway network, and to be honest, the old trains have a lot of charm when viewed against the impersonal rolling stock that we travel on these days. But then nostalgia is always a pleasure to those who yearn for the ‘good old days’.
If I am honest, I can understand both views. A steam train is good fun for a Sunday afternoon spent with friends, but if I have to go into London in a hurry for a meeting, I’d much rather rely on the high speed train link that can take me to St Pancras in under twenty minutes at speeds faster than one hundred miles per hour. Also, I’d prefer to hold on to my automatic washing machine rather than relying on a washboard and a mangle, given the option I’d go for Laser eye surgery rather than having to wear glasses which are constantly getting grubby and can be broken easily, and I would undoubtedly much rather send updates to people by email than have to hand write all my correspondence.
But of course, there are plenty of people who lived during the days of steam and quite likely wish for the friendly service they got in those days. They wouldn’t wish to use a computer to keep in contact with friends because it doesn’t seem personal to them and they wouldn’t want Laser eye treatment because they are concerned that it would go wrong, all of which is perfectly understandable for folk who were born years before computers and Laser eye treatments appeared.
All in all I would thoroughly recommend a ride on the Watercress Line. They also organise lunch trips, evening meals and themed days for both adults and children, and if you really want to treat a loved one, you can buy them a day working on the trains or as a signalman. (That might be when the Laser eye surgery would come in handy. At least you wouldn’t find yourself with soot all over your glasses!)
0 comments:
Post a Comment