Really enjoyed this. As a young drivers assistant at Eastleigh the Fawley branch was my second home in the late seventies. At 36 mins 19 seconds there’s a small brick building on the left in the overgrowth. This is where the remote token equipment for the then passing loop at Frost Lane was stored. Once a train coming from Fawley hand handed in their token at Frost Lane box the signaller would release a token from this machine so a southbound train could proceed. Also used to drive Thumpers for a couple of years when I went to Fratton so enjoyed the soundtrack.😄👍
I’m not a railway buff but I found this video very entertaining. Very relaxing to watch and very informative. I must say, for a disused line, the track looks in a remarkably good state regarding encroaching vegetation.
I remember travelling on this line with my Dad taking oil wagons into the refinery. Think we were on a Brush class 47. It was a long time ago and I was still at school but got to go to work with my Dad, great adventure. My brother has corrected me. We were hauling with 2 cromptons
I love these videos. They’re superbly made, they’re embellished with „footnotes“ of local and railway history, and they sound fantastic. Many thanks from Germany
I remember hearing the Ashford thumper going through Hampden Park every morning when I was younger, I also heard it miles away up in Old Town as well many times. I love that sound, the raw power you hear from these engines is quite something.
The sound is superb! Love how we can hear the switchwork, the diesel reving and taking load, the fans going on and off. Yes, the scenery is lovely, but nothing sounds like one of these old DEMUs! BZ!
Fascinating. Not a very scenic route, though. I haven't seen so much foliage in the path of trains since I last used Microsoft Train Simulator! I do like your productions- informative and enjoyable.
There are actually plans to reopen the line for passengers this year or next year with 2 new stations, Marchwood and Hythe and 3 level crossing upgrades, Jacobs Gutter Lane, Marchwood and School Road
I was on board for this run . Was really good to remember the sounds and feels of an old Thumper . I remember the low hanging branches too , at some point I think a branch broke off which stopped us . All in all this was great to be with this little unit as it brought a few good memories back. Then I stayed at Southampton and watched it from there throughout the day. Thanks for an enjoyable day
Thank you. It was quite fraught with the sheer number of people who boarded at Totton, I was the on-board manager & it seemed as if there would never even be seats for everyone, but actually it all worked out OK in the end. Glad you enjoyed!
@@hastingsdiesels you are so welcome. I may have met you as I was with my son and friend on there . Was great to be on board a mainline Thumper at last . Was a nice run . Thanks for a nice day
At 7.56, where the blue and white screens or boxes [whatever?], used to be Redbridge signal box. The tarmac on the right was a crossing gate leading into Redbridge Sleeper works on the left where the trees are. It was huge. I know, as my childhood friend used to live in the terraced houses behind the New build on the right. We did some of our 1963 train spotting at that gate.
You do know that high efficiency means they put a crap low powered motor in that isnt up to the job. That does mean the machine has a shorter life. The same is true of the buses - smaller engine means less emissions but the buses do struggle up the hills as a result and sound just like that train!
There was talk some years back of reinstating a passenger service from Hythe to Southampton to ease the traffic congestion, needless to say it never came to anything. There's still the Hythe ferry which is fine in the summer but not so good in the winter when it's necessary to brave the elements on Hythe pier.
I used to live right next to the Jacob's Gutter Lane crossing and it was nice to see what it's like going down the track to the end. Also it was nice to see a different perspective of the line from Southampton Central to Totton which I travelled on hundreds of times. Many thanks for the upload.
Fantastic video! For some background, I grew up in Eling and went to Hounsdown secondary school 1980-84. It's situated to the right, just after Jacobs gutter Lane level crossing (15.33). When I was there there were no trees and bushes blocking the view of the line. You'd have an unobstructed view of all the rail movements, both fuel from Fawley and military heading to Marchwood military port. I well remember all the trains heading to Marchwood for the Falklands conflict. Many terminally boring maths lessons were brightened watching the trains from the second floor of the building!
The disused section of track was to the International Synthetic Rubber plant , Hardley Halt was not intended for ESSO but the large industrial sites located up the hill from the railway halt
Indeed. I worked for the successor to ISR for many years. Although they stopped shipping by rail many years ago, the old diesel shunter was donated to the Didcot preservation railway in 2009.
@@paulbaker654 I too worked for ISR in the late 1970's and chemicals were brought in by rail rather than product going out! Polimeri Europa took over and closed the plant around 2013 and raised the whole site to the ground - it makes a sad site today. Many a good memory of my early working life!
telmas We stopped manufacturing in March 2014 and demolition started in early 2015. I took voluntary redundancy in early 2016. The terms were reasonably generous.
@@paulbaker654 Hi Paul, Thanks for that! I worked in the control lab up by the gatehouse for 2 1/2 years from May 1978 until Nov 1980 when I joined Esso retiring in March 2010 I'm sure there's a few names we are both familiar with?!
Wow. Nice journey. The way the tree branch snapped off after hitting the windshield of the train, that was something. First time I've witnessed such a minor event.
at 40.04 there is the severed stump of Fawley's Down Distant marked by the 2 large silver birch trees so at some point from 2010 on wards it was cut down.
"New Forest National Park" is the very first reference I've ever heard to a national park system in the UK. I'm in the US, but I've watched *a lot* of TV shows, documentaries, and TH-cam videos from the UK. I just checked Google, 15 national parks (10 in England, 3 in Wales and 2 in Scotland). Nice. Greetings from Arkansas (The Natural State)
@@cliffbird5016 Actually, it's older than that. In medieval times, a 'forest' was a royal hunting area, governed by very severe anti-poaching laws, not necessarily an area with lots of trees. There are not many trees in the Forest of Bowland in Lancashire. The New Forest goes back to Norman times - William the Conqueror's son William Rufus was killed - some say murdered - in a hunting accident/incident in the forest.
The National Park Service opened its first National Park in 1951 at the Peak District, there are now fifteen National Parks and The National Park Service took its name from The US National Park Service.
Another really interesting video. It's nice to see this old fellow still running. I first saw unit 1001 while trainspotting at Clapham Junction probably in 1957. At the time 1001 was running on the down fast line from Waterloo. Possibly this was an initial test run before use on the Hastings line.
Thank you. As illustrated at the top of our History page, www.hastingsdiesels.co.uk/history/ , 27 February 1957 saw unit 1003 at Factory Junction, and 1001's first test-run was the previous month. So it's very probable!
Thank you, viewed your Dover, Canterbury, enjoyed it, the added dialogue of geographical feature helped to place where we where, just viewed Southampton to Fawley, very interesting, thank you. Patrick Northamptonshire
Marchwood military port is run by the RCT. Royal Corps of Transport. Its where the army keeps its transport ships. My unit used to go there a lot to use the ships to go to other countries for training excersises for amphiboius assults when we were not using planes to parchute in. Sir Tristram and Sir Gallahad were based there that were used during the falklands war. The army still use the line to transport tanks and heavy weapons to marchwood mainly to take them to Norway for arctic warfare training during the winter. Used to use those ships to take us to Hong Kong for jungle training as well.
My father used to work at Fawley Refinery from the early 50s until the 70s. there was an outing by train for the esso employees children I went about 3 times late 50s early 60s we got on at Fawley station. From 1962 onwards throughout the 60s were I worked at Hythe the oil trains used to go by my place of work, there is something i regret now I wasn't as interested in trains as I am now and I never took any photos, never thought of it, but there were lots of other attractions then to take your mind off things like trains. Very nostalgic video for me.
I spent all my childhood holidays in Gurnard on the Isle Of Wight often looking over at the flames coming out of the big chimney at Fawley and wondering what it would be like to go there.
I work for Hythe and waterside tours and we are based in Hardley industrial estate opposite Gate 1 of the refinery. We do constant contract work for Exxon and have been in and out of Fawley oil refinery for years. I have operated staff shuttles in the refinery. The entire layout of the road system is American. Similar to Milton Keynes (If you've ever been there) the roads in the refinery are squarely gridded like New York Manhatten island. It allows fast and easy access to tanks, pipes and maintainance and any emergency work. Each of these roads are usually wide enough to accommodate a lorry or a bus incase a fire engine is needed. Each road is called an 'Avenue' so you have Central avenue running through the middle of the site then the side roads leading off central avenue are called 2nd/3rd/4th/8th avenue etc etc. Then you have the outside perimeter road which runs parallel to the fence. Each 'Avenue' has pipes which 'Arch' over the road like a low train bridge, you pass under them. Some are low, some are high, some are super heated steam. The large white cylinder tanks you see are all numbered tanks and vary in size and type. You have numbers 358, 353, on them etc. They carry fuel or water in them and they sit in huge grass pits. If the tanks burst the pits are designed to contain the entire contents of the tank without flooding over and the only contamination they will absorb under the grass and soil is about an inch. The yellow flames you see from your window don't come from a chimney. They come from one of four flare stacks dotted around the refinery. Fawley refinery has four of them. If the flares are lit and burning yellow it can mean too much gas has been produced from a bi product and the refinery has run out of available storage so they have to flare off the excess as a flame. They also flare off incorrect gas mixtures of gas which could be dangerous, toxic or highly flammable if released as gas into the atmosphere. You'll see the yellow glow for miles. There's a lot more I could tell you but if you are interested in the Fawley refinery or are fascinated by it and wish to explore it the refinery offer guided tours where waterside coaches drive you round the site with an expert who will be able to tell you about Fawley in great detail. If you can PM me I might be able to find out how to get you on a guided tour?
Thanks for this - lots of good will and hope that this line will be reinstated particularly necessary with proposed Fawley development. Good to see the West Street crossing from the other angle.
I believe the line closed in the 60’s/70’s to passenger traffic, as did many other lines as a result of the beeching cuts, however the line continued to carry oil and petroleum freight trains to and from fawley refinery until 2016 and now the line only serves runs as required freight services to the military marchwood port. There are plans by network rail for the route to be reopened with 2 stations reopened.
I really enjoyed watching this video.Surely,the time is right now to reopen the line with the oil Terminal now being history and large scale housing and shops being planned.
Who said the refinery was history?! It's processing ~270,000 barrels of crude a day!! The reason there are no trains anymore is ExxonMobil decided it was more economical to move finished product by road and ships!
@@davidknowles3459 Well actually NO David. The product that was moved by rail never had pipeline connections to those destinations; ie Plymouth, Bristol, Margam, Stoke on Trent. This all went over to road transport! The two pipelines from Fawley run to the Midlands and Heathrow terminal and have been doing so since the early 1960's thereby running in conjunction with rail born traffic.
Loved it I rode this line back in 1989 on "The Wessex Adventurer". Happy times it's was one of the very last runs of 45106 as she suffered a fire shortly after.
Yes, I don't know why there never seems to have been much serious thought given to reopening it for passenger service. It could surely be done at really very little cost. (Though Newtwork Rail would probably insist on installing new signalling, since they can never do anything cost effectively, and always have to do everything as expensively as they possibly can.)
you all prolly dont give a shit but does anybody know of a method to get back into an instagram account?? I somehow forgot the password. I would appreciate any help you can give me!
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That's superb footage and audio, thank you for uploading it. It's also interesting that you mention a lot of places that used to be very much part of my early life - Woking (where I used to train spot in the 1960s); Redhill; Basingstoke; and later on Tunbridge Wells, where I not only lived but worked at the Land Registry there. I even knew a Sue Griffin who worked there, though I doubt there is any connection with your good self!
Very nice video again. I am finding these to be very interesting. You think they might check train tracks more for falling trees or leaning tree limbs that hit the train. I if I was you since people can't seem to read description would somehow add audio in back cab in title some how. Seems to be lots of comments below mine asking about it. Funny I read all the descriptions first on all videos to see if I would like to see it or not. Hmm. Thanks for sharing with us. God bless.
Thanks for your comments. Every action has an associated cost - will it cost more to send a team of people out to check for leaning tree-branches than it would cost to have the train run at a slower speed? That's the problem. As to people not reading the description, I tried putting 'back cab audio' in the title but (a) there is a character-limit in the title, and (b) people still don't read it!
I like how there's only three positions for throttle: "idle", "load" and "accel". I also like the "load-on" throttle gap and lag between the load and revs update. Gives an impression of a Lister genee on wheels.
Thank you for video! I'll be in the market for OO gauge models of the Hastings DEMUs on a shelf diorama... I've watched the first part of Fawley Forester cab ride; Woking to Basingstoke; but you haven't posted the section between Basingstoke and Southhampton Central: Quoting, "Better 2018 footage coming."
Apparently no lorries, just ships, have replaced the oil trains. I have my doubts. There were talks of possible reinstatement of passenger services, now uncertain.
I hope your paintwork wasn't damaged too much by offending branches! This line does have potential for passenger re-instate, but this Drivers View does verify the news reports in that a lot of money would need to be spent on it to make it up to standard. Foot crossings would have to probably go in particular. SWR do have the structure for the actual service though, no extra rolling stock needed because you could extend the existing figure of 6 service to a new "Backwards S" service: Salisbury, Dean, Mottisfont Dunbridge, Romsey, Chandlers Ford, Eastleigh, Southampton Airport Parkway, Swaythling, St Deny's, Southampton Central, Millbrook, Redbridge, Totton, Marchwood, Hythe. Class 158 Diesel Route.
Yes. As they say you don't get owt for nowt. Having seen the transformation of the Oxford to Bicester route (was single-track with many level crossings, now double-track with 0 LCs), anything is possible if the investment is there.
@@hastingsdiesels Chiltern improvement work are inspiring. My Aunt & Uncle now always use Oxford to Marylebone and have abandoned GWR - cheaper and due to said improvements. !
it's sad that our railways get too much bad press these days . just view the track section from 14.40 to 40.00 . track laying precision and hypnotic vibe .
It might seem silly and I'm not sure of the costs but wouldn't it be fairly easy to reopen a passenger service from Hythe and Marchwood into Southampton
@@hastingsdiesels Cool, I just looked up the line on Wikipedia, could be well served by a battery powered train, recharge at Southampton on the turn around.
The line in good nick sinces its only used for goods and specials, and marchwood station and junc, im surprised at amount of signalling and a box to control it all still use would be rationlised
i suspect it's kept in usable condition as a just in case strategic measure as the branch also serves marchwood military depot. also there are plans afoot to restore passenger services on the line as preliminary studies have shown it would be viable.
What you're describing is a Trap Point. Its purpose is to derail a train (at low speed) which has overrun a signal at Danger. This is preferable to a head-on collision further down the line. The Trap Point is controlled and interlocked with the signalling system, so unless it is correctly set for the safe passage of trains then the signals cannot be cleared.
My uncle and aunt had this bungalow on a massive piece of land near Fawley paid for by driving petrol tankers back in the 60s and 70s when I was just a little kid, and I could hide in that garden and never be found. I live in Totton now and hate it.
There are worse places in the world than Totton, David. The Forest is on your doorsetep and the whole area is steeped in modern and ancient history. Get yourself out and start photographing it. That said, your uncle and aunt's bungalow sounds like a great memory.
Thank you David for this. You're quite right, my excuse is that on the Landranger mapping there's a grid-line that crosses through the "5" of A35 near Ashurst in just such a way as to lead me to that error. I've added an Erratum note to the description.
If it were all strictly safety-type communications *and* they had agreed to be recorded and for their conversations to be broadcast worldwide, then it would be OK. But they aren't, and they haven't. :)
@@hastingsdiesels There is a video a retired engineer made of a cab ride in the Via rail Canadian between Revestoke and Field, British Columbia back in 1989, which picks up all the conversation between the retiree, the two engineers and the engineer trainee. I found it fascinating. It's still on youtube in several parts, via rail cab ride revelstoke to field.
@@heronimousbrapson863 Okay, so they all knew one another and were having a chat amongst themselves, and knew they were being recorded. None of these three parameters are the same in the case of the videoing that I do, and it has already been made clear to me that if there is conversation in the cab I cannot publish it. I assure you, most of it is not stuff of interest or indeed seemly!
17:30 how come you ignored the Whistle sign? You did the same at another sign not long after too! (If you’re not the train drive then you don’t have to do with this)
I really enjoyed that although I'm not really a railway enthusiast. Tell me, why wasn't the audio coming from the front cab?! Would I be right in guessing that you rail enthusiasts wanted to hear the soothing sounds of the diesel engine at the back?!
Thank you. The audio from the front cab was not publishable because the driver was being 'talked over the route' (with which he was unfamiliar) by a Route Conductor; regardless of what they actually said, it is a condition of publishing these videos that conversations are not included. Hence the audio from the back cab.
There has always been talk, one issue is that the old Fawley platform lies within the restricted area of the oil refinery and has no public access. The main issue is cost as the Government has spent large sums of money on improving the parallel road and when you throw in the Hythe ferry and it's service to Southampton it becomes a very marginal cost benefit decision in favour of a passenger service NR will not spend the sort of money we are talking of on new stations and fencing and third rail electrification is not even an option with figures of around £80million + required for that degree of work.
Interesting video. I've often wondered about the engine air filter, if fitted, on these old units. Could you advise the air filter media please, if applicable.
The louvres on the offside of the engine room allow outside air to be drawn in by the turbocharger; as it passes through the louvres it also passes through a filter; I'm afraid I don't know the exact type of material.
Why is there 2 Hythe in England? One Romney, Hythe and Dymchurch fame and the other on this line not all that far away (by Australian standards) on the river test?
Same as you've got a Guildford in Perth and a Guildford in Sydney. :-) In both cases, at the time they were given their names, they were far enough apart (several days' travel) that there would be no likelihood of confusing them.
This may sound like a stupid question from across the pond, but why is the third rail electrification not protected in the UK? Here in the states (or at least here on the east coast), our third rails are protected with wood over the rail about a foot above the top of the rail. Just curious...
I din’t think there’s space on the trains to accommodate this. Every train would have to be designed to have a recessed area along both sides where the board could pass. If it had been designed in from the start, that might be different.
@@hastingsdiesels Interesting note. I'd never really thought about the lack of covers on the third rail in the UK. In North America the contact shoes are indeed designed to allow the cover to pass over top.
They need to get this line open to passengers especially now the hithe ferry isnt being subsidised anymore and esso now pipe their oil Doesnt look like a lot of work to do (rebuild a few stations).
Having a Senior Moment thinking I was going from Southampton to Hastings!? Well I realise now that is not the case and instead found the single line ride a little boring - why has the Fawley Terminus station never reopened - seems a shame? But very good film production despite my ramblings - well done "Hastings DMU cab-ride".
Thank you. Fawley terminus station is deep inside the Oil Refinery site and as such is not accessible to the public - so no point in it being reopened.
These signs are provided in locations where the driver will receive an AWS horn that relates to movement in the other direction. The sign instructs the driver to cancel the AWS and disregard its operation on this occasion.
So how does Fawley transport their oil products if they don't go by rail? What sort of trainload would they have had to send for the traffic to be viable? Or is the refinery closed? The branch could be used for passengers with a small DMU or the modern version of a Pacer, a Parry People Mover at minimum expense.
it gets pumped along a network of underground pipelines to regional distribution terminals....then your local fleet of road tankers deliver to the customers....
Esso Fawley is still the largest oil refinery in the UK, yet does not use rail at all any more. Crude oil arrives alost entirely by sea and these days is cracked here to produce light distillates such as petrol diesel, and aviation fuel, all of which are mainly distributed by pipeline. Heavier oil based feedstocks are transferred to the big Exxon chemical plant next door whose products leave site by road or by sea. Some former products are no longer produced on this site by Esso such as bitumen which once left by rail. Heavy fuel oil for steam ships and specialist lubricants is no longer produced. These days some intermediate products such as bitumen feedstock are re-exported by sea to other locations for further processing rather than processed at Fawley. Crude oil once arrived inbound in great quantitiesfrom onshore oilfields by rail but this stopped with the pipeline from Wytch Farm. In recent years one train a week arrived from Humbly Grove Oil terminal near Alton but when this stopped in 2016 that was the end for the refinery's extensive internal rail network. Thirty years ago there were plans to build a second large power station to the south of Fawley. It was to be coal fired and would have resulted in the line being extended through the refinery a further mile south to being in British coal. This was then revised after the national strikes to bring in South American coal via a new jetty, and the whole plan was dropped altogether as energy policy moved towards gas and away from coal.
Really enjoyed this. As a young drivers assistant at Eastleigh the Fawley branch was my second home in the late seventies. At 36 mins 19 seconds there’s a small brick building on the left in the overgrowth. This is where the remote token equipment for the then passing loop at Frost Lane was stored. Once a train coming from Fawley hand handed in their token at Frost Lane box the signaller would release a token from this machine so a southbound train could proceed.
Also used to drive Thumpers for a couple of years when I went to Fratton so enjoyed the soundtrack.😄👍
I’m not a railway buff but I found this video very entertaining. Very relaxing to watch and very informative. I must say, for a disused line, the track looks in a remarkably good state regarding encroaching vegetation.
I remember travelling on this line with my Dad taking oil wagons into the refinery. Think we were on a Brush class 47. It was a long time ago and I was still at school but got to go to work with my Dad, great adventure. My brother has corrected me. We were hauling with 2 cromptons
I love these videos. They’re superbly made, they’re embellished with „footnotes“ of local and railway history, and they sound fantastic. Many thanks from Germany
Thank you Philip, I'm glad you enjoy them!
+ One on the footnotes. They give a nice flavor of documentary, yet don't ruin whole cabride experience.
Jay Swarrow exactly right!
Fascinating footage , makes you appreciate what a what a green and pleasant land we live in , thanks for posting .
I remember hearing the Ashford thumper going through Hampden Park every morning when I was younger, I also heard it miles away up in Old Town as well many times. I love that sound, the raw power you hear from these engines is quite something.
The sound is superb! Love how we can hear the switchwork, the diesel reving and taking load, the fans going on and off. Yes, the scenery is lovely, but nothing sounds like one of these old DEMUs! BZ!
Why was i sitting here and waving to the people taking photos at 21.48 !!!!!!! nice to have the sound. enjoyed the ride.....
Thanks for your videos man
Fascinating. Not a very scenic route, though. I haven't seen so much foliage in the path of trains since I last used Microsoft Train Simulator! I do like your productions- informative and enjoyable.
Excellent! Also very informative, great historic facts. Thank you, I enjoyed watching this.
There are actually plans to reopen the line for passengers this year or next year with 2 new stations, Marchwood and Hythe and 3 level crossing upgrades, Jacobs Gutter Lane, Marchwood and School Road
I don't normally enjoy these but I have to say your commentary was most compelling and I enjoyed learning about the line very much - thanks!
Thank you, glad you enjoyed it!
I was on board for this run . Was really good to remember the sounds and feels of an old Thumper . I remember the low hanging branches too , at some point I think a branch broke off which stopped us . All in all this was great to be with this little unit as it brought a few good memories back. Then I stayed at Southampton and watched it from there throughout the day. Thanks for an enjoyable day
Thank you. It was quite fraught with the sheer number of people who boarded at Totton, I was the on-board manager & it seemed as if there would never even be seats for everyone, but actually it all worked out OK in the end. Glad you enjoyed!
@@hastingsdiesels you are so welcome. I may have met you as I was with my son and friend on there . Was great to be on board a mainline Thumper at last . Was a nice run . Thanks for a nice day
Fantastic cab ride! This line has huge potential to turn into a preserved railway!
Thanks richard That would make a good footpath and cycle track ,and room for trains
Excellent Filming ,didn’t know I would be going to Fawley tonight,thank you for posting
What a fantastic cab ride.Thanks for posting!!! 👍🙂
At 7.56, where the blue and white screens or boxes [whatever?], used to be Redbridge signal box. The tarmac on the right was a crossing gate leading into Redbridge Sleeper works on the left where the trees are. It was huge. I know, as my childhood friend used to live in the terraced houses behind the New build on the right. We did some of our 1963 train spotting at that gate.
This locomotive sounds just like my high efficiency clothes washer struggling with a big load. Nice video.
Also sounds like a bus.
You do know that high efficiency means they put a crap low powered motor in that isnt up to the job. That does mean the machine has a shorter life. The same is true of the buses - smaller engine means less emissions but the buses do struggle up the hills as a result and sound just like that train!
There was talk some years back of reinstating a passenger service from Hythe to Southampton to ease the traffic congestion, needless to say it never came to anything. There's still the Hythe ferry which is fine in the summer but not so good in the winter when it's necessary to brave the elements on Hythe pier.
I used to live right next to the Jacob's Gutter Lane crossing and it was nice to see what it's like going down the track to the end. Also it was nice to see a different perspective of the line from Southampton Central to Totton which I travelled on hundreds of times. Many thanks for the upload.
Fantastic video! For some background, I grew up in Eling and went to Hounsdown secondary school 1980-84. It's situated to the right, just after Jacobs gutter Lane level crossing (15.33). When I was there there were no trees and bushes blocking the view of the line. You'd have an unobstructed view of all the rail movements, both fuel from Fawley and military heading to Marchwood military port. I well remember all the trains heading to Marchwood for the Falklands conflict. Many terminally boring maths lessons were brightened watching the trains from the second floor of the building!
The disused section of track was to the International Synthetic Rubber plant , Hardley Halt was not intended for ESSO but the large industrial sites located up the hill from the railway halt
Indeed. I worked for the successor to ISR for many years. Although they stopped shipping by rail many years ago, the old diesel shunter was donated to the Didcot preservation railway in 2009.
@@paulbaker654 I too worked for ISR in the late 1970's and chemicals were brought in by rail rather than product going out! Polimeri Europa took over and closed the plant around 2013 and raised the whole site to the ground - it makes a sad site today. Many a good memory of my early working life!
telmas We stopped manufacturing in March 2014 and demolition started in early 2015. I took voluntary redundancy in early 2016. The terms were reasonably generous.
@@paulbaker654 Hi Paul, Thanks for that! I worked in the control lab up by the gatehouse for 2 1/2 years from May 1978 until Nov 1980 when I joined Esso retiring in March 2010 I'm sure there's a few names we are both familiar with?!
@@telmas7183 Paul Harrison? Mike Nichols? Dick Page?
Great video! I remember the Fawley refinery from my MN days many years ago. Australia.
Wow. Nice journey. The way the tree branch snapped off after hitting the windshield of the train, that was something. First time I've witnessed such a minor event.
Fantastic video which could (hopefully not) become historic footage. Many thanks.
at 40.04 there is the severed stump of Fawley's Down Distant marked by the 2 large silver birch trees so at some point from 2010 on wards it was cut down.
"New Forest National Park" is the very first reference I've ever heard to a national park system in the UK. I'm in the US, but I've watched *a lot* of TV shows, documentaries, and TH-cam videos from the UK. I just checked Google, 15 national parks (10 in England, 3 in Wales and 2 in Scotland). Nice. Greetings from Arkansas (The Natural State)
Yep, the UK is not a big country size wise but we have a number of national parks.
the new forest was created by henry the VIII to supply wood to build the Royal Navy ships. even though it says new its older than the USA.
@@cliffbird5016 Actually, it's older than that. In medieval times, a 'forest' was a royal hunting area, governed by very severe anti-poaching laws, not necessarily an area with lots of trees. There are not many trees in the Forest of Bowland in Lancashire. The New Forest goes back to Norman times - William the Conqueror's son William Rufus was killed - some say murdered - in a hunting accident/incident in the forest.
The National Park Service opened its first National Park in 1951 at the Peak District, there are now fifteen National Parks and The National Park Service took its name from The US National Park Service.
How well I remember the occasions when I would take a break from my task of the day at our allotment, to wave to the driver of the oil train!!
Thank you richard for another fine video,Love the on screen info,Kind regards bob.
Another really interesting video. It's nice to see this old fellow still running. I first saw unit 1001 while trainspotting at Clapham Junction probably in 1957. At the time 1001 was running on the down fast line from Waterloo. Possibly this was an initial test run before use on the Hastings line.
Thank you. As illustrated at the top of our History page, www.hastingsdiesels.co.uk/history/ , 27 February 1957 saw unit 1003 at Factory Junction, and 1001's first test-run was the previous month. So it's very probable!
Thank you, viewed your Dover, Canterbury, enjoyed it, the added dialogue of geographical feature helped to place where we where, just viewed Southampton to Fawley, very interesting, thank you. Patrick Northamptonshire
Marchwood military port is run by the RCT. Royal Corps of Transport. Its where the army keeps its transport ships. My unit used to go there a lot to use the ships to go to other countries for training excersises for amphiboius assults when we were not using planes to parchute in. Sir Tristram and Sir Gallahad were based there that were used during the falklands war.
The army still use the line to transport tanks and heavy weapons to marchwood mainly to take them to Norway for arctic warfare training during the winter.
Used to use those ships to take us to Hong Kong for jungle training as well.
That's a surprisingly rural looking line isn't it, once on the branch. Interesting how industrial branches often are.
My father used to work at Fawley Refinery from the early 50s until the 70s. there was an outing by train for the esso employees children I went about 3 times late 50s early 60s we got on at Fawley station. From 1962 onwards throughout the 60s were I worked at Hythe the oil trains used to go by my place of work, there is something i regret now I wasn't as interested in trains as I am now and I never took any photos, never thought of it, but there were lots of other attractions then to take your mind off things like trains. Very nostalgic video for me.
At 14.47 legend should read: "A35 dual carriageway". The A36 is the Salisbury Road.
Yes, you're right. This was already written as an ERRATUM note in the video description.
I spent all my childhood holidays in Gurnard on the Isle Of Wight often looking over at the flames coming out of the big chimney at Fawley and wondering what it would be like to go there.
I work for Hythe and waterside tours and we are based in Hardley industrial estate opposite Gate 1 of the refinery. We do constant contract work for Exxon and have been in and out of Fawley oil refinery for years. I have operated staff shuttles in the refinery. The entire layout of the road system is American. Similar to Milton Keynes (If you've ever been there) the roads in the refinery are squarely gridded like New York Manhatten island. It allows fast and easy access to tanks, pipes and maintainance and any emergency work. Each of these roads are usually wide enough to accommodate a lorry or a bus incase a fire engine is needed. Each road is called an 'Avenue' so you have Central avenue running through the middle of the site then the side roads leading off central avenue are called 2nd/3rd/4th/8th avenue etc etc. Then you have the outside perimeter road which runs parallel to the fence. Each 'Avenue' has pipes which 'Arch' over the road like a low train bridge, you pass under them. Some are low, some are high, some are super heated steam. The large white cylinder tanks you see are all numbered tanks and vary in size and type. You have numbers 358, 353, on them etc. They carry fuel or water in them and they sit in huge grass pits. If the tanks burst the pits are designed to contain the entire contents of the tank without flooding over and the only contamination they will absorb under the grass and soil is about an inch. The yellow flames you see from your window don't come from a chimney. They come from one of four flare stacks dotted around the refinery. Fawley refinery has four of them. If the flares are lit and burning yellow it can mean too much gas has been produced from a bi product and the refinery has run out of available storage so they have to flare off the excess as a flame. They also flare off incorrect gas mixtures of gas which could be dangerous, toxic or highly flammable if released as gas into the atmosphere. You'll see the yellow glow for miles. There's a lot more I could tell you but if you are interested in the Fawley refinery or are fascinated by it and wish to explore it the refinery offer guided tours where waterside coaches drive you round the site with an expert who will be able to tell you about Fawley in great detail. If you can PM me I might be able to find out how to get you on a guided tour?
fantastic video, great for railway modeller like myself
Thanks for this - lots of good will and hope that this line will be reinstated particularly necessary with proposed Fawley development. Good to see the West Street crossing from the other angle.
I lived Dibden Purliue and used to hear DMUs going down that track taking Esso oil refinery staff to and from work around !.00 am
the noise that thing makes, along with the 30mph speed limit would have put me to sleep very quickly.
Has this line closed full time. If it has, I'm glad it hasn't been turned into a cycle route as most other have.
I believe the line closed in the 60’s/70’s to passenger traffic, as did many other lines as a result of the beeching cuts, however the line continued to carry oil and petroleum freight trains to and from fawley refinery until 2016 and now the line only serves runs as required freight services to the military marchwood port.
There are plans by network rail for the route to be reopened with 2 stations reopened.
Used to go into Marchwood, when I was in the RFA (doesn't happen any more). Never saw a train at all on the line. This was good to watch
I really enjoyed watching this video.Surely,the time is right now to reopen the line with the oil Terminal now being history and large scale housing and shops being planned.
Who said the refinery was history?! It's processing ~270,000 barrels of crude a day!! The reason there are no trains anymore is ExxonMobil decided it was more economical to move finished product by road and ships!
@@telmas7183 Yes,by pipeline,not using the railway now
@@davidknowles3459 Well actually NO David. The product that was moved by rail never had pipeline connections to those destinations; ie Plymouth, Bristol, Margam, Stoke on Trent. This all went over to road transport! The two pipelines from Fawley run to the Midlands and Heathrow terminal and have been doing so since the early 1960's thereby running in conjunction with rail born traffic.
6:38 ... 1847! By heck, that line is a tribute to good maintenance over the years.
That's a very heavy-duty gate across the tracks at the entrance to Fawley Esso..!
Terrific video :)
It would be interesting to see this go down the Roxby or Hull Docks Branch :D
Loved it I rode this line back in 1989 on "The Wessex Adventurer". Happy times it's was one of the very last runs of 45106 as she suffered a fire shortly after.
I really really love this video and the info given. Amazing footage! Thanks for this.
The platform at Marchwood station looks in great condition to say its not had a service in over 50 years
Yes, I don't know why there never seems to have been much serious thought given to reopening it for passenger service. It could surely be done at really very little cost. (Though Newtwork Rail would probably insist on installing new signalling, since they can never do anything cost effectively, and always have to do everything as expensively as they possibly can.)
you all prolly dont give a shit but does anybody know of a method to get back into an instagram account??
I somehow forgot the password. I would appreciate any help you can give me!
@Cole Julio instablaster :)
@Xander Alijah I really appreciate your reply. I found the site on google and im in the hacking process atm.
I see it takes quite some time so I will reply here later when my account password hopefully is recovered.
@Xander Alijah it did the trick and I now got access to my account again. I am so happy!
Thanks so much you saved my account !
@Cole Julio no problem :)
Nearly 40 years ago I sent enough trains to Fawley, nice to see where they went.
I used to drive from WYKO in Nottingham to Fawley ESSO occasionally to pick up and deliver flame proof electric motors for repair :)
South Coast Level Crossings page has footage of the marchwood crossing being opened and closed during this trip
That's superb footage and audio, thank you for uploading it. It's also interesting that you mention a lot of places that used to be very much part of my early life - Woking (where I used to train spot in the 1960s); Redhill; Basingstoke; and later on Tunbridge Wells, where I not only lived but worked at the Land Registry there. I even knew a Sue Griffin who worked there, though I doubt there is any connection with your good self!
Very interesting video! I would be great to see passenger train return to this line on a regular basis!
Excellent cab ride, love the information on the way through, well done.
Thank you, glad you appreciate it.
Very nice video again. I am finding these to be very interesting. You think they might check train tracks more for falling trees or leaning tree limbs that hit the train. I if I was you since people can't seem to read description would somehow add audio in back cab in title some how. Seems to be lots of comments below mine asking about it. Funny I read all the descriptions first on all videos to see if I would like to see it or not. Hmm. Thanks for sharing with us. God bless.
Thanks for your comments. Every action has an associated cost - will it cost more to send a team of people out to check for leaning tree-branches than it would cost to have the train run at a slower speed? That's the problem. As to people not reading the description, I tried putting 'back cab audio' in the title but (a) there is a character-limit in the title, and (b) people still don't read it!
Thoroughly enjoyed this video. Many thanks.
I used to live in Dibden Purlieu i used to hear DMUs late at night i was told it was the train carrying staff working at Fawley
Delightful ride. Such a long tangent. Thanks.
I like how there's only three positions for throttle: "idle", "load" and "accel". I also like the "load-on" throttle gap and lag between the load and revs update. Gives an impression of a Lister genee on wheels.
Thanks. There are 7 notches for power, though it may not sound like it!
Excellent sound recording!
Awesome Diesel, sound, railway and landscape.
Thank you for video! I'll be in the market for OO gauge models of the Hastings DEMUs on a shelf diorama...
I've watched the first part of Fawley Forester cab ride; Woking to Basingstoke; but you haven't posted the section between Basingstoke and Southhampton Central: Quoting, "Better 2018 footage coming."
And so there is - I just haven't posted it yet.
Very informative and interesting thanks for sharing
Apparently no lorries, just ships, have replaced the oil trains. I have my doubts. There were talks of possible reinstatement of passenger services, now uncertain.
I hope your paintwork wasn't damaged too much by offending branches! This line does have potential for passenger re-instate, but this Drivers View does verify the news reports in that a lot of money would need to be spent on it to make it up to standard. Foot crossings would have to probably go in particular. SWR do have the structure for the actual service though, no extra rolling stock needed because you could extend the existing figure of 6 service to a new "Backwards S" service: Salisbury, Dean, Mottisfont Dunbridge, Romsey, Chandlers Ford, Eastleigh, Southampton Airport Parkway, Swaythling, St Deny's, Southampton Central, Millbrook, Redbridge, Totton, Marchwood, Hythe. Class 158 Diesel Route.
Yes. As they say you don't get owt for nowt. Having seen the transformation of the Oxford to Bicester route (was single-track with many level crossings, now double-track with 0 LCs), anything is possible if the investment is there.
@@hastingsdiesels Chiltern improvement work are inspiring. My Aunt & Uncle now always use Oxford to Marylebone and have abandoned GWR - cheaper and due to said improvements. !
it's sad that our railways get too much bad press these days . just view the track section from 14.40 to 40.00 . track laying precision and hypnotic vibe .
It might seem silly and I'm not sure of the costs but wouldn't it be fairly easy to reopen a passenger service from Hythe and Marchwood into Southampton
The Three Rivers Community Rail Partnership is encouraging precisely this.
@@hastingsdiesels Cool, I just looked up the line on Wikipedia, could be well served by a battery powered train, recharge at Southampton on the turn around.
The line in good nick sinces its only used for goods and specials, and marchwood station and junc, im surprised at amount of signalling and a box to control it all still use would be rationlised
i suspect it's kept in usable condition as a just in case strategic measure as the branch also serves marchwood military depot. also there are plans afoot to restore passenger services on the line as preliminary studies have shown it would be viable.
Very very interesting..Enjoyed the trip
disused station? I'd live there hehe
NICE RIDE ON THE TRAIN!
What is the meaning of the blue diamond signs? Example: 31:49. Thank you. (Didn't find anything with online search.) Possibly mile markers?
Yes, they are mileposts. Every quarter of a mile.
Thank you for the video.
Why don't they ship oil by rail anymore ?
at 23.07 there is a switch that goes nowhere , does anyone know what this is for. if vandalism comes into play here it looks absolutely lethal.
What you're describing is a Trap Point. Its purpose is to derail a train (at low speed) which has overrun a signal at Danger. This is preferable to a head-on collision further down the line. The Trap Point is controlled and interlocked with the signalling system, so unless it is correctly set for the safe passage of trains then the signals cannot be cleared.
thanks for that .I've seen them before and I now know .
@@hastingsdiesels
Such a waste of a railway, needs a passenger service ASAP..
LOVE THIS ❤️❤️❤️ I’ve got all now on library lol
My uncle and aunt had this bungalow on a massive piece of land near Fawley paid for by driving petrol tankers back in the 60s and 70s when I was just a little kid, and I could hide in that garden and never be found. I live in Totton now and hate it.
There are worse places in the world than Totton, David. The Forest is on your doorsetep and the whole area is steeped in modern and ancient history. Get yourself out and start photographing it. That said, your uncle and aunt's bungalow sounds like a great memory.
I wonder does the bungalow still exist? Sound great.
Excellent video, thank you. Only point are you sure that the double bridges at 14.54 are the A36....and not the A35 ?
Thank you David for this. You're quite right, my excuse is that on the Landranger mapping there's a grid-line that crosses through the "5" of A35 near Ashurst in just such a way as to lead me to that error. I've added an Erratum note to the description.
So the daul carridgeway WAS the a 35???
@@Mrfort Yep!
2:06 their nick name is dalek? That is the best thing ever
Very enjoyable indeed. Thanks for it. dj
I assume taker train's normally traverse this route
Great video of this special trainride. Why not continuesly sound from the leading cap? Than we would hear the AWS and horn (W) sounds.
Because you would also hear the drivers talking, which would not be good.
Depends on what they talk about :) Ok that makes sense. Tnx again for sharing this video!
If it were all strictly safety-type communications *and* they had agreed to be recorded and for their conversations to be broadcast worldwide, then it would be OK. But they aren't, and they haven't. :)
@@hastingsdiesels There is a video a retired engineer made of a cab ride in the Via rail Canadian between Revestoke and Field, British Columbia back in 1989, which picks up all the conversation between the retiree, the two engineers and the engineer trainee. I found it fascinating. It's still on youtube in several parts, via rail cab ride revelstoke to field.
@@heronimousbrapson863 Okay, so they all knew one another and were having a chat amongst themselves, and knew they were being recorded. None of these three parameters are the same in the case of the videoing that I do, and it has already been made clear to me that if there is conversation in the cab I cannot publish it. I assure you, most of it is not stuff of interest or indeed seemly!
17:30 how come you ignored the Whistle sign? You did the same at another sign not long after too! (If you’re not the train drive then you don’t have to do with this)
Not this again! As has been discussed in the comments several times & is already described in the video and in the description: Back Cab Audio.
Right... 🤦🏽♂️ That was kinda stupid of me.
I really enjoyed that although I'm not really a railway enthusiast. Tell me, why wasn't the audio coming from the front cab?! Would I be right in guessing that you rail enthusiasts wanted to hear the soothing sounds of the diesel engine at the back?!
Thank you. The audio from the front cab was not publishable because the driver was being 'talked over the route' (with which he was unfamiliar) by a Route Conductor; regardless of what they actually said, it is a condition of publishing these videos that conversations are not included. Hence the audio from the back cab.
Wasn't their talk of reopening it for passengers? Not heard anything more though.
There has always been talk, one issue is that the old Fawley platform lies within the restricted area of the oil refinery and has no public access. The main issue is cost as the Government has spent large sums of money on improving the parallel road and when you throw in the Hythe ferry and it's service to Southampton it becomes a very marginal cost benefit decision in favour of a passenger service
NR will not spend the sort of money we are talking of on new stations and fencing and third rail electrification is not even an option with figures of around £80million + required for that degree of work.
Why is Totton station so busy? 8:43
Because there were lots of people there waiting to board our train to visit Fawley on it - a rare and normally impossible journey by train.
So this line is not used at all any more ? Even for petroleum ?
Kepler Gso Abandoned now line sporadically used tho
Interesting video. I've often wondered about the engine air filter, if fitted, on these old units.
Could you advise the air filter media please, if applicable.
The louvres on the offside of the engine room allow outside air to be drawn in by the turbocharger; as it passes through the louvres it also passes through a filter; I'm afraid I don't know the exact type of material.
Why is there 2 Hythe in England? One Romney, Hythe and Dymchurch fame and the other on this line not all that far away (by Australian standards) on the river test?
Same as you've got a Guildford in Perth and a Guildford in Sydney. :-) In both cases, at the time they were given their names, they were far enough apart (several days' travel) that there would be no likelihood of confusing them.
This may sound like a stupid question from across the pond, but why is the third rail electrification not protected in the UK? Here in the states (or at least here on the east coast), our third rails are protected with wood over the rail about a foot above the top of the rail. Just curious...
I din’t think there’s space on the trains to accommodate this. Every train would have to be designed to have a recessed area along both sides where the board could pass. If it had been designed in from the start, that might be different.
@@hastingsdiesels Interesting note. I'd never really thought about the lack of covers on the third rail in the UK. In North America the contact shoes are indeed designed to allow the cover to pass over top.
In the U.K., the railways are fenced off to prevent public access, and trespass is a punishable offence.
Mark Emanuele, it helps reduce the gene pool...
How do you think we get our rabbit stew and squirell soup
They need to get this line open to passengers especially now the hithe ferry isnt being subsidised anymore and esso now pipe their oil Doesnt look like a lot of work to do (rebuild a few stations).
And where the money coming from to do this you
This is actually happening now
Having a Senior Moment thinking I was going from Southampton to Hastings!? Well I realise now that is not the case and instead found the single line ride a little boring - why has the Fawley Terminus station never reopened - seems a shame? But very good film production despite my ramblings - well done "Hastings DMU cab-ride".
Thank you. Fawley terminus station is deep inside the Oil Refinery site and as such is not accessible to the public - so no point in it being reopened.
There seems to be something strangely odd about finishing at a ground signal and a gate roundal beyond. Relaxing journey.
Thanks for the interesting video. A side of UK railroading not often seen abroad.
What do the rectangular blue and white X signs mean?
A diagonal white cross on a blue background is an AWS cancelling board.
27:06 , 37:47
I don't really know what that means!
These signs are provided in locations where the driver will receive an AWS horn that relates to movement in the other direction. The sign instructs the driver to cancel the AWS and disregard its operation on this occasion.
@@hastingsdiesels People may not know what AWS stands for but presumably Advance Warning Signal \ System?
So how does Fawley transport their oil products if they don't go by rail?
What sort of trainload would they have had to send for the traffic to be viable?
Or is the refinery closed?
The branch could be used for passengers with a small DMU or the modern version of a Pacer, a Parry People Mover at minimum expense.
it gets pumped along a network of underground pipelines to regional distribution terminals....then your local fleet of road tankers deliver to the customers....
Esso Fawley is still the largest oil refinery in the UK, yet does not use rail at all any more. Crude oil arrives alost entirely by sea and these days is cracked here to produce light distillates such as petrol diesel, and aviation fuel, all of which are mainly distributed by pipeline. Heavier oil based feedstocks are transferred to the big Exxon chemical plant next door whose products leave site by road or by sea. Some former products are no longer produced on this site by Esso such as bitumen which once left by rail. Heavy fuel oil for steam ships and specialist lubricants is no longer produced. These days some intermediate products such as bitumen feedstock are re-exported by sea to other locations for further processing rather than processed at Fawley. Crude oil once arrived inbound in great quantitiesfrom onshore oilfields by rail but this stopped with the pipeline from Wytch Farm. In recent years one train a week arrived from Humbly Grove Oil terminal near Alton but when this stopped in 2016 that was the end for the refinery's extensive internal rail network. Thirty years ago there were plans to build a second large power station to the south of Fawley. It was to be coal fired and would have resulted in the line being extended through the refinery a further mile south to being in British coal. This was then revised after the national strikes to bring in South American coal via a new jetty, and the whole plan was dropped altogether as energy policy moved towards gas and away from coal.
Wow thank you for such an informative and comprehensive comment :)
It's always a pleasure to hear a Thumper, @@hastingsdiesels , come back soon, and let's hope the line is still there all the way to Fawley.
On the approach to Hythe what are the numerous flat shiny blue boxes on both sides of the track?
I believe they are indeed to do with drainage, but are actually manholes that give access to the track drainage pipes.
We call them catch pits on the railway they are indeed drainage. The blue is the new plastic covers replacing the old metal types.