Solent Sulzer
The
Portsmouth Direct Line between Havant and Guildford has seen little in the
way of locomotives since it was electrified in 1937. Thus, for many years
this scenic and steeply-graded route attracted little attention until
Virgin CrossCountry introduced Class 47s onto its 14.35 Portsmouth Harbour
to Blackpool North service in the summer of 1999. This Wired for Sound
cab ride, filmed from the footplate of 47827, features not only that
delightful route but also the North Downs line between Guildford and
Reading – another line rare for locomotives. Not only was this programme
during the brief period when Class 47s were standing in for HST’s on
this CrossCountry service, but also before the trains began terminating at
Portsmouth & Southsea because of weight restrictions on the harbours
wooden pier.
After
leaving the harbour terminus, the 1M32 calls at the nearby stations of
Portsmouth & Southsea and Fratton before joining the south coast route
at Farlington Junction for the run to Havant. From there, the train heads
north over the Portsmouth Direct Route where it passes various slam door
EMU’s and Class 442 ‘Wessex’ units. The first task for the Sulzer 47
is to climb the eight miles of the scenic South Downs through Rowlands
Castle to Buriton summit, the last two miles of which are at a gradient of
1 in 80. After descending to Petersfield, there then follows another climb
– this time for 13 miles over the western Weald through Liss and Liphook
to Haslemere. This includes a standing start on a gradient of 1 in 101 at
Haslemere station. 47 827 then descends to Guildford and its two tunnels
under the North Downs. From there, the 1M32 takes the North Downs route to
Reading, where the taxing two mile 1 in 100 climb out of Guildford is made
all the more difficult when the train is brought to an unscheduled stand
by a track circuit failure half way up the bank! The journey continues
across Surrey Heath through Ash Vale, North Camp, Sandhurst and Wokingham
to Reading where it takes the ‘Reading Spur’ to connect with the Great
Western Main Line.
Filmed
over a decade ago, this programme is now a truly nostalgic experience…no
more Virgin CrossCountry, no more slam door EMU’s, and no more
loco-hauled passenger trains to Portsmouth Harbour or over the Portsmouth
Direct Line.
