The magic and variety of the Southern is seen in this latest volume in our series. From the mighty and powerful Bulleid Pacifics and BR Standard locomotives on the main lines to the West Country to the tiny Brighton Terrier 0-6-0Ts on Hayling Island. Even a nice cameo of 35028 “Clan Line” from the real days of steam to early preservation. It is not all Bulleids though as we also feature BR Standards and Maunsell locomotives including a Lord Nelson and a Mogul on the West London extension plus a Schools Class 4-4-0 at Reading.

A veritable feast of A1X Terriers follows with them working in their home county of Sussex at Seaford, Newhaven and on Falmer bank double heading with a Brighton E6 Radial tank. More Terrier action is seen at Brighton and Brighton Works before we cross into Hampshire to see them hard at work in their last stronghold of the Hayling Island Branch.

Brighton’s E4 radials are at Horsham and there is even rare footage of Brighton Atlantic “Beachy Head” near Brighton!

Many Maunsell classes are seen in action with U and N Class Moguls, S15 and Q classes on rail tours in Surrey and Sussex (including the “Cuckoo Line”) and S15s and Q1s hauling freight trains through Byfleet, Walton, Clapham Junction and Micheldever.

Travelling away from the Southern, Class U 31639 and Q1 33006 double head a railtour into the Midlands and we see them at Kineton, Wilmcote, Leamington, near Rugby and Wellingborough. 31639 certainly gets around as she is next seen on her home territory at Fareham.

There were many BR Standard classes hard at work on the Southern from Britannias to 9Fs. We see Class 5s, 4s (both 4-6-0s and 2-6-0s), Class 4 2-6-4 and Class 3 tanks working all over the region including the much lamented Somerset & Dorset. There are even shots of 77014 and 78038!

Ex-LMS engines also worked on the Southern. We see Black 5s on the Waterloo to Dorchester main line and the S&DJR, an 8F at Feltham, a 4F and a 2P 4-4-0 at Evercreech and Bournemouth West plus Ivatt “Mickey Mouse” 2-6-2 tanks at Weymouth and Shepton Mallet Tucker Street. The Great Western even gets a look in with footage of three Halls!

We finish with the last days of steam on the Southern, with light engines running to Salisbury for disposal, and 35030 on the up 14.11 from Weymouth, the last steam duty of all.

All the archive film is in glorious colour with a short sequence in ‘black and white. An authentic soundtrack has been added along with an extensively researched commentary.

Brighton Terrier

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B & R No. 193 DVD Along Southern Lines Part 9 – A Final Tribute