South Western main line steam recollections, Ian Turnbull recalls his local steam scene in the 1950s and 1960s.
My interest in railways in general, and steam locomotives in particular, began during the early summer of 1953 while I was living with my parents in a rented property in Norbiton, a short distance from the district known today as Surbiton. I believe these two were once known, back in Saxon times, as North Berton and South Berton respectively: it seems likely that the inhabitants of a place called ‘Berton’ became divided for whatever reason, and formed separate communities.
Norbiton station lies on the Kingston Loop line and was never the sort of place to stimulate or encourage a serious interest in railways, being served since the line was electrified in 1916 by generations of largely uninspiring electric trains. However, my interest in railways was eventually aroused by a lad living next door, who had become a keen trainspotter as a result of previously living near Shepton Mallet, on the long-gone Somerset & Dorset line. Thus I began making regular visits to a footbridge overlooking the east end of New Malden station, a short cycle ride away. The footbridge was a popular vantage point for the local spotting fraternity, and I was soon ‘hooked’ into becoming one of the local ‘gang’.
A couple of years later, my parents moved into a small property in a quiet cosmopolitan side road on the north side of Surbiton. This was a particularly welcome move for me, as we would then be within easy reach of Surbiton station, with the main line now only a few minutes’ walk away. I soon found a good place to observe passing trains was an elevated passageway on the south side of the tracks, and over the ensuing years I spent many happy hours there, especially on summer Saturdays when there were many additional trains to watch, especially the longer distance steam-hauled services to the South Coast and the West of
