EASTLEIGH WORKS - THE FINALE

photographs by Mike Cook

The London & South Western Railway first established manufacturing capacity at Eastleigh in 1889 when it started building its carriage and wagon works adjacent to Eastleigh and Bishopstoke station (re-named from Bishopstoke Junction in the same year).  The loco works followed in 1909 so moving all of the company's manufacturing capacity out of London.   Following the grouping Eastleigh Works became one of the three major works of the Southern Railway and upon Nationalisation of the Southern Region.  Scaling down of work on the site began in the mid 1960s with the cessation of steam operation.  March 31st 2006 marks the end of Eastleigh being a "railway town" when the works finally close.  This small selection of pictures shows the final work going on in the remaining workshops, Southern's 455828 being hauled outside and on Friday March 24th South West Trains' u5918 being collected by u5859 which arrived from Wimbledon Park around midday.   Fittingly, the National Railway Museum's Lord Nelson locomotive (built at Eastleigh in 1926), in the care of the Eastleigh Preservation Society, then remained the final item of stock to be removed, but regrettably it will not leave under its own power.  The works allocated shunter (08649 seen above left) departed the works under its own power for the Foster Yeoman yard on the 28th March and it was moved from there by road on the 3rd April.

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This page updated 10th April 2006 by Colin Duff.
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