Hampshire’s Hayling Island to mark local Railway Anniversaries.

The volunteers of the Hayling Seaside Railway, which operates a one mile long 2ft gauge ‘heritage’ light railway between Beachlands and Eastoke Corner along the Hayling sea front, using diesel and occasionally visiting steam locomotives. Are joining with their Island neighbours, to commemorate a number of notable local railway anniversaries that by happy coincidence fall during 2013.

It will be 150 years ago in July 1863 that shares were first sold in the original Hayling Railway Company, that built the Havant to Hayling Island branch line, and later that same month that the delightfully named “first sod”, was turned. While in living memory it is now almost 50 years since Sunday 3rd November 1963. When ex London Brighton & South Coast Railway, Stroudley 'Terrier' locomotives 32636 and 32670, at the time the oldest engines on British Railways, hauled the line’s final passenger train. An anniversary soon to be marked in style by the 'Hayling Billy 50' project, part of the Island’s ‘Hayling’s BEST’ community group. While on the line’s narrow gauge sucessor, the year ahead also includes the 25th anniversary of the founding of East Hayling Light Railway Society. Which began life in 1988 operating a line in the grounds of the Island’s Mill Rythe Holiday Camp, and 10 years since the opening of the present Hayling Seaside Railway, following the railway’s relocation to its present coastal route.

To commemorate these historic occasions a full programme of local community events, around Havant and Hayling Island, is being put together on dates throughout the anniversary year. Highlights of which subject to final detailed confirmation are set to include exhibitions at the Spring Arts Centre in Havant, and at the Station Theatre located on the site of the old Hayling station. Indeed the theatre is itself something of a railway preservation success story, having been skilfully crafted by volunteers to perform its new role from the former LB&SCR Goods Shed. It will make a fitting venue for a number of railway related productions that its resident company the Hayling Island Amateur Dramatics Society have ‘in train’. If you’ll excuse the dreadful pun!

Other events in planning include a ‘Railway Treasure Hunt’ over the old trackbed, now the highly popular ‘Hayling Billy Trail’, a combined footpath, cycleway and nature walk also popular with the rural Island’s many horse riders. Organised appropriately by the Island’s ‘Cycle Hayling’ community project. Together with a commemorative Model Railway Exhibition at the Hayling Island Community Centre, not far from the old terminus, put on by the volunteers of the Hayling Seaside Railway. So you will see that between them the HSR, its volunteer colleagues at 'Hayling Billy 50' and its community partners, have much to celebrate during the coming year. Full details of all these forthcoming events can be found as they are finalised, at the ‘HB50’ project website The Hayling Billy | Fifty Years On.. which is well worth a visit for its growing collection of Hayling Railway memorabilia and memories. While more on today’s Hayling Seaside Railway can be found at HSR

Ian Edwards,
Volunteer P.R.Officer,
Hayling Seaside Railway.

 

Hi Ian

It may be worth you contacting the Langstone Harbour Board as they'll probably be happy to put something on their website and/or a poster in their porch (which will be seen by everybody using the ferry). I'd suggest you contact Nick Lyon, the Deputy Harbour Master (deputy@langstoneharbour.org.uk) as I'm sure he'll be able to help you; he may put you on to Louise MacCallum, the Environmental Office who looks after the website. Just tell him I (Craig Rycroft) suggested you contact him.