A visit to Eastleigh, about January 1997

Probably a Sunday afternoon in January 1997, but I have failed to record any details.

33051 Shakespeare Cliff, in 'Dutch' engineers livery. This was exchanged for BR blue by March 1997. This Crompton was a railtour favourite for a while. Withdrawn in August 1998, disposal came in September 2003, at Eastleigh Depot.

33035 was one of two locomotives painted in Network South East colours, the other being 33114. 33035 had been withdrawn in October 1996, and was sold into preservation in March 1997, initially being moved to Crewe Heritage Centre, and has most recently been working in Wensleydale.

47019 had been withrawn in February 1997 while on the Tinsley allocation, and was broken up at Eastleigh Depot in March 1997. Another image from with  the depot.

4-CEP 1620 was withdrawn in mid-January 1997, sent to Eastleigh, and sold to GEC Alstom, for traction package development. There were door lock experiments, and the unit later ran as 932620 as a 'Juniper' emu development test bed. This work finished by 2001, and disposal took place in 2005 - coach 70660 seen in March 2005.

The Cable Drum Train lies beyond 47019.

Two images of D3816 / 08649 G H Stratton, with WTL (Wessex Traincare Ltd) logo, named after Gordon Stratton, a former employee, with nameplates carried from 1993 -2011. The plates were later in the, now closed, Eastleigh Museum.

In 2020, after time at Wolverton Works, it was transferred to Meteor Power of Silverstone, for conversion to hybrid / electric. It eventually went into storage at the former railway location at Brackley (Great Central Main Line) one two, with Meteor Power then entering liquidation, and was relocated to RSS at Wishaw in late October 2025.

D2991 (07007) wearing green colours, with what I believe to be 77398 of 5-WES 2417.