Woodside-Selsdon Line (1978/9 & 1983)

Second film by Bruce Palmer captured on super 8 Kodachrome. Firstly we see a few scenes taken around 1978/9 and the remainder 1983. Film was silent, and music looped in during upload to youtube.

[@ZeldaFitz]

The film quality is better than digital

[@otterkarman8740]

I worked as the Booking clerk at Elmers End/Woodside/Addiscombe in 1986 great days, remember the Old clerk told me the reason the platform arch entrances via the roadsides to platforms entry where so high was due to years prior up to and 70s horses and transport carriages used to be loaded onto the trains on route to Lingfield racecourse. Prior to the tracks being tore up!! When i joined in 1986 there was only a shuttle service from Elmers end via Woodside to Addiscombe. I still a an wonderful old railway lamp from Woodside as a Keep sake.

[@davidlane6656]

The ramp at Woodside was for racehorses but not for Lingfield. There was a racecourse at Woodside behind where the fire station is now. It closed about 10 years after the station opened.

[@WAKE-UP-BRITAIN]

Lived in addiscombe all my life born in 83, I miss the 80s 90s Croydon alot!

[@stethacanthus7861]

Classic early '80s, you can even see Neil from "The Young Ones" getting off the train at 1:27

[@Ben-xe8ps]

I can remember the peak hour through trains from Charing Cross to Standerstead via Elmers End.

[@MalcNedd62]

Thank you so much for posting this. I'm an old Croydon kid and regret not travelling the whole of that line at least once.

[@OlafProt]

The quality of these is quite exceptional, and the attention to detail of this film (and others). I miss those old EPB units rocking from side to side al la 3:30 or 4:25. That semaphore set at 8:53

[@brakecompo2005]

Thanks for posting this film of superb quality.

[@johnsamu]

Analog (Kodachrome) always had a very high resolution and a very high longevity. Just watch the(german) WW2 home movies made with Kodachrome colour film in small handcamera's. The quality is better than nineties-200's digital video's.

[@angelsone-five7912]

Some of the sharpest cine footage I`ve ever seen, great stuff.

[@richardclarke376]

this must have been filmed on the last day -- unless it was normal for each train to be greeted by a crowd of photographers. Great quality film, thanks for uploading it

[@stephenpowell5912]

Lovely Footage from 40 odd years ago ❤️❤️❤️❤️

[@dodgydruid]

My late father was relief signalman all along that line from his base signal box at Elmers End, he maintained a huge amount of boxes under his passing out status and he enjoyed very much working this line as it was varied and interesting, he went to Wimbledon A upon promotion and I remember him telling me how sad he was the line was closing. He was prob on duty somewhere in the older film sections, when he wasn't needed at Elmers End he was sometimes found at Beckenham, Shortlands, Chislehurst working relief from there and sometimes he could be found as far out as Effingham Junction and on his days off he would be sat there reading his pastel rule books, big pile of them always every week.

[@leeosborne3793]

Really interesting! Love the air of grottiness and decay - I can almost smell it!

[@Shelfandtabletoplayouts00gauge]

Superb film and music too👍👍👍

[@TheZacDJ]

Wonderful film, beautifully shot and edited. Very interesting, a truly wonderful snapshot of what was once everyday life. Thank you for sharing. Best of Wishes Zac

[@4vepvik781]

brilliant living history.I grew up in Woodside and rode those trains now sadly gone n trams now run on what was southern region track..Thank god some enthusiasts had foresight.

[@IndigoJo]

I grew up in Croydon as well. It's not really a surprise that this line got shut. It's more a surprise that it survived Beeching (freight maybe). It was a slow line that bypassed Croydon to link the branch line to East Grinstead with the line down through the south-east London suburbs from Lewisham to Hayes. Not that many people must have needed to get up that way. If it had linked with the main line down to Purley it might have been more successful. Consider Coombe Road; if you were going into London you could have just taken a bus to East Croydon and then got a fast train and the same with Selsdon. A link straight down from Addiscombe into Croydon would have made more sense so as to provide a rail link from Croydon to Lewisham. The trams actually make more sense from that perspective.

[@chrismccartney8668]

Superb quality film and good subject matter..it looks so peaceful..

[@thegardener6342]

Thank you for sharing - like many of us, I only discovered this line near the end and have only a handful of photos. I was looking to see if I could see myself anywhere! I like the use of the first movement from Beethoven's Pastoral Symphony - very appropriate, given how quiet the line was!

[@shaunhouse8469]

I suppose they chose Bingham Road for the scene in "The Rebel" with Tony Hancock because of the mirrored canopies

[@highdownmartin]

Beautiful film. All those SR target signs worth 200 to 300 quid each now. ! I know the west wickham to Hayes poppers with a 2 or 4 epb used to often have the driver one end and the guard in the other cab and they’d do four or five trips up and down like that. Do the blinds each time but not change ends. Drive one way, buzz buzz buzz on the louda phone and set back the other way. And some times deliberately leave late and run late so instead of doing five trips, you’d let it all get so behind you d only do four in the same time. And no one gave a fuck!! Excellent!

[@TheZacDJ]

Yes, often on the poppers the Driver would drive one way, and the Guard would drive the other way - never changing ends. It may have been against the rules, but we never killed anyone. It was great experience handling a train for Guards who wanted to progress onto the footplate. I believe our colleagues on the Midland region used to do the same on the Bury line.

[@davethatcher4954]

I was a signalman at Hayes in the early 70s.

[@DJCREDIT1]

WOW this is amazing footage, this brings back so many childhood memories for me, thank you for sharing.

[@Dkentflyer]

Excellent video thankyou so much for sharing

[@keka9117]

Amazing video, the music adds to the nostalgia!

[@zebedep]

Thanks for uploading!

[@AndyJHiscock]

Very good video - Thank you.

[@railwaychristina3192]

I ride the tram but can't figure out where Bingham Road or Combe Road stations were. Love the sad dignity afforded by the Beethoven and the rhythm which is train like!

[@MalcNedd62]

If you can put ypurself at Addiscombe tram stop, Bingham Road Station was on the opposite side of Bingham Road.

[@railwaychristina3192]

@@MalcNedd62 thanks!

[@railwaychristina3192]

@@MalcNedd62 by the way, is anything left of Coombe Road I know the tram line leaves the old alignment near there and curves around Lloyd Park.

[@MalcNedd62]

@@railwaychristina3192 I don't believe tso, but I can't be certain.

[@johntcashdown1363]

@@railwaychristina3192nothing sadly, just housing. But if you look over the road, you can still see some of the brickwork and it’s embankment, where the bridge used to cross the road. Beyond that, The railway track to selsdon is all there too, but very heavily overgrown.

[@musicforaarre]

Thanks much. Semaphores !! How did those doors unlock while the train was still moving ? Aarre Peltomaa

[@JamieBoy-ij2ri]

Really nice music and I'm wondering do you know what the music is called? I've heard it on a short film from 1938 about harvest

[@gloriouskodachrome]

BEETHOVEN Symphony No 6 (Pastoral) in F Op 68, if you youtube English Harvest 1938, the music is listed, I think the representation changes slightly depending on the conductor and orchestra.

[@JamieBoy-ij2ri]

Gloriouskodachrome yes that's the film and ah nice Beethoven was a great composer (& dog too lol)

[@annescholey6546]

Why did it close and get blitzed out of existence by BR?

[@robertbutlin3708]

Anne Scholey because hardly anyone used it. And it wasn’t blitzed out of existence - it was gently left to rot before coming back to life as part of Croydon Tramlink. Far more passengers use it now than ever did.

[@davidpleasance9788]

Can I buy a copy on DVD from you Mr palmer? Name your price, thx Dave pleasance

[@gloriouskodachrome]

where are you located? Via the original film maker I can arrange a DVD for you.

[@charlesfrancis4433]

Gloriouskodachrome do you have any more footage and of addiscombe? If somwould certainly buy a dvd of you.

[@charlesfrancis4433]

If you could put some backing music on and burn all onto a disk I would be happy to pay whatever you ask! Charles

[@gloriouskodachrome]

you'll be welcome to a copy, once transferred, no mean task finding suitable backing music as every ones taste is different. Where are you located?

[@charlesfrancis4433]

I am in Faversham, Kent. I love the music you have used in the past, works very well with the feel. Charles

[@IndigoJo]

What junction is that at 3:02?

[@gloriouskodachrome]

The junction in the foreground is merely a siding that until c1993 ish was served by heating oil trains. The tracks may still exists albeit heavily overgrown. The location was Selsdon station.

[@IndigoJo]

So to get there from the main line, trains would have to go down the Oxted line, back up the remnants of the Woodside-Selsdon line and then down the siding? That was a bit complicated.

[@gloriouskodachrome]

@@IndigoJo yes, train would head towards Sanderstead then (it was a long time ago) I think reverse into Selsdon, under the footbridge, run round, then shunt oil tanks into the siding. I have cine film of the oil siding and wagons being unloaded somewhere from around 1988 ish.