168 entries.
wrote on 3 May 2018
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6:02 pm
Hello Chris, Just been watching again, and am still watching, your Isle of Wight DVDs from 2012. Very good!
wrote on 10 February 2018
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10:02 pm
hi chris Just thought I would say I got trhough all the new ones you sent me and as always I enjoyed them all very much and found them all so interesting and finding old railway bits along the way and the station visits was great and good of the people living there now letting you wander a round I had walked many a old disused railways lines over the years but due to a couple of health problems I cant do it now so watching the ones you have done has sure brought back some good old memories when I have turned up at a station house where people now live it I always knock on the door and found that they are more then happy for me to wonder round taking some pictures well thanks again for doing all the walks and will look forward to ones you will be doing in the future
wrote on 10 February 2018
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9:59 pm
Hello Chris, I have just watched your DVD of the Ventnor West to Merstone line on the Isle of Wight. When we did the Iain Allan rail tour on 12th April 1950 we passed through Merstone and I can remember it as a Junction station of some size and by Island standards quite modern. I could see the Start of the Ventnor West branch leading enticingly away into the distance, immaculate as indeed were all the Island lines at this time and of course the trees and hedges were always keep in check unlike today's landscapes. I also visited with a friend while on holiday all the Island stations during the week 26th to 31st July 1958. At St Lawrence we stood on the bridge overlooking the station which had its original Isle of Weight Central Railway bridge registration plate in place despite several near misses from vehicles. I thoroughly enjoyed the film and appreciated the time and effort it must have taken to plan and make it. Just wish the technology and finance had been available to do the same 60 plus years ago! Nevertheless it was always with a sense of excitement and enjoyment that we set forth on our travels into unknown territory, plus the fact that in the past we had the bonus of seeing working steam around us. I knew Charlie Woodnutt who was I think a founder member of the RCTS and was born and later retired to the Island, he was very eccentric but very knowledgeable about the IOW railways and it's rolling stock. He always said that the Ventnor West line was the prettiest line on the Island and I think this comes across in your commentary.
wrote on 29 December 2017
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3:09 pm
I was down in the Christchurch area recently and did parts of the walk towards Ringwood that you did in your DVD. Well, just to say they were great and I have seen them both (the West Moors to Salibury one too) several times over. I really enjoyed them and have since also done parts of the walk around the Breamore area (I have driven over the bridge by the old station quite a few times but never knew until I saw your film that there was a public footpath there!) It's great that, thanks to your films, we can now travel again from Brockenhurst to West Moors and then from West Moors towards Salisbury. I have also enjoyed your recent film partnership with Richard Vobes, the bald explorer. Have you planned for 2018 yet? I think you said you may do the Test Valley line or the Basingstoke to Alton branch. Whatever, I will certainly look forward to them.
wrote on 17 December 2017
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12:44 am
I have walked the Christchurch to Ringwood line in stages some years ago, starting in 1957, it would be nice to have an updated view of the route. I would therefore like to order a copy. Having been involved in travelling and walking all the disused lines of Southern England since 1937, I have found the results of your explorations most interesting.
wrote on 13 December 2017
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11:56 am
Hi there, thank you for the brilliant Ventnor/Shanklin railway dvd ,really enjoyed watching it , I’ve walked most of it but not got to the northern side of Ventnor tunnel not for 40 years anyway will have a walk up there soon , my brother & I used to spend hours mucking about in the old Ventnor station & tunnel great fun . Keep up the good work thanks again Merry Christmas
wrote on 29 September 2017
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5:41 pm
I didn't think there'd be much left to film between Christchurch and the Ringwood connection. How wrong could I have been! Another magnificent film which I have thoroughly enjoyed. Great stuff, Chris!
wrote on 27 September 2017
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6:37 pm
I have watched your Brock-West Moors and West Moors to Alderbury Jct and am hooked! Fantastic filming, it is like strolling along the trackbed with a friend. I travelled on the Sal-Bournemouth line many times as a child/12 year old and I felt so sad seeing the dereliction. How can we have lost our railways to this degree? We have walked the Brock-Holmes-Burley trackbed many times and it was great to stroll along it in your company. I can't recommend these films enough. Truly superb.
wrote on 26 September 2017
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1:02 pm
Hi Dumpman, I have just watched the Brockenhurst to West Moors video and absolutely loved it! Thank you so much for filming this stretch of trackbed. My wife and I have walked from Burley to Holmsley many times. What an idyllic lifestyle that must have been. I have also purchased your West Moors to Alderbury Jct DVD, and I will watch that tomorrow!
wrote on 30 June 2017
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12:00 pm
Hi Chris, your West Moors to Salisbury film is stunning! Thank you, your expertise & abilities grow with every offering, the detail shown is excellent. I cant wait for your next works....
wrote on 24 June 2017
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1:17 pm
Hi Chris, your Ringwood to Christchurch railway is superb, thank you. (I have ordered the West Moors to Salisbury one also). I really look forward to your future Alton to Basingstoke journey as the remains of this line are going fast. You really are documenting history! All the best, R.
wrote on 22 June 2017
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10:21 pm
Dear Chris, we discussed the viability of the Christchurch to Ringwood line in 2014 and I went and found the station/house at Avon Lodge. I reported back to you that I thought filming would be difficult. So pleased you proved me wrong.
wrote on 15 June 2017
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10:39 pm
Your DVD’s are an excellent resource for my own goal of walking the entire railway network on the Isle of Wight.
wrote on 6 February 2017
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10:34 pm
I'm so glad you managed to capture the Crowhurst to Bexhill West. As you may know, the Combe Valley Way is now open and has been for several months. I was very dubious about it. It was not what Bexhill needed. What we need is an east west road and this is a north south one. However it has certainly alleviated the traffic congestion on De La Warr Road and Glyne Gap and that is certainly a great benefit. Hastings for me was pretty much a no-go area. It just took too long to get there and was not worth the effort. Now I can get there in a reasonable time. Prior to the building I had a walk to the track bed and I even remember taking cross country runs, when I was at school, across the viaduct. Health and safety be damned. Trains had ceased to run by that time. Had we tried that in modern times there would have been a furor. I was sorry to see the viaduct go. My memory of the the viaduct was that the trains had stopped running but the rails were still in place. I remember them being quite rusty. Contrast that with what you see on a railway that is used. None of the viaduct was fenced off, not a bit of it. It was mostly intact. A few of the coping stones had been pushed off. I do not think that that was due to wear and tear but sadly vandalism. Not by me I hasten to add. As a child I remember it seeming to be very high indeed. There were passing places on the bridge. They were about a metre square and I remember standing in them and looking over the valley. It always struck me as a wild and abandoned place. I was quite sad when I heard that it was going to be blown up. My father who was a businessman in Bexhill floated the idea of it being used as a road which would give access to Crowhurst. He was ahead of his time. Sadly Dr Beeching had dealt the deathblow for the line. I recall it was claimed to be uneconomic and the viaduct dangerous. Who was going to maintain it was one of the questions posed to anyone who suggested that it be retained. Whether it was economic depends of course how you measure things. There was active shunting yard down at the West station. It is ironic now how so many lines have been reopened. For this one it is too late. It must have moved a great deal of goods over its life and I can see no reason to suppose that has diminished but that movement is now by road.
wrote on 3 February 2017
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9:38 pm
Hoping to walk the Princetown to Yelverton route and several of the other lines around the Plymouth area in March, have lots of your DVD’s and I love them.
wrote on 10 January 2017
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5:17 pm
Hi mate, I bought your Shanklin-Wroxall DVD recently & just wanted to say its fantastic! Look forward to seeing more of your films. If you are ever down on the Island again give me a shout.
wrote on 23 November 2016
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5:22 pm
Many thanks for the Christ's Hospital to Shoreham dvd, it certainly evoked some memories. Good luck with your good work.
wrote on 18 September 2016
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10:09 am
Some time ago, I purchased your ‘Shanklin to Ventnor’ and ‘Old Blackgang to Niton Road’ DVDs (through Ebay) which I thoroughly enjoyed!!! I have been looking at the other six IOW DVDs but can’t make my mind up which to order from you. I am comtemplating having them all. I'm so glad you found time to do the Blackgang Road one, it is brilliant !
wrote on 22 April 2016
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8:37 pm
Hi Chris Just finished watching the Westerham branch line film. Excellent! Especially liked the montage of stills at the end and the detail of the old maps. As you say, and as someone living fairly close to the M25, a noisy eyesore but I guess essential in these modern times. As an aside, your lack of head hair suits you! I wondered who it was initially!
wrote on 29 February 2016
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8:31 pm
I've watched Westerham and half of the Meon V.line. Totally absorbing! Wonderful stuff. Re Westerham, I've used that stretch of the M25 ever since it opened. When first opened the coal pens/ bunkers were easily visible from the road, but then seemed to disappear. I'm so glad you found them. Also, i had guessed that the line of trees joining the road at a sharp angle was probably the trackbed and you've confirmed it. Re Meon, what an amazing railway. Huge long straights. The guy with his experimental bus/train must have had a ball - lucky bugger (rich too). Shame nothing survives. The missing viaduct near Meon was a cracker - I'd never seen a pic of it before. What a structure! As regards the A272 tunnel under the line, I remember it well from the late 1960s when I was there frequently. I always found that earthwork amazing. Where did the earth come from?? As regards the tunnel you explored (Privett?) what a spooky place. I can't wait to watch the rest. Keep up the good work. All the best, Peter