DO you have happy memories of travelling by steam?

A small team at the Watercress Line in Hampshire is embarking on a journey of discovery to collect people’s memories of travel by steam locomotive in or through Hampshire.

The aim is to build up a bank of memories from a wide range of people relating to the railways in Hampshire and areas of London between 1940 and 1965.

Everyone is welcome to share their memories as the railway is looking for a broad range of stories to paint a picture of what life was like during the last years of steam travel.

Examples could include memories of evacuation or troop movements on the railways during the Second World War, collecting goods from stations, or even going on holiday to the south coast or emigrating through Southampton docks – all using the steam railway.

Other stories to be told are those from trainspotters and of course those who worked on the railways.

Collecting people’s oral histories is part of the Heritage Lottery Fund supported Canadian Pacific project.

This project will see the return to steam of the Watercress Line’s flagship steam locomotive, no. 35005 Canadian Pacific and two rare wooden bodied carriages.

If anyone reading this has memories of steam rail travel in the south of England, Canadian Pacific team would love to hear from you. Sharing your memories will usually involve a simple face to face voice recording. Equally, if you would rather write your story or share pictures or film, you’d also be very welcome. You can get in touch to arrange an interview by emailing canpac@watercressline.co.uk or dialling 01962 733810 and asking to speak to Becky Peacock or Dave Deane. And please do not worry if you have no recollection of the steam engine that hauled you!

Says Dave Deane, Canadian Pacific Project Supervisor: ‘The story of the railways is one of massive social change and it is the human stories that bring this to life. With this project we want to tell these stories whilst we work on creating new ones’.

For those of you who would like to create their own memories, the Watercress Line is running Santa Specials this December and a special “Christmas Leave” event just after Christmas day. See watercressline.co.uk for more details.