New DVD Features More Than 800 Railway Photos By Guildford’s Dave Salmon

Published on: 1 Jun, 2020
Updated on: 1 Jun, 2020

A new DVD is now on sale featuring more than 800 railway images taken by the late Dave Salmon, the renowned photographer who lived in Guildford.

Dave passed away in 2015 and Geoff Burch became the custodian of his vast collection of photographs; some already being published in Geoff’s second and fourth books in his Rambling Railwayman series.

This double DVD set with an introduction by Geoff and local historian David Rose, contains Part 1 of his collection narrated and captioned by Geoff.

There is a fantastic selection of steam train photos in Guildford, and nearby such as at Woking and on the Horsham branch, plus other parts of England Dave visited as steam was being withdrawn on BR in the mid to late 1960s.

It also contains a bonus selection of photographs that Dave captured at the Bluebell Railway, Mid-Hants Railway and other locations post-British Railways steam era.

Geoff has digitised the photos from 35mm colour slides and black and white negatives. The DVD also features some of Dave’s audio memories relayed to Geoff Burch and Mick Stone.

Dave Salmon A Man and his Camera Part 1 – Railways has a running time of three hours and 12 minutes – exceptional value at £14.99, plus £2 for postage and packing.

Click here for Geoff Burch’s Rambling Railwayman Books website to order buy copy.

For an example of the photos on the DVD, a selection is included below, with Geoff’s captions.

Part 2, to be released at a later date, will feature hundreds of Dave Salmon’s photos recording the changing scenes of Guildford streets, buildings, action at Guildford City FC, and town events over several decades, plus his National Service in the RAF, and more!

With his trusty camera bag on his shoulder, Dave Salmon poses for the camera on the footplate steps of U Class 31625 at the Mid-Hants Railway. Without doubt, Dave would have worked on this very locomotive as a fireman at Guildford in the 1950s. Built at Ashford works as No.1625 in 1929, she was renumbered 31625 in 1948. In 1951, she was allocated to Guildford MPD (where apart from a five-week loan to Eastleigh MPD) she remained until her withdrawal from service in January 1964. Saved from the cutter’s torch at Barry scrapyard, she now resides on the Swanage Railway and awaits overhaul.

Rebuilt Merchant Navy Class 35028 ‘Clan Line’ stands berthed in the Back Road at Guildford Coal Stage. It is likely that the locomotive would have worked an earlier loaded stone train from Salisbury to Woking Yard and after being turned (via Weybridge and Addlestone Junction triangle) would return to Salisbury with the stone train empties later in the day.

The fireman on Ivatt Class 41301 looks up towards Dave who was situated on Yorkie’s Bridge, Guildford, as the loco makes a shunt into the Up Yard to pick up its train for the Horsham service. This class of locomotive replaced the M7 Class before the line closed in July 1965.

N Class 31873 takes a breather before working the 6.16pm Reading – Redhill passenger from Guildford. Built at Ashford Works in 1925, she was allocated to Guildford MPD in January 1965 after being a Redhill-based locomotive for the previous two years. She was withdrawn from service in January 1966.

Q1 Class 33027 and 33006 storm through London Road station, Guildford with the double-headed final leg of the LCGB Wealdsman Rail Tour which they had taken on from Horsham on June 13, 1965. A few seconds after this photo was taken, the train came to a stand – the reason being that the train had failed to stop at Guildford to detrain some of its passengers. As the train entered London Road station, the quick-witted guard stopped the train by operating the emergency brake in his brake van!

BR Standard Class 4MT 76031 moves off the Guildford turntable into No.1 road of the New Shed on June 17, 1967. Built at Doncaster Works in 1953, her last allocation was Guildford MPD and withdrawn from service on July 9, 1967.

USA Class 30072 stands outside the cleaner’s cabin adjacent to the New Shed at Guildford before her final journey to Salisbury on Sunday, July 9, 1967. No. 30072 was the last steam locomotive to leave Guildford MPD. Crewed by Fratton men, her route was booked via Haslemere, Havant, Fratton, Fareham Southampton and Romsey and finally Salisbury. Saved from the scrapyard, she was then transported via road to the Keighley and Worth Valley Railway.

BR Standard Class 4MT 75075 leaves Woking with a Waterloo – Bournemouth semi-fast stopping service on June 10, 1967. Built at Swindon Works in 1955, her first allocation was Exmouth Junction. Her next allocations were Basingstoke, Three Bridges, Stewarts Lane, Norwood Junction and finally Eastleigh before being withdrawn from service on July 9, 1967. A stopping service to Alton can be seen on the adjacent platform.

Rebuilt Merchant Navy Class 35012 ‘United States Lines’ runs fast through Woking with the down Bournemouth Belle in June 1967. Built at Eastleigh Works in 1945 she was allocated to Weymouth, Bournemouth and Nine Elms Depots and was withdrawn from service in April 1967. In her lifetime, she clocked up a total of 1,134,836 miles working express passenger services such as the Bournemouth Belle.

Dave also travelled to other parts of England to photograph the last of steam on BR. Sunlight streams through the shed roof in this atmospheric scene of more ‘heavies’ languishing at the rear of Heaton Mersey’s 8-track straight shed. Class 8F 2-8-0s Nos 48329, 48464 and 48720 (centre and left) were built by Crewe Works, Swindon Works and Brighton Works respectively between April 1944 and January 1945.

Wearing his trademark duffle coat, Dave poses for the camera whilst leaning against GWR 7200 Class 7202 at Barry in South Wales on March 28 1970. During its life, 7202 ran a total of 641,881 miles and was withdrawn in 1964, and went to Barry scrap yard to await its fate. In 1973 the Great Western Society purchased the engine and was one of the last batches of engines to leave Barry by rail.

LSWR Adams ‘Radial Tank’ 4-4-2T 488 along with H Class 0-4-4T 263 double-head a passenger service from Sheffield Park on the Bluebell Railway on April 19, 1976.

As BR Standard Class 5MT 73096 prepares to depart Alton with a passenger service to Alresford on the Mid-Hants Railway, the fireman indicates to Dave that the crew also need to be replenished!