The former railway town of Eastleigh will be marking the 50th anniversary of the end of the steam age on 15th and 16th July (over Saturday and Sunday), over a weekend of exciting free events for all in the family and for die-hard railway enthusiasts. Eastleigh’s Celebration of Steam will be celebrated with a stunning centrepiece, a steam locomotive, the Wadebridge.
The 92-ton steam locomotive, Wadebridge, will be making a very special stop at the north end of the town centre, in the centre of Market Place and not at the busy rail station. Along with the chance to see the steam locomotive at close hand, the 60s-themed event will also have themed stalls, children’s rides, music, rare film footage, vintage buses and heritage displays. The Eastleigh Borough Council has been collaborating with Eastleigh BID and Mid-Hants Railway / Watercress Line, to make the event happen.
Steam-powered trains visited Eastleigh station for the last time in July 1967, including the Wadebridge. It heralded the coming of a new era of diesel and electric locomotives, that would have been more efficient, but were nowhere near their predecessors in romance or the spectacle of those coal-powered behemoths. Those who wish to celebrate, the past era and the halcyon days of steam, are encouraged to come dressed in 60s clothing, for the 60s-themed free event at Eastleigh.
