This is an addition to the "Sidetracked" series of caches.
This cache is located adjacent to Fareham Station on the
pavement running alongside the A27, in a close proximity to the
subway.
You are looking for a 35mm film canister
Fareham station was first opened by the London and South Western
Railway (LSWR) in 1841 on the line from Eastleigh to Gosport. Later
additions connected Fareham station with Southampton, Portsmouth
and along the coast towards Brighton. These later lines are now the
most valuable, but as a consequence of the later construction there
is a sharp curve upon exiting the station to Portsmouth, and a
lesser one towards Southampton. A 20mph speed limit protects the
area surrounding Fareham station, mainly due to the sharp curve on
the Portsmouth side. The original line, now singled through Fareham
Tunnel, to Eastleigh and London, is dead straight, as is the former
Gosport route, which closed to passengers in 1953. Track remains
overgrown in places on the Gosport route, although most of it has
now been cleared for a potential Fareham to Gosport express link in
the future. The line formally saw freight services to a Royal Navy
ordnance factory at Bedenham into the 1990s, but the pointwork
connecting it to the main line has been lifted in recent years.
There was also a line to Alton via the Meon Valley, branching
from the Eastleigh route at Knowle, north of the tunnel. It was
build initially as a fast route to the Isle of Wight - to express
standards though only a single line on double track earthworks - at
a time when Stokes Bay, not Portsmouth Harbour, was the primary
rail-connected ferry terminus for the Island. That route closed to
passengers in 1955.
Fareham station is located on the West Coastway Line which runs
between Brighton and Southampton. It is now served by South West
Trains, Southern and First Great Western.
Fareham station has regular services to London Waterloo, London
Victoria (a much longer route to London via Gatwick Airport),
Brighton, Portsmouth, and Southampton. There are also long-distance
services to Cardiff Central via Bristol.
The station compromises of three platforms:
Platform 1 is the main up platform and serves Southampton,
Cardiff and London Waterloo via Winchester and Basingstoke.
Platform 2 is a bay platform and has very little planned use,
however it is periodically used when late running FGW and SN
services are terminated short of destination, and during
engineering works. It was formerly the main up platform, before the
stone arched bridge over the A27 immediately south of the station
was replaced, and the opportunity taken to ease the radius of the
curve from Portsmouth by aligning the route into the current
platform 1.
Platform 3 is the down platform for services towards Portsmouth,
Brighton and London Victoria. The bay platform for services to
Alton via the closed Meon Valley Line was on the opposite (car
park) side of this platform, a short siding is all that remains at
the north end of platform 3
