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Negotiations with the London Brighton & South Coast Railway (LBSCR) resulted in an arrangement

whereby the LBSCR ran the branch on behalf of the Hayling Railway Company, providing the staff and

stock to do so. Ownership of the branch line remained with the Hayling Railway Company with a lease

being granted to the LBSCR.

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Engines and Engine Sheds

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In 1874, the first LBSCR locomotives arrived on the branch line.These were a motley collection of unique

or small classes of locomotives that were found to be surplus to requirements; These included

locomotives originally purchased from, Sharp Stewart and Kitson for use on other branch lines and had

been displaced as traffic grew.

An engine shed that was originally at Petworth (whilst that station was a temporary terminus) was moved to South Hayling, probably soon after the LB&SCR began to operate the train service from 1st January 1872. This replaced the Contractor engine shed located between Havant and Langstone and was used to house the LBSCR locomotives.

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In 1892 the first of the Stroudley A1 Terriers arrived on the branch. These were again locomotives that

had previously worked other branch lines but now were transferred here. These locomotives were

serviced and maintained at Fratton and were moved each day with their coaching stock, to Havant for

use on the branch line. This saw the demise of the engine shed at South Hayling Station.

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Train Service

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Approx 1902, the LB&SCR were seeking to reduce the costs of running locomotive hauled trains across

their system resulting in the joint purchase, with the LSWR, of two steam railcars to operate the Fratton – East Southsea Branch which were stabled at Fratton.

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In 1907 a motor train service began to operate on the Hayling Branch Line in the winter months only. The train consisting of a modified Terrier locomotive, coupled with an auto train trailer. This was not popular and the auto train service was withdrawn in 1916 and replaced with a Terrier and normal coaching stock.