A STEAM train fan took a trip down memory line when he relived the past with a trip along the Watercress Line.

Sid King, 80, of St Peter's Road, South Ham, Basingstoke, travelled up and down the track between Alresford and Alton in a Merchant Navy Canadian Pacific engine.

He said: "My son Darren paid for me to be on the footplate of the train for the two trips as a birthday present. On one, I was driving the train and then on the other I was firing the boiler.

"It was a great day and a really wonderful surprise. I was more used to the firing because I used to do that in Basingstoke. The driving was all new to me, but both trips were good."

Mr King started working on railways in Weymouth when he was 17 and transported prisoners of war and food during the war.

He moved to Basingstoke to cover a vacancy on the Great Western in 1945 and has stayed ever since. He worked on the railways around Basingstoke for about seven years before leaving to work in the boiler room at Park Prewett for more than 40 years.

Riding the rails after such a long absence brought back a wave of memories for Mr King.

He added: "Being back on the footplate was a real experience after all this time and one I thoroughly enjoyed. It was a nice big engine and a lovely morning for a ride."

First published: Thursday, April 6, 2006