I can remeber standing on this bridge on many occasions 50/55 years ago and waiting for the steam engines to pass underneath. Also standing on the uncovered bridge over the sidings, no longer there, and watching the Brighton Belle and "posh" steam engines go past on the fast line.

Yes Ken, me too - and so glad that you've reinforced my memory, as I sometimes think back and wonder, "was that really so?" or "did I really do that?" Yes, in this age of everything sanitized, there's not much 'fun' left, such as we could enjoy back in those days when even motorways were hardly heard of, unlike now! I think much of the area of Merstham station and the old goods shunting yards from my 1950s schooldays has disappeared under the concrete of the mighty and all-devouring M25/M23 interchange, rendering the once-tranquil days that you and I remember as much a relic of the past as this wonderfully atmospheric photo!