Watchkeeper Adrian Breakspear recently spotted this photo of the “Calshot Express” in the monthly Hythe newsletter from the Parish Council. This narrow gauge railway ran down to the Spit from the main accommodation area at the “Top” or “Eaglehurst” Camp, which was situated in the area which now includes Tristan Close and the new Cemetery.
This photo of the Calshot Express passing one of the hangars on Calshot Spit was copied from the “Atlantikwall” web site which has information on wartime fortifications on both sides of the English Channel including much information about the Calshot RAF Base.
I have searched the spit looking for any remaining evidence of the Calshot Express railway line but have found very little. There are some light weight railway lines embedded in the tarmac of the boat park area. However the spacing (indicated by a Calshot Tower information pamphlet in the inset to the photo) is only 12 inches whereas the Calshot Express track had a 2 foot gauge. If anyone knows whether these rails originally came from the Calshot Express line please let me know!
However one of the locomotives used at Calshot still exists. It is in service in Wales on the Talyllyn Railway and in 2018 it was painted in RAF blue to mark the centenary both of the RAF, and also of the locomotive, which was built by Andrew Barclay Sons & Co in 1918. The photo is a still taken from a youtube video celebrating the event.
NCI Calshot Tower & NCI Stone Point Blog 
Rod Ormston commented on facebook that the narrow gauge track might have been for the sliding doors of one of the hangars that has been demolished. That is almost certainly correct! Looking at an old plan of the RAF base the track would have been for the sliding doors of “G shed” ( one of the hangars). The Calshot express track would have been just to the right of the doors as viewed in the photo.
Yet another great article peter ,
Thanks, Tony.