Quoted from BrianB

The BP Garage is in the London Road.

Sorry - mixing it up with the Shell garage.

The DN&S went under Turnpike Road, over the A4 and then under Hambridge Road to meet the Reading - Newbury line between the Racecourse station and the the Boundary Road bridge.  Almost all built over now - I can certainly remember the removal of the Hambridge Road bridge.

Not a lot of support here:

http://epetitions.direct.gov.uk/petitions/12815

Great photo!

Back in the 50's most local villages could be reached by train from Newbury, including:

Burghclere, Highclere, Hermitage, Compton, Hampstead Norreys, Boxford, Welford, Great Shefford, Eastbury, Lambourn.

Further afield you could get a train to Marlborough and Swindon via Savernake (Ok so Swindon is achievable today via Reading).

You could also get a train to Grafton, Burbage and Collingbourne and to Tidworth via Ludgershall.

There was also a line planned from Aldermaston to Burghclere via Brimpton and Kingsclere, but it was never built.

Those were the days!

Here is an interesting link that I have just discovered: http://www.hampsteadnorreys.org.uk/History/Railway_History.html

The photograph shows a pretty empty train. The guard's van has a little smoke so maybe early morning.
The carriage on the right is a bit scary. How far is it to Siberia?
On a slightly more serious note many landowners were selling stuff for new roads. Adbury Park was to be a reservoir.
The Aird family from Woolton Hill were involved with gravel pits.
My Research is deep under the stairs. So I won't back this up with detail.
hex

All excellent stuff.

When did 'Norris' become 'Norreys' though? In the black and white shots taken 1930's (ish) (at a guess),  it's 'Norris' on the station sign, and in the colour film (60's - maybe?), it's still called ' Norris'.


Threep.

The run through to Didcot film is something I haven't seen before. Excellent find. I seem to remember that the renaming of Hampstead Norris to Norreys  was reasonably recent as the Norris title drifted into use from the original quite a long time ago certainly before the last war and possibly carried that name when the railway was opened in 1882. Possibly the railway builders got it wrong and it stuck. The Norreys name is historically correct as the village Lord was from the Norreys family.
That photograph by Kevin Roberston is also an archive treasure. 10 out of 10 for that a well.

Apparantly they planned a branch line to East Ilsley from Compton too (im not joking!)

Quoted from Hexem

The Aird family from Woolton Hill were involved with gravel pits.

Are they who Aird Close is named after?

Yes The family moved from Woolton House to Tile Barn.... just round the corner from Aird Close. In about 1930.
I have been looking on Times Online to find a reference to the gravel. I think I  first found it in about 1998 and
it might have been a question in Hansard. It was only a passing interest at the time. There is a window in the church to Ian
who died in an accident in 1944 in Northern Europe.
I probably printed it but as is the case it will be buried in the cupboard under the stairs after all these years.
The house was finally sold in 1955 and split into 4 main parts and lots of plots.  
hex

No. James-Trinder. I have spent all afternoon, (well a bit) sleuthing. There is this though .

http://www.victoriansociety.org.uk/events/lecture-sir-john-aird/

Which is amusing.Queen Square is where I recovered from a mild stroke. I am not planning a visit!
And my father had a brain tumour removed.A tricky job in those days about (1961)

The Airds became very wealthy through the industry of the times.  
They built all over and what do you need but gravel pits.... I couldn't find my original link.
Landowners!!!! they'll dig up the ground to make a dock or two.
Hex. Nice to keep this little sideline going.

Most of the Trackbed around Didcot has been built on as it has been around Newbury as has been pointed out on here but I don't know where it approached Southhampton but I should think that has been built on to