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Notes: The South Western's first major push westwards occurred
after collaboration with Charles Castleman, a Wimborne solicitor,
and the opening of 'Castleman's Snake' from Northam to Dorchester
during June and July 1847. From Lymington Junction, Brockenhurst,
the line swept through Holmsley (known as Christchurch Road until
1888), Ringwood, |
West Moors, Wimborne and Broadstone before continuing
southwestward to Wareham and Dorchester. Meanwhile, another independent
line under the title of the Salisbury & Dorset Junction Company
was promoted to link Salisbury with Wimborne: opened on 20 December
1866, the 19 miles of single track from Alderbury Junction (between
Salisbury and Dean) to West Moors was also worked by the London
& South Western Railway and absorbed in 1883. It served stations
at Downton, Breamore, Fordingbridge, Daggons Road and Verwood
and for much of its length followed the River Avon along the western
edge of the New Forest. As with local trains over the adjoining
line from Brockenhurst, the usual destination was Bournemouth
West.
When the 'Branksome avoiding line' and the 'Holes Bay curve'
were opened on 1st June 1893 they removed the need for reversals
at Bournemouth West and Broadstone respectively for the Southampton
- Dorchester- Weymouth service and the line from Lymington Junction
through Ringwood to Hamworthy Junction lost all main line traffic
except for Weymouth |
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extras avoiding Bournemouth.
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On summer Saturdays in Southern days both lines served as useful
alternatives for some of the many holiday trains run at peak periods.
A few through trains from Waterloo ran to Swanage, while the Fordingbridge
line offered similar facilities for holidaymakers from South Wales
heading for the coast. Traffic on the line was always light and
closure |
had been proposed before the line was eventually axed
under Beeching from 4 May 1964, although goods traffic continued
to use the line to Ringwood from Broadstone Junction until 7th
August 1967, after which it was cut back to West Moors where occasional
military trains served a fuel depot until 1974. After that, a
local twice-weekly goods service to Wimborne together with the
presence there of an exhibition train company base, kept the western
stub of the line in use until 1977.
Sources: A regional history of the Railways of Great Britain
- Volume 2 Southern England David & Charles 1961 Rail Routes in Hampshire & East Dorset by David Fereday Glenn
- Ian Allen 1983
Web sites: Rural
Rides describes the entire route today with many photographs. Tickets from Michael Stewart |
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To see the other
stations on the former Salisbury & Dorset Junction Railway
click on the station name: Downton,
Breamore, Fordingbridge,
Daggons Road, Holmsley,
Ringwood, Ashley
Heath & West Moors |