Fawley Branch Line

The Fawley Branch Line is a standard gauge railway line to Fawley, in the English county of Hampshire. It is on the opposite side of Southampton Water from the city of Southampton itself, in an area known as Waterside. For forty years a passenger service operated, but this was withdrawn and now, with the exception of the occasional enthusiasts' railtour, the line serves the freight needs of Fawley Refinery and Marchwood Military Port.

History

After some years of trying, the line was built under the Light Railways Act 1896 by the Fawley, Hythe and Marchwood Light Railway and opened on 20 July 1925. At first, traffic was light but in the 1920s the largest oil refinery in Britain opened at Fawley and subsequently expanded.

The Route

Leaving the South Western Main Line at Totton, west of Southampton, the line can be seen from Bournemouth-bound trains running alongside the main line for a mile and then curving away to the south. The passenger service served Marchwood [ [http://www.subbrit.org.uk/sb-sites/stations/m/marchwood/index.shtml Marchwood Station (at Subterranea Britannica)] ] , Hythe [ [http://www.subbrit.org.uk/sb-sites/stations/h/hythe/index.shtml Hythe Station (at Subterranea Britannica)] ] , and Fawley [ [http://www.subbrit.org.uk/sb-sites/stations/f/fawley/index.shtml Fawley Station (at Subterranea Britannica)] ] . Operated by steam trains, then the 'Hampshire' diesel-electric multiple units, the service was withdrawn on 14 February 1966 as a result of the Beeching Axe.

References

Further reading

* ISBN 1 85260 508 1

External links

* [http://nevardmedia2.fotopic.net/c68937.html Photos of the Fawley Branch in BR days]