Ropley railway station

Ropley railway station is a railway station in Ropley, Hampshire, England, which opened in 1865 and reopened in 1977 after four years' closure, to be served by steam and select diesel trains on the Watercress Line which shares its terminus at Alton railway station along with the more major Alton Line.

Ropley
Station on heritage railway
Engine 80104 approaching Ropley station on The Watercress Line
LocationRopley, East Hampshire
England
Coordinates51.0876°N 1.1024°W / 51.0876; -1.1024
Grid referenceSU629324
Platforms2
History
Original companyAlton, Alresford and Winchester Railway
Pre-groupingLondon and South Western Railway
Post-groupingSouthern Railway
Southern Region of British Railways
Key dates
2 October 1865 (1865-10-02)Opened
5 February 1973Closed
30 April 1977Reopened

History

The station was opened by the Mid-Hants (Alton Lines) Railway (MHR) on 2 October 1865.[1] The MHR was leased to the London and South Western Railway (LSWR) in August 1880, which fully absorbed the MHR in June 1884.[2] The LSWR amalgamated with other railways to form the Southern Railway on 1 January 1923.[3]

The station was destaffed in 1967 and closed by British Rail on 5 February 1973.[1]

Preservation
See also: heritage railway

Ropley railway station was reopened by the Mid Hants Railway (Watercress Line) on 30 April 1977.[1][4] It is an intermediate station on the 10-mile (16 km), four-station route which runs from Alton to New Alresford, also in Hampshire.

The main locomotive shed and workshops for the Mid Hants Railway are just to the east of Ropley station.

The station gardens feature notable yew topiary, which has been in situ for over 100 years (an 1898 postcard shows the topiary well established).

A footbridge was added to the western end of the station in 1986. This was recovered from the closed station at North Tawton in Devon in August 1983, restored and installed by volunteers.[5]

A 10 1⁄4 in (260 mm) gauge miniature railway opened in 2015.[6]

Footbridge

In 2012/13, a footbridge, originally at King's Cross station in London, was dismantled to connect instead the raised picnic area, orchard and children's play areas to the buildings at Ropley station taking in for part of its length the maintenance shed, where passengers can walk over and view the works below.[7]

Route
View of station and green play, picnic etc areas from footbridge with green carriages in the far platform .
Preceding station   Heritage railways Following station
Medstead and Four Marks   Watercress Line   Alresford (Hampshire)
  Historical railways  
Medstead and Four Marks   Alton, Alresford and Winchester Railway   Alresford (Hampshire)

References
  1. Butt, R.V.J. (1995). The Directory of Railway Stations. Yeovil: Patrick Stephens Ltd. p. 199. ISBN 1-85260-508-1. R508.CS1 maint: ref=harv (link)
  2. Awdry, Christopher (1990). Encyclopaedia of British Railway Companies. London: Guild Publishing. p. 194. CN 8983.CS1 maint: ref=harv (link)
  3. Awdry 1990, p. 177
  4. "Basingstoke Railway History in Maps". Christopher Tolley. 2001. Archived from the original on 6 December 2008. Retrieved 20 February 2015.
  5. Alan C Butcher (1996). Mid-Hants railway in colour. ISBN 0-7110-2465-0.
  6. "Ropley Miniature Railway". Ten and a Quarter Inch Gauge Railway Society. 21 June 2016. Retrieved 29 August 2017.
  7. "Watercress Line gets Kings Cross 'Harry Potter' bridge". BBC News. 2 November 2011. Retrieved 2 November 2011.
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