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 | |
| General information | |
| Location | Ropley, East Hampshire England |
| Coordinates | 51°05′15″N 1°06′09″W / 51.0876°N 1.1024°W |
| Grid reference | SU629324 |
| Platforms | 2 |
| History | |
| Original company | Alton, Alresford and Winchester Railway |
| Pre-grouping | London and South Western Railway |
| Post-grouping | Southern Railway Southern Region of British Railways |
| Key dates | |
| 2 October 1865 | Opened |
| 5 February 1973 | Closed |
| 30 April 1977 | Reopened |
History
editThe 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
editRopley 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] This railway was previously running in the Top Car Park of Ropley station from 2009 until 2012.[7]
Footbridge
editIn 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.[8]
Route
editReferences
edit- ^ a b c Butt, R.V.J. (1995). The Directory of Railway Stations. Yeovil: Patrick Stephens Ltd. p. 199. ISBN 1-85260-508-1. R508.
- ^ Awdry, Christopher (1990). Encyclopaedia of British Railway Companies. London: Guild Publishing. p. 194. CN 8983.
- ^ Awdry 1990, p. 177
- ^ "Basingstoke Railway History in Maps". Christopher Tolley. 2001. Archived from the original on 6 December 2008. Retrieved 20 February 2015.
- ^ Alan C Butcher (1996). Mid-Hants railway in colour. ISBN 0-7110-2465-0.
- ^ "Ropley Miniature Railway". Ten and a Quarter Inch Gauge Railway Society. 21 June 2016. Retrieved 29 August 2017.
- ^ "Ropley Miniature Railway". YouTube.
- ^ "Watercress Line gets Kings Cross 'Harry Potter' bridge". BBC News. 2 November 2011. Retrieved 2 November 2011.