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Hayling Island branch line
The Hayling Island branch was a short railway branch line in Hampshire, England, that connected a station on Hayling Island with the main line network at Havant. It was built by the Hayling Railway; at first the company planned to run it along a new embankment built along tidal mudflats, but this proved impractical. The line was opened along firm ground in 1867.
The line included a bridge and viaduct over tidal water at Langstone; there was a low weight restriction on the viaduct, and only small locomotives were allowed to use it; this resulted in the survival in active service of former LB&SCR A1 class tank engines (known as "Terriers") until closure of the line.
In the early 1960s large numbers of holidaymakers were carried on the line in high season, but heavy expenditure on repairs to the viaduct would have been necessary, and the cost was unsupportable; the line closed in 1963.
Hayling Island had long been isolated, situated off the south coast at the eastern side of the island where Portsmouth stands. The soil is good, encouraging agriculture. In 1824 the lord of the manor, Lord Norfolk, had a road bridge constructed at Langstone. Mitchell describes the bridge as frail. For the first time the island had a roadway connection to the mainland; but the poor road system on the island, and the widely dispersed farming settlements meant that transport was still a major difficulty.
In 1847 the London, Brighton and South Coast Railway opened a line from Chichester to Portsmouth, connecting with the route from London via Brighton. There was a station at Havant, but this did little to improve Hayling's commercial position, chiefly because of the poor roads in the general district.
In 1858 the Portsmouth Direct Railway was opened; it became aligned with the London and South Western Railway (LSWR) and was eventually absorbed by the LSWR. Serious friction developed between the LBSCR and the LSWR and it took some time for ordinary railway business to resume. The LSWR considered Portsmouth to be the only significant population centre in the area and gave little thought to the island.
It was left to local people to promote a railway into the island, and they did so, getting an act of Parliament authorising the Hayling Railway, the Hayling Railways Act 1860 (23 & 24 Vict. c. clxvi), on 23 July 1860. There would be a substantial timber viaduct at Langstone with an opening section for navigation. The line would continue to Sinah Point, at the extreme western tip of the island; it would cross mudflats passing some distance to the west of the hard ground, and enabling the reclamation of substantial areas of land. In addition, docks were to be constructed at Sinah. Authorised capital was £50,000, but this proved to be very difficult to generate. Nevertheless, a limited start was made, and by August 1864 the first part of the line, as far as Langstone Quay was ready; this was opened to goods trains on 19 January 1865.
The directors did not lack ambition, for they had obtained a further act of Parliament, the Hayling Railway and Docks Act 1864 (27 & 28 Vict. c. clxxvi) on 14 July 1864 authorising an eastward extension from Sinah Point to South Hayling, intending to build a small port there. However the construction across the mudflats to Sinah Point was turning out to be far more costly than anticipated, and at the same time revenue from the short Langstone to Havant line was disappointing, and construction was soon suspended.
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Hayling Island branch line AI simulator
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Hayling Island branch line
The Hayling Island branch was a short railway branch line in Hampshire, England, that connected a station on Hayling Island with the main line network at Havant. It was built by the Hayling Railway; at first the company planned to run it along a new embankment built along tidal mudflats, but this proved impractical. The line was opened along firm ground in 1867.
The line included a bridge and viaduct over tidal water at Langstone; there was a low weight restriction on the viaduct, and only small locomotives were allowed to use it; this resulted in the survival in active service of former LB&SCR A1 class tank engines (known as "Terriers") until closure of the line.
In the early 1960s large numbers of holidaymakers were carried on the line in high season, but heavy expenditure on repairs to the viaduct would have been necessary, and the cost was unsupportable; the line closed in 1963.
Hayling Island had long been isolated, situated off the south coast at the eastern side of the island where Portsmouth stands. The soil is good, encouraging agriculture. In 1824 the lord of the manor, Lord Norfolk, had a road bridge constructed at Langstone. Mitchell describes the bridge as frail. For the first time the island had a roadway connection to the mainland; but the poor road system on the island, and the widely dispersed farming settlements meant that transport was still a major difficulty.
In 1847 the London, Brighton and South Coast Railway opened a line from Chichester to Portsmouth, connecting with the route from London via Brighton. There was a station at Havant, but this did little to improve Hayling's commercial position, chiefly because of the poor roads in the general district.
In 1858 the Portsmouth Direct Railway was opened; it became aligned with the London and South Western Railway (LSWR) and was eventually absorbed by the LSWR. Serious friction developed between the LBSCR and the LSWR and it took some time for ordinary railway business to resume. The LSWR considered Portsmouth to be the only significant population centre in the area and gave little thought to the island.
It was left to local people to promote a railway into the island, and they did so, getting an act of Parliament authorising the Hayling Railway, the Hayling Railways Act 1860 (23 & 24 Vict. c. clxvi), on 23 July 1860. There would be a substantial timber viaduct at Langstone with an opening section for navigation. The line would continue to Sinah Point, at the extreme western tip of the island; it would cross mudflats passing some distance to the west of the hard ground, and enabling the reclamation of substantial areas of land. In addition, docks were to be constructed at Sinah. Authorised capital was £50,000, but this proved to be very difficult to generate. Nevertheless, a limited start was made, and by August 1864 the first part of the line, as far as Langstone Quay was ready; this was opened to goods trains on 19 January 1865.
The directors did not lack ambition, for they had obtained a further act of Parliament, the Hayling Railway and Docks Act 1864 (27 & 28 Vict. c. clxxvi) on 14 July 1864 authorising an eastward extension from Sinah Point to South Hayling, intending to build a small port there. However the construction across the mudflats to Sinah Point was turning out to be far more costly than anticipated, and at the same time revenue from the short Langstone to Havant line was disappointing, and construction was soon suspended.