Watercress Line Hampshire

Mid Hants Railway - Watercress Line

The Watercress Line, officially known as the Mid Hants Railway, is a heritage railway in Hampshire, England. It runs for about 10 miles between Alresford and Alton, offering visitors a nostalgic experience of steam and diesel train travel. The line is named after the watercress industry that thrived in the area during the 19th and early 20th centuries. Freshly picked watercress was transported by train to London and other cities, contributing to the line's historic significance.

Originally opened in 1865, the Mid Hants Railway was constructed to connect the market town of Alresford with the mainline railway network at Alton. It played an important role in local transportation and the agricultural economy. However, like many rural railways, it faced declining passenger numbers and was eventually closed by British Rail in 1973.

Shortly after its closure, local enthusiasts formed a preservation society and began efforts to restore the line. The first section was reopened to the public in 1977, and since then, the railway has been fully restored and is now operated by volunteers. It serves as both a popular tourist attraction and a living museum, showcasing vintage locomotives and carriages from the golden age of British railways.

All railway images on this page are courtesy of The Watercress Line.

There were three intermediate stations, at Ropley, Alresford and Itchen Abbas. A fourth station, Medstead and Four Marks, was added later. The other end of the line connected with the LSWR main route from London to Southampton, at Winchester Junction, north of Winchester City Station. In 1923 the line formed part of the Southern Railway, which became the Southern Region of British Railways at nationalisation in 1948.

The Winchester and Alton Railway, later to become the present Mid Hants Railway, was formed with the intention of re-opening the whole line under independent ownership.

Unfortunately financial constraints forced the section west of Alresford to Itchen Abbas and Winchester Junction to be abandoned. However, the line was re-opened between Alresford and Ropley four years later in 1977. After the lifted track was reinstated services were re-established to Medstead in 1983 and to Alton in 1985.

The Mid Hants Railway hosts a wide variety of special events such as Real Ale Trains, Luxury Dining trains, Thomas The Tank Engine, Santas Special, and events such as War on the line, you can even book up to drive an engine.

Watercress Line rolling stock

The Watercress Line has a range of steam locomotives in operation for enthusiasts to enjoy including:

• British Railways Standard Class 9F (No 92212)
• SR Lord Nelson Class 'Lord Nelson' (No 850)
• LMS Black 5 (No 45379)
• SR West Country Class 'Wadebridge' (No 34007)
• SR U Class (No 31806)
• Thomas the Tank Engine (No 1)

The Watercress Line got it's popular name because it was used to transport Hampshire grown Watercress into London for sale at Covent Garden Market, but the railway was also an extremely important military link, connecting Aldershot, the home of the British Army, to the embarkation port of Southampton on the south coast. Today the Watercress Line is a popular tourism and historic attraction, bringing the past to life with it's many steam locomotives and historic railway buildings.