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The Bordon Light Railway was a short-lived light railway line in Hampshire that connected the Army Camp at Bordon, as well as the villages of Bordon and Kingsley, with the national rail network at Bentley on the main Farnham-Alton line, a distance of 4.5 miles (7.2 km).
Following the end of the Boer War, a number of military camps were established to accommodate the returning soldiers. Amongst these featured "Bordon Camp" which was built on agricultural land near the village of Bordon 41⁄2 miles to the south of Bentley station, and "Longmoor Camp" 4½ miles further south near the village of Whitehill. [1] Two battalions were assigned to Longmoor where they were housed in corrugated huts constructed on soft ground. This led to complaints from the soldiers and in 1903 it was decided to move them and the huts to Bordon Camp. To save costs, a temporary primitive railway line with a 18 in (457 mm) gauge was laid to Bordon to facilitate the move. [2]
The increased military presence at Bordon coupled with its proximity to the national rail network at Bentley led to an application being made on 6 October 1902 for a light railway order under the Light Railways Act 1896, the Bentley and Bordon Light Railway Order 1902, authorising a standard gauge connection from Bentley to a point just west of Bordon village. The application received the backing of the War Department which saw the railway as a means of easing troop movements and bringing supplies to both camps. It was also hoped that the local communities along the line would also be able to make use of the new connection. An agreement for the line's operation was reached with the London and South Western Railway (L&SWR), the operator of the Alton line, with whom the War Department had already collaborated in the construction of the Basingstoke and Alton Light Railway in 1901. Under the terms of the agreement, the LSWR would manage, work and maintain the railway, providing the engines, rolling stock and plant. [2]
The necessary land was acquired by the LSWR with the War Department's assistance, and construction was completed within 18 months at a cost of £30,000. The work was overseen by Alfred W. Szlumper of the L&SWR. [3] In total, 155 men using three locomotives, four tip wagons and three horses were involved. [2] The line was officially opened on 11 December 1905 from a bay platform at Bentley station. Eight trains were run from Bentley to Bordon on weekdays, with seven return services (except for Saturday when there were eight). Two trains ran each way on Sundays. [2]
The LSWR managed to acquire sufficient land near the village of Kingsley (3 miles to the south of Bentley) where it decided to site a station in the hope that the area would attract residential development. With fairly basic facilities, the station was only a halt and opened after the rest of the line on 7 March 1906.
In 1905 the War Department began the construction of the Longmoor Military Railway, a standard gauge line which would connect Longmoor Military Camp with the LSWR's terminus at Bordon. This itself was linked to the main Waterloo-Portsmouth line at Liss in 1942. It was possible to travel to Liss from Bordon via Oakhanger Halt on the Longmoor Railway.
The fortunes of the Bordon Light Railway were inextricably linked with those of the Army Camp that it served, so that when army traffic began to decline after the Second World War and the line became a financial liability, the decision was made to close the line to passenger services with effect from 16 September 1957, with the line remaining open to freight to meet army requirements. It might have closed completely had the Longmoor Military Railway been able to serve the Bordon Camp's requirements, but in the event the frequency of services at Liss made the exchange of heavy traffic difficult. This was still the case nine years later when it was decided nevertheless to close the Bordon line completely from 4 April 1966. The Longmoor Military Railway itself closed three years later on 31 October 1969.
Departing Bentley from the Bordon bay platform (created by extending the down platform then separated from the main line platform by iron railings), services would proceed on the main down line in the direction of Alton for 17 chains before reaching the junction for Bordon at which stood the Bentley signal box. The line to Bordon branched off to the south here, climbing up towards Kingsley of 1 in 156. After 1 mile 10 chains it reached Blacknest Road level crossing, an ungated crossing which was protected by cattle grids. The line then gradually dropped towards Kingsley Halt (2 miles 57 chains from Bentley), proceeding again over Blacknest Road level crossing, another ungated crossing with cattle grids.
Continuing towards Bordon, the line passed over several bridges (including one over Kingsley-East Worldham Road) before climbing again on 1 in 358 and then descending on 1 in 145, proceeding on a level over White Hill Road level crossing (known locally as "Marsh's Crossing") and reaching Bordon (4 miles 58 chains from Bentley).
Following the line's closure in 1966, the track was lifted later the same year. None of the stations now survive except Bentley, while the Bordon station is now buried under an industrial trading estate. [4]
A bus service now provides a link from Bentley to Bordon, and onwards to Liss – effectively replicating the line and the Longmoor Railway. It has been mooted that as this bus service is now so well utilised, that it should be replaced by a railway link. In August 2007 Liberal Democrat Councillor Philip Drury, member for Whitehill (Hogmoor), proposed the re-opening of the line to relieve the pressure on the busy A325 road, particularly as the local population is likely to increase with the construction of 5,500 homes when the Army pulls out of Bordon. A re-opened line would also relieve pressure on the Waterloo-Portsmouth line and enable local students to attend colleges in Alton and Guildford. Due to the redevelopment of the Bordon station site, any plans would have to incorporate a diversion around this area. [5] Councillor Drury's proposal received support from the chairman of the Whitehill Bordon Opportunity, Councillor Cowper who is also the leader of East Hampshire District Council. [6]
In June 2009, the Association of Train Operating Companies (ATOC) issued a report (Connecting Communities: Expanding Access to the Rail Network), which proposes the reinstatement of the line between Bentley and Bordon, as one of 20 schemes that are recommended for further consultation. [7] 14 of these are reinstatements of lines closed in the Beeching cuts.
The London and South Western Railway was a railway company in England from 1838 to 1922. Originating as the London and Southampton Railway, its network extended to Dorchester and Weymouth, to Salisbury, Exeter and Plymouth, and to Padstow, Ilfracombe and Bude. It developed a network of routes in Hampshire, Surrey and Berkshire, including Portsmouth and Reading.
Bordon is a town in the East Hampshire district of Hampshire, England. It lies in the interior of the royal Woolmer Forest, about 5 miles (8.0 km) southeast of Alton. The town forms a part of the civil parish of Whitehill which is one of two contiguous villages, the other being Lindford. The civil parish is on the A325, and near the A3 road between London and Portsmouth, from which it is buffered by the rise of the wooded Woolmer Ranges. Bordon is twinned with Condé-sur-Vire in Normandy, France.
Bentley railway station serves the village of Bentley in Hampshire, England. It is situated on the Alton Line, between Farnham and Alton. The station and all trains serving it are operated by South Western Railway.
The Longmoor Military Railway (LMR) was a British military railway in Hampshire that was built by the Royal Engineers from 1903 to train soldiers on railway construction and operations. The railway ceased operation on 31 October 1969.
Brookwood is a National Rail railway station in Brookwood in the English county of Surrey. It is 27 miles 79 chains (45.0 km) down the line from London Waterloo.
Liss railway station is a stop on the Portsmouth Direct Line, serving the village of Liss in Hampshire, England, 51 miles 35 chains (82.8 km) down the line from London Waterloo via Woking. As a small station, for most of the day there is one train each way an hour. The station is managed by South Western Railway, which operates all trains serving it.
Sleaford in Hampshire, England is a hamlet of Headley Civil Parish and the Northanger Ecclesiastical Benefice. It is in the civil parish of Whitehill
The Basingstoke and Alton Light Railway was opened in 1901, by the London and South Western Railway. It was the first English railway authorised under Light Railway legislation. It ran through unpromising, lightly populated terrain, and was probably built only to exclude competitors from building a line in the area. It had steep gradients and a line speed limit of 20 mph, later raised to 25 mph.
Kingsley Halt was a railway station on the Bordon Light Railway which served the village of Kingsley, Hampshire, England. The station had been constructed by the London and South Western Railway (LSWR) in the hope that the area would attract residential development, but this did not happen. The LSWR had purchased an area of land far larger than that what was actually used, as they hoped to construct a large station and goods yard. A primitive halt with a single platform opened some months after the line's opening, consisting merely of a nameboard, noticeboard, lamp and seat.
Bordon is a former railway station on the Bordon Light Railway which served the town of Bordon, Hampshire, England and its nearby army camp.
Whitehill is a village and civil parish in the East Hampshire district of Hampshire, England, on the historic route between Petersfield and Farnham. It is 0.7 miles (1.1 km) south of Bordon and covers an area of approximately 8 square miles.
The Salisbury branch line of the Great Western Railway from Westbury to Salisbury in Wiltshire, England, was completed in 1856. Most of the smaller stations were closed in 1955 but the line remains in use as part of the Wessex Main Line.
The Amesbury and Military Camp Light Railway was a branch line in Wiltshire, England, constructed under a light railway order dated 24 September 1898. It was opened for military traffic from Amesbury to the east-facing Newton Tony Junction on 1 October 1901. A west-facing junction, Amesbury Junction, where the branch burrowed under the main line, opened on 2 June 1902. The line closed in 1963.
Hogmoor Inclosure is a large area of wooded heath situated 0.5 miles (0.80 km) west from the town of Bordon and within the civil parish of Whitehill in the East Hampshire district of Hampshire, England. The inclosure is used for army training with various tank crossings scattered around the area. The area is historically notable for its connection with the British Army with large barracks surrounding the area.
Oakhanger Halt is a former railway station, on the Longmoor Military Railway which served Bordon Camp, the station was closer to the camp than Bordon on the Bordon Light Railway. The station is likely to have opened with the line in 1905 but the first documented evidence showing it open is on 14 August 1914 when it was used the Officer Commanding Railway Troops to say goodbye to the first mobilised Railway Company departing for France.
Weaversdown Halt railway station is a former railway station, on the Longmoor Military Railway, which served the eastern side of Longmoor Military Camp. The station did not appear on Ordnance Survey mapping throughout its life and did not have signs on the platform, it was variously known as Weaversdown, Weavers Down and Weaver Down sometimes with the additional Junction and sometimes with Halt.
Liss Forest Road railway station served the hamlet of Liss Forest neighbouring the larger village of Liss, in Hampshire. It is situated adjacent to Forest Road which runs from the A3 to Liss Forest. The road was crossed by a level crossing controlled by a block post, the Army's name for a signal box, which was usually un-staffed unless training was in progress.
Longmoor Downs railway station is a former railway station, on the Longmoor Military Railway serving Longmoor Military Camp. The station was the Southern terminus of the original standard gauge railway opened in stages between 1907 and 1908.
Longmoor Camp is a British Army camp close to the A3 and A325 roads in and around the settlements of Longmoor, Liss and Liphook in Hampshire, England. The main street of the Longmoor part of the camp is built on an ancient Roman road, the Chichester to Silchester Way, while the village of Greatham lies to the west. The combined camp and training area coveres 1,783 hectares of wooded areas, heath, wetlands and hard standings. Longmoor Camp and the training areas are still active, and maintained by the Defence Infrastructure Organisation.
The Aldershot and Alton lines of the LSWR were railways developed from 1849 onwards in the region in Surrey and Hampshire, England, between the Southampton main line and Guildford. First was a line from Guildford to Farnham, soon extended to Alton in 1852. The Reading, Guildford and Reigate Railway, an affiliate of the South Eastern Railway (SER), used part of that line by running powers. When the Aldershot Garrison and associated camps opened, suddenly Aldershot had a large population, both civilian and military, and the LSWR built a line from Pirbright Junction, on the Southampton main line. As well as serving Aldershot, this line gave a more direct route from London. It opened in 1870.
