A Waterside History

"British Railways": Fawley branch, 19 April 1999. Single track branch from Totton to Esso refinery, Fawley. A good place to photograph workings is at Hythe, from the first overbridge west from the level crossing in the town; however, as there are trees on both sides of the line, spring and autumn are probably the best times to photograph from here.

On 19 April, 66 068 passed Hythe at 13.40, en route for Fawley with empty bogie tank wagons, returning from Fawley (passing Hythe) at 14.30. According to the level crossing keeper at Hythe, there is usually a (at least one) daily working to Fawley which passes Hythe any time after 13.00.

To be continued.

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Ó Mike Macdonald, 2000. Page last modified: 02 April 2003

The Fawley Branch Line is a standard gauge railway line to Fawley, in the English county of Hampshire. It is on the opposite side of Southampton Water from the city of Southampton itself, in an area known as Waterside. For forty years a passenger service operated, but this was withdrawn and now, with the exception of the occasional enthusiasts' railtour, the line serves the freight needs of Fawley Refinery and Marchwood Military Port.
Contents [hide]
1 History
2 The route
3 Future
4 References
5 Further reading
6 External links
[edit]History

Authorised in 1903, after some years of trying, the line was built under the Light Railways Act 1896 by the Fawley, Hythe and Marchwood Light Railway and opened on 20 July 1925. At first, traffic was light but in the 1920s the largest oil refinery in Britain opened at Fawley and subsequently expanded. The line opened under the Southern Railway and then to British Railways (Southern Region) at nationalisation in 1948.
[edit]The route

Leaving the South Western Main Line at Totton, west of Southampton, the line can be seen from Bournemouth-bound trains running alongside the main line for a mile and then curving away to the south. The passenger service served Marchwood[1], Hythe[2], and Fawley[3]. Operated by steam trains, then the 'Hampshire' diesel-electric multiple units, the service was withdrawn on 14 February 1966 as a result of the Beeching Axe.
[edit]Future

On 16 June 2009, Association of Train Operating Companies announced it was looking into the reopening of the railway as far as Hythe, with a possibility of going far as Fawley which would be subject to Esso who owns the land where Fawley train station once was.
Plans would see;
Reopening of all the old station along the line.
1 new station in Totton called Totton West, which would be just after the line splits from the mainline.
A new railway service going between Fawley/Hythe to Totton - Southampton Central - Southampton Airport Parkway - Eastleigh - Chandlers Ford - Romsey - Southampton Central - Totton to Fawley/Hythe, plus all other minor stops in-between the stations above.
The railway link could be built over the next 5 to 10 years at a cost of around £3 Million, the service would be run by South West Trains running diesel multiple units and if the railway pays for itself, there would be a possibility of electrification. The service would run every half-hourly during peak and every hour at non-peak.[4][5][6][7]
[edit]References

^ Marchwood Station (at Subterranea Britannica)
^ Hythe Station (at Subterranea Britannica)
^ Fawley Station (at Subterranea Britannica)
^ http://www.dharrison.org.uk/index.php?entry=entry100211-172328
^ http://www.dailyecho.co.uk/news/district/newforest/5013729.Campaign_to_extend_rail_along_Waterside/
^ "Rail links to the past". BBC News. 15 June 2009.
^ http://www.dailyecho.co.uk/archive/2009/06/16/New+Forest+News+(newforest_news)/4440305.Plans_to_explore_Ringwood_rail_link/
[edit]Further reading

R.V.J.Butt, (1995). The Directory of Railway Stations. Patrick Stephens Ltd. ISBN 1-85260-508-1
J.R.Fairman, (2002). The Fawley Branch. Oakwood Press. ISBN 0-85361-584-5
[edit]External links

Photos of the Fawley Branch in BR days
Line on navigable O.S. map