Route Heart Of Wessex Line + Weymouth Harbour Tramway / Portland Branch Railway (1962)

Heart of Wessex Line
The Heart of Wessex Line, also known as the Bristol to Weymouth Line, is a railway line that runs from Bristol Temple Meads to Westbury and Weymouth in England. It shares the Wessex Main Line as far as Westbury and then follows the course of the Reading to Taunton Line as far as Castle Cary.

Weymouth Harbour Tramway
The Weymouth Harbour Tramway (also known as the Quay Branch or Harbour Line) was a heavy rail line running through the streets of Weymouth, Dorset, from a junction north of Weymouth station to Weymouth Quay. Opened by the Great Western Railway in 1865, it carried passengers to Channel Island ferries from 1889 and also served the harbour with freight traffic. Over time, extra sidings and tracks were added, and the route was altered between 1938 and 1939 with a new curve and bridge alignment.

Regular goods traffic ended in 1972, although fuel oil trains continued until 1983. Passenger services ceased in 1987 after the South West Main Line was electrified with third rail, which was incompatible with street running. A Parry People Movers test took place in 1996, and the final train, a Pathfinder Tours charter, ran on 2 May 1999. The line was dismantled in 2020–21, with only small sections of track remaining.

Portland Branch Railway (Mothballed)
The Portland Branch was a network of railway lines on the Isle of Portland in Dorset. The first, the Portland Railway, opened in 1826 as a tramway using a rope-worked incline. It was followed by the Weymouth and Portland Railway in 1865, connecting Portland to the Great Western Railway at Weymouth. A branch to Portland Breakwater opened in 1876 to serve the harbour and naval facilities, while the Easton and Church Hope Railway finally opened in 1900 to transport stone from the island's quarries.

The Weymouth and Portland Railway and the Easton and Church Hope Railway were jointly operated by the Great Western Railway and the London and South Western Railway. While services to Portland were reasonably successful, the extension to Easton attracted fewer passengers than expected, leading the Easton and Church Hope Railway into financial difficulties. Passenger services ended in 1952, the line closed completely in 1965, and no railway remains in operation on the former route

Route Maps






Stations Heart of Wessex Line
Bristol Temple Meads
St Anne's Park
Keynsham
Saltford
Oldfield Park
Bath Spa
Bathampton
Limpley Stoke
Freshford
Avoncliff Halt
Bradford-on-Avon
Trowbridge
Westbury
Frome
Witham
Bruton
Castle Cary
Sparkford
Marston Magna
Yeovil Pen Mill
Yeovil Town
Thornford
Yetminster
Chetnole
Evershot
Cattistock
Maiden Newton
Grimstone & Frampton
Bradford Peverell & Stratton Halt
Dorchester West
Upwey & Broadwey
Radipole Halt
Weymouth

Stations Weymouth Harbour Tramway
Weymouth
Weymouth Quay

Stations Portland Branch Railway (Mothballed)
Weymouth
Melcombe Regis
Westham Halt
Rodwell
Sandfoot Castle Halt
Wyke Regis Halt
Portland
Easton

Rolling Stock

Class 117


BR Standard Class 4MT 2-6-4T


BR Standard Class 9F


Class 08



appropriate pricing: £29.99