Лимington қалалық темір жол тармағының тарихы

The Lymington branch line is a railway that runs from Brockenhurst to Lymington in the New Forest, England. The line is around long, and is single track throughout its length. It diverges from the South West Main Line at Lymington Junction. At Lymington Pier, trains connect with Wightlink ferry services to Yarmouth, Isle of Wight. The Lymington branch line is electrified using the 750 V DC third rail system. The line was opened as far as Lymington in 1858. The London and South Western Railway bought out the local company in 1879, and in 1884 the LSWR opened a short extension of the line to Lymington Pier. The economy of Lymington had been in decline but the local economy improved in the twentieth century. The line was electrified in 1967. A half hourly shuttle passenger service operates at present (2023).

The Southampton and Dorchester Railway opened its main line in 1847; from Southampton it ran to Brockenhurst, but then took a northerly path through Ringwood and Wimborne; the present day main line from Brockenhurst to Poole was not ready as a through route until 1888. In 1846, during construction, the Southampton and Dorchester Railway proposed a branch line from Brockenhurst to Lymington, and it obtained Parliamentary powers by an Act of 2 July 1847. A salt works at Lymington had promised 250,000 tons of salt annually as a revenue earning goods flow. However the scarcity of investment money following the collapse of the Railway Mania meant that it proved impossible to raise funds for any construction, and the scheme did not proceed.

Nine years later, an independent Lymington Railway Company was promoted to build a similar line, and it was incorporated by Act of 7 July 1856, with share capital of £21,000. The company was authorised to purchase Lymington Town Quay and the Town Bridge, and to build a jetty. The line was to be built as far as the present day Lymington Town station. The line was four miles in length and it was constructed quickly, and on 8 May 1858 a celebratory train service was run for local people, probably free of charge. It was well patronised. The Board of Trade inspecting officer, Colonel Yolland, made an inspection on 11 May 1858 and was satisfied. However the London and South Western Railway was to work the line, and it required some track improvements before it would start operations: the sleepers had been installed at a pitch of and the LSWR, who would be responsible for day to day track maintenance, insisted on the standard After this work was done, the line opened to passenger traffic on 12 July 1858; goods traffic probably started on 23 July 1858. The LSWR declined to operate ferries to Isle of Wight; they had a non competitive agreement with the London Brighton and South Coast Railway, but the Solent Sea Steam Packet Company made four return trips from Lymington to Yarmouth every weekday, as well as other daily transits. A coach operated from Yarmouth to Freshwater. A shareholders' meeting on 12 August 1858 was told by the Company Chairman, Alfred Mew, that the Company "was more promising of success than had ever been counted on"; another director stated that the LSWR's Chairman, Vice Chairman and two of the directors had come down to see what the Lymington Company was doing. In 1859 the Portsmouth Direct line had opened, substantially shortening the distance from London to Portsmouth, and therefore to the Isle of Wight. This removed some of the advantage the Lymington route had enjoyed up to that point. The berth at Lymington was cramped and often congested with commercial traffic and the footway from there to the station was lengthy. Moreover at low tide the steamers could not come alongside and passengers had to be taken out to the ferries in tenders. The Freshwater, Yarmouth and Newport Railway was granted its authorising Act in 1880, and this encouraged the LSWR to plan improvements to the Lymington side of the Solent. Authorisation was obtained on 22 August 1881 to extend the line for 34 chains (690m), crossing the estuary to a new Pier station, where ships could berth at any state of the tide. The extension and Pier station opened on 1 May 1884; four trains from London connected daily with steamers, and a cargo steamer operated daily in connection. The LSWR proceeded with some modernisation of its maritime fleet on the Lymington route, and on 1 May 1902 a new saloon paddler Solent was handed over. The old Mayflower of 1866 was sold in June 1905 for only £50. A cargo boat Carrier was purchased on 6 February 1906; she was a 36 ton twin screw vessel of wide beam. She provided a large deck for motor cars, which were increasingly using the Lymington route as the easiest crossing to the Isle of Wight. In 1938 the Pier at Lymington was reconstructed and made suitable for car ferry operation; the slipway was extended at the cost of the Admiralty in 1942. An engineering company named Wellworth had a factory alongside the line, and a halt to serve it, named Ampress Works Halt was opened on 1 October 1956; trains ceased to call there after May 1977 when the factory closed. In Southern Railway days boat trains up to ten coaches in length were run from Waterloo to Lymington Pier, but the oridinary service was generally operated by M7 tank locomotives operating pull and push trains. After 1964 the traction was usually ex LMS 2 6 2T or BR standard 2 6 4T locomotives. A new car ferry terminal was opened on the south side of the Pier station in January 1976.

The Lymington branch from Brockenhurst to Lymington was electrified on 2 January 1967. Power was supplied at 750V DC on the third rail syatem. An independent single branch line alongside the down main line between Brockenhurst and Lymington junction was provided when a new signal centre was opened at Brockenhurst from June 1978. The first train to use new alignment ran on 20 October 1978, after the derailment of a tamping machine prevented planned operation on the previous day.