The Remains of the Salisbury & Dorset Junction Railway

The Salisbury & Dorset Junction Railway (S&DJR) opened in 1865 as a single line railway that connected Alderbury Jn, on the Salisbury to Bishopstoke (Eastleigh) line, to West Moors Station on the Southampton to Dorchester Railway line. It had stations at Downton, Breamore, Fordingbridge, Daggons Road (Alderholt) and Verwood; all with passing loops except Daggons Road. Very much a rural branch line it was useful as a diversionary and holiday route. It was worked from the start by the LSWR and taken over by them in 1883. Perhaps never realising its full potential it wended it bucolic way through history until the reality of economics was focused on it by Dr Beeching. It got the axe in 1964.

(My personal memory of the line was one Sunday afternoon as a child travelling in a car on the A338 pacing a southbound black U class loco trundling along trailing three green coaches towards Burgate humpback road bridge).

The photographic survey (2014) on the remains of the S&DJR track bed or permanent way (pw) starts at Alderbury and works its way south to West Moors.
Alderbury Jn, signalbox and workers platforms have all gone. An S&DJRpw embankment still exists in a wooded area to the west of the Alderbury bypass but soon disappears in the housing expansion of Whaddon. The embankments either side of the site of the old S&DJR Whaddon railway bridge still exist in its Southampton Road. Much of the S&DJRpw between Whaddon and Downton still exists, the first part as farm access tracks and latter almost all as overgrown embankments and cuttings. Along the way Witherington Farm embankment has recently been removed and Downton Tunnel with its steep sided chalk approach cuttings long buried.
Downton Station is under housing as is the S&DJRpw that ran alongside Moot Lane (area of 1904 passenger – goods train crash). A lone arch still exists along this stretch of S&DJRpw as does the station masters house at the old station site. Lode Hill railway bridge has long gone. Where the houses finish on Moot Lane (bridge buried) a road leading to the sewage works has the overgrown S&DJRpw running alongside it. Just before the works entrance a path leads you on to the S&DJRpw which takes you to the site where the bridge that crossed the River Avon existed. From the other side of the river the S&DJRpw is an overgrown embankment, (site of 1884 passenger train derailment crash) then lost as fields to North Charford crossing. After this crossing the S&DJRpw has been left rough passing over a lost unmanned crossing before a tennis court then houses appear on it before South Charford crossing. From South Charford crossing to Upper Burgate a footpath exists along the S&DJRpw which takes you through the pleasantly restored little gem of Breamore Station, the only remaining station of the S&DJR. The station masters house also still exists and lived in by the ex station master’s son John. (The station yard has of course acquired houses). At Upper Burgate after passing under the A338 humpback bridge (gone) the S&DJRpw has been grassed over then further on ploughed out to leave Burgate crossing cottage surrounded by fields. Later the S&DJRpw reappears as grassed over again before it meet Whitsbury Road (bridge buried) on the outskirts of Fordingbridge. From here the S&DJRpw is initially housed on but later leads to an open play area before Marl Ln bridge after which it has been left as a wooded path before more houses appear on the filled in approach cutting to Fordingbridge Station site.
Fordingbridge Station was the largest on the S&DJR. It has completely disappeared under an industrial estate and even the Railway Hotel has disassociated itself from the area by becoming the Augustus John. At least Station Road remains. After the ind est ends the S&DJRpw initially a tree lined embankment becomes a farm access track up to the tree lined embankment over Sandleheath Road Alderholt. After the embankment ends the S&DJRpw continues to be overgrown until houses appear and crowd out the old Daggons Road Station building area. The old goods yard by comparison is very spacious.
Leaving Daggons Road Station area and after the houses fade out the S&DJRpw exists to Verwood as overgrown embankments and wet cuttings with the occasional bit grassed. (Edmonsham Road bridge on the approach to Verwood being buried).
Verwood Station has disappeared under road improvements and houses. The only reminder of the S&DJR in the area being the old disused bypassed Station Road bridge alongside The Albion inn. The S&DJRpw just about exists between the new housing estates south of Station Road in Verwood before it becomes overgrown running on over Horton Way to become more open after Horton crossing cottage as an access track down to Three Legged Cross. The S&DJRpw then ran under Horton Road after which a timber firm now exists on the S&DJRpw south of the long buried bridge. The S&DJRpw later returns as grassed over to run on over Haddons Drive crossing to become overgrown before returning to grass to run on over the B3072 Three Legged Cross/West Moors Road crossing. South of the crossing the S&DJRpw, as a private access road, leads to the return of a grassed over section before the urban spread of West Moors consumes it all the way to West Moors Station site; the site now a block of flats called Castleman Court in Station Road. The Southampton & Dorchester Railway (Castleman’s Corkscrew) crossing keeper’s house still exists by the Tap & Railway inn on Station Road to this day.
Rick Poulton


I have traced many railway lines in my local area, of which seven I have documented so far. On reflection I feel a sadness about the sheer amount of bridges, cuttings and embankments now dumped and lying idle, usually overgrown, in the countryside. I am reminded of the canals in the late 60s early 70s which were then a national disgrace to this country, and now after restoration what a haven of peace and national treasure they have become; if only one was on the doorstep to visit at the end of a day. It would seem that the old railway permanent ways are not valued enough at the present as people stress themselves out chasing material goals and fail to benefit from the peace a walk along an old countryside line would bring to their health. The ones I have visited that have become trailways certainly get their use and people even talk to each other again. Perhaps in our present thinking we are too wrapped up with the price of everything, and not its value.