Ampress Works Halt railway station explained

Ampress Works Halt
Status:Disused
Borough:Lymington, New Forest
Country:England
Grid Name:Grid reference
Platforms:1
Original:Southern Region of British Railways
Years:1 October 1956
Events:Station opened as Ampress Works Halt
Years1:By September 1970
Events1:Station renamed Ampress
Years2:1989
Events2:Station closed

Ampress Works Halt was a halt station on the Lymington Branch Line which, between 1956 and 1989, served the Wellworthy engineering works near Lymington in Hampshire, England. Sited near the bridge over the A337 Lymington to Brockenhurst road, the station closed when the engineering works ceased operation. The station never appeared in any public timetable.[1]

History

Opened by the Southern Region of British Railways in 1956, the station was served by Network SouthEast from the introduction of sectorisation until its closure. It was situated approximately from Lymington Town station near a bridge over the A337, and it was primarily intended for workers at the nearby Wellworthy factory. Constructed of concrete with chain-link fencing,[2] it never appeared in any timetables and its demise came with the closure of the Wellworthy factory in 1989.

The site today

Trains on the electrified Lymington branch line still pass the site. However, as of June 2006 the new Lymington New Forest Hospital is being built on part of the old Wellworthy site, and the town of Lymington has also grown northwards to surround the location. The idea of reopening the halt, which still physically exists, has been discussed.[3]

The station's former sign now hangs on the wall of the train shed at Eastleigh Lakeside Railway at the Lakeside Country Park.[4]

Sources

50.7717°N -1.5519°W

Notes and References

  1. Book: Croughton, G. . Kidner, R.W. . Young, A. . Private and Untimetabled Railway Stations . Oakwood Press . 1982 . Trowbridge, Wilts . 124 . 0-85361-281-1 .
  2. Book: Kidner, R. W.. 1985. Southern Railway Halts. Survey and Gazetteer. 39. The Oakwood Press. Headington, Oxford. 0-85361-321-4.
  3. Web site: New Forest District Council . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20120216170457/http://www.newforestdc.gov.uk/committeedocs/e-pphd/CDD00453.pdf . 16 February 2012 .  
  4. http://www.railforums.co.uk/showthread.php?t=8964 RailUK Forums, 13 August 2006.