Upwey Wishing Well Halt
History
Opened by the GWR in 1905, it was part of a scheme by the railway company to counter road competition, particularly from Weymouth's buses. Served by local Weymouth to Dorchester rail motor trains, the station had GWR pagoda shelters and wooden platforms. The platforms were later replaced with brick built structures but the pagodas remained until road competition saw the closure of the halt in 1957. The site remained popular with railway photographers as from the former access paths and the A354 overbridge good pictures could be had of steam locomotives working hard on the climb from Weymouth up to Bincombe Tunnel. A remarkable thing about the site was that before the construction of the Weymouth relief road, the underbridge to the south of the platforms carried the same road as the overbridge to the north; the A354 negotiated a hairpin bend to the east of the line on the climb over Ridgeway Hill.
Preceding station | Historical railways | Following station | ||
---|---|---|---|---|
Monkton and Came Halt Line Open, Station Closed |
Great Western Railway Wilts, Somerset and Weymouth Railway |
Upwey Line Open, Station Open |
Present day
Nothing remains of the platforms as they were removed during works for the 1988 electrification. Trains still pass on the Heart of Wessex Line and the South West Main Line.
References
- ^ Quick, M. E. (2002). Railway passenger stations in England, Scotland and Wales – a chronology. Richmond: Railway and Canal Historical Society. p. 434. OCLC 931112387.
- ^ Butt, R. V. J. (October 1995). The Directory of Railway Stations: details every public and private passenger station, halt, platform and stopping place, past and present (1st ed.). Sparkford: Patrick Stephens Ltd. p. 238. ISBN 978-1-85260-508-7. OCLC 60251199. OL 11956311M.
Further reading
- R.V.J. Butt (1995). The Directory of Railway Stations. Patrick Stephens Ltd. ISBN 1-85260-508-1.
- J.H. Lucking (1968). Railways of Dorset. Railway Correspondence and Travel Society.
External links
50°39′53″N 2°27′54″W / 50.6648°N 2.4650°W