The Mid-Hampshire Railway originally opened in the 1865 to link Winchester with Alton, but it was soon dubbed the 'Watercress Line' as it was used to take supplies of Watercress from Alresford to London. The leaves were taken by horse and cart from Alresford's famous watercress beds to the station and could be on the dinner plates of Londoners within a few hours.
 | | The line at Itchen Abbas in 1966 (David Canning) |
Relatively steep stretches of track meant large and powerful locomotives were used on the line - the trip was known as going 'Over the Alps' by railwaymen on the footplate. It was also used by 'Boat trains' taking passengers from Waterloo to the great liners in Southampton Docks. But as road travel became more popular, the line fell victim to British Rail cutbacks and was closed in 1973. Thirty years ago, a team of volunteers initially re-opened a stretch of the line from Alresford to Ropley. By 1983 the line was extended to Medstead & Four Marks station, continuing on to Alton by 1985 where our visitors could link up with the mainline service trains to London Waterloo. Archives Despite the line playing such a large part of Hampshire's transport heritage, when BBC South Today began to research for the 30th anniversary, it became clear that there was no film footage of the Mid Hants Railway before its closure held in any official archives or film library. However, after an appeal on-air, over 100 South Today viewers came forward with information, photos and old film footage. Regeneration The M3 motorway now prevents the line from being re-connected to the mainline rail network at Winchester.
 | | Travelling through the Hampshire countryside |
Nevertheless, it has become one of the county's leading tourist attractions with thousands of visitors each year enjoying a ride on the vintage steam trains. Special holiday services like the Santa Special and Thomas the Tank Engine weekends have meant it has become popular with the younger generations as well as with those who can remember the age of steam. With its picture postcard stations and rural setting, the line has also been used as a location for countless TV and film period productions. | 
