Christchurch (Dorset) to Ringwood post-closure track lifting

The other day I was reading an article about the railway that was built from Bournemouth to Ringwood via Christchurch, and it stated that the section between Christchurch and Ringwood closed in 1935. However, my unreliable memory tells me that back in the mid-1960s, when they were clearing steam from this part of the Southern Region, some locos were taken to Ringwood and cut up there. The only other railway they ever had at Ringwood was a line from Wimborne to Brockenhurst, but I'm sure that line had closed before the mid-1960s.

Therefore, would someone please tell me when the Wimborne-Brockenhurst line was lifted, and same for the Christchurch-Ringwood line.

Thanks very much

Four locos, I believe 4MT 4-6-0 75072 and 75073 and 2-6-4T 80096 and 80102, were scrapped at Ringwood in 1966. A number of others were cut into large chunks at Eastleigh and brought in wagons to Ringwood.

Lymington Junction-Ringwood closed on 4 May 1964, but Ringwood remained open to goods from the Wimborne end until August 1967.

N.b. Other than that I can remember that there were two tender and two tanks, I have had to check the numbers on the Internet. I will check in books later.

Thankyou Gloster. My memory had been of at least a Standard 2-6-4T being cut up there (Kings of Norwich, if I remember correctly) but I had always thought the Christchurch-Ringwood line was still open for freight (the Poole - Wimborne line was open until 1977 for a firm at Wimborne that fitted out railway carriages for exhibition trains, but I thought that is as far as that line went once the Brockenhurst section closed

grumpyxch said:

Thankyou Gloster. My memory had been of at least a Standard 2-6-4T being cut up there (Kings of Norwich, if I remember correctly) but I had always thought the Christchurch-Ringwood line was still open for freight (the Poole - Wimborne line was open until 1977 for a firm at Wimborne that fitted out railway carriages for exhibition trains, but I thought that is as far as that line went once the Brockenhurst section closed

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The Christchurch-Ringwood line closed at the end of September 1935 except for the first few yards at Christchurch which served the goods yard. The Wimborne-West Moors section remained for the MOD fuel depot until July 1974 and Holes Bay Junction-Wimborne until May 1977.

The best I have on the scrappers was that the two 4-6-0 were cut by by T.W.Ward and the two tanks by Cohens. I think that the oddments cut at Eastleigh was also Cohens’ work.

Well I did mention my memory was unreliable so I was wrong with the scrapper. I had also forgotten about the MoD fuel depot. As for the Holes Bay - Wimborne section closure, I was there on the last day, at the side of the track. I had moved from Essex to Poole 6 months before when I got a job with Plessey which had this line just behind its factory. My digs were just the other side of the line too.

Any way, thankyou for your help
Regards

Gloster said:

The Christchurch-Ringwood line closed at the end of September 1935 except for the first few yards at Christchurch which served the goods yard. The Wimborne-West Moors section remained for the MOD fuel depot until July 1974 and Holes Bay Junction-Wimborne until May 1977.

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West Moors was a junction, there was a line north towards Alderbury (towards Salisbury) via Verwood. The MOD depot now has Dorset Fire training centre on northern part of its site. This line also closed 4th May 1964 (same day as Ringwood-Brockenhurst section), and passengers on Ringwood-Broadstone section.

Once Somerset and Dorset line closed, the MOD retained the section from Broadstone to Blandford Forum for the huge Signals depot there, but I think that was closed in 1969

Had remaining section to Wimborne not closed in 1977, probably be busy nowadays as huge numbers of houses have been built (and are currently being built) at Wimborne, Broadstone, Canford, Merley, Ferndown, Blandford Forum, Blandford St Mary etc

Broadstone-Blandford reduced to siding 25 July 1966, closed 6 January 1969 and removed October 1970. In addition to traffic to Blandford there was also Unigate at Bailey Gate.

75072/73, hauled by 34057 were the last train of all on the Templecombe to Blandford section on the Sunday evening of March 6 1966. as described in the book Somerset and Dorset Swansong. 34057 had come off the last special on the S&D, which headed for Waterloo with 35028. It backed down to the shed and pulled out the 2 Standards. After running around, it departed at 8.06pm, the last steam on the S&D by that time in the evening. It left the dead engines at Blandford for removal to Ringwood and went light to Bournemouth shed. The End.