Ropley | |
|---|---|
| Station onheritage railway | |
 Engine 80104 approaching Ropley station on The Watercress Line | |
| General information | |
| Location | Ropley,East Hampshire England |
| Coordinates | 51°05′15″N1°06′09″W / 51.0876°N 1.1024°W /51.0876; -1.1024 |
| Grid reference | SU629324 |
| Platforms | 2 |
| History | |
| Original company | Alton, Alresford and Winchester Railway |
| Pre-grouping | London and South Western Railway |
| Post-grouping | Southern Railway Southern Region of British Railways |
| Key dates | |
| 2 October 1865 (1865-10-02) | Opened |
| 5 February 1973 | Closed |
| 30 April 1977 | Reopened |
Ropley railway station is arailway station inRopley,Hampshire,England, which opened in 1865 and reopened in 1977 after four years' closure, to be served by steam and select diesel trains on theWatercress Line which shares its terminus atAlton railway station along with the more majorAlton Line.
The station was opened by theMid-Hants (Alton Lines) Railway (MHR) on 2 October 1865.[1] The MHR was leased to theLondon and South Western Railway (LSWR) in August 1880, which fully absorbed the MHR in June 1884.[2] The LSWR amalgamated with other railways to form theSouthern Railway on 1 January 1923.[3]
The station was destaffed in 1967 and closed byBritish Rail on 5 February 1973.[1]
Ropley railway station was reopened by theMid Hants Railway (Watercress Line) on 30 April 1977.[1][4] It is an intermediate station on the 10-mile (16 km), four-station route which runs fromAlton toNew Alresford, also in Hampshire.
The main locomotive shed and workshops for the Mid Hants Railway are just to the east of Ropley station.
The station gardens feature notableyewtopiary, which has been in situ for over 100 years (an 1898 postcard shows the topiary well established).
A footbridge was added to the western end of the station in 1986. This was recovered from the closed station atNorth Tawton in Devon in August 1983, restored and installed by volunteers.[5]
A10+1⁄4 in (260 mm) gaugeminiature railway opened in 2015.[6] This railway was previously running in the Top Car Park of Ropley station from 2009 until 2012.[7]
In 2012–13, a footbridge, originally at King's Cross station in London, was dismantled to connect instead the raised picnic area, orchard and children's play areas to the buildings at Ropley station taking in for part of its length the maintenance shed, where passengers can walk over and view the works below.[8]
