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My uncle also lived in Woodfield Street and worked at the Dairy Pit. My grandfather lived just over the road on Stone Row which was my first home, he worked at the Alexander Pit. The Colliers Arms which you pointed out is still there, however locally this was always called The Stone, I have no idea why.

Thank you for this. I've never explored the Roswell Trail yet but it's lovely to see it as a railway. It is sad that both the Portland line and the Harbour Tramway couldn't be saved

LSWR also operated on the line until the pre-grouping of 1923 when it became Southern Railway

This is fantastic please do more!!!

Absolutely brilliant work, thoroughly enjoyed watching this, thank you🙂

This is nothing short of amazing, what a piece of work, brilliant, thank you🙂

Very interesting thank you.👍

Absolutely crackin video. Used to go round Springs Branch shed in the from 63 to 68 most Sundays. Lived in Ince from 62 - 81. Brought it all back. Donkey Lane, Wagon Works, Manchester Road and Belle Green Lane crossings. I thank you.👍

I think this is fabulous. And loads of us from the area will be enjoying the view from what became Portwey Hospital, given that we were born there!

Love your videos, great stuff

Excellent, thanks for sharing 👍 Good that the majority of the trackbed still exists, and some remnants of the station platforms (Westham Halt, Rodwell, Sandsfoot Castle & Wyke Regis Halt) though overgrown with vegetation. A complete waste of a fantastic resource that could be a railway brought back into operation, or tramline to relieve the congested roads in the area, especially in the summer. The scenic route would also be very popular with Grockles.

Lovely video, well done on the recreation.

Fascinating and charming video

Ace video I've cycled these routes many times, whish i could have seen the landscape as it was in 1900

A brilliant reconstruction, when I come to power all old branch lines will be rebuilt

A brilliant living history recreation - thank you!

Was born up Whelley on the Mount Estate this was my play ground. Did you know the Coal and Iron Works was biggest in Europe when it was built

What a fantastic video it brings back all the happy memories of the locomotives we remember as kid all my family where born not far from the line can you please tell me how i can obtain copy of the video kind regards kevin

Good effort! You've even got where I was born and the house I grew up in!

Is this route available to download anywhere?

My grandparents lived on the Marsh in Weymouth and I remember seeing trains on the embankment. My grandfather was a GWR man ending his career in the accounts office at Paddington Station. My grandmother's brother was also a GWR man and started his career working at Portland Station. What a shame the line no longer exists. it would certainly be a tourist attraction.

This is great. Thanks for posting. I've lived in the area all my life and now live close to what's left of the Pemberton loop line, The Central line, Spring Branch and Whelley loop lines, in and around Amberswood area. It took me a while to work out the routes of these lines, as so much has totally gone and been landscaped. When you overlay that old Map onto Google Earth its amazing how much has changed. But you can still make out the routes even today.

Fantastic video showing places I'm familiar with over the past 30+ years in a totally new light (new to me, obviously) Absolutely fascinating; must've taken a lot of work. Thank you for taking the time 👍

I relocated to Dorchester from Oxford 9 years ago. Since then, Portland has become an integral location for both my wife and my own relaxation time. (Walking the coastal path, visiting the marina and Chesil Beach to name but a few attractions). It is a location we greatly enjoy and is now very precious to us both. As my interest in Portland has increased so has my equal interest in its relative history. I've seen the commemorative stone for the railway near the marina entrance. To watch your video to see how the railway worked in its prime is delightful and greatly rewarding to watch. Thank you! I fully agree, the Weymouth to Portland line could now be serving tourists and perhaps maritime freight for the marina. It must have been such a loss to the community of yesteryear when the line ended. Please do recreate the last section of your film when you are able. This current film is a wonderful, engaging effort.

Are these maps available for download at all? I've explored these lines quite a bit as they are now and it's nice to see what these lines may have looked like back in the day.

Brilliant! Hope you are able to recreate the final piece of the line some day

Fantastic

That's absolutely amazing the way you have done this! When I was little our garden backed onto what is now the Rodwell Trail - I remember the locos steaming past. My parents are long gone, so I can't ask them but I am pretty sure my Dad took me on the last passenger train to Portland. It is such a shame it is all gone now.

Fantastic recreation. I was born in Weymouth in 1957 and I remember the rail crossing on Abbotsbury Road. You've certainly filled in a few blanks in my history of this long lost service. Thank you!

Brilliant!! Thanks very much , I really enjoyed watching this

Really well done.

That's a fantastic effort in bringing this railway to life.

That is truly impressive! Very well done for bringing that old line back to life. I look forward to seeing your recreation of the extension to Easton.

This is on my doorstep and walk the loop (or what's left of it) a lot. Wonderful video thank you.

A lot of effort to bring that complex area to life. Well done.

I was brought up in Wigan (Ince, Poolstock and later Shevington and Orrell). My granddfather worked at Springs Branch. I did not realise how many pits there were and how industrial the area was to modern eyes. We just accepted it as being what it was; we didn't know any differently.

thank you very much . the lur hidden bridge in little lane has gone now

I've explored much of this, there's a few relics hidden along the line, also, minor parts of the stations too, but not much!

Very well done indeed. The scenery, buildings & track work are very realistic. You need a brake van on your train is my only comment !! I know this area well. My mum was born in Belle Green Lane, Higher Ince 4 doors up from the crossing on the Signalbox side, as a (very) young lad back in the early 50's we used to swing on the level crossing gates when visiting Grandad. If I remember correctly the line here was reduced to a tatty single track then, and only used a couple of times a day. This branch (Springs Branch) was one of the first branch lines in the world, connecting to the Wigan Branch railway which was built from Parkside on Stephensons Liverpool & Manchester railway to Wigan. A bit later other local railways joined together to form the London & North Western railway, and the Wigan Branch became part of the West Coast mainline from London to Glasgow. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wigan_Branch_Railway This is an interesting map showing the Springs Branch - Route of the Zeppelin raid over Wigan in 1918. They were after the Top Place Ironworks - they missed !! www.wiganworld.co.uk/album/8/bxlb5qf8.jpg

great video thank you

Brilliant recreation and i can tell you that every pub and land mark is spot on

FAB video this mate....Do you know what the part disused railway bridge across the old canal arm (top lock) was for ? There are the remains of four posts which run parallel with it, two either side of withinington lane...(possible level crossing)...... thanks again fott video

Really Enjoyed this recreation. We used to visit Grandparents in Pemberton in the 1960's and 70's. The car run across from Crosby in Liverpool to Wigan was crisscrossed with many railways and the sight of engine smoke and the glimpse of a train made the journey always eventful. Wigan is still a special place to us despite the nightmarish road conditions around the area now. Perhaps there will be a revival of rail and tramway at least started in what remains of my lifetime (63). Hope they at least reopen the Burscough curves and then look to improving Southport to Preston and Blackburn.

Another excellent vid.

Enjoyed that Thanks

Excellent video being from this area i love seeing about the history

Great Video, great research, I've walked most of the lines in question, if you look for it you can find evidence of most of the lines to this day, great video!

Fantastic recreation of the Whelley loop spent a lot of time in the 60’s around that line it was a playground for me and my friend on the Walmsley park council estate...

This is an amazing model and video (and well researched). The Wigan Archaeological Society researched and excavated on the Wigan Coal and Iron site at Kirkless a few years ago and always tried to image what a journey up that line would have looked like - well done.

i have an old enamel sighn from there, i found it in the canal when it was emrty in 1993 it says EMPTY TO THE WIGAN COAL AND IRON WORKS FROM HOWE BRIDGE SIDINGS L.N.W.R. its just over 8 inch by 6 inch white writing and blue background.