A RETIRED transport worker is urging people to remember Andover’s Sprat and Winkle railway line, which closed 50 years ago this month.

Rail enthusiast Rod Davies, 68, is hoping to jog the memory of fellow Andoverians who may remember the popular passenger service, which ground to a halt on 6 September, 1964.

Mr Davies, from Pembroke Court, Andover, used the line to travel to college in Eastleigh and believes it should be remembered for its importance to the town and villages along the line.

Mr Davies said: “I think people have forgotten about it, and I want to jog their memory.

“My parents used it regularly to go shopping in Southampton, but people would use it to get to places such as Portsmouth as well. It played an extremely vital role in the war effort, as it was used to bring troops down to Southampton. It was a really important part of the town’s history.”

The railway line, which was opened in March 1865, connected Andover to Redbridge, Southampton, and was used by both freight and passenger services.

The line included several stops including Stockbridge and Romsey and was well used, with an estimated 800 journeys being made each day by the time of closure.

Despite its popularity, the service was deemed unprofitable and eventually fell foul of the “Beeching cuts” which identified more than 5,000 miles of railway for closure across the country, including the Sprat and Winkle Line.

Despite widespread protest, the Ministry of Transport approved British Railway’s decision to stop the service, with the final train terminating at Andover Junction Station on Sunday, 6 September at 9.37pm.

Mr Davies was on the train as it made its final journey. Recalling the event, he said: “I got on the train at Romsey and travelled on board as it made its way to Andover. I remember Peter Yarlett played the Last Post on his bugle as the train came in.

“The atmosphere around the station was happy but it was strange when the guard waved his flag for the last time. I was upset because part of my childhood had gone. It was a slightly numbing feeling.”

The line remained open for freight until 1967. Much of the trackbed remains in place today.