Line rediscovered in Weymouth

REMAINS of a railway last used in the 1930s have been unearthed by contractors undertaking the controversial removal of the Weymouth Quay branch.

It is believed that the old track, discovered by the Cosens Quay car park, was part of a loop on the branch which was replaced by a larger curve to allow bigger locomotives for the port’s Channel Island ferry terminal.

A group of local campaigners who were calling for the 1¼-mile quay branch to be reopened had collected a petition containing almost 4000 signatures in the hope of reopening it for tourism.

However, Network Rail and Dorset Council said that the branch could not be reopened because of the state of the track.