The Hayling Billy was the affectionate name given to the little train which once ran between Havant and Hayling Island. It opened in July 1867, only some 40 years after the first road bridge to the island was built. There was little development on the island by this time, and it was hoped the railway would encourage a greater flow of visitors. (Click here for more about the history and development of Hayling Island.)
The line was built by a local company, but was soon taken over by the London, Brighton, & South Coast Railway (LBSCR). For most of its life, until its closure in 1963, the line was worked by a number of tiny
A1X class tank engines, nicknamed ‘Terriers’, which were originally designed for South London suburban services. These diminutive locomotives were dwarfed by the carriages they pulled but, at 28 tons, they were the only ones light enough to be allowed to cross the picturesque, wooden Langston Bridge from the mainland.
The line continued to ferry large numbers of summer visitors and day-trippers to Hayling, even after the original, narrow road bridge was replaced in 1956 by the present structure. (Tolls were charged to road users until 1960.) However, by the 1960s Langston railway bridge was in poor condition and needing extensive (and expensive) repairs, while the Terriers were almost 90 years old and in urgent need of replacement. Although the line was covering the costs of its operation, the expense needed to keep it open could not be justified, and the line closed in November 1963. A preservation group tried to save the line by buying it and converting it into a tramway. Although it bought a Blackpool tram (which was stored in the sidings at Havant station for some years), the scheme came to nothing.
The Havant Borough Council website includes a fascinating selection of photographs and video clips of the line in action between the 1930s and 1963.
In 1966 one of the Terrier engines which had worked on the line was bought from its temporary home at Droxford (see The Meon Valley Railway Path) by the local brewers Brickwoods. It was restored to its original livery as no. 46 ‘Newington’, to form an unusual if over-sized sign for the Hayling Billy pub on the island. In 1979 the engine was donated to the Isle of Wight Steam Railway and has been restored as no. 8 ‘Freshwater’, the number and name it carried when it ran on the Isle of Wight during the 1930s and 40s. It’s in regular use there, once more hauling trains packed with holidaymakers and day-trippers (see photo above).
The trackbed has survived almost completely intact, apart from Langston bridge, which was demolished after the line closed, though the stumps of the bridge piers can still be seen at low water. However, none of the stations or other buildings, apart from the old goods shed at Hayling Island, remain. The cycle route is currently being improved, with the first section from Havant Station to Langstone Road now complete, with a high quality tarred surface.
A scheme to build a replacement cycle bridge, using the old bridge piers was suggested as a Millennium Project but it failed to win the necessary funding. A cycleway scheme across the existing road bridge is planned instead to link the two halves of the old railway line although there are difficulties fitting it into the restricted width of the busy bridge.
The Hayling Billy Trail starts just outside Havant railway station, which was the original junction for the line. Hayling trains used a bay platform at the London end of the westbound-platform. There is a marked cycle path (click here for a picture from the Havant Borough Council website) to the left across the station car park to New Lane, where there are replica level crossing gates on each side of the road.
From New Lane the Trail runs through a cutting towards East Street bridge; the path has been raised above the old ground level to help cure flooding problems. At East Street bridge the path climbs a ramp to cross a car park which has been built on the trackbed beyond. A coloured path denotes the route of the cycle path across the car park, beyond which it continues along the trackbed and under the A27. Beyond the A27 the line runs behind houses on one side with the Lymbourne Stream on the other and continues to the Langstone Road, where there was once a level crossing. The single platform of Langston Halt (the railway always spelt it differently) was situated on the left on the far side of the crossing.
The line now continues along a left-hand curve before veering off the trackbed to join the road near the Ship Inn. From here you have to cross over to the island on the road bridge. You may prefer to walk this stretch to keep out of the way of the traffic. If you look to your right, and the tide is low enough, you will see the concrete stumps of the old railway bridge. In the centre is the base of the swinging section which allowed boats to pass through.
Follow the main road from the far end of the bridge and then, to rejoin the old railway, turn right following the sign for the Hayling Billy Trail. There are two paths leading to the railway line. The right-hand one is intended for walkers and cyclists, but there’s a barrier with a narrow gap (designed to keep motorcycles out), through which you have to contort or lift your bike. You can avoid this by using the left-hand path, which is really for horses, but it can be rather muddy. The railway line is reached after a few yards. Turn left onto the main Trail when you come to it, unless you want to explore the embankment on the right which leads to the site of the bridge. The Hayling Billy Trail is open to walkers and horse-riders, as well as cyclists. Always show consideration to other users and be sure to give way to them whenever necessary.
The first stretch leads to the site of North Hayling Halt, where there’s another car park. The halt was a primitive affair, consisting of no more than a wooden platform with a small waiting hut, of which nothing now remains. After dark the halt was lit by a splendid oil lamp known to the engine crews as ‘The North Star’, such was its brilliance amidst the surrounding darkness.
The local council has thoughtfully provided a number of highly informative, illustrated signboards about the old line, its surroundings, and the wildlife to be seen. There’s one of them at North Hayling Halt. There are are good views over Langstone Harbour from here. At low tide vast mud flats, very attractive to wading birds, fill most of the scene. Indeed, this is one of the most important sites for wintering birds and wildfowl, and much of the harbour is now owned by the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds. Winter visitors include curlews, cormorants, brent geese, oystercatchers, herons, and many others.
At high tide the water laps at the foot of the railway embankment – indeed, it forms a sea wall, and at the 2-mile point there are signs of repairs having been made to ensure it continues to perform this vital task. A little further on, by a World War II pillbox, the trail divides, providing a separate track for horses. A long straight length follows, ended by a gentle bend to the right at the point where a white farmhouse stands in the middle of the fields to the left. The Trail then begins to veer away from the water’s edge and a track crosses the old line to connect up the fields on either side. A footpath crosses a short way further on, and then the line can be seen to be climbing, ever so slightly. A small group of bungalows back onto the Trail.
All too soon the Trail comes to an end as it broadens out into the site of the old station, now a small industrial estate. Continue along the track until you come to the road. None of the station buildings remain, but the old goods shed still exists and has been extended and converted to form a theatre for the local amateur dramatic society.
You can either follow through the pages in sequence or go back to pick another route from the list of the old railway routes I've used.
Updated: 21 September 2006
