Publications
Branches & Byways: Sussex and Hampshire, by John Vaughan, published 5 August 2004 (256 pp., Ian Allen Publishing, ISBN-10: 086093585X & ISBN-13: 9780860935858) accessible at: West Sussex Libraries & East Sussex Libraries
Abstract:Stretching from Bournemouth in the west to Hastings and Rye in the east, the railway development of the coastal counties of Hampshire and Sussex was ultimately to be dominated by two of the main constituents of the Southern Railway: the London & South Western and the London, Brighton & South Coast. Indeed, the county of Sussex was almost the LBSCR's private fiefdom, its dominance only being challenged by the South Eastern & Chatham's main line from Tunbridge Wells to Hastings and the independent Kent & East Sussex from Robertsbridge in the east, by the LSWR branch from Petersfield to Midhurst in the west and by the independent Selsey line from Chichester. Equally, the LSWR dominated Hampshire, although the company was faced by the much more potent challenge of the Great Western in the north. Alongside the main lines, the majority of which still form the core of the area's railway network to this day, there were countless secondary routes and branches, many of which have now disappeared but others of which still play a crucial part in the area's public transport. Amongst the much-mourned casualties are the Hayling Island branch, the Meon Valley line and the Steyning branch. Other routes - such as the Mid-Hants and the Bluebell - are now partly preserved, allowing contemporary visitors to experience the atmosphere of the secondary lines from more than 40 years ago. In his second contribution to OPC's new 'Branches & Byways' series, John Vaughan narrates the history of the myriad branches and secondary lines of this region. As with the earlier volumes in the series, the book provides the reader with an historical account of each of the lines featured supplemented by a range of historical photographs and maps. Drawn upon the author's detailed local knowledge and research, the book also includes a limited number of 'Then & Now'