The forgotten branch line to Ridgeway

Timber was the reason the line existed. When the last sawmill closed after the war, freight fell away quickly, and passenger numbers alone could not keep the line open. The final train ran on a wet Saturday in March 1952.

Members walk the old route each year with permission from the landowners. They have found cuttings, two culverts and the stone base of a water tower, and they record each find with a photograph and a grid reference before publishing it.

The society's goal is a complete, carefully sourced history of the line. Its members are cautious about stories that cannot be traced to a document, and they mark every unverified claim in their notes as a rumour until evidence turns up.