Soberton
'00' gauge 4mm - BR
The Meon Valley Railway was opened in 1903 and ran from Fareham by way of Wickham and the Meon Valley to Alton. It was built to main line standards with the intention that it would ultimately develop into an alternative route between the Fareham and Gosport area and London as that part of the costal strip developed (it was hoped that Lee on the Solent would ultimately rival Bournemouth as a resort). This was not to be and the line was soon relegated to the status of minor branch line leaving the spectacle of an M7 and a push-pull set working single-track stations laid out to receive 10
coach main line passenger trains. In 1955 the line was closed to passenger traffic and severed between
Farringdon and Droxford by means of demolishing the West Meon Viaduct. Farringdon continued to receive freight traffic from Alton until 1968 while Wickham, Mislingford and Droxford lost their freight service from Fareham in 1962.
Principal features of the railway included a very distinctive track layout at each of the stations, very large goods yards and station buildings that were far too grandiose for their locations.