7 and 1/4" railway nestled between the fairground and the gardens.
The railway is a continuous loop of about one third of a mile and the tracks are set at 7.25 inch gauge. You will be amazed by the power of the tiny locomotives as they haul both adults and children around the scenic route.
The station is located beyond the end of the fairground, near the sawmill. Trains pass between the fairground and the Woodland Gardens, around a loop near the Gallopers, and back past the engine shed to the station. The journey takes about five minutes.
The miniature railway is supported by members of the Liphook Modellers Club who have a clubhouse at Hollycombe.
Hollycombe’s Garden Railway is built to the popular 71⁄4 inch gauge and is of an extended dumbbell shape. The Garden Railway is so named because it runs between the Fairground and the Woodland Gardens, giving unusual views of both areas.
The railway has been established for over 40 years and has undergone some transformations over the years, many to extend the run and to reduce the tightness of the curves that originally existed. Much landscaping and planting has been done to improve the line and its surroundings and this work is ongoing.
A major improvement has been the construction of a new station with an oak-framed canopy which increases the flexibility for more trains on busy days and provides some cover on wet days. The line’s engine and carriage sheds are close by.
The main steam locomotive on the line is Bob, which was built in 1981, and has recently undergone a major rebuild. It is of the popular ‘Tinkerbell’ design, based on the style of a narrow gauge locomotive. It is named after its first driver at Hollycombe, Canadian Bob Finlay, whose wish to have his ashes placed around this line when he died was carried out.
Photo: A scene from the early 1980s with Bob on a busy train.