Lyme Regis branch line

Lyme Regis
branch line
Axminster
Combpyne
Lyme Regis

The Lyme Regis branch line was a railway branch line connecting the seaside town of Lyme Regis with the main line railway network at Axminster, running through picturesque rural countryside on the Dorset - Devon border.

It opened in 1903; penetrating difficult topography, the line was very steeply graded and sharply curved; on summer weekends high passenger levels were carried, with through carriages from London on many services. The line was of great interest to railway enthusiasts in later years due to the three LSWR 415 class tank engines in use there; these units survived long after the rest were replaced on the London suburbs.

With the decline in usage of rural lines, the branch closed in 1965.