This sign post is near the start of one of my favourite walks and we smile when we see it because there has not been a station at Burghclere for almost 50 years but the sign post still points the way.
The Beeching report in March 1963 led to many rural railway lines being closed but some including this one were closed before the report was commissioned. Burghclere station closed in 1960.
In many places the old railways have been built over and there is no trace of them but in other places they are virtually untouched apart from the removal of the tracks.
We walked along here today. It is an odd place to walk because it still looks very much like a railway line.
Here you can see the old station platforms.
Back in the 1950s and 60s many lines were little used as car travel took over from trains and freight was taken by road rather than rail. Now looking back when we are all encouraged to use public transport, it seems very short sighted to lose so many miles of railway.
We had a very pleasant and peaceful walk through the countryside but it did seem sad to think of all the work and effort put into the railway structures, many of them still standing but now unused.
