IT’S more than 60 years since the Meon Valley Railway chugged its way along a rural route from Alton though villages such as Beech, Droxford and Farringdon, before returning to the town, and the tracks were torn up and the stations converted into houses after it closed in 1955.

What has remained is a wonderful collection of photographs of the Meon Valley Railway which will soon go on show to the public at what will be a permanent exhibition, due to open in March, in The Angel Inn, Privett.

The man organising the exhibition is Ron Stone, who now lives in Alton but who grew up beside the railway when his father William was the landlord of The New Inn at West Meon. He can recall seeing the old South Western Railway trains, before British Rail took over, steaming along the single track taking commuters or housewives on shopping trips to Alton to connect with a London train.

The railway was one of the jewels of the age of steam and its route covered some of Hampshire’s most beautiful countryside.

It survived both the first and second world wars, taking troops to their camps or to an embarkation train, but by the 1950s people chose to drive rather than get the train and in 1955 the Meon Valley Railway was axed.

Now it is being brought back to life with this photographic exhibition which even includes early ones of the labourers starting to lay the track and also the building of the picturesque stations and, of course, some of the engines that fascinated train spotters.

As well as photographs, there will be information on the history of the railway including one time when Winston Churchill paid a secret visit.

In his memoirs, Churchill recalled that “on June 2, 1944, I set off in my train for our siding by Eisenhower’s headquarters at Portsmouth”.

With Field Marshall Smutts, Ernest Bevan, General Ismay and my personal staff, that day a telephone call was sent down the Meon Valley line to Alton, to allow a special train to come through.

On its arrival at Droxford station it drew into the sidings and Churchill, who had been planning operation Overlord – the D Day Landings – used it as his base to continue with the final preparations.

The next day, Anthony Eden and Pierson Dixon arrived and CID officers guarded these great men as they made wartime history.

Mr Stone, who used to work for the family coal business before becoming licensee of the The Castle Inn on Alton High Street, would like anyone who has any postcards or photographs of the Meon Valley Railway that could be used in the exhibition to get in touch by calling 01420 86979.