Fareham-Gosport Branch Line - What's the point? Traditional Cache
Fareham-Gosport Branch Line - What's the point?
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Difficulty:
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Terrain:
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Size: 
(small)
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Soup container covered in black masking tape. Cache is located in Oakdene Wood. Access can be gained to the nature reserve from Tichborne Way, or from 'End of track' cache (GC1AZ34) by following the cycle path towards Fareham, taking the left path behind the housing estate, then crossing the line at the points.
In 1841 a railway opened between the London and Southampton Railway at Eastleigh via Fareham to Gosport. Gosport railway station was intended to serve Portsmouth across the water, but was sited at Gosport because the railway company was not permitted to breach the Hilsea Lines, the defences at the northern end of Portsea Island protecting Portsmouth. Due to declining traffic, the connection to Fareham was closed for passenger services in 1953 and to freight traffic in 1969, although trains to the armament depot in Frater ran until the late 1970s. Some of the trackbed of the former Gosport–Fareham railway is now a pedestrian walkway and cycle track (between 'end of track' cache and 'Clarence Yard' cache). Near the cache site, a branch forks to the north east into MOD land. The tracks still remain on this part of the line and the MOD branch, although much of it is overgrown with brambles. The lines can clearly be seen on aerial/satellite photos. The points for this junction can still be seen near the cache site (hence the name for this cache). If you follow the tracks just up the line the fork can be seen where the route of the former railway and the MOD branches.
Additional Hints
(Decrypt)
Obggbz bs qbhoyr gehaxrq bnx gerr (ba gur envyjnl fvqr).