In 1894 a branch was opened from Fort Brockhurst station on the main line to
Fareham, this branch went to the resort of Lee on the Solent. This line was never a success and never paid a dividend to its share holders but it lasted until 1931 when passenger traffic was withdrawn
and 1935 when the last freight train ran. Both Stokes Bay and the Lee on the Solent Railways were originally built by independent Companies but were eventually taken over by the larger London & South
Western Company who ran the Gosport Line.
Daily Trade
The railway and the station were very busy in the middle part of the 19th
century, particularly with the carriage of coal and other freights. However the opening of a direct service from London to Portsmouth in 1847 began to have a heavy impact on Portsmouth's station in
Gosport " as it was known in Portsmouth, but never by that name on Gosports's side of the water.
Wartime
As the pace of war increased in 1914 so the role of the station revived as
Gosport's role as Victualler to the Navy increased. There was in influx of great numbers of supplies to and from the Royal Clarence Yard, also large numbers of troop movements and after the start of
the war the transportation of the wounded en route to Haslar.
After the First Word War rail traffic began to decrease again and in 1934 the
twin track to Fareharn was singled. In an attempt at economy in 1937 unsuccessful experiments were made with a rubber tyred ,petrol engined, rail bus which was developed by the French Michelin Tyre
Company.
With the coming of the Second World War the station saw much military activity
again including supplies, hospital trains and trains carrying prisoners of war on their way to the local internment camp. On the night of 10th March 1941 the station received a direct incendiary hit from
an aerial attack the main damage being to the roofing which caught light and collapsed.
The end of the hostilities in 1945 once again diminished Gosport Station's
role and long before Dr Beeching's famous axe the line was threatened with closure. Finally on 6th June 1953 scheduled passenger services from Gosport ceased although freight working remained until
30th January 1969 when all rail traffic to Gosport station ceased.
