The Weymouth to Portland railway ran along the Portland Harbour shoreline from Wyke Regis to Victoria Square on Portland. It crossed the Fleet channel on an iron bridge to the east of the road bridge.

The railway opened in October 1865 after much delay and was jointly operated by the Great Western Railway (GWR) and the London and South-Western Railway (LSWR). Initially it crossed the Fleet on a wooden viaduct but this was replaced with a shorter metal viaduct in late 1902. This remained in use until the line closed in 1965.

As the line approached Ferrybridge it passed Wyke Regis halt followed by a series of sidings serving the Whitehead torpedo works. The line then crossed the bridge over the entrance to the Fleet before running the length of Hamm Beach towards Portland.

OS map revised 1927 showing Wyke Regis halt, the Whitehead sidings and the viaduct over the Fleet channel

As the line passed the Whitehead works it passed over a narrow-gauge line running from within the works out along the very long pier.

The line along Hamm Beach was carried on an embankment with drainage ditches on each side. The presence of these man-made features created unique habitats and these are now contained with the Chesil and Fleet Special Area of Conservation (SAC).

After Hamm Beach the line passed a series of large tanks built by the navy to house oil fuel. It then approached the main Portland station in Victoria Square.

A more detailed description of the railway can be found in the Hamm Beach pages of this site.