A piece of Mid-Hants Railway history will be recreated when the Watercress Line’s newly-restored flagship engine - Southern Region Merchant Navy Class 35005 Canadian Pacific - hauls eight carriages on a non-stop run from Alresford to Alton.

Normally the steam trains on the Watercress Line stop at Ropley and Medstead & Four Marks to give passengers a chance to explore all the stations on the heritage railway.

But the Mid-Hants was not a cul-de-sac ending at Alresford - it linked the London and South Western Railway’s Southampton to Basingstoke and Alton to Guildford lines.

A junction between Winchester and Micheldever saw the Mid-Hants line head off towards the now vanished Itchen Abbas railway station, which closed when British Rail shut the line in 1973.

The M3 and five houses now obstruct the route of the Winchester to Alresford section at various points and Itchen Abbas station was demolished in the early 1980s to be replaced by a house which has parts of the platform in its garden.

However in the 1960s the whole line was still operational, and it was during that decade that an express service was diverted along the Mid-Hants, passing straight through the intermediate stations and inspiring the non-stop run that will be the highlight of the Watercress Line’s Spring Steam Gala from April 25 to 27.

The gala will feature three guest locomotives - the 1893-built London and South Western Railway T3 Class No 563, thanks to the Swanage Railway Trust and the 563 Locomotive Group; the Lancashire and Yorkshire Railway A Class 52322, built in 1895 at Horwich and visiting courtesy of Andy Booth and the East Lancashire Railway; and Lancashire and Yorkshire Railway No 752/London, Midland and Scottish Railway 11456, built in 1881 and coming thanks to the Lancashire and Yorkshire Railway Trust.

The Watercress Line’s own 41312 Ivatt, a veteran of the Southern Region steam network, will also be running over the weekend.

The gala includes the chance to operate the DS58 Steam Crane - bookable for an extra cost - a free behind the scenes tour at Ropley to see steam restoration in action, Queen Mary brake van rides on the goods train, miniature railway displays and a goods shed exhibition at Medstead & Four Marks station.

Railway society stands and railway art stalls will be on show at Ropley and Alresford stations, and refreshments will be available to visitors from the station buffets and kiosks.

The event is part of the Railway 200 campaign celebrating 200 years of railway travel in the UK. For more details visit https://railway200.co.uk/

Watercress Line chief executive Rebecca Dalley said: “We are thrilled to welcome these iconic guest locomotives to our line for the very first time and proud to be putting our fully renovated flagship locomotive 35005 Canadian Pacific on show to visitors for the first time since her launch.

“The Spring Steam Gala is always a highlight in our calendar, and this year’s event, as part of the Railway 200 celebrations, promises to be extra special.”