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History Vintage

War On The Line

August 26, 2016

I’m well overdue a big catch up, with all my unwritten blog posts! I’ve been to quite a few fabulous vintage events this year and still haven’t got round to blogging about them. With Twinwood only a few hours away and lots of other exciting events on the vintage calendar, I thought I’d get to work writing about some of the fun things I’ve been up to.

I’ve always wanted to go to one of the many 1940s days that happen at Britain’s many heritage railway lines. My dad is a big steam train enthusiast and we’ve always enjoyed visiting railways together. Mixing my love of history and vintage with his love of trains seemed like the perfect day out for both of us. We decided to visit War On The Line, a WW2 themed event on the Mid Hants Railway also known as the Watercress Line.

The event had a bit of everything from re-enactors, to vintage clothing stalls, live music and of course the trains themselves. There was also plenty of interesting demonstrations, which gave a fascinating insight into the war.

I decided to not bring my big camera with me, as its sometimes nice to just enjoy a day out without trying to get perfect blog photos. So I just took a few on my phone this time.

War on The Line Classic CarsThere were plenty of gorgeous classic cars on display, I especially loved the fire engine.

War on the Line Vintage ClothesI couldn’t resist a good look through all the fantastic vintage clothing stalls, there were so many gorgeous 40s and 50s dresses.

War on the line Steam TrainsOf course there were wonderful steam trains running all day. It was really fun riding between the stations and sitting in different carriages. It was great having my dad with me to tell me all about the trains.

War on the line Harry Potter BridgeThere was even a bridge, that had appears in two of my favourite films The Thirty Nine Steps and Harry Potter!

War on the Line ViewAnd the views were beautiful! The Mid Hants Railway, sits in beautiful countryside and it was lovely to get away from London for the day and enjoy the fresh air.

War on the line Winston ChurchillI loved all the vintage details on the stations, it was like stepping back in time. I even got a brief sighting of Winston Churchill himself!

War on the Line Mid Hants Railway-2There were loads of fantastic reenactors  at the event and it was really interesting chatting to them, they all knew so much about the war and their passion for the past was incredible.

War on the line carsIt was an absolutely brilliant day out and I will definitely be going again next year. I’d also like to check out more railway events in the future. The atmosphere was fantastic and even learnt a bit of history while I was there.

Find out about future events on The Watercress Line website.

  • Reply
    Melanie
    August 26, 2016 at 7:00 pm

    That green Hudson, be still my heart!
    I used to be a regular part of the scenery at WOTL as a reenactor with my husband, it was great fun but we stopped going as we couldn’t get there easily without a car. I do miss it, the Christmas one is also great fun, so atmospheric x

  • Reply
    Madison
    August 27, 2016 at 1:17 pm

    Wow, looks like a really wonderful and interesting event! Those cars are absolutely gorgeous, I love the colour and character of vintage vehicles. The clothes at the fair also looked lovely, must’ve been a really nice collection, and your outfit absolutely fits the whole aesthetic of the day, lovely !

  • Reply
    pixieanna
    August 27, 2016 at 2:51 pm

    I love the 1940s reenactments that happen on heritage lines. I have 2 near me: the Wensleydale railway and the North York Moors Railway (also used in Harry Potter!) I haven’t been to them this year because of ill health but last year’s Wensleydale was really good. Leyburn, the town at the end of the line, joins in and the shops do wartime displays in their windows, some of the pubs and cafes serve food typical of the period and everybody joins in

  • Reply
    Mim McDonald (@crinolinerobot)
    September 2, 2016 at 1:15 pm

    Oh, that looks lovely! I’m hopnig to go to a 40s weekend at my local heritage railway soon.

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