Posters telling the history of tanks and trains have been unveiled at Wool station, in a partnership between The Tank Museum, South Western Railway, Friends of Wool Station, and the Purbeck Community Rail Partnership.
Over the last year, there have been nationwide celebrations of the heritage of our stations and railways. As part of Railway 200, the Museum has been working with these local organisations to tell the history of Wool station and the role it has had in tank development and training.
The Museum was asked by the Friends of Wool Station to provide the content and design of three posters, which were installed by South Western Railway.
Friends of Wool Station work closely with the Museum throughout the year, especially surrounding TANKFEST and Tiger Day, to assist visitors making their way to the events.
Station visitors can now find out about the single-track branch line built in 1918 by the Royal Engineers and German POWs between Bovington Camp and Wool. Destroyed in 1936, many locals are unaware of the history of this line, the platform of which can now be seen opposite the Bovington Tank Training Area on the outskirts of the town.
“Thank you so much to our partners in this project,” says Lucy McCalister, Tank Museum Marketing & Communications Manager. “The railway played an important part in the history of armoured warfare, from transporting tanks around the country to here at the home of the tank. We were very happy to contribute to get involved in Railway 200 and educate the station’s visitors about our history.”
Find out more about the history of this railway HERE.
