The Portland Branch railway refers to a group of lines on the Isle of Portland in the English county of Dorset. The first was the Portland Railway, in fact a tramway with a counterbalanced rope worked incline. It opened in 1826. It was followed by the Weymouth and Portland Railway, which connected to the main line of the Great Western Railway at Weymouth. It opened in 1865. From the late 1840s until 1872 Portland Breakwater was built, a prodigious construction task that created a very large safe harbour. It was decided to provide a railway connection to the breakwater, which was used as a pier for bunkering ships. This was constructed by the LSWR and the GWR jointly, and opened in 1876. The fourth line was the Easton and Church Hope Railway. This line was conceived as a simple descent to bring stone down from quarries to a new jetty at Church Hope, but after their line was authorised in 1867, the Company delayed useful construction, and a change of plan followed, with several Acts of Parliament authorising modifications to the route and extension of time. It finally opened in 1900. The Weymouth and Portland Railway and the Easton and Church Hope Railway were operated jointly by the Great Western Railway and the LSWR. As far as Portland the line was well used, but the onward section to Easton was disappointing commercially, and the E&CHR company, which owned the infrastructure, fell into receivership. The entire line closed to passengers in 1952, and completely in 1965. There is no railway activity on the former route now. Portland Railway: an early tramway The Isle of Portland is rich in an excellent quality of limestone, that was considered ideal for the construction of public buildings. Being both durable and easy to work, as well as pleasing in colour, it was very desirable. In the early nineteenth century, transport to cities where it was required was by coastal shipping. Much of the actual quarrying took place at high points on the Island, and getting the heavy material down to a quayside was a considerable task. In the early 1820s this led to a tramway being promoted by interested parties, and the Portland Railway was incorporated by Act of Parliament of 10 June 1825. It was also known informally as the Merchants' Railway, or the Freeman's Incline. It consisted of a horse-drawn tramway from what