In 1964, Sir Topham Hatt was concerned over the congestion in Tidmouth Harbour and Knapford Harbour. He took interest in Arlesburgh Harbour, a port connected by rail to his system but which had been little used following the closure of the Mid Sodor Railway in 1947, so he decided to develop the line and make it use again. He noted also that while this line was heavily overgrown, the one of the Mid Sodor Railway was comparatively weed free. The Mid Sodor Railway had used spoil from the lead mines as ballast; material which they could take and use merely for the asking.