In the early hours of 19th November 1951 floods washed away an embankment, just south of Midhurst, approximately where Holmbush Industrial Estate stands today. One of the streams that feeds South Pond ran under the embankment through a culvert which became blocked. Subsequentally the large build up of backed-up water broke through taking the line with it. The crew of the approaching the 9.30am goods from Chichester train pulled by locomotive Ex LB&SCR C2X No.32522 barely managed to leap from the locomotive seconds before it fell into the gap. As a result the line between Cocking and Midhurst was abandoned. The Midhurst to Chichester line was opened in 1881, but passenger services had been withdrawn in 1935. Recovery of the locomotive took more than three months. The loco was repaired and returned to traffic, with a replacement tender, in May 1952 and not withdrawn until October 1961.