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Locale Buckinghamshire and
Oxfordshire, England Terminus Chinnor and
Thame Junction Connections Chiltern Main Line at Princes Risborough Name Watlington and Princes Risborough Railway Company Original gauge 4 ft 8 ⁄2 in (1,435 mm) standard gauge Operated by Chinnor and Princes Risborough Railway | ||
The chinnor and princes risborough railway 04 05 06 16
The Chinnor & Princes Risborough Railway is a preserved heritage railway with its headquarters and only station at Chinnor in South Oxfordshire, England. It runs along the foot of the Chilterns escarpment.
Contents
Chinnor and princes risborough railway 27 sept 2015
History
The line was part of the former Great Western Railway branch line between Watlington and Princes Risborough. British Railways closed the line to passenger traffic in 1957. The section between Chinnor and Princes Risborough thereafter carried a freight-only cement service until 1989.
Reopening
The Chinnor and Princes Risborough Railway Association was formed around August 1989. On 19 May 1991, the first train - a works train headed by a 0-4-0 Baguley diesel - ran from Chinnor. It began to operate passenger trains between Chinnor and the site of the former Wainhill Halt (about 1 km NE of Chinnor) in August 1994. In 1995 the route was extended by about 3 km to Horsenden Lane, and then to Thame Junction in 1996. The 4 km route has been unchanged since then.
The railway operates on standard gauge between Chinnor and Thame Junction, near Princes Risborough. As of 2016, there is no platform at Thame Junction, so each trip from Chinnor is a return journey of about 8 km.
Princes Risborough extension
Following discussions with Network Rail, an extension of about a mile (1.5 km) to Princes Risborough main line railway station is in progress, with a view to running into Princes Risborough station. This would allow passengers to connect from Chiltern Railways services on the Chiltern Main Line. Previously, the line was reconnected for special events to allow trains to run into Princes Risborough station: in October 2013, the line was reconnected for the first 3 weekends for the Railway's "Haversham & Friends" celebrations, and the first through-train for 57 years, a rail tour from Aylesbury via Princes Risborough, ran on 5 October 2013.
On 21 February 2016, a small team of volunteers used a road-rail vehicle to install a track panel in place of a Network Rail buffer stop to reinstate the physical connection to Princes Risborough; the following day, official boundary gates and safety signage were installed, making the line operational. With the extension in place, the line is 4 miles (6.4 km) in length. The link was used for the first time by a visiting locomotive as part of the gala held on 4/5 June 2016; DB Cargo Class 66 66185 hauled 3-CEP 411198 on the 0950 from Chinnor. A test run with a single-car DMU was operated on 25 June with the train running into Princes Risborough's temporary platform 4, followed a week later by a Class 17 working and then a steam-run on 10 July. The first full public service carrying VIP guests to Risborough ran on 23 July, hauled by D3018 Haversham with the return journey worked by GWR 0-6-0PT 5786 (L.92).
A platform has still to be built at Princes Risborough by the preserved railway and, until that work is completed, Chinnor & Princes Risborough Railway passengers will not be able to join or leave trains at Princes Risborough.
Future projects
Consideration has been given to extending the line to the south-west from Chinnor towards Aston Rowant near the A40, taking its total length to 6 miles (9.7 km).
A purpose built Maintenance and Education centre at Chinnor station is also planned, with construction expected to commence in 2014.
On-screen appearances
Chinnor station has been used for the filming of various TV series including Miss Marple and Midsomer Murders.