Bedfordshire, Oxfordshire and Isle of Wight

 

Leighton Buzzard Railway  

Address: Page's Park Station, Billington Road, Leighton Buzzard, Bedfordshire LU7 4TN
Telephone; 01525 373888  Email: info@buzzrail.co.uk
Line Length: 3 miles  Gauge: 1ft 11½ inches
Route: Page's Park to Stonehenge Works  Journey Time: 35 minutes
Service: February 12, 15, 19 / March 18, 25 / April - October every Sunday / April 4, 6, 7, 9, 11 / May 5, 7 / June 2, 4, 5 / July 24 -26, 31 / August 1, 2, 7 - 9, 14 -16, 21- 23, 29 / September 15 / October 31 / December 5, 8, 9, 12, 15, 16, 19, 22, 23 27, 28 •
Tickets: Adult £9.00, Child £5.00, Family (2 adults and 2 children) £25.00 return fare
Parking: Free parking Page's Park Station LU7 4TN   
Website: www.buzzrail.co.uk    YouTubevideo    location map

 

Page's Park Station: Souvenirs, refreshments, viewing of locomotives and carriages in use, public park adjacent with children's playground

 

Stonehenge Works Station: Refreshments, craft shop, viewing of locomotives, rolling stock, museum giving information on sand excavation .


The Leighton Buzzard Railway owes its existence to the sand which is available in vast quantities in the area. After World War I a line was laid from Billington Road sidings to Double Arches, to transport excavated sand.

 

Advantage was taken of the fact there was a large quantity of light railway equipment which became surplus to requirements after the war. The 3½ miles of  of track was completed by 1919. Steam traction was only used for the first two years after which Simplex petrol locomotives were used. Trains to Billington Road ended in 1969, closure of commercial sand hauling stopped in 1981.

 

In 1968 a group of enthusiasts started running passenger trains over the line. This was the beginning of the Leighton Buzzard Narrow Gauge Railway Society, the organisation that still runs the railway today.

 

At the Leighton Buzzard Railway there are over 50 locomotives which are powered by steam, diesel or petrol engines. They claim to have one of the largest narrow gauge collections in the country. Steam locomotives at the railway include Avonside 'Selzela No.4' 0-4-0T, Orestein & Koppel 'PC Allen' 0-4-0WT, Baldwin '778' 4-6-0T and De Winton 'Chaloner' 0-4-0 VBT.

 

The line is built to true light railway standards with the track following the terrain, it has sharp curves and steep gradients. Another feature is regular working displays at the Stonehenge Works demonstrating how the sand was excavated and transported.

 

Further photographs of the Leighton Buzzard Railway can be found in the Photo Gallery

 

Chinnor and Princes Risborough Railway

 

Address: Chinnor Station, Station Approach, Station Road, Chinnor, Oxfordshire OX39 4ER
Talking Timetable: 01844 353535  Booking Telephone: 01844 354117
Line Length: 3½ miles  Gauge: 4ft 8½ inches
Route: Chinnor to Thame Junction
Service: March 18, 25 / April - Sundays, 6, 7, 9, 21, 28 / May - Saturdays & Sundays, 7 / June 2, 3, 4, 5, 9, 10, 16, 17,  24 / July - Saturdays & Sundays except 28 / August - Saturdays & Sundays except 4, 27 / September 1, 2, 9, 15, 16, 23, 29, 30 / October - Sundays / December - Saturdays & Sundays / December Saturdays & Sundays, 31 •
Tickets: Adult £9.50, Child £5.00, Family £24.00 (2 adults and 2 children) unlimited travel on day of issue
Parking: Chinnor station OX39 4ER  
Website: www.chinnorrailway.co.uk    YouTubevideo   location map

 

Chinnor Station: Refreshments, shop, picnic area

 

The branch line that forms the Chinnor and Princes Risborough Railway (CPRR) ran for nine miles from Princess Risborough to Watlington, with two other stations at Chinnor and Aston Rowant. On 15 August 1872 the Watlington and Princes Risborough Railway Company, as it was called, ran the first trains. The railway started with three trains every weekday, this was increased to four a day in the early part of the century. A single track line it was operated on the 'one engine in steam' principle so there was the minimum of signalling. On 1 July 1883 the independent railway company was taken into Great Western Railway ownership. Chinnor cement plant opened in 1908 and provided the branch with the majority of its freight traffic. 

 

A passenger service lasted until 1 July, 1957 after this the track from Chinnor to Watlington was taken up. Goods trains continued to serve the cement works on the line until 20 December 1989.

 

The Chinnor and Prince Risborough Railway (CPPR) took over in 1990, one of the first tasks was to build a new station at Chinnor. Passengers were first carried on 20 August 1994, with trips to Wainhill Halt. A further extension in April 1995 reached Harsden Lane, by 1996 the present end of the line at Thame Junction was attained. A temporary link to the main line at Princes Risborough was made to celebrate 100 years of the connection to Bicester North. On 3 July 2010 a special 'Centenary Express' ran from Banbury to Chinnor using the link.

 

The CPRR has one steam locomotive on loan from the East Anglian Railway Museum, GER No.69621 0-6-2T built in 1924. As there is only one station only round trips are made.

 

Cholsey and Wallingford Railway

 

Address: Wallingford Station, Hithercroft Road, Wallingford, Oxon OX10 9GQ 
Telephone: 01491 835067  Email: cwrail@yahoo.co.uk 
Line Length: 2½ miles  Gauge: 4ft 8½ inches
Route: Wallingford to Cholsey  Journey Time: 25 minutes
Service: April 23-25 / May 1, 2 , 14, 15, 29, 30 / June 11, 12, 19, 25 26 / July 3,16,17, 24, 31 / August 7, 13, 14, 28, 29 / September 3, 4, 11 / October 29, 30 / December 3,4,10,11,17,18
Tickets: Diesel: Adult £5.50  Child £3.00  Steam: Adult £7.50  Child  £4.00 return fare
Parking: Free at Wallingford station, pay and display at Cholsey station

 

Wallingford Station: Refreshments, museum, picnic area, shop

 

Cholsey Station: Main line railway

 

In 1861 a line from Moulsford to Princess Risborough via Wallingford, Watlington and Chinnor  was planned. When it opened in 1866 the route went to Wallingford but because of poor traffic it never reached Watlington. Ownership of the Wallingford and Watlington Railway transfered to the Great Western Railway in 1872. 

 

Passenger services ended in 1959. A new malt plant was built adjacent to the railway 1961 and it is because of this that the track continued to be used. Wallingford station was demolished in 1969 with the end of the line being replaced with a building development. In 1981 the malt plant decided to switch from the railway to road transport.

 

Set up in 1981 the Cholsey and Wallingford Railway Preservation Society proposed to run the line as a heritage railway. The Society ran the first passenger trains in 1985 over a small section of the line. A service over the complete route to Cholsey began in 1997. At Cholsey station the branch platform is used by the Cholsey and Wallingford Railway (CWR) and this gives passenger a connection to the main line.

 

Wallingford station is owned by the CWR, at present there is one platform with temporary buildings. In the portacabin is the café and souvenir shop. The coach houses the museum, toilet facilities are also available. Long term aims are to develop the station with permanent buildings to replicate the original. Known as the 'Bunk Line' nobody seems to know how it got this name.

 

Resident locomotives are three diesel electric shunters 'Lion', 'Unicorn' and 'George Mason'. During peak times GWR No.6430 0-6-0PT steam locomotive will be operating. 

 

Isle of Wight Steam Railway

Address: The Railway Station, Havenstreet, Isle of Wight, PO33 4DS
Telephone: 01983 882204  Email: havenstreet@iwsteamrailway.co.uk
Talking Timetable: 01983 884343
Line Length: 5 miles  Gauge: 4ft 8½ inches
Route: Smallbrook Junction to Wootton  Journey Time: 21 minutes
Service: February 21 - 25 / March - Thursdays, 20 , 27 / April every day except 1, 2, 4, 5, 8, 9, 15, 16 / May every day except 6, 7, 9, 13, 14, 16, 20, 21, 23, 27 / June every day except 10, 11 / July, August, September every day / October - Sundays, Wednesdays, Thursdays, 1, 24, 25, 28 / November - Sundays, Thursdays / December  Saturday & Sunday except 25, 21 - 23, 26 - 28
Tickets: Adult £9.50, Child £5.00, Family £24.00 (2 adults and 2 children) unlimited travel on day of issue
Parking: Large car park at Havenstreet PO33 4DS, limited parking at Wootton, no parking at other stations   
Website: www.iwsteamrailway.co.uk    YouTubevideo    location map

 

Havenstreet Station: Refreshments, shop, museum, children's area, picnic tables

 

In the 19th century the Isle of Wight had a comprehensive network of railways run by nine independent companies. The first line on the island went from Cowes to Newport this opened in 1862. Next the route from Ryde to Newport was added in 1875 it went via Wooton and Havenstreet. At the time of grouping when the Southern Railway took possession in 1923 the number of railway companies had been reduced to only four. Many local inhabitants did not use the railway because they thought the fares were too high. This meant that outside the holiday season there was little passenger traffic.

 

In 1952 the line from Merstone to Ventnor closed, the following September the section from from Freshwater to Newport was shut down. The Newport to Sandown branch ended services in February 1956. Alarmed at the fast disappearing railway network the islanders forced the Transport Commission to pledge that five years notice would be required before further closures. Despite this agreement the Beeching Report listed Ryde to Cowes and the Shanklin to Ventor lines for the axe. The locals were told the Beeching Report overturned the previous arrangement. On 21 February 1966 passenger trains ceased from Ryde to Cowes with Shanklin to Ventnor meeting the same fate in April 1966. Steam power was still used on the only remaining line up to 31 December 1966. Temporarily the Isle of Wight had no railway while the Ryde to Shanklin route was converted to electric traction. Reopened on 20 March 1967 the service uses ex-London Transport underground trains.

 

During 1966 the Wight Locomotive Society (WLS) was set-up to establish a museum to save some of the island's railway relics. The new museum would be based at Newport station, a number of items had already been collected including No.24 'Calbourne' 0-4-4 tank locomotive and Hawthorn No.37 'Leslie' 0-4-0. Negotiations by the WLS resulted in the museum moving to Havenstreet in 1971.

 

In the meantime the Isle of Wight County Council had purchased the trackbed form Havenstreet to Wooton. The council leased the line to the WLS who held steam days on alternate Sundays in 1971. A landslip at Wooton meant it would be impossible to use the original station but the first priority was to construct a run around loop which was completed in 1997.

 

Facilities at Havenstreet were improved with the construction of a workshop, locomotive storage shed and museum. Work began on clearing the trackbed to the next station at  Ashey, with the aim of reaching the Ryde to Shanklin line. The extension to the Network South East station at Smallbrook Junction was completed in 1991.  

 

There are five steam locomotives in working condition on the railway No.W24 ' 02' Class 'Calbourne' 0-4-4T; No.W8 A1X Terrier 'Freshwater' 0-6-0T; No. WD198 Hunslet Austerity 'Royal Engineer' 0-6-0ST; Army No.WD192  Hunslet Austerity 'Waggoner' 0-6-0ST and No.38 Barclay 'Ajax' 0-6-0T. The majority of the carriages were built before World War I and have been restored to a high standard.

 

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