Wallingford railway branch line
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The Wallingford railway branch line was a 2.5 mi (4.0 km) branch line between the market town of Wallingford and the Great Western Railway main line at Wallingford Road in Oxfordshire. The railway, which opened in 1866, was originally planned to go a further 6 mi (9.7 km) to Watlington but this was never completed because of insufficient funds. Instead Watlington was reached by a 9 mi (14 km) line completed by the Watlington and Princes Risborough Railway company in 1872. After the Wallingford branch line opened, it ran regular passenger shuttle services to the GWR mainline for almost a century. It closed to passengers in 1959; the line escaped the Beeching Axe, remaining open for goods services until 1981.
Wallingford railway branch line | |
---|---|
Overview | |
Owner | Great Western Railway British Rail |
Locale | Oxfordshire |
Termini | |
History | |
Opened | 1866 |
Closed | 1981 |
Technical | |
Line length | 2.5 mi (4.0 km) |
Number of tracks | 1 |
Track gauge | 1,435 mm (4 ft 8+1⁄2 in) standard gauge |
In 1985, the line was acquired by the Cholsey and Wallingford Railway; in 1997 the heritage railway began operating a selection of vintage train services on part of the line near Wallingford.