Railways in Buckinghamshire

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Buckinghamshire
This article describes Buckinghamshire as it was prior to 1974, when it included Slough, Eton and Linslade.

The railway system of Buckinghamshire has a long and complex history dating back to the 1830s with the opening of sections of today's

Aylesbury Duck
could then be easily transported to the capital.

The railway system expanded enormously throughout the rest of the 19th century, but over-enthusiasm led to the construction of lines that made little, if any, profit. As a result, many of these lines were closed systematically during the 1930s and 1960s.[3] In recent years, the benefits of railway travel have become more widespread, and once again the railway network of Buckinghamshire is expanding.

History

Origins

Denbigh Hall Bridge, in Buckinghamshire, was the terminus for several months before the line was completed north to Rugby

The railway boom of northern England led to the formation of the

Duke of Buckingham. A line to Buckingham would later open in 1850.[6] Construction of the L&BR began in November 1833 and the section from London Euston to Boxmoor in Hertfordshire opened in 1837. The line to Bletchley was completed by the summer of 1838; from there passengers took a stagecoach shuttle from a temporary station called Denbigh Hall to Rugby where the railway continued north.[1] The line through what is now Milton Keynes opened several months later on 17 September 1838.[7][8] Wolverton later became famous as the site of Wolverton railway works which produced rolling stock for over a century—the last new carriage was built there in 1962. The site now houses a supermarket.[8]

At the same time, another railway company, the

quadrupled in late 19th century.[12]

Varsity line, today eventually linked Oxford and Cambridge, the section between Bedford and Cambridge opened in 1862.[13]

In 1839, a branch line opened from

Aylesbury Railway, or Cheddington to Aylesbury Line was independent but operated by the L&BR up to 1846, when the L&BR and two other railway companies merged to form the London and North Western Railway (LNWR). From then onwards, the line was owned by the LNWR.[16]

On 17 November 1846, another line was opened: the Oxford and Bletchley Railway, which ran between Bedford and Bletchley.[17][18] Part of the railway was built on land belonging to the Duke of Bedford, as he was an enthusiastic supporter of its construction,[17] and that part of the railway was important: one of the stations located on the Duke's land, Woburn Sands, had a brickyard that used the railway to transport its products, and the depot itself was used as the line's coal depot.[19] The Oxford and Bletchley Railway merged with the Buckingham and Brackley Junction Railway in 1847 to form the Buckinghamshire Railway, which was extended a year later in 1850 to Banbury. A junction was formed in 1851 at Verney for the line from there to Oxford.[18] The Buckinghamshire Railway was worked by the LNWR from July 1851 on, and it was later absorbed by the LNWR in 1879.[20]

In July 1846, the Wycombe Railway was incorporated by an Act of Parliament, allowing the construction of a branch line from Maidenhead, in Berkshire on the GWR to High Wycombe, a major furniture producing town. Construction began in 1852 and was completed two years later in 1854. Building works included a new bridge over the River Thames; the Bourne End Railway Bridge was wooden when first built, but replaced by an iron truss bridge in 1895.[21] The line was single track and used the broad-gauge.[22] The Wycombe Railway was extended in 1862 to Thame with another branch from Princes Risborough to Aylesbury in 1863.[A 1][23] The line to Oxford was completed a year later in 1864. The Wycombe Railway was leased to the GWR, and bought outright by the GWR in 1867. The line was converted to standard gauge in 1870.[23]

Two lines serving

Slough to Windsor & Eton Line opened from Slough in Buckinghamshire to Windsor & Eton Central again receiving opposition from Eton College. Originally laid as broad-gauge, dual gauge, allowing standard and broad gauge trains to run was laid in 1862.[25] For a brief period between 1883 and 1885, the District Railway ran services between London and Windsor & Eton Central via Ealing Broadway over the GWR tracks from Slough.[26]

The

Third Duke of Buckingham and extended to Brill in 1872, terminating quite a distance from the village itself.[29][30]

The Watlington and Princes Risborough Railway opened in 1872 from the existing junction at Princes Risborough to the town of Watlington in Oxfordshire. It was operated by the GWR which originally intended to extend the line to meet the Cholsey and Wallingford Railway leading to the Great Western Main Line at Cholsey railway station, however funds were never found for the extension.[31]

Metroland

Map of "Metro-land", from the 1924 Metro-land booklet published by the Metropolitan Railway. The county boundary of Buckinghamshire is shown.

The

Metropolitan and St John's Wood Railway opened a branch from Baker Street to Swiss Cottage, that company being taken over by the Metropolitan Railway in 1879.[32] The line was extended several times from then onwards. The line first entered Buckinghamshire on 8 July 1889 to Chesham[33] but further extension into the Chiltern Hills took place via Amersham in 1892, turning the Chesham route into a branch line.[33] The extension of 1892 terminated at the GWR station in Aylesbury which had opened in 1863.[34]

The Metropolitan Railway was now stretching deep into Buckinghamshire, over land termed Metroland by the Met itself in 1915.[33] In 1891, the Metropolitan had absorbed the Aylesbury & Buckingham Railway which had run from Aylesbury to Verney Junction. On 1 January 1894, the Metropolitan Railway was extended over the A&BR to Verney Junction meeting the LNWR owned Buckinghamshire Railway which had opened in 1850.[35] The Metropolitan Railway (popularly called the 'Met') thus ran express services from central London to Verney Junction, in the middle of rural Buckinghamshire—a testament to this being that the terminus was so rural that the station was named after the local landowner, Sir Harry Verney.[36] The Met's final extension in Buckinghamshire was over the Brill Tramway which was absorbed on 1 December 1899, almost fifty miles out of central London.[35] Indeed, the extent of the Metropolitan line was so great that for many years the line could not be accommodated into the London Underground Tube map.[37]

The last main line

The railways of western Buckinghamshire at their peak.

The next railway to weave its way through Buckinghamshire was the

South Eastern Railway which ran between London and Dover and the Metropolitan Railway. Both companies were of use to Watkin as they provided a clear route between Dover and the already existing MS&LR near Nottingham.[39]

The Great Central Main Line in 1903. Aylesbury can be seen as a junction for the Wycombe Railway

The London extension was planned to European standards and had virtually no sharp corners or steep inclines. There was to be no level crossings- everything was carried above or below the railway.

Channel Tunnel Rail Link over a century later in 2003.[43]

Although the GCR route of 1899 was the last Victorian main line to be built, one last railway line was to be built in Buckinghamshire. The

Aynho Junction. The Great Central went northward, re-joining the main line at Grendon Underwood. The line opened in 1906 and involved considerable improvements to the existing section of the GWR 'Wycombe Railway' between High Wycombe and Princes Risborough including double track throughout and a new tunnel.[45]

The Big Four

Between 1906 and 1936, the railway system of Buckinghamshire was at its largest. Up to 1922, it was operated by five companies, the LNWR, the LSWR, the GWR, the GCR and the Metropolitan Railway.

The

Big Four
. Due to its position, Buckinghamshire was one of few counties to be served by all four. The act came into operation in 1923.

London, Midland and Scottish Railway

Main article: London, Midland and Scottish Railway

The LMS took over the London and North Western Railway, serving the West Coast Main Line. As it absorbed all of the LNWRs lines, it ran over the Buckinghamshire Railway and the Cheddington to Aylesbury Line.[47]

Great Western Railway

Main article: Great Western Railway

The GWR was the only member of the Big Four to retain its pre-grouping identity. It operated the

Slough to Windsor & Eton Line and Wycombe Railway.[48]

London and North Eastern Railway

Main article: London and North Eastern Railway

The LNER took over running of the Great Central Railway over the Great Central Main Line.[49]

Southern Railway

Main article: Southern Railway (UK)

The SR took over operation of the

Staines to Windsor Line.[50]

Towards nationalisation, privatisation and HS2

The Big Four ran the railways for twenty-five years. The 1920s and 1930s saw for the first time competition from the motor car. High unemployment after the First World War had caused the government to give money to county councils to improve the road network. The cash inflow allowed a large increase in car ownership and road mileage.[51] The railways were still popular however and in 1930, the Staines to Windsor Line, run by the SR became the first railway in Buckinghamshire to be electrified, on the 660 V third rail system.[52] During the Second World War, the railways suffered heavy damage due to bombing by the Luftwaffe. Little money was invested into the railways and maintenance was not carried out. At the end of the war in 1945, the new labour government realised that the private sector could no longer afford the railway system and so in 1947, the Transport Act 1947 was passed, which nationalised almost all forms of mass transit in the United Kingdom from 1 January 1948.

Nationalisation divided the railways into six state-owned regions, operated by British Rail.[A 3] Those covering Buckinghamshire were:

  • the Western region, which took over all GWR routes in the county
  • the Southern region, which took over routes from SR
  • the London Midland region which took over routes from the LMS.
  • the Eastern region which took over routes from the LNER

The Beeching report saw closure of the former Great Central line north of Aylesbury (1966), and the Oxford-Bletchley 'Varsity Line' closed in 1967 (despite escaping listing by Beeching). Almost all other surviving stations and branch and connecting lines in the north of the county were also closed to passengers. But most lines in the south survived as busy London commuter routes, and new stations subsequently opened at Milton Keynes new town on the West Coast Main Line (1982); and at Haddenham & Thame Parkway (1987).

Privatisation in the 1990s placed most Bucks services under the Chiltern Railways franchise, one of the most innovative of the new companies.

In 2010 Chiltern opened Aylesbury Vale Parkway two miles northwest of Aylesbury; and Chiltern announced that in 2013 they would start a fast Marylebone-Oxford service via Wycombe, Risborough and a new Bicester chord. In 2011 the government announced financial support for re-opening of Aylesbury and Oxford to Milton Keynes/Bedford services, with new stations at Winslow and perhaps Newton Longville, using parts of the former Varsity and Great Central lines. Controversial proposals for High Speed 2, the new 230 mph high-speed line under the Chilterns and via the Great Central corridor, were announced by the Labour government in 2010, then enthusiastically taken up by the incoming Coalition despite strong opposition along parts of the route. The current plan is for opening in 2025, but without stations in Bucks.

Notes

  1. ^ There was no connection to the LNWR station at Aylesbury High Street railway station
  2. ^ The current GWR Aylesbury station, not the LNWR Aylesbury High Street
  3. ^ The original text for the Transport Act, 1947 can be found here

References

  1. ^ a b "London and Birmingham railway" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 25 January 2007. Retrieved 31 January 2008.
  2. ^ "Great Western history, 1835-1892". Retrieved 31 January 2008.
  3. ^ "Buckinghamshire rail routes". Archived from the original on 15 December 2007. Retrieved 31 January 2008.
  4. ^ Wade-Matthews (1999), p. 70
  5. ^ "London and Birmingham Railway". Retrieved 31 January 2008.
  6. ISBN 978-1-899246-00-7
    .
  7. ^ "London and Birmingham". Archived from the original on 3 March 2013. Retrieved 31 January 2008.
  8. ^ a b "A Short History of Wolverton Works". Mkheritage.co.uk. Retrieved 31 January 2008.
  9. ^ "Great Western history, 1835 - 1892". Greatwestern.org.uk. Retrieved 31 January 2008.
  10. ^ "Maidenhead Railway Bridge". Thames.me.uk. Retrieved 31 January 2008.
  11. ^ MacDermot, E T (1927). History of the Great Western Railway, volume I 1833-1863. London: Great Western Railway. p. 92.
  12. ^ a b "The Story of the G.W.R." Mikes.railhistory.railfan.net. Retrieved 1 January 2009.
  13. ISBN 0-902675-62-1
    .
  14. ^ "Aylesbury Ducks". Archived from the original on 4 November 2008. Retrieved 4 January 2009.
  15. ^ Cheddington (Map). Google Maps. 2008. Retrieved 1 January 2009.
  16. ISBN 978-0-86093-438-7
    .
  17. ^ a b Wade-Matthews (1999), p. 84
  18. ^
    ISBN 1-85260-049-7
    .
  19. ^ Wade-Matthews (1999), p. 85
  20. ^ [1] [permanent dead link]
  21. ^ "Bourne End Railway Bridge". En.structurae.de. Retrieved 7 January 2009.
  22. ^ "Local History, The Wycombe Railway Company". Mmpa.org.uk. Retrieved 7 January 2009.
  23. ^ a b "The Wycombe Railway". Archived from the original on 23 December 2009. Retrieved 7 January 2009.
  24. ^ a b "The Railways at Windsor". The Royal Windsor Web Site. Retrieved 15 July 2007.
  25. ^ "Windsor Branch workings in the Postwar Years, abstracts from Great Western Railway Journal Volume 4". Steamindex.com. Retrieved 10 January 2009.
  26. ^ "Clive's UndergrounD Line Guides, District Line". Davros.org. Retrieved 10 January 2009.
  27. ^ "Clive's UndergrounD Line Guides, Metropolitan Line". Davros.org. Retrieved 7 January 2009.
  28. ^ "VERNEY JUNCTION". Subbrit.org.uk. Retrieved 7 January 2009.
  29. ^ "QUAINTON ROAD TO BRILL (Wotton Tramway)". Retrieved 7 January 2009.[permanent dead link]
  30. ISBN 0-85361-149-1
    .
  31. ISBN 1-874103-43-7
    .
  32. ^ a b "Metropolitan line facts". Tfl.gov.uk. Retrieved 10 January 2009.
  33. ^
    Metro-land
    ' by John Betjeman, BBC Television 1973
  34. ISBN 1-85414-275-5
    .
  35. ^
    ISBN 1-85414-277-1
    .
  36. ^ "Metropolitan — from Quainton Road to Verney Junction". Underground-history.co.uk. Retrieved 11 January 2009.
  37. ISBN 1-85414-168-6
    .
  38. ^ "The Transport Archive Timeline, Key Events from 1897". Transportarchive.org.uk. Retrieved 12 January 2009.[permanent dead link]
  39. ^ a b c "History, Great Central Railway". Archived from the original on 21 December 2008. Retrieved 12 January 2009.
  40. ^ a b c "London Extension 1899 - 1969". Greatcentraltoday.com. Retrieved 12 January 2009.
  41. ^ "The Transport Archive Timeline, Key Events from 1899". Transportarchive.org.uk. Retrieved 12 January 2009.[permanent dead link]
  42. ^ "Opening to Grouping - 1899 to 1923". Railwayarchive.org.uk. Retrieved 12 January 2009.
  43. ^ Glancey, Jonathan (27 May 2005). "Tunnel vision". The Guardian. London. Retrieved 12 January 2009.
  44. ISBN 978-0-85361-653-5
    .
  45. ^ a b c Philip Hayton (narrator) (1989). Chiltern Take Two (DVD). Video 125. Retrieved 18 January 2009.
  46. ^ "Railways Act 1921". Legislation.gov.uk. Retrieved 15 November 2021.
  47. ISBN 0-7153-7842-2
    .
  48. ISBN 0-7110-0304-1
    .
  49. ^ "Timeline of the Great Central Railway". Lner.info. Retrieved 13 April 2009.
  50. ISBN 0-906520-54-1
    .
  51. ISBN 0-7277-0159-2
    .
  52. ^ "Southern Region". Archived from the original on 28 September 2007. Retrieved 13 April 2009..

Bibliography

  • Wade-Matthews, Max, ed. (1999). The World's Great Railway Journeys. Oxford: Sebastian Kelly.
    OCLC 154811186
    .
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