Chinnor and Princes Risborough Railway
| Chinnor & Princes Risborough Railway | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| Pannier Tank at Chinnor Station. 5700 class Pannier tank 9682 waits while passengers board at Chinnor Station on the preserved Chinnor and Princes Risborough Railway | |
| Locale |
Buckinghamshire and Oxfordshire, England |
| Terminus |
Chinnor and Thame Junction |
| Connections | Chiltern Main Line at Princes Risborough |
| Commercial operations | |
| Name | Watlington and Princes Risborough Railway Company |
| Original gauge | 4 ft 8 1⁄2 in (1,435 mm) standard gauge |
| Preserved operations | |
| Operated by | Chinnor and Princes Risborough Railway |
| Stations | 1 |
| Length | 3.5 miles (5.6 km) |
| Preserved gauge | 4 ft 8 1⁄2 in (1,435 mm) standard gauge |
| Commercial history | |
| Opened | 15 August 1872 |
| Closed | 1 July 1957 (passenger) 20 Dec 1989 (goods) |
| Preservation history | |
| August 1989 | C&PRR formed |
| 26 July 1994 | Transport and Works Order active |
| 20 August 1994 | First public service |
| 1996 | Extended to Thame Junction |
| July 2016 | First train into Princes Risborough |
| Headquarters | Chinnor |
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.
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.
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.
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.
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Wikipedia