Rails around Wycombe and the Chilterns
by Nick Deacon
Transport Treasury
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©Imagesanddesign:TheTransportTreasury2021.Text:NickDeacon ISBN978-1-913893-09-5
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‘RailsaroundWycombeandtheChilterns’isoneofaseriesofbooksonspecialisttransportsubjectspublishedinstrictlylimitednumbersand producedundertheTotemPublishingimprintusingmaterialonlyavailableatTheTransportTreasury.
FrontCoverRef1.On7July1962,No.6012KingEdwardVIofStaffordRoadshedeasesaBirkenheadservicethroughtheseriesofreversecurvesatHigh Wycombewhichdictatedamaximumspeedof35mph.ThetrainisseentothewestofthestationhavingpassedundertheacutelyangledAmershamHill roadbridgeandwiththehugebrickretainingwallservingasanunmistakeablebackdrop.6012,arecenttransfereefromOldOakCommon,hadacquireda doublechimneyinFebruary1958,butonlyhadalittleovertwomonthsleftbeforewithdrawaloccurredinSeptemberafteramassingalmosttwomillion miles. M20-6
RearcoverRef2.TakenfromthefootbridgeatBourneEndstationon17September1958,thisviewlooksnorth-eastacrosstheStationRoadlevelcrossing towardsWooburnGreen.Animmaculate61XX2-6-2TNo.6115ofSloughshedwaitsforclearancewithaserviceforHighWycombewhilstbeyondthe interestingbracketsignalandcrossinggatesanotherPrairie,Oxford’s5190,issimilarlyheldwithasouthboundfreight.AfterclosureoftheHighWycombe sectioninMay1970,theroutebeyondthelevelcrossingwasabandonedmakingthestationaterminuswiththelinefnishingatbufferstopsjustshortof thecrossinggateswhereNo.6115isstanding.TherouteofthelinebeyondthegatesisnowpartoftheBostonDrivehousingdevelopment. H377
FrontispieceRef3.Staniertaper-boiler2-cylinder2-6-4TNo.42629preparestoleavePrincesRisboroughon17August1960withthe7.19pmpassenger servicetoMarylebone.Atthisdate,theenginewasoneofthirty-sixoftheLMSFairburn/Stanier4PmixedtraffctypesbasedatNeasdenshedforuseonthe Wycombe/Risborough/AylesburysuburbantraffcaswellassimilarservicesovertheMet/GCRline.Theseenginesfrstappearedattheshedfrom1954/5 andgraduallydisplacedex-GCRandLNERtypesontheservices–particularlyafterthetransferoftheshedfromEasternRegiontoLondonMidlandRegion controlinFebruary1958whentheshedcodewaschangedfrom34Eto14D. H1727
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Ref14.ThestaggerednatureoftheHighWycombeplatformsisevidentinthisshotofNo.6014 KingHenryVII passingthroughon4March1961withthe2.10pmM18servicefromPaddingtontoBirkenhead.Theengine hasthewedge-shapedcabfttedaspartofthe1935streamliningexerciseandreceivedadoublechimneyin September1957.Duringaworksvisitinearly1954,No.6014wasalsofttedwithanewtypeofblow-down apparatusandadeviceinthecabwhichcollectedboilerwatersamplestocheckthedepositformations.This wasdevelopedinconjunctionwithICIandafterfttingtheenginewaspermanentlytransferredtoStafford RoadshedtobenearerWolverhampton-basedICIspecialiststomonitortheequipmentandanalyseits results.Alongwiththirteenofherclassmates,No.6014waswithdrawninSeptember1962. H2038
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Ref34.TheengineshedbuildingatMarlow,seenhereon17September1958,probablyoweditsdesigntotheGreatMarlowRailwayratherthantotheGWR, butwasimprovedandprobablyextendedbythelatterin1892.Thegable-endedbuildingwas51ft6in.longand17ft6in.wideandconstructedinredbrick underaslateroof.Until1948ithaditsownallocationofoneortwoenginesforthebranchworkandassuchregardedasa‘sub’toSloughshed.Theshed footplatecomplementwasusuallytwodriversandthreefremenwithSloughshedcoveringallthereliefwork. H371
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Ref48.AtPrincesRisboroughon18April1964,agaggleof‘spotteroiks’mayhave‘copped’ Gresley V22-6-2No.60963asitpassedwithanUpClassC parcelsservice.Althoughbereftofashedplate,recordsshowtheenginewasbasedatYorkatthisdateandremainedthereuntilwithdrawninJune1965. TotheleftofthetrainisoneoftheMarylebone-basedDerby4-carDMUsets(Class115)whichwereintroducedonthelineinJanuary1961.Bythestartof thenewJune1962timetable,theseunitshaddisplacedsteampoweronallthesuburbanservicestoandfromAylesbury,HighWycombeandPrincess Risboroughandweredestinedtocontinueunchallengedinthisroleforoverfortyyears. S2642.
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Ref63.LittleKimblestationphotographedon11February1960.At2miles71chains‘out’fromPrincesRisboroughontheAylesburybranch,thestationwas openedbytheGWRon1June1872andboastedasimple,butattractivegabledbrick-builtstationbuildingtogetherwithaplatform-widthcanopy.The stationsurvivesasanunstaffedhalt,butthestationbuilding,nowprivately-owned,hasbeensympatheticallyrestoredasadomesticproperty–eventhe platformcanopysurvives.Thestationenjoyedabriefmomentoffamein1998when,astheneareststationtoChequers,itwasusedbytheRoyalTrainasa connectiontoawaitinglimousinecavalcadewhichconveyedthewivesoftheprominentG8Summitattendeestotheiraccommodationontheestate. JH1909
Ref64.On11February1960,theAylesbury-boundautotrailerNo.W235WentersthestationwithCollett0-6-0PTNo.5420fromBanburyshedsupplingthe motivepower.ThetrailerwasaDiagramA4363ftvehiclebuiltasrecentlyas1954andwasalsousedontheMarlowautoservicesatthistime.Itwaslast recordedintheYeovilareainearly1965andwaspresumablycondemnedandscrappedthere. JH1913
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Ref79.At2miles75chains‘out’fromPrinces Risborough,WainhillCrossingHaltonthe Watlingtonbranchwasatinyrail-level platformopenedbytheGWRon1August 1925aspartoftheireffortstodrumupextra tradeinruralareas.Wainhillwassoremote thattheThameGazettewasmovedto commentsomewhattartlythat‘Itwillservethe hillschiefy’.Nevertheless,thestation remainedopenforbusinessuntilthe passengerserviceceasedin1957.Inthis photographtheguardhassetdowntheautotrailerstepstoplatformlevelandisreadyto assistanyascendingordescending passenger.Thesetofwoodenstepsseen outsidethebikesheddoubledasspare boardingstepswhenaconventionalcarriage wasinuseandalsoas‘assists’forstaffto reachuptohooktheplatformlampsontothe platformposts. H65
Ref80.ThebrickandfintruralcharmofChinnorStationasseenon23September1951.Thestationwas3miles57chainsfromPrincesRisboroughand builtinamid-VictoriangothicpavilionstylethatwasalsousedatAstonRowantandWatlington.MrWilkinsonofLucas&Wilkinson,theWestminstercivil engineeringfrmwhichconstructedtheline,mayhavebeenresponsibleforthedesignassimilarrailwayprojectshewasinvolvedwithinotherpartsofthe countryalsoproducedthesamestyleofbuilding.Althoughthestationbuildingwasdemolishedaftertheclosureoftheline,ithasbeenfaithfullyrebuiltin itsoriginalstyleandonthesamesitebytheChinnor&PrincesRisboroughRailwayAssociation. RCR3455 76
TheChilternmainlinefromMaryleboneandPaddingtonintotheValeofAylesburywasin somerespectsovershadowedbytheproximityoftherivalroutesoftheGreatWestern RailwayandLondonandNorthWesternRailwayfromLondon.Marylebonelateralsotaking onamoreobviousroleastheLondonterminusoftheindependentGreatCentralRailway. Nevertheless,theChilternlineanditsvariousoffshootshadarichlegacyofrailwayinterest intheageofsteam.DrawingonimagesfromTheTransportTreasurycollection,thetraveller istakenonajourneynorthfromGerrardsCross,throughHighWycombetoPrinces RisboroughwhiledetouringenroutetotakeinthebranchestoMaidenhead,Marlow, Aylesbury,WatlingtonandasfarasThameonthelinetoOxford. £12.50 ISBN 978-1-913893-09-5
RailwaysaroundWycombeandtheChilternsCompiledbyNickDeacon