Once upon a time trains connected West Drayton to Staines-upon-Thames. This is the story of the Staines and West Drayton Railway. This railway once stretched for about six miles. It passed through Colnbrook in Berkshire. Today, only a portion remains operational.
The Staines and West Drayton Railway’s story starts in the 1840s. Plans were proposed to link Staines-upon-Thames to the Great Western Main Line. Parliament did not approve them then. The Colnbrook Railway Act of 1866 was passed. The powers expired before capital could be raised. More bills were needed to authorize the Staines and West Drayton Railway. Construction finally began in 1882.
The line from West Drayton to Colnbrook opened in 1884. Passenger services to Staines-upon-Thames began in 1885.
Following the Beeching Report of 1963 passenger services ended in 1965. The line remained open for freight trains. The southern half closed in 1981. This closure allowed for the construction of the M25 motorway.
The Staines and West Drayton line connected the Great Western Main Line at West Drayton to Staines-upon-Thames. The line was never electrified. It was always a single track. The route runs parallel to the River Colne.
The operational part runs from West Drayton Junction to Colnbrook Oil Terminal. It branches from the GWML’s northern side. It descends on a gradient to pass beneath the main line. The single-track line has a speed limit of 20 mph. Train movements are controlled from Thames Valley Signalling Centre. The site of Colnbrook station is now an oil terminal.
South of Colnbrook the line is closed. The track has been lifted. Part of the trackbed is occupied by the M25. The line crossed Staines Moor. It climbed to pass over the Wraysbury River and the Staines-Windsor line. Staines West station still stands. It is a Grade II-listed building.
By the 1860s Staines-upon-Thames was an industrial town. It had mills, factories and a brewery. In 1863, the West Drayton and Staines Railway wanted to link the area to the GWML. The 1863 scheme failed. Two further proposals resulted in the Colnbrook Railway Act 1866. The Great Western Railway agreed to operate passenger services.
Despite opposition from the LSWR a new act was passed in 1873. This authorized the Staines and West Drayton Railway Company. The line required using the existing LSWR Staines station. The GWR refused to share its rival’s station. In 1882 the S&WDR submitted a second bill. It wanted to develop its own station in Staines-upon-Thames.
Construction began in 1882. Financial pressures forced the S&WDR to save costs. An existing private house was adapted for Staines West station. The temporary terminus at Colnbrook also had a single platform.
The Metropolitan Rifle Range Company was formed in 1890. The GWR opened a halt to serve the range in 1892. It was named Runemede Range. Later it became Runemede then Yeoveney. The halt closed in 1962.
Poyle Halt opened in 1927. It became Poyle for Stanwell Moor. The waiting shelter was destroyed by fire in 1964. Poyle Estate Halt opened in 1954. It served new factories between Colnbrook and Poyle.
The first Beeching report recommended closing all passenger trains on the line. Passenger services ceased in March 1965. A farewell special excursion train ran in 1978. In the early 1980s the M25 was built. Junction 14 was built on the site of Poyle Halt. The final train to Staines-upon-Thames ran in 1981. The line north of Colnbrook was retained.
Although goods yards were provided freight traffic was slow to develop. A link was built to allow GWR trains to access the Staines Linoleum Works goods yard. The linoleum factory closed in 1973. Regular freight workings to Staines West had ceased in 1953. Shell-Mex and BP opened a rail terminal in 1964. The construction of the M25 meant the terminal could no longer be served via Colnbrook.
In 1974, the sidings at Thorney Mill were served by oil and stone trains. The railhead closed in 2013. It reopened as a depot for Ashville Aggregates in 2019. In 2022, GB Railfreight began hauling aggregates trains. In 1990, a new aviation fuel terminal opened at Colnbrook. Aviation fuel trains ceased during the COVID-19 pandemic. Services were restored in 2022.
The Staines and West Drayton Railway opened in 1885. There were nine trains each way on weekdays. GWR autocoaches were introduced in 1914. In the 1950s there were 18 return trains on weekdays. GWR railcars were first used in 1954. The line was listed for closure in the 1963 Beeching Report. Passenger services ceased in March 1965. The proposed Airtrack-Lite rail link would lay track near the former southern part of the S&WDR route.
Today the Staines and West Drayton Railway is a memory. It is a story of ambition change and adaptation. Though parts of the line are gone its legacy lives on in the landscape and in the stories of those who remember it.