Let’s step back in time to explore the story of the Wycombe Railway. This railway once connected Maidenhead and Oxford. It linked with the Great Western Railway at both ends. A branch line also extended to Aylesbury.
The Wycombe Railway Company was established by an Act of Parliament in 1846. This act authorized the construction of a single-line railway. It ran from the Great Western Railway’s Maidenhead station. Back then, Maidenhead station was near the present Taplow station. Construction began in 1852. The first section connected Maidenhead and High Wycombe. It opened to passengers on August 1, 1854. High Wycombe was then linked to the Great Western Main Line. The Great Western Railway operated the services. The GWR used Isambard Kingdom Brunel’s broad gauge of 7 ft 1 1⁄4 in. The Wycombe Railway also adopted this gauge.
In 1862, the Wycombe Railway expanded from High Wycombe to Thame via Princes Risborough. A branch line from Princes Risborough to Aylesbury opened in 1863. By 1864, the line reached Kennington Junction. This junction was on the GWR line between Didcot and Oxford. Thus, the route to Oxford was complete.
The GWR took over the Wycombe Railway company in 1867. The entire line was converted to standard gauge in one week. This happened between August 23 and September 1, 1870. The Risborough to Aylesbury section was converted earlier in 1868. It became the first line in England to adopt standard gauge.
The Great Marlow Railway Company opened a branch between Bourne End and Marlow in 1873. Like the Wycombe Railway, it was a separate entity. The GWR provided the train service. The GWR acquired this company in 1897.
On March 15, 1899, the Great Western and Great Central Joint Railway opened. It ran between High Wycombe and Northolt Junction. This gave the GWR a shorter route between High Wycombe and London Paddington. The Wycombe Railway then saw a decline in its traffic.
In 1963, British Railways closed the section between Princes Risborough and Kennington Junction to passengers. The Thame to Morris Cowley section closed to all traffic in 1968. The Bourne End to High Wycombe section closed to freight on July 18, 1966. Passenger services ceased on May 4, 1970. In 1991, the Princes Risborough to Thame section closed. It had been used for freight to an oil depot at Thame. Part of this section became the Phoenix Trail, a footpath and cycle track.
Three sections of the Wycombe Railway remain open today. The Maidenhead to Bourne End line is part of the Marlow Branch Line. It carries GWR passenger trains. The High Wycombe to Princes Risborough line is part of the Chiltern Main Line. It carries Chiltern Railways services. The Kennington Junction to the former Morris Cowley station line is open. It is used for freight to and from the Mini (BMW) factory.
Consider the route between Maidenhead and High Wycombe. It started at Maidenhead. The line branched off the Great Western Main Line. It turned north. The first stop was Maidenhead (Wycombe Junction), later Maidenhead Boyne Hill. This station closed in 1871. Further stops included Furze Platt and Cookham.
The railway crossed the Thames at Bourne End. The original wooden bridge was replaced in 1895 with a steel structure. Bourne End became a terminus. The Great Marlow Railway branched westwards at Bourne End to Marlow.
The original terminus at Wycombe featured a roofed train shed. It was flanked by the station building and the locomotive shed. It was a typical Broad Gauge design. In 2008, considerations were made to preserve the former Wycombe Railway. This was to keep open the possibility of reopening it. A study was approved to assess the route’s feasibility in 2017. The Wycombe Railway’s legacy remains a topic of interest.