Railway Line at Risborough

Research by Terry Wheeler of Loosley Dene, Loosley Row

Extract from an article published in Hallmark February 1996

The 'Risborough' and The Railway Gap!

When at the Princes Risborough Golf Club on a fairway that runs alongside the railway track, a friend commented "Why were the trains all going the same direction?"

It just happened that he was playing with a guy who has researched the subject. So why are the two rail tracks nearly 200yds apart, when you take the road from Loosley Row towards Bledlow on the Upper Icknield Way?

Railway History

In 1854, under the direction of I.K. Brunel, but not day to day involved (as far as I can find out), a broad gauge line was constructed from Maidenhead to Wycombe (single track) and extended to Princes Risborough and Thame in 1862. It was further extended to Oxford two years later.

At about 1872 the Manchester, Sheffield and Lincolnshire Railway, whose chairman Sir Edward Watkin was already chairman of the Metropolitan Railway had ambitions to extend its activities in London. This was typical of Railway Mania (as historians call it), the other railways were already there some 20 years previously.

However they renamed themselves the 'Great Central Railway' and via Nottingham to Grendon Underwood and on to Aylesbury it ran across Metropolitan rail tracks into Harrow and on to Marylebone.

Incompatibility

Quite apart from the incompatibility of Metroland traffic and mainline express requirements there were a lot of difficulties and lack of co-operation between them and so alternative solutions were needed

Amenity Name	Railway line at Princes Risborough
Current Status (Active/Inactive)	active
Founded Date	1862
Closure Date