Chinnor Line

Princes Risborough to Watlington

The branch line from Princes Risborough through Chinnor to Watlington was built by the Watlington & Princes Risborough Railway Company under an act passed in 1869. The line was opened in August 1872 with a meager service of three trains each way, all operated by the GWR. Standard gauge from the outset, the single track line followed the Chiltern Ridge, running southwest from a separate station at Princes Risborough and passing through Chinnor and Aston Rowan before reaching Watlington. The line's independent status did not last long, the company being absorbed into the GWR in 1883 after it had run into financial problems.

Click above for a map of the branch and the lines around Princes Risborough

The GWR built additional halts along the line in an attempt to encourage traffic but it is doubtful if these led to any substantial increase in traffic. Additional sidings were laid at Chinnor in 1927 to serve the large cement and lime works on the east side of the line, but this was perhaps the only major source of revenue for the line. Consequently, when Dr. Beeching came into power in the days of British Railways, the line was one of the first to be axed. Passenger traffic ceased with the last train on Saturday 29th June 1957, although the stations at Watlington and Chinnor remained open for goods traffic until 1961, when the track was lifted beyond Chinnor. However, traffic from the Chinnor cement works continued until December 1989.

The line from Chinnor to just short of Princes Risborough is now operated by the Chinnor & Princes Risborough Railway who took over maintenance of the line in January 1990. The group purchased the line completely in 1994 and now operate steam and heritage diesel services on most weekends throughout the summer. The C&PRR have grand plans, they have recently rebuilt the station at Chinnor and now hope to extend the line back into Princes Risborough where they will make a cross platform link to the mainline trains of Chiltern Railways.

" Thomas the Tank" approaches Chinnor on the CPRR

The rebuilt station at Chinnor together with the grounded Cambrian coach which served as a booking office for the CPRR.

Why not visit the C&PRR ?