Chinnor and Princes Risborough Railway Discussion

That's not a new fence. Look more closely and note the same style further along, beyond the end of the C&PR platform, and on the opposite platform as well.

Freshly painted, but not newly-erected.

 

Just while I'm here....

This is a common sentiment for the line. I think there's an expectation that it's going to be like *some* of the other smaller/newer lines - linear scrapyard, grubby, ex-industrial saddle tank etc. In reality it's quietly (and I know I'm biased but I'm trying to be objective here) a borderline first division little line:
Chinnor station's a gem
smart rolling stock (5 Mk1 s in WR livery)
ex GWR motive power (hired in but trusted to look after it)
beautiful scenery
now actually goes somewhere
extension plans t'other way
covered working space for C&W and locos (well, locos once the pit goes in)
*very* handy for London
the largest GWR signal box in preservation
etc

It hasn't drawn a bad hand, and I think will only be climbing the preservation league table. Go and have a look if you've never been...

 

The second release was around Corby, Northants and one lot came from Spain and the other Norway, I can't remember which way round it was now but the Norwegian ones were a darker colour so now they have spread out and met up we have our own British hybrid kites. Loads over Princes Risborough when the local butcher throws out all the off cuts of meat for them.

A while back I had to pick an injured kite off the road near where I live and take it to St Tiggywinkles, for their size they are remarkably lightweight.

 

Many years ago on my (so far) only visit to the Isle of Man, having got off the steam railway and gone looking for lunch I settled on a hot dog (lousy food choice, wherever it was) and was munching on that as I walked through the town, when a gull swooped me from behind, grabbed the sausage from my hot dog and took off with it, leaving me about to bite a plain bun.

Even more off topic but the other memorable incident that day was the family I ended up sharing a compartment with on the way back, had a couple of small children who were playing I-spy. Two particular highlights were:
1) I spy with my little eye something beginning with DUCKS... Oh no!!!
2) I spy with my little eye something beginning with S - and its on HIM! <Jabs finger at me; I had not engaged with this game at all, I might add!>

Mildly back on topic, C&PRR is indeed a lovely little line and I must go back and visit it again when the new platform opens.

 

I'm certainly looking at trying to get here on the Bank Holiday Monday, have wanted to go the railway for a number of years but now finally with PR opening I can catch a train there and travel TO Chinnor!

 

Do you have any details for through tickets for the MHR, all I can find is a 2 for 1 offer if you travel by train to Alton. https://www.southwesternrailway.com...s/festivals-and-events/watercress-line-events

 

The timetable page on the website https://www.chinnorrailway.co.uk/article.php/140/timetables currently makes no mention of trains going to Princes Risborough until 16 September and even then it's "Steam and vintage diesel from Chinnor to the Railway’s long siding at Princes Risborough (no alighting or joining until date to be announced)."

 

Visiting PR box on July 7th for their Open Day it was clear that there was still a lot of trackwork to be done to get the new (renewed?) platform back into use. (Click on following picture to go to the larger original.)
Track works by the Chinnor and Princes Risborough Railway

© Copyright John Webb and licensed for reuse under this Creative Commons Licence.

I would think the heat of the last few weeks must have slowed things down a bit!

 

Seems to be track in the new platform now.

 

What is the final configuration of the tracks? There is presumably one route from Chinnor through to the restored platform at Princes Risborough. If that has been put in by C&PR volunteers, does that mean that C&PR owns it, or is it owned by NR and leased to C&PR? Is there also a connection to the main line? What about the stub of the Thame branch that NR had retained?

 

elsewhere on the same website......

https://www.chinnorrailway.co.uk/pr...form-4-opens/c1c10e2c8d96cf99e55796a0892cb90f

 

IIRC from facebook it was finished at the weekend.

 

Thank you, but that suggests that the eventual route from the Chinnor formation into the bay platform will have to cross the NR-owned route between the main line and the Thame branch stub. Is that correct, and if so who will be responsible for what?

 

No idea - although back in the days when both branches were open they ran as 2 single lines so it might be a case of having to shift where the Thame branch joins the national network because the alignment has changed over the years (it was always inside the Chinnor line yet had got out of the way before the platform).

That strikes me as a lot easier than a crossing. Also in all honesty it's probably pretty moot if not just years off into the future....

Pure speculation though on my part.

 

On display in the box on the 7th of July there was a set of 3 diagrams showing how the track was being reorganised and how eventually the stub of the Thame branch remains in NR hands, the C&PR will have a separate line into the station and P4 on the west side of the NR track, and the two will be connected just north of the station to allow NR access across C&PRR track to the three sidings at the south end of the station and for C&PRR to receive trains from the national network. I did take a photo but it didn't come out very clearly - sorry!

 

When I visited last month the C&PRR were operating onto PR station but not into a platform line, and that involved running onto NR, with the toilet doors having to be locked before the train crossed the boundary.

I would assume that the position next month when trains are fully serving PR will be the same - the upside being that the C&PRR now effectively have a main line connection.

 

First public train left Chinnor to PR today....

 

Very well done to all those involved, hope to have chance to sample it myself before too long.