Waddesdon railway station

Not to be confused with Waddesdon Road railway station.
Waddesdon

Site of Waddesdon Station, one platform is visible on the left
Waddesdon
Location of Waddesdon in Buckinghamshire
Location Waddesdon
Local authority District of Aylesbury Vale
Grid reference SP757180
Number of platforms 2
Railway companies
Original company Aylesbury and Buckingham Railway
Pre-grouping Metropolitan and Great Central Joint Railway
Post-grouping Metropolitan and Great Central Joint Railway
Key dates
1 January 1897 (1897-01-01) Opened as Waddesdon Manor
1 October 1922 Renamed Waddesdon
6 July 1936 (1936-07-06) Station closed
Other information
Lists of stations
WGS84 51°51′19″N 0°54′08″W / 51.8554°N 0.9021°W / 51.8554; -0.9021Coordinates: 51°51′19″N 0°54′08″W / 51.8554°N 0.9021°W / 51.8554; -0.9021
London Transport portal
UK Railways portal

Waddesdon is a closed station that served the village of Waddesdon and its manor, to the north of Aylesbury in Buckinghamshire, England. The station is not to be confused with Waddesdon Road railway station at the other end of the Waddesdon Manor estate on the Brill Tramway.

History

A 1911 Railway Clearing House map of railways in the vicinity of Waddesdon (shown here as Waddesdon Manor)
Map of mainly open countryside, with scattered villages. Four railway lines diverge from a station labelled Quainton Road. Two stations, labelled Waddesdon and Waddesdon Manor, are not near any populated area.
Railway stations and populated areas in the vicinity of Waddesdon, 1903. Waddesdon station is shown here as Waddesdon Manor.

The station was first opened as Waddesdon Manor by the Metropolitan Railway on 1 January 1897.[1] "Manor" was dropped from the name on 1 October 1922.[1] It was the first station north of Aylesbury on the section of the Metropolitan Railway between Aylesbury and Verney Junction.

The Metropolitan Railway amalgamated with several other transport companies to form the London Passenger Transport Board in 1933. The station was closed on 6 July 1936 when their services were curtailed at Aylesbury.[1]

While open, the station was also served by former Great Central Main Line (running on the same tracks as the Metropolitan line as far as Quainton Road) which was not itself closed to passengers until 1966, under the Beeching Axe.

Today the permanent way, now single-track, remains in place through the site of the station. One platform of the station (on the side remote from the remaining track) remains; the other has been demolished. The line is still used for the occasional freight train, as well as special services between Aylesbury and Quainton Road for events at the Buckinghamshire Railway Centre.

Because of its association with the Metropolitan line this station is considered to be one of the Closed London Underground stations although it is over 30 miles (48 km) from London and is not underground.

Future

The line through the station may once again see trains running, as work is being planned to run services north of Aylesbury to Milton Keynes and Bedford on the Varsity Line to commence in 2019.

Routes

Preceding station Disused railways Following station
Quainton Road
Line and station closed		   Great Central Railway
London Extension		   Aylesbury
Line closed, station open
  Metropolitan Railway
Until 1936		  

References

  1. 1 2 3 Rose, Douglas (1999). The London Underground, A Diagrammatic History. Douglas Rose/Capital Transport. ISBN 1-85414-219-4.
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