Abingdon Junction railway station
Encyclopedia
Abingdon Junction railway station was a junction station for the branch line to Abingdon
. It was opened by the Abingdon Railway Company on 2 June 1856 along with the branch, and was subsequently closed and replaced by Radley railway station
on 8 September 1873. Radley station was in a more convenient place for access. At the same time as the station's opening, the next station to the south, formerly known as Abingdon Road was renamed .
Located at the point where the branch diverges from the main line, Abingdon Junction was provided purely for interchange for services to , Culham and and was not shown in timetables. No proper road access to the station was provided and only modest passenger facilities were afforded consisting of two facing wooden platforms with a small building constructed on the up main side and a run-around loop for branch services and connections with the main line.
Following the conversion of the branch to standard gauge
in November 1872, works began to extend the line a further ¾ mile northwards alongside the main line
to reach a new station at Radley where it terminated in a bay platform
on the station's west side. The station building from Abingdon Junction was transported to Radley where it was sited just south of the road bridge, most likely on the down side. It remained there until well into British Railways days and was used by gangers and platelayer
s. The remains of Abingdon Junction survived for several years before their demolition, so that the only trace of the station today is the widened formation to the west of the main line before the Abingdon branch curved away.
Abingdon, Oxfordshire
Abingdon or archaically Abingdon-on-Thames is a market town and civil parish in Oxfordshire, England. It is the seat of the Vale of White Horse district. Previously the county town of Berkshire, Abingdon is one of several places that claim to be Britain's oldest continuously occupied town, with...
. It was opened by the Abingdon Railway Company on 2 June 1856 along with the branch, and was subsequently closed and replaced by Radley railway station
Radley railway station
Radley railway station serves the villages of Radley and Lower Radley, and the town of Abingdon, both in Oxfordshire, England.-History:The station was built primarily for the boys of Radley College. It was formerly a junction station for a now-dismantled branch to the adjacent town of Abingdon...
on 8 September 1873. Radley station was in a more convenient place for access. At the same time as the station's opening, the next station to the south, formerly known as Abingdon Road was renamed .
Located at the point where the branch diverges from the main line, Abingdon Junction was provided purely for interchange for services to , Culham and and was not shown in timetables. No proper road access to the station was provided and only modest passenger facilities were afforded consisting of two facing wooden platforms with a small building constructed on the up main side and a run-around loop for branch services and connections with the main line.
Following the conversion of the branch to standard gauge
Standard gauge
The standard gauge is a widely-used track gauge . Approximately 60% of the world's existing railway lines are built to this gauge...
in November 1872, works began to extend the line a further ¾ mile northwards alongside the main line
Cherwell Valley Line
The Cherwell Valley Line is the railway line between Didcot and Banbury via Oxford. It links the Great Western Main Line and the south to the Chiltern Main Line and the Midlands...
to reach a new station at Radley where it terminated in a bay platform
Bay platform
Bay platform is a railway-related term commonly used in the UK and Australia to describe a dead-end platform at a railway station that has through lines...
on the station's west side. The station building from Abingdon Junction was transported to Radley where it was sited just south of the road bridge, most likely on the down side. It remained there until well into British Railways days and was used by gangers and platelayer
Platelayer
A platelayer or trackman is a railway employee whose job is to inspect and maintain the permanent way of a railway installation.The term derives from the plates used to build plateways, an early form of railway....
s. The remains of Abingdon Junction survived for several years before their demolition, so that the only trace of the station today is the widened formation to the west of the main line before the Abingdon branch curved away.