Faringdon branch
Encyclopedia
The Faringdon branch was a three and a half mile long branch line from Uffington Station
to Faringdon
in the Vale of White Horse
, in Oxfordshire
.
(GWR) at Uffington
, with construction funded by a consortium of local business men called the Faringdon Railway Company which was bought outright by the GWR in 1886. Constructed as a broad gauge line it was converted to standard gauge in 1878. Passenger traffic peaked in 1913, but later declined to such extent that the passenger service was withdrawn in 1951. Freight traffic continued to use the line until the Beeching
cuts of 1964.
Faringdon Town Council proposed in 2005 to reopen the line but it remains closed.
Uffington railway station
Uffington railway station is a former station on the Great Western Main Line. The station was about northeast of the village of Uffington, a village in what was then part of Berkshire, on the west side of the road between Uffington and Baulking.In 1864 Uffington became a junction as the Faringdon...
to Faringdon
Faringdon railway station
Faringdon Railway Station is a closed stone and brick built railway station that served the market town of Faringdon, in Oxfordshire, England and was on the Faringdon branch line.-History:...
in the Vale of White Horse
Vale of White Horse
The Vale of White Horse is a local government district of Oxfordshire in England. The main town is Abingdon, other places include Faringdon and Wantage. There are 68 parishes within the district...
, in Oxfordshire
Oxfordshire
Oxfordshire is a county in the South East region of England, bordering on Warwickshire and Northamptonshire , Buckinghamshire , Berkshire , Wiltshire and Gloucestershire ....
.
History
The line was opened in 1864, between Faringdon and the Great Western RailwayGreat Western Railway
The Great Western Railway was a British railway company that linked London with the south-west and west of England and most of Wales. It was founded in 1833, received its enabling Act of Parliament in 1835 and ran its first trains in 1838...
(GWR) at Uffington
Uffington railway station
Uffington railway station is a former station on the Great Western Main Line. The station was about northeast of the village of Uffington, a village in what was then part of Berkshire, on the west side of the road between Uffington and Baulking.In 1864 Uffington became a junction as the Faringdon...
, with construction funded by a consortium of local business men called the Faringdon Railway Company which was bought outright by the GWR in 1886. Constructed as a broad gauge line it was converted to standard gauge in 1878. Passenger traffic peaked in 1913, but later declined to such extent that the passenger service was withdrawn in 1951. Freight traffic continued to use the line until the Beeching
Beeching Axe
The Beeching Axe or the Beeching Cuts are informal names for the British Government's attempt in the 1960s to reduce the cost of running British Railways, the nationalised railway system in the United Kingdom. The name is that of the main author of The Reshaping of British Railways, Dr Richard...
cuts of 1964.
Faringdon Town Council proposed in 2005 to reopen the line but it remains closed.