Faringdon branch
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Legend
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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.
History
Opening
The line was opened in 1864, between Faringdon and the Great Western Railway (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.[1]
The line was inspected on 13 April 1864 by Capt. F. H. Rich R.E. who found numerous faults that prevented the line's opening, including weak bridges. Rich re-inspected the line on 13 May and passed the line for opening, which was done on 1 June 1864.[2]
Gauge conversion
Constructed as a broad gauge line it was converted to standard gauge in 1878.
Decline and closure
Passenger traffic peaked in 1913, but later declined to such an extent that the passenger service was withdrawn in 1951. Freight traffic continued to use the line until the Beeching cuts of 1964.
Reopening proposal
Faringdon Town Council proposed in 2005 to reopen the line[3] but it remains closed.
References
- ↑ Archived July 8, 2008, at the Wayback Machine.
- ↑ Vaughan, Adrian (27 Aug 2013). The Faringdon Branch and Uffington Station. Amberley Publishing. Retrieved 2 February 2015.
- ↑ "Faringdon Advanced Broadgauge Railway". 2005-10-18. Retrieved 2013-08-30.