Wainhill Crossing Halt railway station
Encyclopedia
Wainhill Crossing Halt was a halt on the Watlington and Princes Risborough Railway
which the Great Western Railway
opened in 1925 to serve the Oxfordshire
hamlet of Wainhill. The opening of the halt was part of a GWR attempt to encourage more passengers on the line at a time when competition from bus services was drawing away patronage.
over an unclassified road leading to Lower Wainhill and Hempton Wainhill. The lane
saw very occasional traffic as it was unsuitable for motor vehicles and only served nine or ten houses on the eastern side of the Watlington and Princes Risborough Railway
. A modest crossing keeper's cottage had been provided by the railway company which comprised two ground floor rooms and one bedroom on the first floor; there was no mains water, gas or electricity. The crossing keeper was responsible for keeping the lamps alight on the gates and, once the station had opened, trimming and lighting the two oil
hurricane lamps hung on posts to illuminate the single platform.
Following the withdrawal of passenger services in 1957, the line through Wainhill Crossing remained open until July 1990 for the purposes of coal
, gypsum
and cement
movements to and from the Rugby Portland Cement Company's factory near Chinnor
. Negotiating Wainhill Crossing, by this time unmanned, required trains to be brought to a halt by the crossing whilst a crew member opened and closed the gates; this was particularly awkward as the line descends at a 1 in 73 gradient here and was subject to a speed restriction of 5 mph.
which has reopened the line through the station. The halt is not however open to passengers. Wainhill Crossing is manned when services are running and a train must stop or slow down unless a green flag is shown by the crossing keeper. In accordance with the Transport and Works Order granted to the CPPR for the operation of services, the crossing gates must be kept closed and locked across the railway except when services are crossing. The gates must also be kept conspicuously white with red reflectors
and lamps must be used when it gets dark. The crossing keeper's cottage is still standing and is in private ownership.
Watlington and Princes Risborough Railway
The Watlington and Princes Risborough Railway was a railway branch line between Watlington and Princes Risborough which remained operational for over 88 years between 1872 and 1961....
which the Great Western Railway
Great 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...
opened in 1925 to serve the Oxfordshire
Oxfordshire
Oxfordshire is a county in the South East region of England, bordering on Warwickshire and Northamptonshire , Buckinghamshire , Berkshire , Wiltshire and Gloucestershire ....
hamlet of Wainhill. The opening of the halt was part of a GWR attempt to encourage more passengers on the line at a time when competition from bus services was drawing away patronage.
History
Opened in 1925, the halt - the last station to open on the line - sought to encourage passenger traffic in the face of increased competition from buses. It was situated to the south of a level crossingLevel crossing
A level crossing occurs where a railway line is intersected by a road or path onone level, without recourse to a bridge or tunnel. It is a type of at-grade intersection. The term also applies when a light rail line with separate right-of-way or reserved track crosses a road in the same fashion...
over an unclassified road leading to Lower Wainhill and Hempton Wainhill. The lane
Lane
A lane is a part of the roadway within a road marked out for use by a single line of vehicles in such a way as to control and guide drivers for the purpose of reducing traffic conflicts. Most public roads have at least two lanes, one for traffic in each direction, separated by Lane markings...
saw very occasional traffic as it was unsuitable for motor vehicles and only served nine or ten houses on the eastern side of the Watlington and Princes Risborough Railway
Watlington and Princes Risborough Railway
The Watlington and Princes Risborough Railway was a railway branch line between Watlington and Princes Risborough which remained operational for over 88 years between 1872 and 1961....
. A modest crossing keeper's cottage had been provided by the railway company which comprised two ground floor rooms and one bedroom on the first floor; there was no mains water, gas or electricity. The crossing keeper was responsible for keeping the lamps alight on the gates and, once the station had opened, trimming and lighting the two oil
Oil
An oil is any substance that is liquid at ambient temperatures and does not mix with water but may mix with other oils and organic solvents. This general definition includes vegetable oils, volatile essential oils, petrochemical oils, and synthetic oils....
hurricane lamps hung on posts to illuminate the single platform.
Following the withdrawal of passenger services in 1957, the line through Wainhill Crossing remained open until July 1990 for the purposes of coal
Coal
Coal is a combustible black or brownish-black sedimentary rock usually occurring in rock strata in layers or veins called coal beds or coal seams. The harder forms, such as anthracite coal, can be regarded as metamorphic rock because of later exposure to elevated temperature and pressure...
, gypsum
Gypsum
Gypsum is a very soft sulfate mineral composed of calcium sulfate dihydrate, with the chemical formula CaSO4·2H2O. It is found in alabaster, a decorative stone used in Ancient Egypt. It is the second softest mineral on the Mohs Hardness Scale...
and cement
Cement
In the most general sense of the word, a cement is a binder, a substance that sets and hardens independently, and can bind other materials together. The word "cement" traces to the Romans, who used the term opus caementicium to describe masonry resembling modern concrete that was made from crushed...
movements to and from the Rugby Portland Cement Company's factory near Chinnor
Chinnor
Chinnor is a village and civil parish in South Oxfordshire about southeast of Thame. The village is a Spring line settlement on the Icknield Way below the Chiltern escarpment...
. Negotiating Wainhill Crossing, by this time unmanned, required trains to be brought to a halt by the crossing whilst a crew member opened and closed the gates; this was particularly awkward as the line descends at a 1 in 73 gradient here and was subject to a speed restriction of 5 mph.
Present day
Wainhill Crossing Halt has been rebuilt by the Chinnor and Princes Risborough RailwayChinnor and Princes Risborough Railway
The Chinnor & Princes Risborough Railway is a heritage railway with its main station at Chinnor on the border between Buckinghamshire and Oxfordshire, England.-History:...
which has reopened the line through the station. The halt is not however open to passengers. Wainhill Crossing is manned when services are running and a train must stop or slow down unless a green flag is shown by the crossing keeper. In accordance with the Transport and Works Order granted to the CPPR for the operation of services, the crossing gates must be kept closed and locked across the railway except when services are crossing. The gates must also be kept conspicuously white with red reflectors
Retroreflector
A retroreflector is a device or surface that reflects light back to its source with a minimum scattering of light. An electromagnetic wave front is reflected back along a vector that is parallel to but opposite in direction from the wave's source. The device or surface's angle of incidence is...
and lamps must be used when it gets dark. The crossing keeper's cottage is still standing and is in private ownership.