Cholsey and Wallingford Railway - between Didcot Parkway and Reading

[whole diary]

[autotank]

This Sunday and Monday for the first time in nearly 20 years we'll be running 2 steam engines together on the line! Normal timetable in operation but with lots of combinations throughout the day including double heading and banking. The line up is Peckett's 1555 (Ivor) and 2142 (Northern Gas Board No.1).

Free car parking at Wallingford Station or of course you can join us at Cholsey Station where we run out of the original bay platform 5. We swill usually wait for the xx37 up stoppers on Sundays.

[bobm]

Made a return visit to the Cholsey & Wallingford today.

The railway made great strides in its early days to get the level crossing over the newly constructed Wallingford bypass and reach the bay platform at Cholsey next to the mainline.   However I sense progress has, almost inevitably, slowed in recent years.   The station was much as I remembered it from my last visit however there are plans to bring the old canopy from Maidenhead Station to Wallingford in the next year.  Also some more land has been purchased which may be sufficient to add another siding and relieve some of the congestion in the station area.  So there is renewed hope for the future.





(not really quite sure what the tractor is doing there....)

The mainstays on the line are 08 diesel shunters.  Two, Lion and Unicorn from the Guinness brewery at Park Royal and one which came straight from BR^▸ (British Rail(ways)) (08123) named George Mason after a benefactor from the Cholsey & Wallingford's earliest days.



The journey takes 15 minutes mostly past fields plus a view of Cholsey Church where Agatha Christie is buried



As mentioned on another thread (http://www.firstgreatwestern.info/coffeeshop/index.php?topic=17280.msg198761#msg198761) through tickets are available from the national network



If you have a whole day there is the scope to combine a visit to the C&W with the nearby Didcot Railway Centre and the Pendon model museum.

[Bmblbzzz]

No tractor there earlier in June (and the gates were locked), but apart from that, pretty similar!

[bobm]

The Railway has announced the appointment of Mark Hopwood CBE as its new President.

He succeeds the late Sir William McAlpine.

[eightonedee]

Driving past this morning on a grocery run I saw the new train shed has been erected over the station - looks quite smart from a distance.

[Oxonhutch]

It is ex-Platform 5 at Maidenhead. Good to see that it has been preserved.

[Red Squirrel]

From the Cholsey & Wallingford Railway's Facebook page:

[autotank]

I've recently become involved again with the C&WR (I'm the new membership secretary) and, after a number of years treading water, I'm delighted with recent progress and Mark Hopwood becoming President. The canopy has been done beautifully and good progress is being made paving the platform, which will make a huge difference. Plans are at long last being made to build some permanent station buildings and move away from the portacabins. A strip of land was acquired when Lidl was built next door, which will allow the construction of a much needed runround loop in the next year or two.

The 'Coffee Stop' which was at Cholsey Station pre-Covid has moved to Wallingford and is very proving popular opening Tuesday - Saturday for takeaway. We are hoping to make this a more permanent arrangement in the future and provide outdoor seating when resrictions ease.

A grand opening of the canopy is being planned for the summer, hopefully with a suitable GW^▸ (Great Western) steam loco. Do pay us a visit if you can or why not join up to stay in touch and benefit from travel concessions? https://www.cholsey-wallingford-railway.com/membership

[bobm]

I've recently become involved again with the C&WR (I'm the new membership secretary)

Small world.   I was Membership Secretary for the C&WRPS back in the 1980s.

[IndustryInsider]

The canopy has been done beautifully...

It has been done beautifully, looking at the photo Red Squirrel linked to.  Just a shame you couldn't have slotted in the old footbridge at Taplow somewhere. 

[johnneyw]

The canopy has been done beautifully...

It has been done beautifully, looking at the photo Red Squirrel linked to.  Just a shame you couldn't have slotted in the old footbridge at Taplow somewhere. 

I had no idea about this, although I had been planning a visit pre the current unpleasantness.  I'm slightly pleased my visit was delayed.  This means that I can now appreciate this.

[autotank]

So proud of our little line last weekend. We officially opened the Maidenhead canopy at the new Wallingford Station on Friday 25th with 'Railway Royalty' including Sir Peter Hendy, Tim Dunn, Lady McAlpine, Mark Hopwood, Lord Bradshaw and of course many of our amazing volunteers! We've still got lots to do, but there is a great can do attitude around the place at the moment and some great people. Oh and we sold over 6000 tickets in the first week for Polar Express too!

There was a nice bit of coverage on BBC^» (British Broadcasting Corporation - home page) South Today last night. Scroll to 09:41, but be quick as I think it only stay up until 6.30pm this evening www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/m000xjk1

There is also this article https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-oxfordshire-57682265

4612 is with us until the end of the month so do come and have a ride!

[eightf48544]

A candidate for Vivarails battery units with "Fast Charge" at Cholsey.

[ChrisB]

I’m sure they’d rather continue with their steam operation!

[Oxonhutch]

Is any Cholsey and Wallingford Railway member at liberty to tell us what is happening with the Wallingford Bypass Level Crossing which is in obvious need of repair? Hence the tidal flow road traffic lights.  As the railway came first, I am assuming that it is the responsibility of the local authority to make good the collapsed road surface.

I also noticed today there was a railway crossing keeper and what looked like an operator for the traffic lights as the railway looks to be in operation.