The Branch Lines of Buckinghamshire

The Branch Lines of Buckinghamshire gives the reader a marvellous wide-ranging view of over 100 years of rail travel in this area of Britain during an era of rapid change. The county’s branch lines show a remarkable diversity - they include the Great Western Railway, the Great Central Railway, the London & North Western Railway and the Metropolitan Railway, while the Midland Railway just entered the northernmost tip of the county. Branches varied in character from the sleepy rural Brill line, closed in 1935, to the highly efficient Chesham branch which is now electrified. Colin Maggs offers a thoroughly researched account of Buckinghamshire’s main railway routes and he looks at, and illustrates, each branch line in detail. The book is fascinating reading for railway enthusiasts, modellers and local historians. Buckinghamshire has two former main lines, now relegated to branch status, while the former Bourne End to Marlow branch, once a sub-branch from the High Wycombe to Maidenhead line, can now only be reached from Maidenhead. There are two freight-only branches, both serving the Recycling Group’s Waste Terminal at Calvert, and there is a movement afoot to reopen the Bicester Town to Bletchley line. This lively and carefully researched account provides a wide-ranging view of over a century’s travel on the county’s railways. The Branch Lines of Buckinghamshire is comprehensively illustrated with over 150 photographs and will appeal strongly to enthusiasts and modellers alike.