Abingdon Junction railway station

Abingdon Junction railway station was a junction station for the branch line to Abingdon. It was opened by the Abingdon Railway Company on 2 June 1856[1] along with the branch, and was subsequently closed and replaced by Radley railway station on 8 September 1873.[2] Radley station was in a more convenient place for access. At the same time as the station's opening, the next station to the south, formerly known as Abingdon Road was renamed Culham.[3]

Not to be confused with Abingdon Road Halt, open between 1908 and 1915.

Abingdon Junction
Locationnear Radley, Vale of White Horse, Oxfordshire
England
Grid referenceSU525975
Platforms?
Other information
StatusDisused
History
Original companyAbingdon Railway Company
Key dates
2 June 1856[1]Opened
8 September 1873[2]Closed

In 1837 the first Bill for a railway to Abingdon was laid before Parliament; it would have brought a direct line from Didcot to Oxford through the town. The House of Commons passed the Bill, but the Lords rejected it. The Bill for the Oxford line was revived in the following year, but so strong was the opposition of Mr. Duffield, Abingdon's M.P., that the proposed line was forced to by-pass Abingdon; it eventually opened on 12 June 1844 and ran no nearer to Abingdon than the village of Radley, some two miles to the east.[4]

Located at the point where the branch diverges from the main line, Abingdon Junction was provided purely for interchange for services to Oxford, Culham and Didcot and was not shown in timetables.[5][6][7] No proper road access to the station was provided and only modest passenger facilities were afforded consisting of two facing wooden platforms[8] with a small building constructed on the up main side and a run-around loop for branch services and connections with the main line.[8]

Following the conversion of the branch to standard gauge in November 1872, works began to extend the line a further ¾ mile northwards alongside the main line to reach a new station at Radley where it terminated in a bay platform on the station's west side. The station building from Abingdon Junction was transported to Radley where it was sited just south of the road bridge, most likely on the down side.[9] It remained there until well into British Railways days and was used by gangers and platelayers.[10] The remains of Abingdon Junction survived for several years before their demolition, so that the only trace of the station today is the widened formation to the west of the main line before the Abingdon branch curved away.[11]

Preceding station Historical railways Following station
Oxford   Great Western Railway
Cherwell Valley Line		   Culham
Disused railways
Abingdon   Abingdon Railway Company
Abingdon Branch Line		   Terminus

References
  1. Butt 1995, p. 13.
  2. Clinker 1978, p. 2.
  3. Trippett & de Courtais 1985, p. 5.
  4. Trains Illustrated. June 1954.
  5. "Disused Stations". Subterranea Britannica.
  6. MacDermot 1927, pp. 408-409.
  7. Simpson 2001, p. 53.
  8. Trippett & de Courtais 1985, p. 47.
  9. Trippett & de Courtais 1985, p. 49.
  10. Trippett & de Courtais 1985, p. 6.
  11. Trippett & de Courtais 1985, pp. 47-49.

Sources
  • Butt, R.V.J. (1995). The Directory of Railway Stations. Yeovil: Patrick Stephens Ltd. ISBN 1-85260-508-1. R508.
  • Clinker, C.R. (October 1978). Clinker's Register of Closed Passenger Stations and Goods Depots in England, Scotland and Wales 1830-1977. Bristol: Avon-AngliA Publications & Services. ISBN 0-905466-19-5.
  • MacDermot, E.T. (1927). "Chapter IX Hard Times". History of the Great Western Railway. Vol. I Part I (1st ed.). Paddington: Great Western Railway.
  • Simpson, Bill (2001). A History of the Railways in Oxfordshire; Part 2: The South. Witney, Oxon: Lamplight Publications. ISBN 978-1-899246-06-9.
  • Trippett, Nigel; de Courtais, Nicholas (1985). The Abingdon Branch. Upper Bucklebury, Berks.: Wild Swan Publications Ltd. ISBN 0-906867-29-0.

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