Closure
Witney goods yard weigh bridge, and parcel shed
being used by a coal merchant, both demolished 16th May 1995 This is now the site of a Sainsburys stores loading bay. September 1990 Caroline M Howse |
The announcement was made in January 1961, of the closure of the section of the line between Witney and Fairford and this closed on 18th June 1962 along with the end of passenger services over the Witney to Yarnton Section. The last passenger train was pulled by pannier tank locomotive 57xx 0-6-0PT 9653.
The freight service over the Witney section continued until the final closure of the whole line up to and including Yarnton station on 2nd November 1970 . Today nothing remains of the stations at Yarnton and Cassington, The road over bridge at Cassington was extensively rebuilt during 2004. The bridge south west of Cassington carrying the line over the river Evenlode is still in use as a private road bridge, on a now closed camp site, (5/5/2003) but the Cassington canal bridge has gone. A section of the old track bed between the Oxford to Eynsham road and the level crossing was dug up to make way for a bypass and the road over bridge demolished. The old sugar beet factory has also been demolished and a factory making body scanners now stands on the site. Eynsham stations site is now an industrial estate and its concrete platform is now in use at the Didcot railway centre. |
One of 3 bridges at Witney junction all of which still remain,
carried the line over the river Windrush, this one built by the East Gloucestershire Railway. 23rd February 2002. David M Howse |
The top of the bridge that passed under the line on the Oxford side of South Leigh is just visible.
South Leigh's crossing keeper's cottage has been converted into a private house and is situated next to a hump in the road (the old crossing), other than that nothing remains, as a bungalow was built on the site of the station. The depot built during WW2 at South Leigh still exists. The Ballaso bridge still exists and part of the track bed at this point is now a private garden but the old quarry there has been filled in. The three bridges over the River Windrush at the junction between the goods and passenger stations at Witney still remain but in poor condition, the concrete filled sandbags can still be seen at the base of the bridges as a result of bridge strengthening work carried out on some of the lines bridges. |
The site of Witney Passenger station looking towards Yarnton, from the site of the bridge.
September 1990 David M Howse |
A section of tracked on the approach to Witney has been removed and the A40 Witney bypass cuts through the route just east of Witney Junction, and again just to the west of the town.
Except for the Witney station masters house, and heavily remodeled goods shed, nothing remains, the site of the 2 stations are now an industrial estate. The last railway building to be demolished, the weigh bridge & hut, went on the 16th May 1995, to make way for a new supermarket. Both the EGR built, road bridges in Witney have gone as part of road improvement schemes. The road bridge on the Curbridge to Ducklington road has gone. The road bridge on the Curbridge to Bampton road is still in use and has in 2002 had some repair work done to it. |
The Kelmscott & Langford bridge,
the corrugated sides are a more recent addition. 13th April 2003 David M Howse The crossing keepers cottage (Much extended)
and crossing at Little Faringdon The track way off to the left through the gateway is the track bed towards Lechlade. 13th April 2003. David M Howse Remains of the River Leach bridge,
looking towards Lechlade. 13th April 2003 David M Howse |
Bampton Stations Bridge still exists but filled in, nothing remains of the station as it is now an industrial estate.
The RAF have extended their perimeter fence at RAF Brize Norton to included part of the track bed between Bampton and Carterton. The bridge at Carterton station and the station building are both still in use, the latter as a stables. Carterton signal box was removed to the Swindon & Cricklade Railway in March 1980, however, the overall structure was in need of too much restoration to be a viable project and the signal box was broken up and used to help restoration of the two boxes on the railway. Alvescot station is now a coal and transport yard, the road bridge is still in use. The road bridge carrying the Broadwell to Clanfield road is still in use. Kelmscott and Langford stations main platform and cattle dock still exist along with 2 old lamp posts, (4/2003) but is slowly being buried under builder’s rubbish. The crossing cottage at little Faringdon is still being lived in and has been extended at the rear but the front of the cottage is pretty much as built and is of the same stone and roof design as the EGR station buildings at Witney and Fairford. Lechlade station is awaiting redevelopment and is only evident by a selection of building bases; still seen (4/2003) are platform, goods shed base, end loading dock. The road over bridge still carries one of the main roads into Lechlade, beyond that the line has a housing estate built on it. The road over bridge as the line approaches Fairford is still in use, but nothing remains of the bridge at the station site or the station itself, except possibly the turn table pit. This site is now a factory. There have been plans proposed to reopen the railway between Oxford and Witney, and Oxford and Carterton, but this seems unlikely to happen as large parts of the track bed have been dug out, built on and sections of the old route are now under various road schemes. A survey dismissed the idea as to expensive. (2002) |
Site of Fairford station
looking towards the end of the line from approximately where the bridge stood. 13th April 2003. David M Howse |