The Anonymous Widower

The Marlow Branch

After my exploration yesterday of Twyford Station And The Henley Branch, I felt I had to explore one of the other branches today.

So I took the Great Western Railway to Maidenhead station and went up and down the Marlow Branch Line.

Unlike at Twyford, where you have several minutes to make the connection, at Maidenhead, I only had a couple, so pictures of Maidenhead station are a bit sparse in the gallery. However, I did take some others in Before Crossrail Maidenhead Station.

Much of what was said about the Henley Branch applies to the Maidenhead Branch.

• It is a short branch of just over seven miles with a change of direction in the middle at Bourne End station.
• An IPEMU would appear to be more than capable of providing a service on the line.
• At a quick look, it would appear that the platforms at Bourne End, Cookham, Furze Platt and Marlow stations could easily be made long enough for a four car train.
• The line has several level crossings and a couple of low bridges, that could cause problems with traditional electrification.
• Bourne End Railway Bridge is an historic bridge and I doubt that the heritage lobby would allow it to be electrified using overhead wires.

Operation

One almost unique quirk of the line is that the reversal of direction at Bourne End, where the driver has to walk to the other end of the train.

The Class 165 train is over twenty years old and was built before trains had modern control and wi-fi systems. Surely, a modern train could be driven from the rear, using CCTV for forward vision between Bourne End and Marlow.

Extending From Bourne End To High Wycombe

I think that it is true to say, that a lot of people would be very pleased if the branch line still continued past Bourne End and on to High Wycombe station.

This Google Map shows Bourne End station.

Bourne End Station

Note how the line from Maidenhead comes in from the South West and the line continues to Marlow along the river after the change of direction. The former line to High Wycombe is visible as a green scar going off to the North East.

I certainly think that the ambitious natures of Chiltern Railways, Great Western Railway and Crossrail/Transport for London will mean that this extension to effectively make High Wycombe one change away from Crossrail will be seriously looked at by the train companies.

December 11, 2015 Posted by AnonW | Transport/Travel | Crossrail, Great Western Railway, IPEMU, Maidenhead Station, Trains | 1 Comment