WLR Ficticious History
The origins of the Woodrow Light Railway dates back to 1909, when a need developed to transport goods between the villages of Holmer Green, Woodrow, Penn Street and the bustling market town of Amersham.
A consortium of local famers and businessmen from these villages put together a proposal to the local authorities and landowners. Negotiations were slow at first, but by late 1911 there had been a decision the construction could commence, and contractors were immediately put to work. The finalised route went from Amersham to Woodrow, where a branch line looped off to Penn Street and Winchmore Hill. From Woodrow, the main line looped back through Beamond End, Mop End and a halt at Holmer Green to Amersham. At Amersham, the line looped around to remove the need for running round at either end of the line.
Construction was a rapid process, and was completed in time for the first train to be run in the spring of 1913. Motive power at this time was in the form of two identical 0-4-0T’s, numbered 1&2 at first, although No. 2 gained the name ‘Dorothy’ after the wife of one of the major donors shortly afterwards. Stock was formed of a range of open and closed wagons, with two coaches – an open toastrack coach for farmers to travel to Amersham with their goods, and a 3-compartment saloon for travel by the directors of the railway.
After opening, traffic grew rapidly with a wide variety of freight, leading to the purchase of more stock in time for early 1915. This purchase included the lines first passenger stock for general use, five coaches from IP Engineering. Following the arrival of these coaches, a regular passenger service started, initially with two trains a day, although this grew considerably throughout 1915.
At the end of the 1915 season, locos Nos. 1&2 needed major work due to the five coach passenger set – this set gave a considerably larger load than the design load of the locomotives. To this end, No. 1 was modified over the winter while No. 2 worked the out of season freight workings, and the former returned complete with tender in early 1916. An order was also placed with Roundhouse Engineering for a new, larger, 0-4-0T, which arrived in the summer of 1917. The loco was proclaimed an immediate success and served as the lines workhorse for many years.
Much didn’t change with the line until 1931. The financial status of the railway was good, with a steady stream of traffic despite the growing road network. However, tensions were growing between the families and estates of those who had set up the railway, and with no plans in place for such a situation, it was decided to put the line, and all its assets, up for sale.
Despite the bleak outlook, the Great Western Railway offered a deal where they would run the railway and slowly acquire assets, while a share of the profits went to the estates of the past directors. The GWR took over operations from 1st January 1932, and No. 3 was repainted in GWR green for the occasion.
The GWR opted to make a few major changes, and replaced a large number of items of stock during the 1933/4 seasons, with six new wagons and two new bogie coaches arriving. Following the arrival of the coaches, the toastrack and directors saloon, which had been in general service for some years, were withdrawn. There was also a plan to build a new 0-6-0T - a modified and enhanced version of the Welshpool Beyer Peacocks. However, this was rejected and two new locomotives were acquired from a failed railway scheme in Wales. These were a 4-wheel diesel locomotive, used for shunting purposes, and an 0-6-0T locomotive named ‘Judith’. These gained the numbers 4 & 5 in the lines roster.
By 1937, Nos. 1 & 2 were both heavily worn and in need of major overhauls. The decision was taken to combine the best parts of the two engines to produce one engine, and this took the frames, and therefore the number and name, of No. 2. The remaining parts, including No. 1’s frames, were all scrapped.
The outbreak of World War II threatened to close the line, but a local munitions industry provided an unexpected source of income for the railway, and two vans were provided for this industry – one being a conversion of an existing van, and another being a new van. During this period, three of the five IP Engineering coaches were deemed unusable and cut up for scrap. No. 3 was also painted in GW wartime black.
At the end of the war and the end of the munitions traffic, the WLR service struggled to recover. The passenger service was removed in 1947 and replaced by a bus service around the villages, and the freight service was struggling.
However, the line survived long enough to be absorbed into British Railways at nationalisation in 1948, and No. 3 gained BR crests in 1950. By 1952, the line was barely braking even, and a large sum of money was needed to replace two of the lines bridges. BR decided to close the line, and the last train ran on December 31st 1952. Much of the stock was left stored at Amersham, with relatively little being sold to scrap, although the tender of No. 1 (now with No. 2) was cut up, and the two remaining IP coaches were sold on and scrapped, as were the GW coaches and some of the wagons. The toastrack and directors saloon remained at the railway, although the body of the directors saloon was converted into a chicken house in a neighbouring garden.
Although preservation schemes were springing up all around the UK, and further afield, from 1951 onwards, it was 1993 before any scheme was mentioned seriously for the WLR, and it was 1995 until fundraising started. By 1997, a large enough sum of money had been raised, with a sizeable donation from the family of one of the original directors, to purchase all of the trackbed, and place an order for two new bridges to replace the well-worn examples at Woodrow and Holmer Green. The remainder of the trackbed was in good condition, which led to a good rate of progress towards reopening,
Further fundraising led to the overhaul of locos 2,3,4 and 5, all of which were still intact and at Amersham, and the purchase of some stock – including a number of original wagons, the two surviving coaches and a number of vehicles from the USA, including five bogie coaches and a number of large wagons for PWay work.
Early 2002 saw the arrival of a large 0-6-2 tender locomotive built by John Fowler of Leeds for use in Australia. It had been bought back to the UK for a failed preservation scheme in the 1970’s, and the WLR succeeded in purchasing the engine for the line, and it arrived before the mainline was reopened later in 2002. The formal reopening of the line, and first full season of operations, took place in 2003.
Over the next few years, a number of other locomotives were acquired. Two large diesel locomotives - Nos. 7 & 8 - arrived to work off peak trains. Another steam locomotive, No. 9 – an 0-6-0T – arrived to work service trains, as Nos. 2 & 5 weren’t deemed suitable to haul four bogie coaches up the grade to Amersham. Steam outline No. 11 was purchased by the railway from a defunct theme park, and had its appearance modified to match a Zillertalbahn 0-6-2T. The final arrival was No. 14, a large and powerful 0-4-0T ideally suited to the line. A small American 0-4-0T, numbered No. 1 by its previous owner, was purchased by a private individual for use at the WLR. However, it has proven far too small for trains on the line and has only been used sparingly.
Summer 2004 saw the reopening of the branchline to Penn Street, and 2005 saw another major development – the launch of a plan to build a replica of the original No. 1. This plan came to fruition in 2008 with the completion of the locomotive, complete with tender. It has been rebuilt to higher specifications and can, at a push, take the four-bogie coach service train around the line.
Further stock acquisitions have followed in recent years, and projects have been launched to create replicas of the five IP coaches and 2 GW coaches. Four more coaches, two four wheel and two large bogie coaches, have been acquired from other schemes with the aim of replacing the US coaches by 2015. To fund some of these projects, it was decided to sell No. 14, which, while well suited to the WLR, was the newest member of a fleet larger than required for current operations.
The route saw a mini revamp in 2012, with a section of line out of Woodrow doubled, allowing extra operational flexibility. At the same time, a few sections of the line were renewed, including the Penn Street branch.
2013 saw the line celebrate both its centenary and the 10th anniversary of reopening. The year also saw the culmination of a project to build a new loco for the line capable of working heavy service trains, and this was built to the 0-6-0T design the GWR rejected in the 1930's. The loco has been named 'The Earl', as had been planned by the GWR, in celebration of the Earl of Beaconsfield - Benjamin Disraeli; an avid political fan of Disraeli being instrumental behind the scenes in the lines early years. This of course means that the loco shares the name with one of the WLLR Beyer Peacocks, although the numberplates show No. 15 in reference to its WLR running number.
Such was the success of No. 15, another new build was completed in 2015 to cope with the summer service trains, and the 'downgrading' of No. 3 from a service loco to one to be retained for special occasions and vintage trains in the off-peak season. A replica of the long lost 2-6-4 tanks of the Leek & Manifold Railway, No. 16 entered service in August 2015 and is capable of handling the heaviest WLR trains.
Traffic has thrived on the line since reopening, with summer dates requiring two trainsets to meet demands. The WLR preservationists can be justly proud to have created what the original WLR was always aiming for – a highly profitable line running through the scenic Chiltern landscape.
A consortium of local famers and businessmen from these villages put together a proposal to the local authorities and landowners. Negotiations were slow at first, but by late 1911 there had been a decision the construction could commence, and contractors were immediately put to work. The finalised route went from Amersham to Woodrow, where a branch line looped off to Penn Street and Winchmore Hill. From Woodrow, the main line looped back through Beamond End, Mop End and a halt at Holmer Green to Amersham. At Amersham, the line looped around to remove the need for running round at either end of the line.
Construction was a rapid process, and was completed in time for the first train to be run in the spring of 1913. Motive power at this time was in the form of two identical 0-4-0T’s, numbered 1&2 at first, although No. 2 gained the name ‘Dorothy’ after the wife of one of the major donors shortly afterwards. Stock was formed of a range of open and closed wagons, with two coaches – an open toastrack coach for farmers to travel to Amersham with their goods, and a 3-compartment saloon for travel by the directors of the railway.
After opening, traffic grew rapidly with a wide variety of freight, leading to the purchase of more stock in time for early 1915. This purchase included the lines first passenger stock for general use, five coaches from IP Engineering. Following the arrival of these coaches, a regular passenger service started, initially with two trains a day, although this grew considerably throughout 1915.
At the end of the 1915 season, locos Nos. 1&2 needed major work due to the five coach passenger set – this set gave a considerably larger load than the design load of the locomotives. To this end, No. 1 was modified over the winter while No. 2 worked the out of season freight workings, and the former returned complete with tender in early 1916. An order was also placed with Roundhouse Engineering for a new, larger, 0-4-0T, which arrived in the summer of 1917. The loco was proclaimed an immediate success and served as the lines workhorse for many years.
Much didn’t change with the line until 1931. The financial status of the railway was good, with a steady stream of traffic despite the growing road network. However, tensions were growing between the families and estates of those who had set up the railway, and with no plans in place for such a situation, it was decided to put the line, and all its assets, up for sale.
Despite the bleak outlook, the Great Western Railway offered a deal where they would run the railway and slowly acquire assets, while a share of the profits went to the estates of the past directors. The GWR took over operations from 1st January 1932, and No. 3 was repainted in GWR green for the occasion.
The GWR opted to make a few major changes, and replaced a large number of items of stock during the 1933/4 seasons, with six new wagons and two new bogie coaches arriving. Following the arrival of the coaches, the toastrack and directors saloon, which had been in general service for some years, were withdrawn. There was also a plan to build a new 0-6-0T - a modified and enhanced version of the Welshpool Beyer Peacocks. However, this was rejected and two new locomotives were acquired from a failed railway scheme in Wales. These were a 4-wheel diesel locomotive, used for shunting purposes, and an 0-6-0T locomotive named ‘Judith’. These gained the numbers 4 & 5 in the lines roster.
By 1937, Nos. 1 & 2 were both heavily worn and in need of major overhauls. The decision was taken to combine the best parts of the two engines to produce one engine, and this took the frames, and therefore the number and name, of No. 2. The remaining parts, including No. 1’s frames, were all scrapped.
The outbreak of World War II threatened to close the line, but a local munitions industry provided an unexpected source of income for the railway, and two vans were provided for this industry – one being a conversion of an existing van, and another being a new van. During this period, three of the five IP Engineering coaches were deemed unusable and cut up for scrap. No. 3 was also painted in GW wartime black.
At the end of the war and the end of the munitions traffic, the WLR service struggled to recover. The passenger service was removed in 1947 and replaced by a bus service around the villages, and the freight service was struggling.
However, the line survived long enough to be absorbed into British Railways at nationalisation in 1948, and No. 3 gained BR crests in 1950. By 1952, the line was barely braking even, and a large sum of money was needed to replace two of the lines bridges. BR decided to close the line, and the last train ran on December 31st 1952. Much of the stock was left stored at Amersham, with relatively little being sold to scrap, although the tender of No. 1 (now with No. 2) was cut up, and the two remaining IP coaches were sold on and scrapped, as were the GW coaches and some of the wagons. The toastrack and directors saloon remained at the railway, although the body of the directors saloon was converted into a chicken house in a neighbouring garden.
Although preservation schemes were springing up all around the UK, and further afield, from 1951 onwards, it was 1993 before any scheme was mentioned seriously for the WLR, and it was 1995 until fundraising started. By 1997, a large enough sum of money had been raised, with a sizeable donation from the family of one of the original directors, to purchase all of the trackbed, and place an order for two new bridges to replace the well-worn examples at Woodrow and Holmer Green. The remainder of the trackbed was in good condition, which led to a good rate of progress towards reopening,
Further fundraising led to the overhaul of locos 2,3,4 and 5, all of which were still intact and at Amersham, and the purchase of some stock – including a number of original wagons, the two surviving coaches and a number of vehicles from the USA, including five bogie coaches and a number of large wagons for PWay work.
Early 2002 saw the arrival of a large 0-6-2 tender locomotive built by John Fowler of Leeds for use in Australia. It had been bought back to the UK for a failed preservation scheme in the 1970’s, and the WLR succeeded in purchasing the engine for the line, and it arrived before the mainline was reopened later in 2002. The formal reopening of the line, and first full season of operations, took place in 2003.
Over the next few years, a number of other locomotives were acquired. Two large diesel locomotives - Nos. 7 & 8 - arrived to work off peak trains. Another steam locomotive, No. 9 – an 0-6-0T – arrived to work service trains, as Nos. 2 & 5 weren’t deemed suitable to haul four bogie coaches up the grade to Amersham. Steam outline No. 11 was purchased by the railway from a defunct theme park, and had its appearance modified to match a Zillertalbahn 0-6-2T. The final arrival was No. 14, a large and powerful 0-4-0T ideally suited to the line. A small American 0-4-0T, numbered No. 1 by its previous owner, was purchased by a private individual for use at the WLR. However, it has proven far too small for trains on the line and has only been used sparingly.
Summer 2004 saw the reopening of the branchline to Penn Street, and 2005 saw another major development – the launch of a plan to build a replica of the original No. 1. This plan came to fruition in 2008 with the completion of the locomotive, complete with tender. It has been rebuilt to higher specifications and can, at a push, take the four-bogie coach service train around the line.
Further stock acquisitions have followed in recent years, and projects have been launched to create replicas of the five IP coaches and 2 GW coaches. Four more coaches, two four wheel and two large bogie coaches, have been acquired from other schemes with the aim of replacing the US coaches by 2015. To fund some of these projects, it was decided to sell No. 14, which, while well suited to the WLR, was the newest member of a fleet larger than required for current operations.
The route saw a mini revamp in 2012, with a section of line out of Woodrow doubled, allowing extra operational flexibility. At the same time, a few sections of the line were renewed, including the Penn Street branch.
2013 saw the line celebrate both its centenary and the 10th anniversary of reopening. The year also saw the culmination of a project to build a new loco for the line capable of working heavy service trains, and this was built to the 0-6-0T design the GWR rejected in the 1930's. The loco has been named 'The Earl', as had been planned by the GWR, in celebration of the Earl of Beaconsfield - Benjamin Disraeli; an avid political fan of Disraeli being instrumental behind the scenes in the lines early years. This of course means that the loco shares the name with one of the WLLR Beyer Peacocks, although the numberplates show No. 15 in reference to its WLR running number.
Such was the success of No. 15, another new build was completed in 2015 to cope with the summer service trains, and the 'downgrading' of No. 3 from a service loco to one to be retained for special occasions and vintage trains in the off-peak season. A replica of the long lost 2-6-4 tanks of the Leek & Manifold Railway, No. 16 entered service in August 2015 and is capable of handling the heaviest WLR trains.
Traffic has thrived on the line since reopening, with summer dates requiring two trainsets to meet demands. The WLR preservationists can be justly proud to have created what the original WLR was always aiming for – a highly profitable line running through the scenic Chiltern landscape.