A look at the history of the Wallingford and Watlington Railway

The presentation will look at the history of the Branch Line from the original opening in 1866 to the current day and an explanation of how the nickname of the “ The Bunk” came about. This includes takeover by the GWR in 1872, building of the station at Cholsey and subsequent growth in traffic pre-WW2 followed by the closure in 1965 like many other branch lines. The talk will then bring the story up to the present following the formation of the preservation society in 1983. The talk will be illustrated with images recently donated by staff who worked the line and offices at Wallingford.