The Great Marlow Railway
Our last meeting of the season was our joint meeting with the Marlow Railway Society at Bourne End. Mike Walker addressed a well filled room and on line audience on The Great Marlow Railway, or as he subtitled it 150 Years of the Marlow Donkey 1873-2023.
The main railway in the area was the Wycombe Railway which avoided Marlow so the line to Marlow from a junction at Bourne End which was nearly level along the flood plain started construction in 1870. The talk was detailed covering every crossing and feature from the Marlow viaduct – the line’s major engineering feature to Bourne End the junction with the Wycombe Railway. The talk was well illustrated with pictures from the steam age frequently with a 14xx/48xx and auto coach.
Marlow station was demolished in 1967 and replaced by a bus shelter further down the line. A better but still unstaffed building was erected in 1972. Steam ended in 1962 and was replaced by bubble cars and Metro Cammel units. Turbos appeared in 1993.
Coverage was also given to Marlow’s other railway the 2ft gauge line of the Marlow Sand and Gravel Company with its Simplex diesel mechanicals which lasted until the 1970’s.
Interestingly the Donkey saw of the bus competition and not the other way round as is often the case.
There were pictures of special occasions notably the 1973 Centenary, the 1986 Network Day, various galas, and the 1998 125th anniversary.
An excellent and well received account of a short branch line.
John Fitzgerald