When we join at Chinnor station - at the head of our train will be our driver, who watches and waits in eager anticipation. The signal clangs, the guard shows a green flag and with the all clear given, our driver gently eases the regulator open and almost imperceptibly, we are off!
We now settle down to enjoy the seven and a half mile round trip and as the engine strains to its task, the outskirts of Chinnor are soon reached. At Keens Lane Crossing our driver may give a warning when walkers are waiting to cross the line. This crossing is known locally as Donkey Lane, the name of which harks back to when the furniture industry was in full swing and chair legs, fashioned by Bodgers on the beechwood slopes above, would be brought down from the hills by pack animals, for onward conveyance by train to High Wycombe.
Views now begin to open up on both sides of the line. To the right a footpath parallels the ancient Upper Icknield Way, whose green route almost certainly predates the Romans: William the Conqueror purportedly travelled along it on his way to London and you can follow in his footsteps. If you have the time before or after your journey then why not take a gentle stroll to see a different perspective of Gods Wonderful Railway (as the GWR was sometimes called) and observe how the line blends so very naturally into the landscape.
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We next descend the 1 in 68 bank to the restored Wainhill Crossing Halt (often pronounced Winn'all by locals). Although no longer open to passengers, we either stop to let a member of staff open the crossing gates to allow our passage, or, if the 'gateman' is already waiting for us, we will slow down and then be shown the green flag so that we can proceed.
We cross the road at a sedate pace. You will next see a farm immediately to the right and further on, to your left, some poplar trees and a small pond indicate where a Romano-British Villa once stood. The train continues to descend through a cutting, with Bledlow Cricket Club on your left, where matches often take place on lazy summer Sunday afternoons.
After crossing West Lane Bridge, if you look carefully to your right, you may discern the densely packed and now overgrown Watercress beds. Sadly, due to modern methods of hygienic cultivation, they are no longer in productive use; the railway once carted many boxes of watercress away to the London markets.
Then we go over Perry Lane Bridge. After which you will see the closed Bledlow Bridge Halt on the left and there are now good views across open fields on both sides of the train. On the right you can see in the middle distance Whiteleaf Cross, etched into the chalk hillside: its origins are believed to date back to the Middle Ages or earlier, and it is thought to have been intended to act as a marker for the old salt route from Droitwich to London.
The train next arrives at Horsenden Lane Crossing and here we cross over the Phoenix Trail, which is owned and managed by Sustrans and which provides a popular footpath and cycle route between Princes Risborough and Thame. The crossing was recently used in filming for 'Silent Witness'. Passing over the crossing, we bear sharply to the right and descend to Thame Junction. We sometimes see wildlife on this section of the track too!
At Thame Junction our train gently proceeds through the open gate marking the boundary point between the heritage line and Network Rail for the additional journey towards our restored Platform 4 at Princes Risborough. Along the way you will glimpse more views of Whiteleaf Cross and, on the right hand side of the carriages in the direction of travel, you will see some of the remains of the original Watlington branch running line - the Association has secured a 99-year lease on this long strip of land and intends to fully restore the original track formation (once another half-a-million pounds or more can be raised to to complete the work!).
Your train now slows on the approach to Platform 4 at Princes Risborough and we gently curve to the right as the Chiltern Railways tracks come into view and we glide gently past Princes Risborough North signalbox and come to rest at Platform 4 - here you may just want to get out and stretch your legs or take photos of the engine etc before returning to Chinnor - but do listen out for when the guard blows the whistle and shows our enginemen the green flag, we don't want to leave anyone behind!
