Cholsey all set to mark 40 years since branch closure

THE spring bank holiday weekend will not only see the first trains return to the Cholsey & Wallingford Railway since the lockdown was eased, but it will also mark 40 years since the last trains ran on the line in BR days and the formation of a revivalist group to save it.

Although the Wallingford branch closed to passenger traffic in 1959, a parcel service continued until 1965. After then, the line beyond Hithercroft Road was unused and the bridge carrying the road over the line demolished, but a regular service to the ABM Maltings continued until 1981. This