View source for Buckinghamshire Junction Railway

{{Use dmy dates|date=January 2017}}
{{Use British English|date=January 2017}}
{{Buckinghamshire Junction Railway}}

The '''Buckinghamshire Junction Railway''', often known as the '''Yarnton Loop''', was a [[standard gauge]] railway between Buckingham Junction on the [[Oxford, Worcester and Wolverhampton Railway]] (OW&WR) and Oxford Road Junction on the [[Buckinghamshire Railway]]. It was opened on 1 April 1854 to enable OW&W trains to and from {{stnlnk|Wolverhampton}} to connect with [[London and North Western Railway]] trains to and from {{stnlnk|London Euston}}.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Jenkins |first1=Stanley C. |last2=Quayle |first2=H.L. |title=The Oxford, Worcester & Wolverhampton Railway |series=The Oakwood Library of Railway History |year=1977 |publisher=Oakwood Press |location=Blandford |id=OL40 |pages=37, 40 }}</ref>

==Interchange station==
[[File:Oxford & Yarnton Dudley, Great Bridge & Wednesbury RJD 24.jpg|thumb|A 1902 [[Railway Clearing House]] Junction Diagram showing (left) the Buckinghamshire Junction Railway and neighbouring lines]]
[[Hanborough railway station|Handborough station]] was the interchange for the line, and had a refreshment room built for the purpose. The OW&WR planned a "grand new interchange station" at [[Yarnton railway station|Yarnton]] but it was never built.<ref>{{harvnb|Jenkins|Quayle|1977|p=69}}</ref>

==Take-over by GWR==
The OW&WR amalgamated with other railways to form the [[West Midland Railway]] (WMR) on 1 July 1860;<ref>{{cite book |last=MacDermot |first=E.T. |title=History of the Great Western Railway, vol. I: 1833-1863 |year=1927 |publisher=[[Great Western Railway]] |location=Paddington |page=543 }}</ref> and on 30 April 1861, the WMR and the [[Great Western Railway]] (GWR) reached an agreement under which they were to work closely together from 1 July 1861 with a view to full amalgamation.<ref>{{harvnb|MacDermot|1927|pp=547–8}}</ref> The GWR, WMR and the [[South Wales Railway]] (SWR) formally amalgamated on 1 August 1863<ref>{{harvnb|MacDermot|1927|pp=553, 586}}</ref> and did not continue connecting services with the rival L&NWR. The BJR remained open for freight, and was colloquially known as the Yarnton Loop.<ref>{{harvnb|MacDermot|1927|p=549}}</ref>

==Closure==
[[British Rail]]ways closed the BJR in 1965. Since then the Woodstock Road crossing (ex-[[A34 road (England)|A34 road]] now [[A44 road]]) has been replaced with a [[roundabout]], part of the [[A4260 road]] has been built along the trackbed and part of the [[A34 road (England)|A34 road]] has been built across the trackbed. The level crossing keeper's lodge still exists, and is now a private house ({{gbmapping|SP491112}}).

==References==
{{reflist}}

[[Category:Early British railway companies]]
[[Category:Rail transport in Oxfordshire]]
[[Category:Railway lines opened in 1854]]
[[Category:Railway companies disestablished in 1862]]
[[Category:1854 establishments in England]]
[[Category:British companies disestablished in 1862]]