The Banbury & Cheltenham Direct Railway

CONTENTS

Introduction & Acknowledgements page 7
Preamble page 9

Chapter One page 11
ORIGINS OF THE LINE
The Historical Background - Early Railway Development around Cheltenham - The Oxford, Worcester & Wolverhampton Railway - Origins of the Chipping Norton Railway - Opening of the Chipping Norton Railway - Some Details of the Chipping Norton Line - The Bourton-on-the-Water Railway - A Note on Early Locomotives

Chapter Two page 27
THE EAST GLOUCESTERSHIRE RAILWAY AND OTHER ABORTIVE SCHEMES
Some Abortive Railway Mania Schemes - Formation of the Witney Railway - The First East Gloucestershire Proposals - The Second East Gloucestershire Proposal - The Northampton & Banbury Junction Railway - The Midland Counties & South Wales Railway - Some Other Abortive Schemes

Chapter Three page 37
THE BANBURY & CHELTENHAM DIRECT RAILWAY
Formation of the Banbury & Cheltenham Direct Railway - Construction Begins - Completion Between Cheltenham and Bourton-on-the-Water - Completion Between Chipping Norton and King's Sutton - Opening Between Chipping Norton and King's Sutton - Some Details of the Line - The Cost of the Line - The Midland & South Western Junction Railway - The Andoversford & Stratford-upon-Avon Railway - The Great Central Reaches Banbury - Improvements to the Banbury & Cheltenham Direct Railway - The Witney, Burford & Andoversford Light Railway

Chapter Four page 69
THE RAILWAY IN OPERATION
Passenger Train Services in the GWR Era - The 'Ports-to-Ports' Express and Through Services - Freight Trains and Traffic - GWR Tank Engines on the Banbury to Cheltenham Line - Tender Locomotives on the B&CDR Line - Great Western Motor Bus Services - Rural Delivery Services - Other Developments in the 1920s & 1930s - World War Two

Chapter Five page 119
THE ROUTE FROM CHELTENHAM TO BOURTON-ON-THE-WATER
Cheltenham Spa St James - Cheltenham Malvern Road - Lansdown Junction - Cheltenham South & Leckhampton - Charlton Kings - The Leckhampton Quarries Branch - Dowdeswell Viaduct - Andoversford - Syreford - Notgrove - Bourton-on-the-Water - Stow-on-the-Wold

Chapter Six page 207
KINGHAM AND THE CHIPPING NORTON BRANCH
Kingham - Churchill Crossing - Sarsden Halt - Chipping Norton - The Bliss Mills - William Bliss & His Family

Chapter Seven page 267
THE ROUTE FROM CHIPPING NORTON TO BANBURY
Rollright Halt - Hook Norton Tunnel - The Earl of Dudley's Siding - The Hook Norton Viaducts - Hook Norton - The Hook Norton Ironstone Partnership - The Brymbo Ironstone Works - Bloxham - Bloxham Ironstone Quarries (Clay Cross Company) - Bloxham Quarries (Bloxham Ironstone Company) - Milton Halt - Adderbury - Adderbury & Sydenham Ironstone Quarries - King's Sutton - Banbury

Chapter Eight page 337
THE FINAL YEARS
Locomotives & Train Services in the BR Era - Closure Between King's Sutton & Chipping Norton - Closure of the Cheltenham to Kingham Line - Closure of the Chipping Norton Branch - Some Post Closure Developments on the B&CDR Line - The Railway Today

BIBLIOGRAPHY & FURTHER READING page 365
INDEX page 366

LIST OF STATIONS AND LOCATIONS DESCRIBED AND ILLUSTRATED