Let's Discuss - "All aboard! Brackley Central to London Marylebone?!"
Let's Discuss!
Hello World! Welcome back, my name is Benjamin. This post will be dedicated to a rather random topic as it is something that I have been very interested in recently and I would love to share it with anyone who is interested. Anyway, you know the drill...Let's Discuss!
- My (former) love for railways!
The topic will be railways, which is something that I have had a passion for since I was a child. I used to collect and build Model Railways, every Christmas I would receive a new train set to add to my collection of locomotives (trains), track and rolling stock (carriages and trucks, etc). The picture I have included below is my first train set. From a humble loop on my kitchen floor, I eventually expanded the set with trees, buildings, and miniature people!
However, as the years passed, my interest in trains and railways started to depreciate. I lost touch with this long-lasting hobby and turned my attention to other things such as music, sports, and most of all, video games.
This would be the case until very recently when I stumbled upon information relating to my hometown, Brackley, and the former Great Central Main Line (GCML).
- The Great Central Main Line (GCML)
OK, so The Great Central Main Line was formerly a major railway line that ran between Manchester and London. This line was "mostly" closed between 1966 - 1969 as part of the "Beeching Axe".
Basically, the Great British Railway was once subject to a radical overhaul and reduction plan. This plan was devised and initiated by Dr Beeching in the mid to late 1960s.
The plan came to fruition as a cost-saving measure. This was a response to competition from an increasing population of road users in the United Kingdom. The result of increased road users was, in turn, a significant reduction in rail passengers.
The cuts under the "Beeching Axe" were WHOPPING! It is said that 5,000 miles of railway and approximately 2,300 railway stations across the Great British Rail network were said to be closed as a result of the plan.
So, for anyone who did not know, the small market town of Brackley, Northamptonshire, was once home to two railways stations!!! The one that I will be talking about specifically is Brackley Central. This station was closed in 1966 under the Beeching plan.
Now, you may be wondering why I am talking about this, allow me to explain...
- All Aboard! Brackley Central to London Marylebone?!
That's right! You did read that correctly...Brackley to London?! Yes, it's true! You could get a train from Brackley to London!
I understand that if you are reading this post and you do not live in Brackley, then this may sound a little bit boring, but allow me to include some other rural stations in the surrounding area that also closed. I admit, you may not have been able to get a train directly to London from the following stations, but you could certainly use Brackley Central or Brackley Town Station as a connecting station from the following locations:
- Helmdon Village
- Towcester
- Buckingham
- Westbury
- Finmere
- Kings Sutton (Actually, they still have a station today!)
- Culworth
Are you a Manchester United or Manchester City fan? Or perhaps you support Leicester City or are you a Nottingham Forest fan? Well don't worry, you can also stop at the following principal stations by taking the train up north to:
- Manchester Piccadilly (the final destination on the GCML)
- Leicester
- Nottingham
So why am I so excited about this? Well, can you imagine the prospect of hopping on a train from Brackley all the way to London?! This was once a reality, and it only took 84 minutes (1 hour and 24 minutes) via train to reach London Marylebone from Brackley Central Station.
There were 7 trains a day to London Marylebone from Brackley Central! Wow!
Why not grab some beers from Co-op Swift Shop with your mates? You could then find a nice place to sit in Brackley Town Park and enjoy some pre-drinks before heading over to Brackley Central and catching the evening service towards London Marylebone, then catch the tube for a night out in Soho, Camden, or even a gig in Shoreditch.
Alternatively, it's a Saturday morning and you catch the train from Brackley Central heading towards Manchester Picadilly in time to arrive at Old Trafford to watch Manchester United in the 3pm kick-off in a Premier League match. When it's all over, you can catch the evening service back to Brackley Central in time to catch Match of the Day.
With the High-Speed Rail (HS2) project underway in our local area, I wonder what the future holds for Brackley and the railways. I know that Brackley is in a very strong position in terms of access to London and the North, via the M40 and the M1 motorways.
However, I will always wonder what could have been...I will always dream of catching the train to London Marylebone or Manchester Piccadilly from the former Brackley Central Station.
Alas, this is all but a distant memory for those who lived in Brackley and surrounding areas during the railway years. I mean who knows, perhaps the railway evoked bad memories for some? All of that steam and noise must have been a bit rubbish to be fair.
But for me, when I walk along the former line near Turweston, leading to the old viaduct, I try to imagine what it would have been like.
How different would our lives have been for those in Brackley? What possibilities could be reached for the young people of Brackley?
Those opportunities are very limited. OK well, they are available, to those who choose to use the Brackley to Banbury 500 bus service to reach their closest railway station.
I forgot to mention those who have a driving license, but even still, they are limited by the all too familiar heavy traffic on the M40 and the M25 motorway, not to mention the increasingly expensive fuel costs to take into account. Of course, there is also the negative environmental impact of increased road traffic...
I guess we'll never know about those opportunities, but it's fascinating to think back to a better time and think about what could have been if the railway still passed through Brackley today.
"Thank you for taking this Great Central Rail service to Brackley Central Station...originating from London Marylebone". See you again soon!
Benjamin Andrew 95!
- My (former) love for railways!
The topic will be railways, which is something that I have had a passion for since I was a child. I used to collect and build Model Railways, every Christmas I would receive a new train set to add to my collection of locomotives (trains), track and rolling stock (carriages and trucks, etc). The picture I have included below is my first train set. From a humble loop on my kitchen floor, I eventually expanded the set with trees, buildings, and miniature people!
 |
| "First Train Set" - Christmas 1998 |
However, as the years passed, my interest in trains and railways started to depreciate. I lost touch with this long-lasting hobby and turned my attention to other things such as music, sports, and most of all, video games.
This would be the case until very recently when I stumbled upon information relating to my hometown, Brackley, and the former Great Central Main Line (GCML).
- The Great Central Main Line (GCML)
 |
| "Brackley Central Station" |
Basically, the Great British Railway was once subject to a radical overhaul and reduction plan. This plan was devised and initiated by Dr Beeching in the mid to late 1960s.
The plan came to fruition as a cost-saving measure. This was a response to competition from an increasing population of road users in the United Kingdom. The result of increased road users was, in turn, a significant reduction in rail passengers.
The cuts under the "Beeching Axe" were WHOPPING! It is said that 5,000 miles of railway and approximately 2,300 railway stations across the Great British Rail network were said to be closed as a result of the plan.
So, for anyone who did not know, the small market town of Brackley, Northamptonshire, was once home to two railways stations!!! The one that I will be talking about specifically is Brackley Central. This station was closed in 1966 under the Beeching plan.
Now, you may be wondering why I am talking about this, allow me to explain...
- All Aboard! Brackley Central to London Marylebone?!
That's right! You did read that correctly...Brackley to London?! Yes, it's true! You could get a train from Brackley to London!
I understand that if you are reading this post and you do not live in Brackley, then this may sound a little bit boring, but allow me to include some other rural stations in the surrounding area that also closed. I admit, you may not have been able to get a train directly to London from the following stations, but you could certainly use Brackley Central or Brackley Town Station as a connecting station from the following locations:
- Helmdon Village
- Towcester
- Buckingham
- Westbury
- Finmere
- Kings Sutton (Actually, they still have a station today!)
- Culworth
Are you a Manchester United or Manchester City fan? Or perhaps you support Leicester City or are you a Nottingham Forest fan? Well don't worry, you can also stop at the following principal stations by taking the train up north to:
- Manchester Piccadilly (the final destination on the GCML)
- Leicester
- Nottingham
So why am I so excited about this? Well, can you imagine the prospect of hopping on a train from Brackley all the way to London?! This was once a reality, and it only took 84 minutes (1 hour and 24 minutes) via train to reach London Marylebone from Brackley Central Station.
There were 7 trains a day to London Marylebone from Brackley Central! Wow!
Why not grab some beers from Co-op Swift Shop with your mates? You could then find a nice place to sit in Brackley Town Park and enjoy some pre-drinks before heading over to Brackley Central and catching the evening service towards London Marylebone, then catch the tube for a night out in Soho, Camden, or even a gig in Shoreditch.
Alternatively, it's a Saturday morning and you catch the train from Brackley Central heading towards Manchester Picadilly in time to arrive at Old Trafford to watch Manchester United in the 3pm kick-off in a Premier League match. When it's all over, you can catch the evening service back to Brackley Central in time to catch Match of the Day.
With the High-Speed Rail (HS2) project underway in our local area, I wonder what the future holds for Brackley and the railways. I know that Brackley is in a very strong position in terms of access to London and the North, via the M40 and the M1 motorways.
 |
| M40 - The major motorway near Brackley |
Alas, this is all but a distant memory for those who lived in Brackley and surrounding areas during the railway years. I mean who knows, perhaps the railway evoked bad memories for some? All of that steam and noise must have been a bit rubbish to be fair.
But for me, when I walk along the former line near Turweston, leading to the old viaduct, I try to imagine what it would have been like.
How different would our lives have been for those in Brackley? What possibilities could be reached for the young people of Brackley?
Those opportunities are very limited. OK well, they are available, to those who choose to use the Brackley to Banbury 500 bus service to reach their closest railway station.
I forgot to mention those who have a driving license, but even still, they are limited by the all too familiar heavy traffic on the M40 and the M25 motorway, not to mention the increasingly expensive fuel costs to take into account. Of course, there is also the negative environmental impact of increased road traffic...
I guess we'll never know about those opportunities, but it's fascinating to think back to a better time and think about what could have been if the railway still passed through Brackley today.
"Thank you for taking this Great Central Rail service to Brackley Central Station...originating from London Marylebone". See you again soon!
Benjamin Andrew 95!
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