Hotspot 29. The Railway Line
The railway line from Kennington Junction opened in 1864 as part of a route from Oxford to London via Thame and High Wycombe. Navvies dug a cutting across the fields for the line, there was a viaduct across the Thames and a station in Littlemore. In 1870, the navvies came back and the single track was converted from broad to standard gauge. In 1908, there was more work, building Iffley Halt on the Kennington side of the viaduct; that closed in 1915 when local services were withdrawn. In 1923, more upheaval: the viaduct is suffering from subsidence and has to be replaced. Since 1963, there has only been a freight service on the line, serving the works at Cowley. See Leigh J., Iffley, Brunel and the Great Western Railway, ILHS Publication 1.

Railmotor Halt Map, c1910. © Railcentres: Oxford, Laurence Waters,
Ian Allan Ltd, 1986

Location of Iffley Halt, 1908-1915, over half a mile along the
towpath from Iffley. Iffley to Oxford 3rd class fare 2 1/2d, service
 4 times a day each way. © ILHS Publication No. 1, John Leigh.


Steam Rail Motor, (which did not need a separate
steam engine) for local services from Oxford Rewley Road to Bicester. © Railcentres: Oxford, Laurence Waters, Ian Allan Ltd, 1986

 


GWR steam railmotor at Abingdon Road Halt, June 1914
© Oxfordshire Railways in Old Photographs, collected by Laurence Waters, Selection, Alan Sutton, 1991


GWR steam railmotor, c1911, at "Wolvercot", a halt similar to Iffley Halt, although Iffley only had one platform.
© Railcentres: Oxford, Laurence Waters, Ian Allan Ltd, 1986

London service rushing past Abingdon Halt, c1912
© Oxfordshire Railways in Old Photographs, collected by Laurence Waters, Selection Selection, Alan Sutton, 1991