This article was written by Dave Parsons, formerly a police
officer in Faringdon, and published in a Local Paper. Date not known, but
thought to be late 60s early 70s
Faringdon became part of Oxfordshire in
1the Local Government boundary reorganisation of 1974
The Faringdon Railway Company was
incorporated by Act of Parliament at more or less the same time as the
Berkshire Constabulary was becoming established.
The efforts of Brunel in
developing the railway system, particularly that from London to Bristol, was
quickly seized upon by other persons anxious to take advantage of an improved
transport system.
A single line, laid to Brunel’s unique 7ft gauge,
was established from Uffington Junction to Faringdon and was opened in
1864.
It boasted 18 trains each way in the very early days. Like all
independent railways abutting onto the Great Western Railway, Faringdon line
was absorbed by its big brother. This was in 1886.
The Faringdon branch
continued in existence for passenger traffic until 1953, and from then on until
closure in 1963, the branch was kept open for freight only.
Today,
rails and signals have gone, along with the little Great Western tank engines
that use to potter about in the station yard or amble up the branch to
Uffington with its single vehicle.
The old station building, still
stands and the platform and goods shed are much in evidence. They are a
tangible reminder of the spacious days of Britain’s railways, days that
are unlikely to return.
