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The journey starts at Chinnor station and the train sets off
for the seven-mile round trip by passing under Station Road,
then rising gently through the outskirts of Chinnor village
to Keens Lane. This is known locally as Donkey Lane because
of the donkeys who in the 1930s, used to bring the beech chair
legs down from the hills where they had been made for onward
transportation to High Wycombe.
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Views now open up on both sides of the line. To the right,
a footpath parallels the Upper Icknield Way - a green lane that
pre-dates the Romans; William the Conqueror travelled along
it on his way from Hastings to London. The line now descends
to Wainhill Crossing and the restored Halt which is no longer
open to passengers.
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The original crossing keeper’s cottage, now privately
owned, is on the right. This crossing is manned when passenger
trains are running, and the train will slow down or even stop
unless a green flag is being shown by the gateman After crossing
the roadway, a stud farm can be seen immediately to the right,
and to the left, just after some poplar trees, is a small pond
where a Roman villa once stood.
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The line continues down through cutting to Bledlow Cricket
Club where matches can be seen most Sunday afternoons. After
crossing West Lane Bridge there are watercress beds to the right
just before Perry Lane Bridge. As the train crosses this bridge,
the now closed rail level Bledlow Bridge Halt can be seen on
the left. There are now good views across open fields from both
sides of the train and on a clear day Whiteleaf Cross can be
seen on the right, etched into the chalk hillside above the
town of Princes Risborough. Its origins date back to the middle
ages and it is thought to have been a guide for the old salt
route fron Droitwich, near Worcester, on the way to the Thames
and London
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The train will wait at Horsenden Lane while the gates are opened
by the guard and only proceeds once a green flag is shown to
the driver The train passes over the crossing and then waits
for the guard close the gates and return on board. To the left
the now closed Thame branch can be seen.
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The train proceeds round the corner to Thame Junction and the
end of the line. The train will now stop while the engine runs
round the coaches and attaches to the other end ready for the
return journey. The line here continues for approximately half
a mile to Princes Risborough station, which the Railway hope
to reach in the not too distant future, subject to raising the
necessary funds and signing a lease with Network Rail
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